Help with Party for 70 people


 
J

James Harris

New member
OK, so I am having a party Saturday afternoon starting around 4pm. I am responsible for the main courses and guests will be bringing sides. I had originally hoped to do some briskets, but with the quantity of people, I have decided that Brisket is not going to work.

The equipment I have to work with is:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>WSM - Brand spanking new - it replaced an old crappy water smoker I had. I will be installing a thermometer tonight.
Ducane gas grill: 5 burners, with a rear infra-red rotisserie burner and a side burner
Other normal kitchen equipment - oven, crock pot, etc.[/list]
I want to have a choice of beef or poultry (chicken or turkey) for the guests. I also wanted to avoid doing burgers/dogs, as I would prefer to cook everything in advance. I have a couple huge chaffing trays and a crock pot to keep everything warm.
My thought is to start 2 chuck rolls the night before in the WSM and then follow that up with 4 chickens in the WSM and 2 on the Rotisserie. However, I am guessing that this will not result in enough poultry for everyone. As an alternative, I might be able to do 4 chickens in the WSM and 4 beer can chickens on the grill. I figure the beef can stay wrapped up in a cooler while the chicken is cooking. I also figure that Turkey breasts probably won't work as they would take too long in the smoker after the beef comes off.

For those who may have experience cooking for groups this large, I would apreciate any thoughts or suggestions you might have.
My main goal is to have plenty of beef and poultry for everyone and to avoid cooking once the party starts - having everything in Chaffing dishes ready to go.

So, can anyone recommend maybe something else to cook which might work out better?
Are there specific recipes you would recommend?
Any thoughts you might have would be apreciated, as I am quite intimidated trying to cook for this many people.

Thanks in advance,

James
 
OK, so I had another thought. Is it reasonable to finish the Chuck Roll in the oven? So I could take the chuck roll up to 165, wrap it in foil and put it in the over to finish. Meanwhile, I can prep the smoker and do a couple turkey breasts, which by my estimate would result in enough food for all. Does anyone know how much weight you lose in a chuck roll when it is cooked?
 
Finishing in the oven is a good idea since you really need to free up the cooker.

You'll love ~50% of the weight of a CR. A 'normal' CR can take 20-24 hours to cook, depending on size and cooktemp. You might want to start early evening the day before so it shouuld be ready to foil and finish early the next morning.

When I cook for that many I often don't do whole chickens, I do pieces. But I have done wholes for large parties. I figure 8 pieces/chicken--i do not count the wings and I get 4 pieces out of the whole breast.

Turkey is a good option.
 
I like to make my big cuts (Butts, Brisket, Chuck roll) ahead of time, days that is. I smoke them a couple of days ahead then reheat on the day needed. I smoke butts and chuck roll rest them and pull/chop. When pulling I put on a large sheet pan and it cools quick. I warm up on the gasser in chaffing pan takes about half an hour. Brisket I leave whole then heat up the whole brisket then slice.

I like this method because I don't have to spend the time pulling the meat and can concentrate on what needs cooked that day.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">whole then heat up the whole brisket then slice.

I like this method because I don't have to spend the time pulling the meat and can concentrate on what needs cooked that day. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah, I would do the same thing if it were an option for me. Unfortunately, I just won't hav the time to do it in advance. So, I think maybe I have it right, start the CR early evening the night before, pull it at 165 and wrap in foil, then put in the oven to finish. Then I can get the turkey breasts started. It sounds like I will be able to cook more meat if I do turkey as opposed to chicken. I figure 4 turkey breasts and 2 CR's should do it. I figured the CR's would lose some weight, but damn, 50% is a lot. Still, I should yield 15lbs from 2 smaller CRs which should be enough.

Would 4 turkey breasts fit in the WSM? Also, would this result in too much meat. I figure 7-8 pounds per turkey breast, but the bone has got to account for at least a pound of that weight. Maybe 3 would be a better bet?
 
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