Catering a party for 80


 

DennisM

TVWBB Pro
I have done several parties of like 30 or so, but nothing like 80. To make a long story short..I might be asked to cater a party of 80..or if I can handle it. Would I need to get another WSM? (It would be brisket, and pulled pork) I am thinking I would need the capacity of 2.
 
I don't do briskets for parties that large, usually--I do chuck--but you certainly can. The pork can be done ahead of time. I rarely have the use of more than one cooker. It can be done.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
I don't do briskets for parties that large, usually--I do chuck--but you certainly can. The pork can be done ahead of time. I rarely have the use of more than one cooker. It can be done. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Why do you smoke for large gatherings that size chuck as opposed to brisket? I know this must be a personal thing, but I curious to know. How many people do you think an entire packer could feed (probably with a couple side dishes)?

Erik
 
I don't think one packer is going to get you anywhere close to what you would need. If you have to do brisket for that many people with one cooker, I would look into getting some type of extra grate, either a Big Green Egg grill extender or some type of home brew grate extension. Chris has some great ideas in the section on Increasing Cooking Capacity. Were you to go that route you could do three briskets--one on top, one on bottom, and one on your added grate.

That wouldn't leave any room for the pulled pork, but you could do that the day before, chill and reheat. Or, if you can get a couple of 22" kettles, set them up like this and cook a couple of pork butts in each of the kettles.
 
Regardless of the meat you choose, I think the key here is cooking some of it in advance. Kevin's suggestion of pulled pork is an excellent one as PP can be reheated easily. Are there any other grill or smoker resources available for your use? I've grilled enough chicken for 100, but had access to a large grill. Grill it in batches and keep warm in ice chests till ready to serve. Would you have a couple of people to help you out?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Why do you smoke for large gatherings that size chuck as opposed to brisket? I know this must be a personal thing, but I curious to know. How many people do you think an entire packer could feed (probably with a couple side dishes)? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Because all the chuck is useable, brisket not so much. Most people don't care for the point. I'm not into serving sliced brisket and turning the point into pulled or chopped--not for a party. So--I could do flats, except in many places (like where I live) untrimmed flats are totally unavailable--and I do not cook trimmed flats. That leaves me with chuck, which I like very much anyway; I do a smoke/braise thing, often, to set it apart from the pork (if I am also doing pork).

A whole packer can serve 8-16, more if it large but I don't care for the big boys if I have a choice.

The other thing with chuck: it is easier to do ahead and reheat.
 
Kevin's version of the chuck is fantastic; I have a little bit left over in the fridge from this past weekend. Shouldn't be a big problem to scale up the reduced wine/onion mixture for a large crowd. I highly recommend it.
 
Here here on the chuck.

It reheats really well, and goes a long way.

I did a party for 40 last weekend (PP and brisket) and I wish I had talked them into chuck instead.

The brisket was good, but they wanted to slice and hold it in a chafer ( I wasn't there). They said there was very little left (14 lb packer) but I'm sure it was dry.

I did a 23 lb chuck roll recently, and they are easy to cook and serve whenever needed.
 

 

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