Roast Beef for 300 people, i need some advice, please help

[iluvribs]

My nephew is getting married and was going to have food catered to the reception, however he called me and asked if i would cook enough roast beef for 300 people, first of all i look at this as an honor to do this and a smoking challenge if you will, but i never smoked roast beef before so i searched on this site and it doesnt seem to big of a deal. I am going to do a few before then to get the feel for it, i have 2 wsm's for this and for the big cook i have a big hog roater i used to cook 12 pork shoulders for 200 several times  [thanks by the way] so my question is how many pounds of beef do i need and what would be the best cut for this much, i was thinking 1/2 pound per person but i really dont know i also seen to cook at 235 for 4 hrs. till beef reaches 140.....marinade with worchester sauce and montreal seasoning over nite....just some ideas....the amount of beef is what i really need, thanks for your response, your recipes and ideas have always turned out excellent and i know thats why he asked me. His wedding is in April.

 

[SmokinAl]

I would say 1/2 lb per person would be good. Top round, bottom round, sirloin tip, & tri-tip are all good cuts for thin sliced roast beef. Any way you look at it it's going to be costly. 150 lbs. at $4 a pound is a big chunk of change. There are several catering guys on here who will be along to give you the exact amount you need & which cut to get. Good luck!

 

[scarbelly]

The meat amounts are going to depend on several things

1 Are you doing a plate or a sandwich

2 What sides are being served

3 How is this going to be served. If it is plated you can manage how much you serve, if it is served buffett style add 25% for waste - people always take way more than they can eat. 

4 Are you doing any chicken or fish for folks that don't eat meat?

Once you answer these we can start narrowing things down for you    

 

[sausageboy]

I would look into 3-4 (maybe 5) steamship roasts AKA steamship rounds, which is the entire round with fat cap....they always please a crowd.

 

[iluvribs]

Thanks guys for some good direction, however ...they changed their mind. I gues they are going to do something else by themselves, which is fine by me. After doing some searching i want to try a tri tip roast here in a week or two, thanks again.

 

[roller]

That many people I would have done Brisket....but I was not the one fittin the bill...