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Cooking advice for daughters party

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windnsea26
windnsea26 Posts: 159
edited May 2012 in EggHead Forum
Hi,
We are having a party next week for m daughters party. Not too big. 30 kids and 40 adults. Planning on cooking hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob. I may cook tri tip too if time permits. Aside from this we will have fruit trays, baked deserts and a cake. This will be at the park so I'm probably going to bring my weber genesis since I have a lot to cook.

I was thinking of pre cooking some of the stuff but kind of like to serve hot food. The party is only three hours though so I would like to be able to be a good host too. I'd rather bring my green egg but that's too big to lug around:)

Any suggestions how to prepare for something like this?

Thanks in advance!

San Diego, CA
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  • balliardi
    balliardi Posts: 72
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    Boil the dogs first then they only need browning/heating on the day
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Dogs are already fully cooked. They do not need to be boiled before grilling.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • windnsea26
    windnsea26 Posts: 159
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    How about the hamburgers? I would have made pulled pork the night before but I don't think everyone likes pork. Would have made Tri tip instead of hamburgers but I think that could get pricy unless they go on sale this week.
    San Diego, CA
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    I've done big cooks like this before and I can help. Let me hit you up tomorrow. Sittin and sippin with mama on a patio today :).
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • windnsea26
    windnsea26 Posts: 159
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    Thanks! I'll wait for your reply then.
    San Diego, CA
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Will gladly help. I've done a bunch of offsite cooks (had a catering biz) so I can definitely provide some pointers.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • windnsea26
    windnsea26 Posts: 159
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    Sweet!
    San Diego, CA
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Well, burgers can be pre done and held on the grill in a beef broth bath in a foil pan. They hold pretty well in liquid. Do the dogs the same way. Hold them in beer or beef broth.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Use the weber to keep the pans with the burgers/dogs warm or throw the dogs/burgers on for a quick sear as you serve them
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Make sure to bump this up to the top tomorrow so I see it and remember :)

    Thanks.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • windnsea26
    windnsea26 Posts: 159
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    Thanks. It's making it sound more doable now.
    San Diego, CA
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  • Doc_Eggerton
    Doc_Eggerton Posts: 5,321
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    My biggest cook was for 8, and this is how I handled veggies.

    XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys

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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    It's totally doable. I've cooked for 70-80 by myself several times. Its not like putting out fine dining but you can do good food if you prep it right. I can help so we'll talk tomorrow.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • windnsea26
    windnsea26 Posts: 159
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    ^^
    San Diego, CA
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    OK- so last time I did a big burger/dog cook I pre-grilled everything that morning and put everything in chafing dishes with beef broth. They actually held for a few hours and people said the burgers were great. You can get chafing dishes at Sams/Costco/ etc. You can also rent non disposable chafers at party rental stores for cheap. If it were me, I would cook the burgers on the egg and gasser as close to the time of the party as possible. I would then transfer them warm in a cooler to the party. Then I would fill a chafing dish with the broth and let it warm up for a few minutes and then add the burgers to the broth. As far as dogs go, they are fully cooked so all you need to do is warm them. I would do this in beer or beef broth in another chafing dish. You really don't need to take your grill to the party if you use chafing dishes to keep your precooked stuff warm. You can do the corn the same way- precook and hold in chafing dishes. If you want to bring your gasser, you can use it to brown the dogs and quick sear the burgers as they are served.

    This should allow you to be a good host because people can self serve their food once the party starts. It should allow you to do all the work beforehand and enjoy the party while you are there.

    Let me know if you have any more questions. Glad to help.


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  • windnsea26
    windnsea26 Posts: 159
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    Ahh.  That sounds like a great idea.  It also saves me from having to bring the big weber gas grill out there.  I'm not even thinking of I could possibly throw tri tip in the mix as well.  Can I keep that warm in the beef broth too?

    Thanks a bunch!
    San Diego, CA
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Ahh.  That sounds like a great idea.  It also saves me from having to bring the big weber gas grill out there.  I'm not even thinking of I could possibly throw tri tip in the mix as well.  Can I keep that warm in the beef broth too?

    Thanks a bunch!
    That's where it gets tough. Holding a steak is not a good idea. It will overcook and will not be good. If you are doing tri-tip, I would cook it at the party and serve immediately. The only way i know to hold a steak at perfect temp is sous vide (water bath under vacuum). 

    Everything else you have going is fairly easy to hold. When you throw in lean whole muscle cuts like tri tip or chicken breast, it gets more difficult to hold for any period of time without overcooking and drying out.


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  • windnsea26
    windnsea26 Posts: 159
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    Okay, I'll scratch the tri tip.  How about chicken wings?  Do you think that'll be okay to pre-cook?  I would be thinking about 10-20lbs depending what else we are serving..
    San Diego, CA
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Okay, I'll scratch the tri tip.  How about chicken wings?  Do you think that'll be okay to pre-cook?  I would be thinking about 10-20lbs depending what else we are serving..
    Chicken wings are good to hold. same setup but you probably would not hold them in liquid. BBQ sauce or Wing sauce would be OK or you just could rewarm them in the chafer. They key to all of this is to keep things warm for as short a time as possible. So even if you need to cook, refrigerate and reheat the day of the party, that's OK. Again, this is not fine dining but for burgers, wings and dogs for 70, it should be very workable and good food for all.

    Do as much on your egg as you can because the flavor will come through


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  • windnsea26
    windnsea26 Posts: 159
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    Yeah, I will probably be able to cook it all on my Egg.  How many patties/dogs would you suggest for 30 adults/40 kids?

    Thanks

    San Diego, CA
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Yeah, I will probably be able to cook it all on my Egg.  How many patties/dogs would you suggest for 30 adults/40 kids?

    Thanks

    After consulting with the event coordinator, she says 70 dogs (not everyone will have one but some people will have 2) and 55 burgers (60 if the kids are teenagers). 


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  • windnsea26
    windnsea26 Posts: 159
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    Wonderful!  I'll be sure to take plenty of pics and show how it turned out.  I just now learned now that my wife wants corn too.  Lol.
    San Diego, CA
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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 22,970
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    Wonderful!  I'll be sure to take plenty of pics and show how it turned out.  I just now learned now that my wife wants corn too.  Lol.
    Corn is easy to hold. Shouldn't be a problem. Just more grill time for you!


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