Cooking for About 50 on one 18.5


 
J

JToona

TVWBB Member
Next Saturday we are hosting a wedding shower and we have about 50 RSVPs. I want to do pork butts and briskets. My plan is to get 4 butts and 2 briskets. I’m guessing I’ll need around 25-30 lbs for the entire cook. Does this sound right or is it a little too much meat?

I’m planning on taking a half day off work Thursday and doing the pork. Then pulling it, putting it in foil pans and fridging it. Then Friday do the briskets. Cut it and foil pan it and fridge it too. Then Saturday warm everything up in the oven and serve. Trying to be as stress free as possible. Does this sound like a good plan?
 
I'd probably double the butts, do at least 6-8 of them (a case) and have some leftovers. you can cook 3 per rack easily and 4 per if you get a little creative.

The briskets are going to be >12# each if you're doing packers, so that'll be 25# right there.
 
FWIW, I've cooked for ~70 people twice in the last year with 2 packer briskets, 4 boneless pork butts and 4 chickens. Both times, the main dinner had a few leftovers that went fast at lunch the next day.
 
I wouldn't slice and reheat the briskets. I'd do them to be done day of and have them done well before the event. You can hold them warm in a towel lined cooler for several hours.
 
Since it's a wedding shower the guest will likely be female and they shouldn't eat as much as a bunch of young guys I think you'll have plenty of meat. I wouldn't slice the Brisket until it's warm and ready to serve but I don't see a problem doing it early. If you can't fit all of that meat in your oven you might use a disposable pan or 2 that fit in your WSM and augment the oven with that. I once did 4 eight pound butts, pulled, and put in the fridge. I couldn't have fit 2 briskets in there with them. Make sure you have enough fridge and oven space. Have fun.
 
I am glad you linked that thread Fletch!
I would not slice until the last minute and only slice one at a time, also, foil pans are great but, they don’t seal well enough to keep the contents from drying out some. I pulled and panned a butt a while back and was surprised at how quickly it dried. I would suggest, pulling and bagging if you are doing it the day before, then put it in the pans. Someone here uses the “reheat in bag” technique which makes perfect sense to me, drop the bag in a pot of hot water(simmering) let it heat there and then empty that into the pan, I think that would help keep the pork moister than putting the pan in a hot oven.
 
I have a food saver with like 200’ worth of bags. I’ll do the pork and pull it and seal it in the bags. Then maybe boil water to reheat it.

If I can do an 18lb hot and fast brisket by 1:00 that Saturday, I may just do a brisket in the morning the day of.
 
JToona said:
I have a food saver with like 200’ worth of bags.
Click to expand...

You are set! For my methodology a vac sealer is almost as important as a smoker. I always vac seal leftovers, freeze, then reheat in a pot of water. There have been times I've smoked not even intending to serve it for dinner on that particular day but I wanted to smoke for the fun of it, so I did the cook and then vac sealed and threw it in the freezer.
 
BFletcher said:
.... There have been times I've smoked not even intending to serve it for dinner on that particular day but I wanted to smoke for the fun of it, so I did the cook and then vac sealed and threw it in the freezer.
Click to expand...

This is what I do when I'm alone, for the fun of it, and no one asking "is it done?"

I did this last week, found nice cuts on sale. short ribs and spare ribs

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Had to do it in 2 batches on the WSM 18, took all day. Here is what's left after I had my fill.
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In the vac seal bags, cooked meat reheats fast in microwave. 1/3 rack ribs in 4 min from frozen. Pulled pork...less for 1/4-1/2 lb portion. Poke hole in bag and. Heat
 
If you do it in the bags, you can cool it down in an ice water bath before refrigerator. Less strain on refrig, less time in danger zone.
 
So pull the pork and vac seal it ASAP? Or try to fit the pork in the vac bags whole and pull after reheating?
 
Pull and bag.
Tom brings up a very important point in getting the temperature down as quickly as you can. The ice bath after bagging is excellent! Pull, bag, chill, fridge.
 
Lew Newby said:
Since it's a wedding shower the guest will likely be female and they shouldn't eat as much as a bunch of young guys I think you'll have plenty of meat. I wouldn't slice the Brisket until it's warm and ready to serve but I don't see a problem doing it early. If you can't fit all of that meat in your oven you might use a disposable pan or 2 that fit in your WSM and augment the oven with that. I once did 4 eight pound butts, pulled, and put in the fridge. I couldn't have fit 2 briskets in there with them. Make sure you have enough fridge and oven space. Have fun.
Click to expand...

I got a nice chuckle when Lew says ".. the guest will likely be female and they shouldn't eat as much as a bunch of young guys":)
 
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