Pulled Beef for a crowd help.

[andrew82]

Hello all! I have a party this summer and I'm going to do pulled Pork and Beef. everyone loves chuckies but it would be quite difficult to do individual chuck roasts to feed 100 people. I can do a ton of PP on my WSM but was wondering what kind of "hunk of meat" to throw on there as well, perhaps on my pull beahind. chuck roll or clod? Thanks!

 

[SmokinAl]

I don't see why it would be easy to do PP, but not chuckies. Why not put 4 pork butts on the bottom rack & 4 chuckies on the top rack. If you have a WSM 22.5 they will fit easily.

 

[andrew82]

yeah that does make sense...I just didnt know if 4 chuckies would be enough meat for 100+ people but im having PP as well so that should be fine.

 

[rbranstner]

I agree I would think if you can get 4 pork butts on a rack you could also get 4 chuckies. Not sure if all that is enough for 100 people or not? I'm not very good at figuring that stuff. How many sides and stuff do you have going on?

 

[andrew82]

Im probably going to cook this stuff a few days in advance anyways. Any tips on reheating and keeping the meat moist? I usually add beef consomme when foiling chuckies and add to meat after skimming fat but i havent foiled a butt yet.

 

[i is a moose]

Folks, forgive me for what I'm about to say, but, here it goes:

Simply speaking, you have a space management issue.

You will need at least 50 pounds of each pork and beef shoulder. That mean roughly 5-6 bone-in boston butts, 7 ideally, and 6-7 large chucks, there's no way a 22.5 will fit about 14 roasts at one time, and here is the shameful bit I am about to suggest:

Why not smoke the meats for four hours in batches in your smoker, first the butts, then the chucks, and finish them in an oven?

I really think this is the only way to get smokey-tasting meat, without running afoul of crowding issues and time-management issues.

 

[SmokinAl]

WOW moose, you figure 1 lb of meat per person? I guess you get a lot of shrinkage & waste. I always wondered what the rule of thumb was for a large gathering.

 

[jirodriguez]

Formula is 1/3 lb. of FINISHED product per person. So for 100 people if you want them each to get a serving of each meat they need 30 lbs. of finished product.

Now.... as Moose pointed out you loose approx. 40% of the uncooked weight due to all the fat and calogen breaking down and rendering out. So to end up with 30 lbs. of finished product you need to start with approx. 60 lbs. of each meat. (60 lbs. - 40% = 36 lbs.).

As for the space issue, just cook pork ahead of time. You can easily fit 6 10 lb butts in a 22.5" WSM, once they are done rest them and then pull and bag them to be reheated in the oven the day of the party. For the beef you can either cook it ahead of time or do it the day of, but remember each piece cooks differantly so some may finish earlier than others. If you do chuckies you should be able to squeeze 10 6 lb. chuckies into your WSM, take them to 165° internal, then stack 5 at a time into disposable turkey pans with some beer or beef broth and take them to 200°. Let rest for an hour and they should be ready for pulling.

Good luck, and don't forget the pictures!

 

[Fife]

Does sound like a bunch of people to feed. GOOD LUCK

 

[i is a moose]

[quote name="SmokinAl" url="/forum/thread/105458/pulled-beef-for-a-crowd-help#post_621725"]
WOW moose, you figure 1 lb of meat per person? I guess you get a lot of shrinkage & waste. I always wondered what the rule of thumb was for a large gathering.
[/quote]

It does seem excessive, but from a catering standpoint, it's always better to have too much. We all know that good Q is an addictive force to be reckoned with, and most folks are used to about 8oz of meat as a portion these days. At least one pound raw product per person seems right, and even then, it seems tight enough that I'd be policing the line for seconds.

 

[rosiepug]

Andrew, Looks like you have a couple of other smokers listed on you post. Will you be using any of those???:grilling_smilie:

 

[scarbelly]

Having done the catering gig for a while, I hope I can share some experience with you.  I would smoke the beef ahead of time and put a pan of beef broth under the meat. When the smoke is finished, I would seal up the meat with some of the au jus and freeze it. In a seperate container, I would defat the aujus and freeze it too. To reheat the meat you have some options. If you have a vac sealer use it for both and reheat in hot water using the bags. If you do not have a sealer, you can reheat in a croc pot or or put in foil pans and add some of the au jus to the pan and reheat in the oven. Keep the pan covered with foil while reheating. Send me a PM if you need more help with this event. I would be glad to help you.  

 

[i is a moose]

[quote name="Scarbelly" url="/forum/thread/105458/pulled-beef-for-a-crowd-help#post_621955"]
Having done the catering gig for a while, I hope I can share some experience with you.  I would smoke the beef ahead of time and put a pan of beef broth under the meat. When the smoke is finished, I would seal up the meat with some of the au jus and freeze it. In a seperate container, I would defat the aujus and freeze it too. To reheat the meat you have some options. If you have a vac sealer use it for both and reheat in hot water using the bags. If you do not have a sealer, you can reheat in a croc pot or or put in foil pans and add some of the au jus to the pan and reheat in the oven. Keep the pan covered with foil while reheating. Send me a PM if you need more help with this event. I would be glad to help you.  
[/quote]

This actually sounds like a really good plan.