School fieldtrip cooking: Pre-cook or onsite ? Decisions, decisions....


 
J

Joshua_D

TVWBB Member
WSM Community - I'm faced with a dilemma and need help deciding....

My wife teaches high school AP Environmental Science at Sherwood High School / Sandy Spring, MD. She works very closely with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation / Education - and every year, she takes a group of students down to one of the CBF island education centers, for a two-night field trip with studends (juniors / seniors). I've accompanied her as a chaperone for the past two years have always have a blast on this trip. The kids are a HOOT! The camaraderie.... the food... the (literally) head-to-toe marsh mud. Nothing says "fun" like marsh mud slides!

The kids and chaperones do all the cooking for every one (about 35 people). Last year, I took my turkey fryer down with me. One night we did deep fried turkeys (3 of them) and the following night we did a catfish fry. It was a huge hit. The kids: (seriously).... "... this can't be fish.. it's delicious!"

This year I'm going to be breaking in my new WSM 22.5" on these unsuspecting young scholars. I'm having a hard time deciding. I can either:

a). Cook this weekend, freeze and finish up at the island center.... or.... (EASIER)

b). Lug the WSM down to the island center... put it on a ferry... (along with 35 kids and all their gear) and do a "fresh" cook there. (MUCH HARDER)

I'm planning on smoking three pork butts and three racks of St. Louis cut spare ribs.

So? What says the WSM community? Cook this weekend? OR Cook at the island center?
 
Pulled pork is always best fresh. Plus don't discount the smell that will be wafting around for hours to get the kids hungry!
 
I think plan B is better.
The kids will enjoy the experience of the wsm smoking the food.
 
What is available for reheating there? Do you have time to chaperone (have fun yourself) and look after the smoker? I don't find pulled pork loses anything from being cooked ahead and reheated. Ribs can be reheated also and still come out great. I'd probably reheat and have fun with the kids.
 
I think Bob had the right question. It depends on what they have for reheating. If you're going to have to go through a lot to reheat everything and have it come out right, you might as well do it there

Although I have done reheated frozen ribs, I still think fresh is better
 
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