Need some help and Ideas


 
J

Jim Evans

TVWBB Member
I've been away from the board for a while just too busy with other things but I do get a chance to review things and I definitely stop by when in need of a new recipe and help. Yes I need some help.

My son is graduating from High School and a big party is in order and ofcourse BBQ is the demand.

Problem #1 - I only have 1 WSM but I can borrow a couple from friends. So I either need to borrow some, rent a large one or cook some stuff the day before. Anyone know of any rentals in CT or near Northeast CT?

Problem #2 - Standard Pulled pork, Chicken, meatloaf and maybe some ribs will be on the menu, brisket just doesn't go far enough bu I might add a couple. All of this I am comfortable with. Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions on items that would allow for some variety and maybe being cooked ahead of time or shorter smokes... All suggestions welcome.

Problem #3 - Most of my cooks the food is eaten that day and normally with not much leftovers that stay with me atleast, so I normally don't do much reheating of the smoked food so I need some help here. Items that carry over a day and reheat well will help with the large menu and small smoker access.

Problem#4 - I was thinking about smoking some sausages and brats for appetizers but I never have so I'm looking for some help here as well.

Mostly family early on and his friends will stay late and come and go so I plan on having food available all day and ofcourse will have the standard dogs and burgers as needed.

Sides will include Kerri's baked beans - family favorite, Kerri's cornbread - another family favorite, potato and pasta salad and I could use some suggestions for some additional items.

Sorry for the long post but as always I am excited for the feedback from all the great cooks on this site.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and help.
Jim
 
I may be able to help with a few or your "problems":

#1 & #3 - The pulled pork and the meatloaf both re-heat fairly easily. I would do those a day or two before (even up to a week or two before, if you dont mind freezing the stuff before re-heating.)

At many grocery stores / Target-type places, you can get "3-packs" of foil pans with clear or foil lids. I would make the pulled pork & meatloaf, and then put it in these for easy "pop-into-the-oven" re-heating (add a drizzle of water, cover with foil & warm)

That leaves you with less to worry about for the day-of...

#2 - For quick smokes, I would look at some marinated or brined chicken, and do it "high-temp" style. Many good recipes on this site - my family has loved it marinated in Mojo Criollo. Also, think about a few ABTs for "snacketizers"....

#4 - Can't be much help here. Brats are good if done ahead of time, and kept warm in a bath of simmerred beer, onions, and a little butter. (Also works for burgers)

Sides - I would look for a good recipe for Red Beans & Rice - this stuff is a nearly perfect compliment to most kinds of barbeque (but I havn't made them myself - I need to find a good recipe for this myself!)

Ribs - maybe you could "par-smoke" these ahead of time, and "finish & sauce" on a grille - instead of the smoker. Has anybody else out there tried this??

Hope this helps - I am sure that others (even some with "catering" experience will chime-in).
 
I don't see much beef on your menu. Perhaps you might consider smoking a chuck roast. You could cook it along with your pork butts and add some bovine to the menu.
 
As Ron suggested I have done ribs the day before with a dry rub and then warmed and sauced on the grill. I usually cut them into single bones and put in one of the big aluminum chafing dishes. Always a hit. Also, was exactly thinking like Ron on the high heat cook. I have done two turkeys on the WSM and they take about 3-4 hours. And the bones get picked clean. The brats do on the grill. Parboil with beer and onions, grill, then to a beer onion butter bath for a "help yourself" dish. I also make sliders for parties like this. I get a cookie sheet and press out the hamburger to fill the sheet then cut into little squares with a pizza cutter and serve on hawaiian rolls. Huge hit.
 
If you could get your hand on a kettle or two you could do roadside chicken.Its pretty easy and inexpensive plus it puts on a show when your basting it.Ive used the recipe with wings and added a little kick in the marinade with hot sauce and tossed them in the end with buffalo wing sauce. Mighty tasty.
 
Thanks for all the great ideas.

My family loves roadside chicken so I'll probably do some roadside and some BBQ chicken.

I was thinking about deep frying a turkey or two. I've never smoked one yet so that might be something to try over the next few weeks.

I like the sliders idea as well.

Knowing myself I'm sure I'll have a brisket or two because I can't be without it.
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Keep the suggestions and ideas coming.
 
I cooked for our family reunion recently, around 50 guests, and we had pulled pork, baby back ribs, chicken, and brisket for the meat.

I cooked the pork and ribs a week in advance. Four butts, cooked 'em, rested 'em, pulled 'em, then loosely filled those aluminum half serving pans with them and put the pan into a sink of cold water, then covered and into a refrigerator overnight, then into foodsaver bags, then the freezer.

Cooked twelve racks of ribs the next day and basically repeated what we'd done with the pork except they cooled off much quicker than the pulled pork, and it wasn't as late, so they got vac-sealed and frozen without being refrigerated over night, although they could have.

The day before the reunion I took all of the ribs and pork out of the frezzer and put them into the fridge. The only reason I did this was to cut down on the reheat time since we planned to eat all of this for lunch!

I used three kettles to cook the brined birds the day of the event while I did a high heat brisket cook on my sole WSM.

Packets of pulled pork were reheated in their bags in simmering water in stockpots, then put into the aluminum pans, covered and into an oven to stay warm until it was time to go to the park.

The ribs were reheated over charcoal on site.

The heated pork, newly cooked/cut up chicken and newly cooked/sliced brisket all went in aluminum pans in a cooler, and the thawed but cold ribs in another one.

It was hectic that morning, but everything turned out great.

Congratulations - my son is a brand new HS grad as well - have fun!
 
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