Question on Quantities

[JimK]

OK, I'm cooking for a crowd this weekend and I'm starting to second guess my quantities. I wanted to do something that could be done in advance, in bulk, then reheated to serve for a party on Saturday. I've done pulled pork and chicken for a lot of these folks a few times now so I was looking to mix things up a bit. So I'm going with a fajita bar. (go ahead, tell me I'm crazy)

I'm taking friday off to cook and will reheat in chafing (sp?) dishes and/or the oven on Saturday. I'm doing both steak and chicken and currently have 6.5 lbs of flank and about 6.75 lbs of BSB. Adding to that will be peppers and onions, and rice. We'll also have the fixin's - sour cream, salsa and cheese. The crowd will about 18 kids and 28 adults. I plan on cooking burgers and hot dogs for many of the kids (sorry, Kevin

), but a handful will eat fajitas. We'll also have light snacks, but not too many.

Any thoughts on whether or not I've got enough, way too much, etc would be much appreciated. I'm OK having leftovers - especially fajitas - but I don't want tons of 'em.

I'll be sure to post pics while I cook on Friday.

Thanks in advance!!

JK

 

[Noe]

Jim i know there is a lot of different formulas to figure how much u will need, when i cook for a crowd i figure 1lb per person have always had enough and never to many leftover's hope this helps. People tend to eat a little more at parties.

 

[JimK]

Noe,

You use 1lb/person for butts, or other meats? I can see that for butts, with about a 40% loss from fat, etc. But a pound of chicken or flank, plus rice, plus peppers/onions seems like a ton of food. Or maybe I'm just way off here. Thanks for your input.

Jim

 

[Larry Wolfe]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JimK:
OK, I'm cooking for a crowd this weekend and I'm starting to second guess my quantities. I wanted to do something that could be done in advance, in bulk, then reheated to serve for a party on Saturday. I've done pulled pork and chicken for a lot of these folks a few times now so I was looking to mix things up a bit. So I'm going with a fajita bar. (go ahead, tell me I'm crazy)

I'm taking friday off to cook and will reheat in chafing (sp?) dishes and/or the oven on Saturday. I'm doing both steak and chicken and currently have 6.5 lbs of flank and about 6.75 lbs of BSB. Adding to that will be peppers and onions, and rice. We'll also have the fixin's - sour cream, salsa and cheese. The crowd will about 18 kids and 28 adults. I plan on cooking burgers and hot dogs for many of the kids (sorry, Kevin

), but a handful will eat fajitas. We'll also have light snacks, but not too many.

Any thoughts on whether or not I've got enough, way too much, etc would be much appreciated. I'm OK having leftovers - especially fajitas - but I don't want tons of 'em.

I'll be sure to post pics while I cook on Friday.

Thanks in advance!!

JK </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jim,
Plan on 1/4lb of meat per person. This is just me, but I'd double the flank and chicken and that would give enough for roughly 27 (4oz)servings, thinking mostly the adults would be eating the fajitas. You could do less since you're having burgers and dogs too. I'd at the very least shoot for 10lbs of flank and 10lbs of BSB's.

Again, this is just me. If you must cook the day before, fine, but if you can, that type of food would be so much better cooked and served right then. Flank takes a couple minutes, let it rest, cook the chicken, slice the flank while the chicken is cooking and into the chaffing dishes it goes. By then the chicken would be ready, pull it off, rest, throw on the veggies, then put into chaffing dishes and then slice the chicken into chaffing dishes! Then onto burgers. Hour max cooking for everything and people would be in aw of you while grilling!

P.S. if I was invited I would cook for you!

 

[JimK]

Thanks Larry. Appreciate the input. And now you've got me thinking about cooking Saturday instead. I was concerned about being too busy cooking and not having time to socialize. But I could probalby start the coals about 30 minutes before people are due to arrive. That would have me starting the cooking about 15 minutes or so before people start to show up (everyone's always fashinably late, ya know), and I'd be done cooking 30 minutes or so after the party starts.

Question though: 27 4oz servings is 108 ounces - or 6.75 lbs. That is exactly the amount of chicken I have. I also have 6.5 lbs of steak, for almost another 27 4 oz servings. So, I'd have almost half a pound per person. Or am I using "fuzzy math"?

 

[J Reyes]

Jim I coordinate cookouts for groups of 100+.

With a group that expects seconds and maybe take a little home, I'd go no less than 1/2 lb a person cooked meat (boneless). With bone in chicken (leg quarters) we go to 1 lb (raw) a person.

Fajitas should be a little less especially with the hot dogs and side dishes.

So 1/2 lb cooked per person should be OK and an easy cook.

John