WKC OZ First Catering Job

[Hogsy]

Golly and I have been asked to cook for a mates engagement party
After the success of our American style bbq cooking for our end of season football trip, roast chicken, pulled pork and brisket has been requested
Just thought I'd run it by the brains trust before ordering
We have 70 adults and 20 kids to cook for
Here's the quantities we've roughed out
.9 pound of meat per person x 90 people=81lbs
31 lbs of pork neck/shoulder
31 lbs of brisket
18 lbs of chickens
The chicken is mainly for the kids, hence the lower quantity
Hope those quantities make sense. I had to convert from kgs and I'm not use to working in lbs
Do those quantities sound right?
Is it too much or not enough meat?
Do I need to allow for more considering meat shrinkage when cooking low and slow?
We'd really appreciate any input

[kendoll]

Sweet! Good luck guys! Can't wait to see the pics. Have you decided which grills you will be using?

Ken

[Hogsy]

We'll be using both WSM's possibly mini WSM's as well
The chooks on the roti's and I'll probably use a couple of my daisy wheel kettles if needed
Or maybe a 26er if all goes well on the weekend
Thanks for organizing the rubs and brines for us too Ken

[Harbormaster]

Is that .9 lbs pre-cooked weight?
That would be in the ballpark, as it would work out to around 7 or 8 ounces per person finished weight. With a mix of kids and adults, sounds like you'll be OK.
Good luck with your gig!

[1buckie]

HarborMaster's pretty accurate it seems.....I figure a little lower yield, but not much, 60% on pork & it will depend a bit on how extensive the sides are..............

 Over half a pound is a pretty big bunch when there's a least some kids involved


"Do I need to allow for more considering meat shrinkage when cooking low and slow?"
 
        To a point, the higher the heat, the more shrinkage you get..........

[1buckie]

 if you want to get all scientific & stuff....there's a Catering planner @ Smoke Ring.....

Sticky: BBQ Catering Planner!

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6531

[Jeff]

 Wow sounds like lots of food depending on side and appetizers. I want to see pics of this!

[Hogsy]

Thanks for all your input
Yeah the .9 lbs is the pre-cooked weight
Sounds like we'll be ok with these quantities
We're really looking forward to this big cook up
Hopefully we will get the timing right
The plan is to start cooking the pork and brisket the night before then we only have to transport it to the party and shred and carve it
The chickens will be cooked onsite as they will cooked at high heat
There will be plenty of photos to come

[kendoll]

By no means an expert here, But how long after cooking would you be transporting? And then how long after transport would you be preparing? Depending on the answers I would suggest shredding (and possibly slicing) before transporting (and reheating/warming).

Ken

[Hogsy]

Hopefully take meat of the BBQ's at 11am for a 1pm lunch
2hrs wrapped in foil and into the esky then shred and carve at venue which is only 10mins drive
I'd prefer to shred and carve just before serving that way there's no preheating

[kendoll]

Yep, 2 hours will be fine (in the esky - I usually keep it there for 3). Good luck guys,  I know you will kill it.

Ken

[kendoll]

So is it this coming weekend? I sent the GP up with Jase.

Ken

[Hogsy]

Thanks ken for the rubs and brines
The party is in a couple of weeks

[kendoll]

Cool. Looking forward to seeing the pics.

Ken

[Hogsy]

I'm cooking some pulled pork for the party this weekend and need some advice
I have 4 cuts of pork forequarter .
1x 10lbs
1x 11lbs
1x  13lbs
I'm hoping to put them on at the same time and take them off at the same time
I'll be using a WSM and a couple of kettles
I aim to cook them at 225-250f and take them off at about 200f internal
Am I best off cutting the 2 bigger pieces in half to get a more consistent cooking time?
I was planning a 12hr cook , will this be long enough?