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First "catering" cook. Need advice

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RLeeper
RLeeper Posts: 480
in EggHead Forum
My wife is throwing a baby shower for her friend and I have been asked to cater the event. I will be doing pulled pork, baked beans, wings, and potato salad for around 25 folks. How many pounds of pork and wings do I need to cook to fill that order? The salad and beans I think I have figured. I have plenty of space between the large and medium and I also have an AR for my large. Thanks
Extra Large, Large, and Mini. Tucker, GA
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  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
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    For pulled pork, 1/2 pound uncooked, per person is usually plenty.  Unless you are feeding a football team, in which case all bets are off.  For a baby shower 1/2 pound per person should leave you with leftovers for lunch.
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
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  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
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    Serve the pork on small potato rolls and you will need even less. 1/2 lb per person and you will have a lot of leftovers. Especially if mainly women. They will probably eat two of them which is way less than 1/2 lb. good luck. Hope you are getting paid.
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
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  • RLeeper
    RLeeper Posts: 480
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    Thanks for the advice. Swmbo is hosting so I won't ask for any MONETARY compensation!
    Extra Large, Large, and Mini. Tucker, GA
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  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
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    I have a DIL who weighs about 120, and she will out eat me every time. By a long shot. Don't know where she puts it, but she burns it up fast.
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
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  • Scottborasjr
    Scottborasjr Posts: 3,494
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    I'd guess if you are feeding women who will most likely be dressed relatively nicely you can keep the wing count down to a minimum, maybe 2- 3 wings per person.
    I raise my kids, cook and golf.  When work gets in the way I'm pissed, I'm pissed off 48 weeks a year.
    Inbetween Iowa and Colorado, not close to anything remotely entertaining outside of football season. 
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  • Pacuare
    Pacuare Posts: 77
    edited February 2013
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    As a woman who has attended many baby showers, I would say that typically women tend to eat lightly at baby showers. I agree with 2-3 wings per person and using the small potato rolls. Most women will probably have one roll and two wings. It will probably be around 1/4 lb pulled pork per person at most. Between the meat, sides, and cake there will be plenty of food.
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  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
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    I personally love leftover pulled pork, so whenever I cook it I make extra and foodsave/freeze some portions.  I would go ahead and cook 16 lbs or so (two 8ish lb butts) and plan to have leftovers. 

    Wings...not so crazy about reheated.  I agree that 2-3 wings per person is plenty, assuming you are using paddles/drummies (not whole wings).  

    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    Think about serving the pork on Hawaiian bread rolls to make sliders. PP freezes well, so leftovers are good for all kinda of things - pizza, tacos, burritos, nachos, etc.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • RLeeper
    RLeeper Posts: 480
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    Thanks for the input
    Extra Large, Large, and Mini. Tucker, GA
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  • 500
    500 Posts: 3,177
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    If you are set on wings, I would say keep them dry, and same for the pulled pork.  Saucey drips on a party dress wouldn't be good.  Sauce on the side.  Got to be on little plates with something formed together enough that the drips are kept to a minimum.  Same idea for the sides; less drippy the better.  For a sit down, you can sauce it up.  For stand up and couch sitting, keep the sauciness to a minimum.  My $.02.
    I like my butt rubbed and my pork pulled.
    Member since 2009
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  • Charlie tuna
    Charlie tuna Posts: 2,191
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    I always go with a combination of 8 ounces of meat (wings-pork-beef-etc.) for adults. Yes, ladies will eat less, but i'm covered that way.  I figure a total of 4 ounces on sides(slaw-potatoes salad-beans-etc.).  The idea of "Catering" is to provide a service to fully feed that number of people without excessive amounts of food left over, at a decent cost.  It's good to have some left overs, but if you were doing this for a living, it would get old.  Then enters the picture of extra people showing up??  This is what "breaks" or "makes" a catering company  -- their ability to guess the party's needs without going overboard.  I have a friend in the BBQ catering business and he has it down to a science.  All the leftovers are left with the customer or taken to a none profit shelter.  His "claim to fame" is good food and a very impressive clean mobile kitchen.  He has as much business as he wants -- booked solid, but will not book a party without his personnel supervision.  

     

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  • RLeeper
    RLeeper Posts: 480
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    Thanks again to everyone. This is valuable info. I decided to do ten pounds of pork and 100 wings. The shoulders are on now. If there are leftovers they won't go to waste. We also decided to do the mini pork sandwiches. Still up in the air about the sauce because swmbo is in love with the sauces I make for them.
    Extra Large, Large, and Mini. Tucker, GA
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