Need Menu Ideas

[rvachewlover]

I've been tasked with preparing the meat for my wife's grandparent's memorial service. My mother-in-law has requested pulled pork and pulled chicken. The pulled pork isn't an issue per se, but I'd like to maybe pitch something else. I refuse to make "pulled chicken" because that's code for overcooked chicken. I think I'll do pit smoked chicken thighs or chicken halves. To replace the pulled pork I was thinking of doing a couple pork loins.

Here's the fun part; the reception will be five hours from home so all food will have to be smoked days/weeks before. We'll have access to the church's kitchen for prep/re-heat. Ideas on how to reheat and serve stellar proteins? I was thinking a crock pot with au jus for pulled pork and aluminum foil wrapped chicken with a competition like braise (butter, brown sugar, etc).

 

[bigfurmn]

Give Chef Jimmy a few minutes to chime in. He will have you covered for all of that.

 

[forktender]

Pulled chicken is so easy, and it's anything but overdone or dry. Let me know if you want to know how it's done.

I'd roll with things that are easy to make for a large group.

:Pulled pork.

:Pulled chicken.

:Macaroni salad.

:Kicked up BBQ Baked beans.

:Coleslaw or Green Garden salad.

: Warm dinner rolls for the pulled meats instead of buns, make sure you supply single pads of butter for the people that just want a warm roll with butter on it.

If you want a desert that goes great with anything BBQ.
:Vanilla wafer/cookies layered with sliced bananas and banana pudding topped with whipped cream.
Let me know if you want to know how to assemble the banana pudding dish.

Drinks,
:Alcohol free sangria, so easy to make, both kids and adults love it.

:Sweet iced sun tea. Cheap and people love it on a hot day.

: Iced single serving bottles of water.

And a large commercial pot of coffee for the elderly folks, don't forget sugar cubes and a dry creamer, cream substitute.

The beauty of this meal plan is 90% of it can be premade a day or two before the get together.

And all of it can be heated up in and oven and kept hot for service in hotel pans/ chafing dishes using Sterno or alcohol burners. Which can be rented at any party store along with the coffee pot and punch bowl.

Keep things simple, people aren't there to eat unless your family is Irish or Sicilian.


Let me know if I can be of any help too you.

Sorry for your loss.
Dan

 

[chopsaw]

Agree on the pulled chicken being easy , and people love it .

Just made a trip to Tennessee first week of June . Smoked a pork butt the day before . Pulled vac'd and in a cooler to take along . 8 hour drive for me .
It was really good . I did reach out to JJ to confirm my plan .
I wouldn't worry about a 5 hour drive , just keep it cold .

 

[forktender]

I've been tasked with preparing the meat for my wife's grandparent's memorial service. My mother-in-law has requested pulled pork and pulled chicken. The pulled pork isn't an issue per se, but I'd like to maybe pitch something else. I refuse to make "pulled chicken" because that's code for overcooked chicken. I think I'll do pit smoked chicken thighs or chicken halves. To replace the pulled pork I was thinking of doing a couple pork loins.

Here's the fun part; the reception will be five hours from home so all food will have to be smoked days/weeks before. We'll have access to the church's kitchen for prep/re-heat. Ideas on how to reheat and serve stellar proteins? I was thinking a crock pot with au jus for pulled pork and aluminum foil wrapped chicken with a competition like braise (butter, brown sugar, etc).

The best part about it, is you can go from frozen to reheating the pulled pork or pulled chicken without thawing. It is super easy if it's vacuum sealed, you would just boil a pot of H2o and toss the bag into the pot until it's hot. And I would be willing to bet my hard earned money that even the biggest BBQ connoisseurs couldn't tell you whether it was reheated or not. The same goes with beans or any other protein, make them at your convenience, freeze them then vacuum seal them.
Boil H2o to thaw/ heat at the same time, then sauce and serve is about as easy as it gets.

 

[thirdeye]

Value-wise, ease of cooking, uniform slicing and tenderness-wise pork loins are hard to beat. I do inject a lite apple juice brine into them a couple of hours before smoking. But to be honest this is one thing I've never cooked ahead and reheated.

 

[chopsaw]

just boil a pot of H2o and toss the bag into the pot until it's hot

That's exactly what I did with mine . Had 2 bags , 4 lbs. each . Simmered in water for about 30 minutes .