Please Advise - Feeding 40

[Scotty-G]

I am planning on smokin for a my group at work.
Plan on smokin brisquet and pulled pork to feed a group of about 40.

I have 1 OBS with integrated PID.
4 original racks and 4 jerky racks.
2 internal probe temp monitors.

What I need advice on and help with is:

How much meat - I figure I should plan to feed 50?

Is smokin 2 different types of meat at the same time a good idea considering the different times required.

How much time would be required for smoking such a large amount of meat?  Ideally would like to take everything out of the smoker at about 7am and FTC to transport to work and serve lunch (11:30am).

Trying to figure out the timing for everything as well as amount to brisket and pork butt (no bones)

Any thoughts / guidance / shared experience / Lessons Learned / etc. is much appreciated.  ??? ???

Thanks
Scotty-G

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

Plan on smokin brisquet and pulled pork to feed a group of about 40.

You mean 41. What is the address?   :D

You need icerat4's advice on this one. This sounds like quite a few butts...

Arcs_n_Sparks

[NePaSmoKer]

Plan on smokin brisquet and pulled pork to feed a group of about 40.

I did 30 for my wifes work folks.

Did 2 briskits, 2 pork butts. everyone had 2nds and had a little left over.
Briskits i did the day before, ftc put in my warmer. The butts i did there early in the am like 3. Everyone was eatin around 3pmish. Had rolls for sopping and all the other items to go with. Makes for a long day.

Hope this helps some

nepas

[Gizmo]

 I did 2 pork butts last year for my group (around 15).  Did the carolina style with vaunted vinegar and slaw on french rolls.  Also brought in some store bought potato salad and made some salsa for chips just to start things off.

For a traveling you doing it all, I suggest keep it simple, stick with either the brisket or the pork since they cook at different rates.  If you do the time right, you will be able to take them out for FTC before going to work (give yourself plenty of time prior to departure) and they will keep in FTC for many hours.  The pork is versitle (sandwich, vinegar, bbq, plain, etc.).

Enjoy and let us know what you ended up doing and how it turned out.

[Habanero Smoker]

I generally prepare my BBQ early and then reheat; both brisket and pulled pork reheats easily. Timing BBQ is too difficult and gets me too hyper to enjoy myself if I attempt to time it to finish just at the right moment. I have smoke/cooked two butts and a brisket at the same time.  The two butts fit on one shelf, and the brisket on as separate one. I started them at the same time, placed a probe in the brisket, and a second probe in one of the butts. Pulled them out as each obtained the internal temperature I was aiming for.

I then reheat the meat using disposable aluminum half steamer table pans. Depending on the size of the butts, you can get about 3/4 - 1 pulled butt in a pan, I then add vaunted vinegar and/or more rub to taste, cover tightly with aluminum foil and reheat in a preheated oven at 300°F, stirring occasionally. With the brisket I slice it thinly across the grain, and layer it in the pan, adding a mixture of 1/2 apple juice and 1/2 beef broth to each layer (just enough to moisten each layer). You can also add additional rub to the liquid mixture. Reheat in a 300°F preheated oven. I almost forgot to add, you don't want to reheat higher than 165°F.

Here's a tip:
In the summer months I use the BS to hold my pulled pork and brisket at 140°F until I am ready to serve.  I have the Raptor/Guru; so after the meat reaches it's internal temperature, I adjust the temperature of the BS to 140°F. Remove the meat, tightly foil and let it rest an hour or so. Then I return the meat to the BS, and it will hold the meat at 140°F without drying it out until I am ready to serve. I guess those with PID's could do the same.

[IKnowWood]

Are you the only main meal provider.  If its a pot-luck like thing you can assume there will be 2nd for almost everyone.  I did a brunch for about 35 people a couple weeks ago.  I did two butts, about 13lbs.  For work this last December there was more like 60 people, pot-luck and I brought in 19lbs of pulled pork, some had 3rd and 4th returns.  Still had a little left.

We cooked the week before the event, enough time to FTC and pull the butts, then vacu-packed and used crock pots (a couple of them) to warm the pork wit Apple Juice for serving, kept the pork warm for the 2 hours or so the party went for.

Serve with variety of sauce, some go for the Carolina Red but some prever a sweeter red sauce.

[Scotty-G]

Thanks for the feed back thus far

Arcs-n-Sparks : B/181 C/A-8 if that means anything to you.

Did 2 briskits, 2 pork butts...

nepas

nepas - how long did everything take to cook?



I'm leaning more towards 1 brisket & 2 butts, rolls, slaw, tater salad, etc.
Like the idea of making the brisket a day or two earlier but still have to figure out how to reheat.

Could make (along with FTC) day or two before and then, morning of, heat up in 145°F oven (or lowest temp my oven goes) for 1-2 hrs and then stack trays into a big "cooler chest" to keep warm until lunch time.

Thoughts?

[icerat4]

I know wood has it right cook ahead of time and vaacum seal then nuke and such before serving.I am doing 40 for easter and already have done 35 pounds pulled pork and 8 pound brisket last weekend and this saturday will be the ribs 12 slabs and i have 4 meatloafs already done.Do them way ahead of time this way there no problems.The stuff when vaacum and reheated taste as good or better then when frist out of the smoker.Try this it will save you alot of headache and worries about time.Then when folks are coming over start up the nuker and the convection oven and grab a beer. ;D and enjoy your food.Thats my 2 cents ;)

[Habanero Smoker]

Thanks for the feed back thus far

Arcs-n-Sparks : B/181 C/A-8 if that means anything to you.

Did 2 briskits, 2 pork butts...

nepas

nepas - how long did everything take to cook?



I'm leaning more towards 1 brisket & 2 butts, rolls, slaw, tater salad, etc.
Like the idea of making the brisket a day or two earlier but still have to figure out how to reheat.

Could make (along with FTC) day or two before and then, morning of, heat up in 145°F oven (or lowest temp my oven goes) for 1-2 hrs and then stack trays into a big "cooler chest" to keep warm until lunch time.

Thoughts?

You don't have to use a low temperature to reheat. Since more meat surface had been exposed, because it has now been either pulled or sliced; you just need to be careful that you don't let too much moisture escape during the reheating process. Also one of the reasons it tastes better latter, after the meat has been sliced or pulled, more meat surface is not exposed to the bark, which contains the flavors of the spices and smoke.

[begolf25]

I'm leaning more towards 1 brisket & 2 butts, rolls, slaw, tater salad, etc.
Like the idea of making the brisket a day or two earlier but still have to figure out how to reheat.

Scott,

When I am cooking for a large group I will usually cook everything the weekend before and vacuum seal then into the fridge. If you are only storing it for a week I don't think you will need to vacuum seal, if you don't have one, but someone else here may know better then me.  Then, just as IKW does, I reheat mine in a crock pot.  Just add a little apple juice to keep it moist.  Good luck whatever you decide to do.

p.s. Our Terps didn't look to good the other day. Pretty bummed that they got knocked out.

[Consiglieri]

Hey Icerat: are you cooking those 12 slabs of ribs in the BS or some other unit?  If in the BS, in shifts or at the same time? Curiosity is getting the better of me with respect to solving the BS capacity challenge.

[icerat4]

I have 2 obs  ;D ;D.So i load both up and fire it up.Sit back and watch the smoke show  :D ;)

[Consiglieri]

Have you ever tried the inverted rack trick with ribs?  How did it work out?

[Scotty-G]

We cooked the week before the event, enough time to FTC and pull the butts, then vacu-packed and used crock pots (a couple of them) to warm the pork wit Apple Juice for serving...

I know wood has it right cook ahead of time and vaacum seal then nuke and such before serving.

When I am cooking for a large group I will usually cook everything the weekend before and vacuum seal then into the fridge.

Got a vacuum sealer but here's the question -
Vaccum seal with the meat hot or wait for it to cool down, warm or room temp?  Then throw into freezer/fridge warm or wait till room temp?

Thanks

[begolf25]

Scotty,

I usually wait until the meat has cooled down just a little before I vacuum seal it. Usually by the time I get done shredding it has cooled off enough. It is still a little bit warm when I seal it then it goes right into the fridge.