chicken

We prefer the bone-in thighs and breasts. We have found that the cost, from our suppliers, is actually a bit cheaper (even after the bone waste) per pound and we like the flavor that the "bone" imparts" during the cook process.

Our preference is to pull and serve sauce on the side but we will pull and sauce if requested by the customer.

Regarding holding we use chafing pans and always try to cook/pull just prior to serving since chicken is notorious for drying out. If we do pull and sauce then the drying out aspect is somewhat mitigated so there is a little more time that can be allowed between finishing the cooking and serving.

YMMV

I have gone from doing whole chickens to doing only B/S-less breast from Sam's. I have been getting them for $1.88/lb. all summer long. Not sure if the special will end. I keep the breast whole until needed then slice across the breast. I have no waste and you can control the temp you take them off. This will heat up fairly fast in the steam table too. You should try a couple of ways a and see what works for you. Take weight of your raw product and weigh the cooked and see what gives you the balance of yield and taste.

I have gone from using whole chickens to chicken quarters. I get them from Restaurant Depot for around $22 for 40 lb box. After brining and smoking, I usually end up with about 22-25 lbs of chicken after removing skin and bone.