advice needed

[Griff]

My family from Fairbanks was in town this week and, of course, stayed at my house. My sister-in-law Betty (my brother passed away 10 years ago) and my 30 year old niece were in Anchorage looking for dresses to wear to my nephew's wedding at the end of the month. Betty was expressing concerns about the rehearsal dinner and what to do. She said that she really wished I lived in Fairbanks so I could cook some BBQ for the dinner. Well, I was on my fourth gin and being the patriarch, you can guess what words came out of my mouth.

My question is how much pulled pork do I need for 50 people. This is going to be a real informal family affair at Betty's house. We have the sides figured out but I am kinda clueless on how much pork to cook. I'm going to cook, pull, bag and freeze it.

Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks,

 

[Hillbilly1]

Well I serve 1/4 lb sammies, plenty a meat on a bun, so ya get 4 sammies per pound a cooked meat.

I figure 50% loss from raw ta cooked.

So 50 Sammies be 12 1/2 pounds cooked pork er 25 pounds raw meat. Know that be 1 sammie per person, yall know the folk yer feedin, is 1 enough, will they eat two? So ifin there gonna eat 2 that'll be 25 pounds cooked er 50 pounds raw, plus 10% which would be 27 1/2 pounds cooked er 55 pounds raw meat, yall catch the drift here.

I always add 10% ta the final figure just ta be safe.

Good luck!

 

[bigwheel]

On packer briskets and bone in butts I vote for a pound per person and plan on giving away a few doggy bags to feed to the sled dawgs etc. Way mo betta to have too much than too little. Let them pig plumb out. Any kids in the crowd feed em some cheap chicken hot dawgs. Kindly tell em dont be doing no nose rubbing afore the ring ceremony etc.

bigwheel

 

[Griff]

On packer briskets and bone in butts I vote for a pound per person and plan on giving away a few doggy bags to feed to the sled dawgs etc. Way mo betta to have too much than too little. Let them pig plumb out. Any kids in the crowd feed em some cheap chicken hot dawgs. Kindly tell em dont be doing no nose rubbing afore the ring ceremony etc.

bigwheel

Well it is family and I'm standing in for my deceased brother so I want to be sure to do this right. Be sure that the folks have doggy bags to take home. That's the potlatch way. You're absolutely right when you said "Way mo betta to have too much than too little." Plus, most of the people are Athabsakans and they are big men and big eaters.

bigwheel, when you said a pound per person you were speaking raw weight, right?

Oh yeah, the Athabaskans don't rub noses, that would be the Iniuits or Yupiks. I want to show a lot of respect to my brother's kin. They have always treated me respectfully and deserve the same.

 

[LarryWolfe]

Griff, cook 4 - 8lb or more butts and you'll be good to go. That's a minimum of 32lbs raw weight which will give you a 50% yield, which equals a minimum of 16lbs of finished product. If you serve 4oz sandwiches that gives you 64 sandwiches (16 x 4oz = 64). If the butts are bigger you will have a little more.

 

[Uncle Bubba]

Well I serve 1/4 lb sammies, plenty a meat on a bun, so ya get 4 sammies per pound a cooked meat.

I figure 50% loss from raw ta cooked.

So 50 Sammies be 12 1/2 pounds cooked pork er 25 pounds raw meat. Know that be 1 sammie per person, yall know the folk yer feedin, is 1 enough, will they eat two? So ifin there gonna eat 2 that'll be 25 pounds cooked er 50 pounds raw, plus 10% which would be 27 1/2 pounds cooked er 55 pounds raw meat, yall catch the drift here.

I always add 10% ta the final figure just ta be safe.

Good luck!

Exact same way I do my figuring...rather have too much than not enough.

 

[Nick Prochilo]

I'd go with Larry here. If your a little nervous, cook 5, you can give the rest out at the wedding as favors!

 

[wittdog]

I agree with what everyone else said...Go the vac pac route..A turkey fryer will do the trick for the reheat...you can package it as you want a couple of 5lb bags....a few 2.5 lb bags and the 1 lb for reserves/doggie bags

 

[Gary in VA]

Griff, cook 4 - 8lb or more butts and you'll be good to go. That's a minimum of 32lbs raw weight which will give you a 50% yield, which equals a minimum of 16lbs of finished product. If you serve 4oz sandwiches that gives you 64 sandwiches (16 x 4oz = 64). If the butts are bigger you will have a little more.

I concur with Sir Lawrence of the Wolfe

 

[Griff]

Thanks all. I appreciate the advice.

 

[john pen]

Well, I was on my fourth gin

Boy, If I had a nickle for everytime I started a sentence with that same phrase...

 

[dollarbill]

I agree with what everyone else said...Go the vac pac route..A turkey fryer will do the trick for the reheat...you can package it as you want a couple of 5lb bags....a few 2.5 lb bags and the 1 lb for reserves/doggie bags

Just curious here but how long does it take to reheat a 5# bag of PP in water? Thanks.

 

[Hillbilly1]

Dependin on the heat source, size a pan an how much water, bout 30 ta 40 minutes from froze. Maybe a bit more.

 

[bigwheel]

Yeppers speaking raw weight. I aint never had a bit of luck with them bag sucked hot water reheats. Pan and juice it up and reheat in the pit or oven.

bigwheel

 

[dollarbill]

Thanks I wasnt tryin to jack the thread here.

Good luck Griff! I hope it all works out perfect!

 

[Griff]

It dawned on me that I only have three weekends after this one to get this pork done. And two of the three I'm going to be out of town on work stuff. I looked at the weather forecast I found that it wasn't supposed to rain this weekend so I hit Costco to look for pork butts. They only had the already boned variety and they were small averaging 6 pounds each. Based on the sage advice I received here I decided I need around 50 pounds and I had no pork in my personal cache. I bought 10 butts at Costco that totaled 60 pounds. They are cooking now on an overnighter. four on the WSM and six on the 22.5 WSM.

 

[Captain Morgan]

I love Costco, but they refuse to sell bone-in butts....one time
I was digging my costco card out my wallet, and an employee
spotted my Sam's Club card....asked why I had both...told him
because Costco only carries boneless butts.

 

[LarryWolfe]

That'll work Griff! What's that green stuff, I didn't think you saw that until July or later!

 

[Adrienne1]

That'll work Griff! What's that green stuff, I didn't think you saw that until July or later!

You'll also notice he took the time to tape some leaves onto the deciduos trees/bushes for realism . . .

Sorry I missed this thread originally. I hope it works out well for you! - and all the others involved

 

[wittdog]

Its good that you are getting this cook in on the one week of spring you have