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Wedding Pork Shoulders Advice?

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milkman5083
milkman5083 Posts: 100
edited May 2012 in EggHead Forum
I've been asked to bbq for 2 weddings. Both of them are expecting 100-125 people and would like me to do pulled pork. I was thinking about 60 lbs of shoulder would be enough. Any advice and how much can I fit on the large with the adjustable rig?
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,961
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    Whoa- that is a big crowd. You want to do this on 1 LBGE so you are going to have to cook and reheat. It's doable but will take some serious planning. If you don't mind, let's discuss tomorrow. Message me or bump this up tomorrow and we'll walk through it.

    It appears catering season is upon us :).
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • milkman5083
    milkman5083 Posts: 100
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    I just saw you're other post. I'll shoot you a message. Thanks for the help.
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,961
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    Cool. Glad to help.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • Gato
    Gato Posts: 766
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    Cen Tex is gonna be busy tomorrow.
    Geaux Tigers!!!
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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
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    It's doable but I would go in two batches. Vac seal and reheat in simmering water. Better to have extra anyway. Cen-Tex?

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • milkman5083
    milkman5083 Posts: 100
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    I'm on vacation so I won't be too busy until we leave for Mexico this Thursday to finally go on our honeymoon. He's going to be the man to help me. I'm hopping I'll have another large egg by August.
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,961
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    LS- sounds good. I'm thinking 2 batches, pulled and refrigerated then warmed in chafing dishes The day of the event (same idea as in food saver but just in pans over simmering water.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,961
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    Gato- you are correct but this is the kind of stuff I like.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,961
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    Gato- you are correct but this is the kind of stuff I like. Plus, my wife is an awesome events coordinator so all I'm going to do is ask her how to schedule it all then I'll look super smart on my "nerdy cooking forum" as my kids like to call it.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • Gato
    Gato Posts: 766
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    I know you love it Cen Tex.
    Geaux Tigers!!!
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  • milkman5083
    milkman5083 Posts: 100
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    I'm looking forward to it.
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,961
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    Apparently I really like it with the double post and all :)

    Just spoke to TFJ (the fabulous Janell) and she is all over it. We'll work it out in the next day or so.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • Gato
    Gato Posts: 766
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    She is gonna need her own handle now. TFJ now that you told us where alot of the advice comes from. :)
    Geaux Tigers!!!
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,961
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    Correct.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,961
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    OK- Let's do this on here so we can share with the group. You can do 6 butts at a time with the adjustable rig. You say above that you want to do roughly 60lb which would be more than enough of finished PP. Remember that 60lbs pre-cooked is more like 40 cooked so you'll have to take the shrinkage into account. Assuming there will be other sides there, I would say that 1/4 lb per person would be right around enough, but you may want to go a little over just to be safe. Assume 150 peeps at 1/3lb each and that give us 45lbs finished. I think 60-65lbs precooked would do for the pork. Another way to stretch and make sure it's metered out is to provide buns. Most people will load far less on a bun than on a plate. Not everyone will eat it on a bun, but having them there will provide an automatic stop-loss for most people.

    Here is the way I would do it: I would do the PP in stages in the days before the wedding. I would pull it and Vac seal it and refrigerate (or freeze if you are more than a few days out). If frozen, take them out of the freezer the morning of the event and let it thaw. For the setup of the event, rent tables, tablecloths, and some nice chafing dishes at a party rental store (I'll get with the wife tonight for suggestions on how many serving stations you would want for a crowd that big. you can fit 20lb of pork in a full pan chafer so I'm thinking 2-3 stations will keep the crowd flowing smoothly (150 people on one line would be a disaster). I would set the pork in the warmers an hour before serving and I would probably lightly sauce it at this time too. Don't over do it but a little sauce goes a long way to keeping the PP moist in the warmer. 

    That should do nicely for the pork. Now if you are doing sides, I'll get with the boss on portion suggestions here. She is really good at it (she ran our catering business for 3 years and did all kinds of big parties). The chafing dishes can either hold a full pan, or 2 half pans so you can keep pork and sides in one chafing dish if you are doing warm sides.

    What are your thoughts on sides? Desserts? All of that factors in to how much you need of everything. TFJ knows all the math on that and she sad she would gladly help.

    This is really not that hard to pull off. The most hectic part is the day of the event and getting people fed and keeping the joint looking good in the process. 

    This should get us started. I'll get with Janell tonight and we'll talk more about the whole event.

    Sound good so far? Questions?



    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • forty_crk
    forty_crk Posts: 52
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    where and when or we eating...? LOL
    Reed- Springhill, Louisiana
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  • forty_crk
    forty_crk Posts: 52
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    are not or..someones gonna be eating...
    Reed- Springhill, Louisiana
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