Doing a big BBQ co0k for the office and am looking for some advise.


 
Bob Hunter

Bob Hunter

TVWBB Pro
Hi all,
My coworkers have convinced me to smoke some Brisket for an office lunch next Friday (May 5th). It looks as if I will have about 40 ppl to serve, and I don't have to worry about the sides (some elses problem)

Anyway I am looking for some advise on two areas.
1) How much Brisket to cook for this amount of people? (was figuring around 30lbs uncooked?)
2) How I should go about cooking the meat?
Option a) Bring the smokers to the office and do the overnighter here at the office.
Option b) Overnight the meat at home and then pack it into coolers and bring to office.
Option c) Overnight the Brisket this weekend and then freeze it and reheat on Friday.
Option d) Overnight the Brisket this weekend and then hold in my fridge and reheat on Friday.

Please help.

Thanks, Bob
 
(1) 30 lb should cook up to around 16-18 lb after waste and shrinkage (caution - that's not based upon my weighing my own briskets - this is what I've read from those who do this for a living, which I most definitely do not). That gives you somewhere in the vicinity of 1/2 lb meat per person, which is a very generous serving. Some will eat less, especially if the sides are set where people will pick them up first.

(2) Overnight the meat at home on the night before serving, pack it into a cooler (preferably one with wheels), and bring the "meat wagon" to the office. I do this often - take off a bit early as my briskets are usually about 13 hour cooks, then wrap them in foil, towels, and polar fleece early the next morning and tuck into the "meat wagon". They'll have a nice rest in the cooler until lunch, and will still be so hot that you'll need gloves to slice them. Your boss and co-workers will understand if you need to take off a bit early, and forewarn them that you may possibly be a bit late in the morning - good barbecue, you can remind them, is done when it DECIDES that it's done, and your pride in your product won't let you cut corners on time.
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(c) Prepare for praise.

Keri C, still smokin' on Tulsa Time
 
I see shrinkage of ~30%--try to minimize waste by selecting briskets that do not taper to nothing. If you are buying packers remember to think about the point: are you going to mix it in with the flat slices? pull it? Factor it in if you're not going to use the point or not going to use much of it--or buy nicely marbled thick flats and cook those.

I second the overnight at home cook. If there is no heating aparatus at work that you want to deal with heat your sauce at home and put it in coffee thermoses.

Have fun.
 
Thanks Keri and Kevin,
I was favoring option b myself, Overnight at home and bringing it in fresh.

I was planning on sliceing the flat and pulling the point, that way provide options for whichever way pply wanted to go.

We actually will have a gasser running here that I can use for reheating (plus a couple Microwaves) as someone else is going to be cooking Corn on the cob on it.


Thanks again,
Bob
 
Bob, just to verify, if you wrap your meat hot from the smoker and place it in the DRY cooler (NOT with ice), then its insulation will keep your wrapped briskets plenty hot until lunch. Don't cool it down between the time you take it off the smoker that morning and serve it at lunch - no need to.

Keri C
 
Yep option B. Pull the brisket off the smoker wrap it up real good in foil, place in a dry prewarmed cooler, lined with some heavy towels, and head off to work. I did this method about a month ago for my fellow workers and the brisket, and baked beans were still piping hot when i sliced, and served them up for lunch. Fresh is best, don't precook and then reheat.
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Your just asking for dry brisket. IMO.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> We actually will have a gasser running here that I can use for reheating... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Just for the sauce. The meat will be plenty hot wrapped and coolered as Keri and Bryan note.
 
1. Are going to cook whole briskets or flats?

2. Do you plan to cook them all at the same time?

3. How many wholes or flats can you fit in a WSM? Going to take 4-6 flats for 30lbs.
 
I am figuring on about 25 to 30lbs uncoooked, whole Briskets. The size of the cuts I pick up this weekend will determine whether or not I will breakout a second WSM or not. I would rather be able to throw 2 14 pounders on one smoker than have to tend the fire on two different smokers at the same time. I do not believe I can get three whole Briskets on one WSM. I haven't tried to cook on more than one at time so far.

The gasser that we will be running at the office will stricly be for Veggie burgers (some ppl here don't eat meat... yuck, shoot me first), the Corn, and reheating sauces.

Thanks,
Bob
 
You wouldn't have any problem running two WSMs at once for an overnighter. I agree with your comment - I don't recommend more that two packers on a WSM at a time- you'll block your airflow. Don't ask me how I know that.
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You can actually find 14-lb packers in Orange Co, CA??? I thought we kept all those big ol' honkin' things here in OK and TX.

While you're meat-shopping, pick up a few rolls of plain old breakfast sausage, coat them with your favorite choice of rub, and throw them on the smoker on either side of the briskets for a few hours toward the end of the cook - aim at internal of about 170 or so. It's amazing how smoke can change the charactor of plain ol' Jimmy Dean, JC Potter or Owens sausage. When they come off the smoker, just drizzle them with a little apple juice and roll them up in a long piece of foil - they'll travel well that way. I have a couple of rolls of Blue and Gold (the fund-raising brand of sausage) that I have to run through this weekend for my grandmother - she says that she'd much rather slice off a few slices of the smoked breakfast sausage and heat them in the microwave than fry up a few slices in the traditional way. Smokin' a few fatties makes for a great little appetizer while you're slicing the brisket. Lay 'em out on a platter with a couple of knives, and it'll help keep the beasts at bay while you prepare the main event. Sticks of bologna are fun to do like this as well.

Keri C, still smokin' on Tulsa Time
 
The sausage sounds like a great idea, I will have to give them a try. And Yup, the 14 pound packers are not too hard to come by. Actually last month, I tried to find a smaller one around 11# but was stuck with a 14
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Darn, hate it when I have to smoke more meat.


Bob
 
Alright,
I picked up the Meat last night, I bought 4 packers, not the best marbling I have ever seen, but not bad. Select grade. Paid $1.55 per lbs. Two of them weigh in at 11.33, one at 12.34 and the last one at 12.02.

I figure I will prep them Wednesday evening, after my son's Little League game. Then light the fires around 1:00 o'clock on Thursday afternoon. The idea is to finish them up between 6 am and 8 am Friday morning. Then hold them in a cooler until 11 o'clock for lunch.

Oh, Keri, I also picked up some Breakfast sausage to along with everything as well
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Wish me luck, this is the most meat and the largest group of people I have ever Q'd for.

Bob
 
Will also be preparing BBQ baked beans, corn bread, and corn on the cob cooked on the grill.

Should be a good time.

Bob
 
Now if ya want to get a little wild, wrap some cheese in a poblano pepper and stuff it down inside the middle of those breakfast sausage "fatties" and let them cook like that. Yum...
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Well, about 5 hours before I light up the coals. My mouth is already watering, and my stomach is growling. mmmm, Can't wait.

Keri, Rita,
I bought some Pepper Jack to stuff the Fatties with
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Ok, something wierd going on.
I have two smokers running, started them up at the same time. Put almost the exact smae amount of Brisket on each 22# on one and 23# on the other. Anyway, They both hit 235* F at the same time, and I put the meat on them at the same time. This was about 45 minutes ago. Now, as the temps came back up brom have the lids off and adding the meat. One of my smokers is sitting pretty at 240*F, but the other one will not come up to heat. It is still down at 210*F.

Not sure what to do about this, should I load some more hot coals on it? Any ideas appreciated
 
No. Don't chase temps.

What are you temping with and are you using the same therm to check each unit? two separate therms? temping at the lid or the grate?

Where are your vent settings?

Open the vents a bit more on the lower one. Be patient, see what happens, then go from there.
 
Hey Kevin,
I am using two ET 73's to check the temps at the dome. The one that was at 210 is now at 213, with the vents at 100% open. The one that was at 240 is still @ 240 and I have all three bottom vents around 25%. I have swithced the therms between the two smokers and have gotten the same results, so I know it is not a problem with temp calibration. It is just plain wierd that my performance is so different.

I mean I went so far as to weigh out the exact same amount of Kingsford for each smoker, same amout of smoke wood. Same number of lit coals on each.

I am not too worried about it, although I really need the two batches to be ready at approx the same time tomorrow. The meat temp on the slower smoker is lagging behind by about 8*F right now.

Besides this is a good experiment in the performance of two different WSM's with everything as close as possible to the same.
 
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