Tips on cooking large quantities.

[sxfxz]

Hey y'all, on Monday I'm cooking 8 briskets (14lbs average), 2 pork butts (9lbs average), 1 set of pork ribs, and 1 3lb turkey breast.

I would like all to be done and resting around 4...

I was going to start my fire around 1 so I could start cooking around 2:30-3...

Temp is 275...

Briskets go on at 3am
Pork Butts go on at 5am
Ribs go on at 10am
Turkey goes on at noon.

Do you think this will give me the approximate finish time I'm looking for? Food will have ample time to rest, at least until 6. Just don't want 6 to come and still be waiting on food to finish. Lots of hungry people wanting dinner...

Thanks for your help!

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I've always found that pork butts take longer than brisket.

 

[crankybuzzard]

I'm with dirtsailor, the butts need a head start.

 

[crankybuzzard]

I'm with dirtsailor, the butts need a head start.

 

[sxfxz]

Pork butts usually finish in about 10 hours for me...if my briskets beat that I'll be ecstatic. lol

 

[3montes]

I would do the pork butt ahead of time. A day a week whatever  works out best for you and reheat it when you need it. That's with assuming it's for pulled pork. Pulled pork refigerates or freezes very well and reheats easily. Brisket could be done ahead of time as well as it reheats rather nicely although I don't like to do it so far in advance that it requires freezing.

Ribs and turkey could be done  when needed on the day. Both those keep you out of the extended smoking times.

I have done numerous large events most over 100 being served. Usual food requested is beans, pp, turkey, ribs and brisket. I do as much as I can in advance and reheat on the event site.

Ribs are always smoked on site and I allow 5 to 6 hours for a full smoker which is 28 racks.

 

[sxfxz]

http://s10.photobucket.com/user/SxFxZ/media/3C4A36AF-926B-405F-9664-A32A090B4FF7.jpg.html
http://s10.photobucket.com/user/SxFxZ/media/969726B5-9099-46DA-81CC-6C60D79094BF.jpg.html

Briskets are on...now to sit around and watch videos on how to cook brisket. lol

 

[sxfxz]

http://s10.photobucket.com/user/SxFxZ/media/A896407B-58A1-4C42-BC97-540B858824B1.jpg.html
http://s10.photobucket.com/user/SxFxZ/media/EDF659DC-1C94-429C-9080-8D3BA87E2D81.jpg.html

Briskets will start coming off soon. [emoji]128515[/emoji]

 

[sxfxz]

Ok next weekend I'm cooking 15 briskets ranging from 12-15lbs untrimmed and 30 3 pound turkey breast roasts. Serving at the church at 11. Would like all the meat off around 9-9:30. Turkeys I've found take about 3 hours at 275, the briskets I think at most will take about 14 hours at 275. Once they're done I'll pull and throw on a counter for 15-30 minutes to stop cooking then will throw them in a cooler to keep them warm. So briskets I would put on around 7pm and turkeys would go on at 6am. Does this sound right to y'all?

http://s10.photobucket.com/user/SxFxZ/media/733727AE-00FF-4691-849A-FEED125138C7.jpg.html
http://s10.photobucket.com/user/SxFxZ/media/AEDDD26C-9D68-4843-965B-3E236C3472DE.jpg.html

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I would thin that at 275, the briskets would finish sooner than 14 hours, but I could be wrong. Always good to have a buffer.

 

[HalfSmoked]

Wow what a cook I have no suggestion on how to cook that much at one time even though I have done 500 halves of chicken many times over charcoal.

Warren

 

[hardcookin]

I would think brisket would cook 10-12 hrs. Brisket likes longer rests.
My smoker seems to cook better when it is loaded with meat.
That going to be a nice smoke but a lot of work. Hope you got a couple helpers for all that meat...good luck!!!

 

[sxfxz]

So should I put briskets on around 8-9? I'm hoping all of them in a cooler will keep them warm for a few hours...I was going to put them on a counter until they drop about 15-20deg from where I pulled them at then put them in the cooler.

 

[bellaru]

Wow. That's a lot of food. Nice smoke ring and everything looks great. What or who are you cooking all that food for?

 

[hardcookin]

So should I put briskets on around 8-9? I'm hoping all of them in a cooler will keep them warm for a few hours...I was going to put them on a counter until they drop about 15-20deg from where I pulled them at then put them in the cooler.

One thing to remember is when your sticking all that meat on the smoker it's going to take a while to get to temp. When sticking that much meat on I like to over-shoot the temp to start with. And then let it get settled in at the temp you want.
I would figure 12hours. Putting the brisket in a cooler with towels they should hold for 4 hours. Yes on letting them vent for a few minutes.

A couple wild cards....every smoker cooks different and I have never cooked on your offset. Only going off my own experiences.
The other is you always seem to have that one brisket that just stalls and takes forever.
Good Luck! You should be ok, just tired at the end of your smoke. :biggrin: