School Fundraiser Part 2

[gtr]

One of the things that's great about this site and the BBQ community in general is that folks like to use their cooking to give back to their communities. From what I understand BBQ has its roots in community gatherings. Seeing what folks here on this site do inspired me to give it a shot. (threads by Chambers, Big Mista, RonL, Pitmaster T, Bob Brisket, Wampus, Bandit etc come to mind right off the bat, but there are many more).

My youngest kid's school has an annual Halloween carnival and beginning last year I started slinging BBQ to raise money for the PTA. I sell pulled pork sammiches which come with slaw (Guerry's slaw), MOINKs, and beans (Kevin's) are available either as a side or by the bowl.

I started off with 100# of butts. I followed Chris Lily's shoulder recipe - made the rub and injected 'em (used 1/2 of the salt called for in the recipe). Last year it was 12 butts, this year it was 16.

I cooked 12 in the offset and 4 in the Backwoods Chubby I won from abang's last raffle.

Pulled 'em off as they became ready

Let 'em rest a couple hours then pulled

It worked out to around 50#, maybe a little less pulled.

I did all this on Monday for the even which was yesterday (Saturday). I vac sealed in 3# increments and did the last 5# in 1# bags. I froze the one pounders and a couple 3 pounders to use to keep the other pacs cold in the cooler.

I set up my area, and just boiled and cut bags all day while cooking MOINKs as well. I didn't get any shots of the MOINKs. :tsk:

Event went OK this year, but not as good as last year - it was pretty hot and people weren't eating as much. There weren't as many people at the event this year either - the other booths also had less folks and it was pretty dang hot, so drinks were moving more than the food. Last year it was super crazy and I sold out and raised a lot of money. This year we were nice & steady and I raised a good amount, but had some left over - it's all good though - I have food for the Webelos camp out coming up on the weekend. :thumb:

It's a hell of a lot of work, but it really is fun. My lovely wife, my folks, and a good friend helped out. There were some displaced Southerners there who were appreciative of getting a BBQ sammich, and folks were really happy to have an alternative to burgers, hot dogs, and pizza.

I will definitely do this again next year.

Any farkers who wanna do this type of thing - all the info you need is right here on this site. There's a gold mine of wisdom on the catering forum - poke around there and you'll see what I mean.

Thanks for looking!

 

[cowgirl]

Wow! Looks like you really nailed it Greg! Everything looks fantastic. I've not tried the boiling bag trick, thanks for the inspiration. :becky:

 

[gtr]

Thanks Jeanie! The boiling bag thing is awesome for stuff like this. Totally retains moisture and really simplifies the process on the day of the event. :thumb:

 

[cowgirl]

Thanks Jeanie! The boiling bag thing is awesome for stuff like this. Totally retains moisture and really simplifies the process on the day of the event. :thumb:

Thanks for the info Greg. I have a couple of parties coming up and this will really help me out a lot! :thumb:

 

[Al Czervik]

Great cook Greg and what a great cause! You may not post a bunch of your ques for all of us to enjoy, but you sure make up for lost time when you do. 16 butts? Get the fark out of here... They sure do look and sound killer. :becky:

By the way, your back yard is fantastic. Love the deck and all the furniture. :thumb:

 

[Phubar]

That's my boy!

 

[The Cosmic Pig]

Thanks Jeanie! The boiling bag thing is awesome for stuff like this. Totally retains moisture and really simplifies the process on the day of the event. :thumb:

I'm sure this method is posted somewhere, but could you elaborate a bit on the "boiling bag" thing? Special bags like Foodsavers or what? Thanks in advance! :thumb:

 

[gtr]

I'm sure this method is posted somewhere, but could you elaborate a bit on the "boiling bag" thing? Special bags like Foodsavers or what? Thanks in advance! :thumb:

Yup - vacuum seal the meat - I have a Foodsaver - I'm sure there are other brands but Foodsavers seem to be the most common from what I can tell. When time comes to heat it up, just drop it in boiling water 'til it's heated through (I don't know a specific time, I just kinda look at it & bend it around to see if it's loosened up), cut open the bag & serve. It works really well - I consider a vacuum sealer to be an essential item now.

 

[bigabyte]

So....

What happened with the whole portion control thing? That looks like a big meal.:becky:

Looks great!:thumb: Nice work.

 

[gtr]

^^^I shared a sammich or 2.

I was actually pretty hungry at the end of the day. I only took bites here & there to taste and when I got home my stomach was growling. Luckily I didn't have to look to far for a meal. :hungry: