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Need advice - How do I do this?

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Alright all you Eggsperts,

I have volunteered to cook shredded pork for an entire pack of cub scouts and parents on our first pack camp out this weekend. As I volunteered to do this, I was thinking "no problem, I got this!" Why not? I have cooked butts a few times before with success, so I can do this. Especially now that I have a brand new BBQ Guru in the box that I will get to inaugurate on this cook. Right?

ok here is the questions and where I need help:

1. I will be cooking for roughly 50 people. Split pretty even between kids and adults and the adults are mostly men. I am thinking 4 butts totaling around 25 pounds (uncooked). Will this be enough?

2. Since this will be a camp out, I need to figure out how to transport and preserve the meat. I don't think I will be able to keep it warm, so I am thinking my only option is to cool them. I will be leaving the house about 8am Saturday morning to head to camp and this will be our dinner around 6pm. In order to not chance them being done or not I really don't think I want to attempt the overnight Friday to Saturday morning. I am thinking starting them Friday morning and pulling them Friday night then putting them into the fridge. I am then thinking to transport in large ziplock bags in a cooler with ice. If I do it this way, I am not sure how to reheat and keep it good?? Am I way off base here? Would you do it differently?

Give me some pointers and advice here PLEASE! 

Thank you guys VERY much - I don't want to be trampled by a bunch of angry scouts and parents!!
Lake Keowee, SC
XLarge, MiniMax, 36" Blackstone
Custom Table, KAB, Woo2, Guru DigiQ DX2,
Family of 5 Meat Eaters

Comments

  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
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    Well, given your constraints I'd offer this novice advice.  Which of course comes from the expert advice I've gotten over the last couple years.  If by chance you have a food saver or equivalent I'd use that over zip-locks.  If not, then you don't.  4 butts is enough.  To reheat, especially if in food saver bag 30 minutes in simmering water.  Same if you believe in the integrity of your zip locks.  This good advice is thanks to @theyolksonyou and others who helped me.  It works. Good luck brother!
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • milesvdustin
    Options
    Reheat it in a dutch oven, surely you will have one!?!?

    2 LBGE, Blackstone 36, Jumbo Joe

    Egging in Southern Illinois (Marion)

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,754
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    the ziplocks melt if they hit the pot sides while simmering, you want the foodsaver bags
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • ksmyrl
    ksmyrl Posts: 1,050
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    +1 on the dutch oven. maybe pull them before you leave, put the pulled pork in the dutch oven over the camp fire with a dash of rub and maybe even a little sauce? I often warm my left over pulled pork this way, just not over a camp fire, mine is usually sitting on my egg.
    Fish, Hunt, Cook....anything else?

    1LBGE, 1MMBGE, somewhere near Athens GA
  • Focker
    Focker Posts: 8,364
    edited September 2015
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    For large events, I use a turkey fryer and large King Kooker aluminum pot.  If you cook a few days before the event, FS bags are a complete waste.  And for the ziplocks, I use 2 gal and fill flat.  For your scenario, 1 gal is completely fine.  And for the record, I have never had one ziplock melt from contact.  The key is to turn off the heat, and obviously try to minimize contact if possible. 

    Bring the water to a boil, drop in bag, turn off heat.  Hot and ready to serve in 5 min or so.  If you load up the bottom of the ziplock bag and try to reheat, the center may not fully heat.....not good/safe.  This can happen with the FS bags, all the food is pressed into the bottom.  Another benefit is decreased cooling time after cooking, which is often overlooked.  Learned this from a catering chef on the TVWB.  One large roaster oven to heat up the first rush would be ideal, replenishing as needed.  They can be rented for cheap.  Even new, they're about $50.  If this will be an annual thing, might as well buy one.  Heating up a large amount of meat for a crowd in DOs or Crockpots is a major PITA due to lack of volume and time constraints to get to serving temp. 

    You may want to up the volume to be safe, and do 4 8lbers.  Side dishes, or lack thereof, play a role too.  Men, and growin' boys(at least mine), can put it down. 
    You will loose some weight in the finished product post cook.  Whatever you don't use can be kept on ice and saved for later use.  When cooking for a crowd I always err on the side of caution.  I'd rather need it and have it, than need it and not have it.  HTH 


    Brandon
    Quad Cities
    "If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful."

  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207
    edited September 2015
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    My first choice would be to start cook on Friday night and FTC Saturday morning till dinner.  If unable then remove and pull (after rest period) and store in zip lock bags.  To warm I would heat in a dutch oven with coke or apple juice as liquid.  Don't have it swimming in liquid but enough to moisten.  It'll be great!!
    Have a blast.

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."

                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
  • A5firearms
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    Thank you all very much for the input! I have a turkey fryer and large pot, so I think I am going to go with reheating bags of already shredded pork in the pot. I knew you guys would come through for me! Thanks again all and have a great week! I will post some pics to show it all happened!
    Lake Keowee, SC
    XLarge, MiniMax, 36" Blackstone
    Custom Table, KAB, Woo2, Guru DigiQ DX2,
    Family of 5 Meat Eaters
  • jeroldharter
    Options
    My first choice would be to start cook on Friday night and FTC Saturday morning till dinner.  If unable then remove and pull (after rest period) and store in zip lock bags.  To warm I would heat in a dutch oven with coke or apple juice as liquid.  Don't have it swimming in liquid but enough to moisten.  It'll be great!!
    Have a blast.
    +1.

    I would use a my DigiQ, set the egg to 350 for a turbo butt, put the meat on at midnight, and cook it until the meat temp is about 203-205. Then FTC in a good cooler. Four butts take up a lot of room when wrapped, so maybe two smaller coolers. Fill any dead space with extra towels. If you have a nice cooler like a Yeti, the meat will probably be piping hot. If not, reheat like suggested. I would take some full size cookie sheets and bear claws for pulling the meat.
  • jeroldharter
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    I should have mentioned: if your goal is just having some good stuff to eat, then reheating in a some fashion is the easiest way to go. If you want to have more of a spectacle, then pulling out the cooked butts and pulling them is better and smells great.
  • hondabbq
    hondabbq Posts: 1,980
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    when I am putting PP in my FS bags, I lay by bags down when I have the amount I want in it and press it so it looks similar to the pic above. I don't put it in one lump in the bottom of the bag. That would just be silly.
  • MelSharples
    Options
    FWIW another option would be to use a sterno catering kit.
    LBGE 2015 - Atlanta
  • DaveRichardson
    Options
    Have the obligatory can of Coke handy per @RRP for adding some moisture back into the meat.  Apple juice works, too.  Just keep it a secret!!!!

    The flat packaging is a GREAT idea!  Cooling and re-heating will be much simpler the thinner the package is.

    LBGE #19 from North GA Eggfest, 2014

    Stockbridge, GA - just south of Atlanta where we are covered up in Zombies!  #TheWalkingDead films practically next door!