How many butts do you think will need

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bbrock

Meat Mopper
Original poster
May 13, 2009
214
11
Richmond Ky
Hello I made a post earlier today and did not get any feed back so I will ask again..lol. I have been asked to smoke some boston butt on my off weekends from work at a local ball field. I have been smoking now for about four years and I have never smoked for a big group of people such as this. The most I have smoked for is between 40 and 50 people.So the advice am needing is for my first smoke how many butts should I buy the first time. After I think I get the first time under my belt I think I will be ok. So if any of you guys or gals has any input please share it with me..And i also plan on charging $4 for a pulled pork sandwitch dose that seem ok. After all the smoking time I will have put into every thing and sense boston butt is $ 1.89lb I do not want to going in the red on this deal...Thanks for taking the time to read and reply to my post.
 
Yikes,,,,,,I'm thinking that I would not be qualified to answer this question. But I think if I was put in your shoes, I would buy a case (I get all my meat at sam's until I get my tax ID for R Depot.) So a case is like 8 butts I think. 

I did a wedding and cooked up 78 lbs uncooked butts. 

The guest destroyed it, FAST. 130 guest but I had brisket also.

So since you are selling, there should not be anybody taking too much and throwing it away.

A case should be plenty to get ya started the first weekend, then you will have an idea from there.

If its a bust, a case isn't so much that you wouldn't be able to pack it and freeze it. 

Some of the veterans should be along to chime in soon. 
 
$4 sounds good for a 3-4 oz sammie.

Do you have any idea on how many folks are usually at the park in a day?

 If it's like the ball tourneys here they start at 7 -8 am and go till late in the afternoon. You won't get alot of sales from the first games at 8 am so that gives ya a lil time to get prepped.  It will take a day or two to figure out when the folks will want to start buying and how many sammies you think you'll average on a weekend.
 
I cooked 101lbs of pork for a community dinner. It fed 200 and had enough for another 50. The biggest thing is to find out roughly how many are going to be there. $4 for a sandwich is cheap to me I would do $5.
 
Thanks guys for the info I now have a idea of what I need to get thanks to your help. I just need to get a few other things took care of with the health department and all That good jazz. And Tom I will be going to sam's this week anyway so I will check on a case of butts .thanks again.
 
I agree with Eman, 3-4 oz per sammie is standard fare and the price sounds good  . just remember you'll loose 50% of the green weight by the time you're finished pulling it, so that's 2 or 3 people per pound.

And not to be a stick in the mud, but check with your insurance agent about liability insurance just to cover your butt.
 
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