How much to cook?

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bigbaldbbq

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
SMF Premier Member
Feb 4, 2009
900
14
Columbus, Ohio
I have been asked to cater a weeding this June for roughly 200. Pulled pork, Chicken, Cheesy taters and Baked beans. I have a rough idea as to quantities. 2 meats about 60 lbs each and the sides roughly the same. What has your experience been and am I pretty close to the right quantities?

Planning on 7 or 8 Butts cooked to get to 60 lbs cooked product. I did an event last year for around 125 and it went pretty well over all, ran out of food but everybody was feed...lol

Todd
 
These things are always a guessing game. I have done events up to 300. My worst fear is running out of food with 40 people still in line. It has never happened and never will hopefully.

I'd say your meat quanitys sound about right.

I always figure one pound of pork will feed 3 people. When it's a open buffet line and people are free to take as much as they want you never know what to expect.

I always ask the customer about the type of crowd expected. Same number of men to women roughly? Kids? Lots of big eaters?

I always over cook with the understanding that the customer keeps the left overs.
 
I do about 10 to 15 events a year, figure .30 lb. cooked pork per person. .30 x 200 = 60 lbs cooked x 2 = 120 raw meat you will need. Id figure one piece of chicken per person. I always do thighs and usually buy at Sams club @ 75 pieces per case. Do yourself a favor and trim and season the chicken the night before and put in Glad 2 1/2 gallon storage bags, you'll thank me later. I've never ran out of meat at an event. Good luck
 
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