Question on chicken BBQ price

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

jmud

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Jan 28, 2013
193
15
Elba NY
My phone has been ringing off the hook to do parties now that I got two cookers. Never expected this but loving it. Been doin mostly ribs pulled pork and such. I have done chicken with our fire dept and I got a guy wanting 50 halves done up for a grad party. He's a good guy and don't wanna over price him, but what's a reasonable price? He supplies meat and I supply charcoal wood and sauce. Just a price for what to charge 50 halves. Thanks
 
Last edited:
5 gallons of firemen bbq aside that we make (very comparable to Cornell sauce) is 60 bucks to make up. We sauce the heck out of ours. Maybe just charge 100 bucks to do it? That will include 1 bag of charcoal and wood tgat I cut already from the woods.....??
 
Back in more energetic days for custom cooking came up with charging a buck a pound..then realized that was not  enough so bumped it to two bucks a pound. So 25 4 lb cluckers should rate two hundred bucks. There ya go. I would go buy the chickens using his money then you can use the cash register receipt to get the exact poundage. Do not let him supply it. He will show up with froze solid leg quarters or some other idiotic thing. lol.
 
Oh my YES be certain what you get!  Had a customer whose brother was a food distributor present us with a frozen 80 lb pig real early one morning for a party that night.  He said the price was great...
 
He's gonna get the chicken where I get it. Won't be junk or frozen. 2 bucks a lb for all? Chicken here is a buck per lb, figure 1 1/2 lb halves. Times 50 halves is 75 lbs. 150 for chicken sauce and labor? Think maybe I'll still keep it as him buying my sauce for 60 and a flat rate of 100 bucks to do the job. Is that enough?
 
well.. lets see.... figure 5-6 hrs from set up to tear down... now add wood, charcoal, spices, we'll say $25 for all that.... so... If you charge $100... take $25 (supplies) out of that.. leaves you with $75.... $75 divided by 6 hrs(labor)= $12.50 an hr ..... If it takes $60 to make sauce and you sell it to him for $60 .... you just worked for free to make all that sauce.... so this should get ya thinking ....
 
well.. lets see.... figure 5-6 hrs from set up to tear down... now add wood, charcoal, spices, we'll say $25 for all that.... so... If you charge $100... take $25 (supplies) out of that.. leaves you with $75.... $75 divided by 6 hrs(labor)= $12.50 an hr ..... If it takes $60 to make sauce and you sell it to him for $60 .... you just worked for free to make all that sauce.... so this should get ya thinking ....

I'm figuring total all said and done 100 for labor. Charcoal 20 (I get it real cheap and split loads with my fire dept). 60 for sauce. I use only sauce no rub on chicken but sauce the crap out of em. Meat will be figured in weather he buys it or I get it as a figure above and beyond. Sooo, 180 to do the 50 halves. 5 hours total work that's 20 an hour, guess that's reasonable
 
Dang yall done went and injected too much arithmetic for us non math majors. If he wants it cooked on site add a hundred and a half for having to air up the tires and lug my grand prize winning bbq pit over there. If he wants it for two bucks a pound it will be what is called "deucus tecem" in the latin vernacular used by lawyers  which means come by over here and take it with ya. I also charge extra for being a serving wench. I thought we was talking about cooking? lol
 
Last edited:
Are you doing this as a side project or are you a caterer? If the first I'd think twice about doing food service without all the proper licenses. If the later I would think you would know your standard rates which would apply no matter the food.
 
The sauce is 40 bucks to make, I'll make 20 on that as well
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Clicky