How much do I need?

GMDGeek

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Got asked to cook for 400 (90% adults/10% kiddos) ...
I am thinking Shoulders and Brisket.

How many of each would you think I would need? I don't want to come up short, but I don't want my buddy to over spend either.

Gerry
 
Are you serving sides and any other meats with this?
 
Serving Mac&Cheese, Cole Slaw, and Baked Beans. Oh and Dinner Rolls. There will also be around 60 brauts and a case of hotdogs for the kids ... why kids prefer hotdogs over BBQ is odd to me but an accepted truth lol.
 
Figure 50% yield on both butts and briskets. Your actual yield may be higher, but that give you a buffer.

Is it self serve or will someone be serving the meats?

If it is self serve, people always take too much so plan on 1/3 lb per person. If someone is serving and you can control the portions you can plan on 1/4 lb per person.

So... 400 servings @ 1/3lb each is 133 lbs cooked meat, so that means 266 lbs raw.

400 servings at 1/4 lb each is 100 lbs cooked or 200 lbs raw.

Now, the trick is to decide how much of each meat. I don't think there is a magic formula for that. I'll let the guys with more experience comment on that, but my inclination is to cook enough for everyone to have some of each.
 
It sounds like you need at least one more invitation to send out to me. Where there in BBQ en masse, I, too, should be present.
 
Thanks Ron ... I will be serving it up so that should help. I am so going to build a spreadsheet for calculations ... this is crazy ... between this and yesterday's cook I am beat! Cooking for 400 people is a lot of work!
 
Ron is absolutely correct. You will lose up to 50% of your raw weight during cooking. Go with what Ron says.
 
How much do I need?

At least a case of beer and maybe a jug of hard liquor. On second thought, If you get too shined up you will loose 400 friends. :mrgreen:
 
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