A Little Advice ?!?

[Max1]

Heres the low down on my situation. I have been elected by all my siblings to cook for my mother up coming Birthday. I am not really all that worried about it just could use a few pointers, I have not really cooked for over 40 people before and could use a little advice. Here is what I will be serving.

Main Dishes:
6 Racks of ribs 4 with my rub, 2 teriyaki style
2 Pork Shoulders, or a Brisket (have not decided yet)
A Couple Spatchcocked Chickens for the lamers that don't like pork

Side Dishes:
Regular Cheddar Cheese Mac, and Cheese
Grown Up Mac and Cheese with Gouda, Provolone, and fresh sauteed mushrooms (white button, portobello, and shiitake mushrooms)
Baked Beans, with homemade bacon and brown sugar
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Green Bean Casserole

Salads:
7 Bean Salad
Garden Salad
Greek Salad


If anyone could help me out with any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Janet H]

Nice of you

Do some thinking about how you'll get all that cooked and ready to serve at the same time. Do you have enough oven and cooker space?

Set up your service area the day before. Set out your plates, utensils, etc make it perfect - take your time.... Then you don't have to worry the day of the bash. If it's outside, set it up and cover it with a tarp. This seems strange but it removes a lot of stress the day of the bash.

A final thought... I might consider ditching one of the two green salads and substituting a fruit salad. The fruit would be refreshing (cut the grease) and kids will like it. A really nice one for this time of year is watermelon cubes with red grapes and a few sliced up kiwis. Make a "dressing" of a little grated ginger, lemon juice, sugar and chopped mint leaves. You don't need much dressing - it's more about adding a bit of flavor.

What's for dessert? Birthday Cake? How about setting the kids to work on an old school ice-cream churn prior to dinner and have some homemade vanilla to go with...?

 

[Max1]

Good Ideas but its a surprise party, so no setting up the day before. However I do think I will replace the Greek salad with a fruit salad, good thing about this is that it can be made a few days in advance.

As for desert, I am making a single layer marble cake, and my sisters are making a couple of other cakes. The ice cream is a great idea, only thing is that there is only 2 little kids, all my nieces and nephews are grown. The only kid that would do this would loose interest in a few minutes because of his ADHD. So I would rather just save myself the trouble and just buy the ice cream. Think I might just get a gallon of chocolate, a gallon of vanilla, and maybe go to Cold Stone and get my mother something special.

 

[bigwheel]

Hey Max..listen to Janet. Your menu is way out of whack on the too busy side of the scale. Feed them pulled pork sanwiches..sweet beans and tater chips. Let the other victims bring sides and desserts. Throw in a few dogs if you got kids to worry with. How many folks did you say was on the guest list?

 

[Max1]

About 50, I have some help from my sister, and my brother in law is gonna help me manning the fire. Most of the items can be prepared before time and frozen, like the mac and cheese, the beans. Th green bean casserole is just a matter of dumping the stuff into a crock post and turning on high.

I figure I will put the butts on the night before and cook them around 180° - 190° over night, then when I get up at 6:00am will crank it up to around 250° to finish it off for a few hours then throw them into a cooler for a few more hours. In this time I am gonna throw the ribs on.

Not everyone in my family like pork, yeah I know freaks, thats what happens when you have city folks in your family. So chicken they will get. I figure a couple spatchedcocked chickens only take maybe what a hour and a half to cook. Perfect for them.

 

[bigwheel]

Hey now..I spent a good number of years trying to get Muslim kids to eat all pork hot dawgs..so at least some of us can feels your pain. Touching up cooked meat over a hot fire makes it cough up all the grease that makes it proper. Cook all the pork till full done and throw in the hot box and let them eat at will. Anybody brave enough to cook raw chicken for strangers needs help. How much are we charging on this deal?

 

[Max1]

Charging, hey that's a good idea, I should charge admission!!! Nah man it's my mothers birthday, it is just friends and family that are going to be here. My siblings and I are cutting the cost between us all, damn good thing there are 5 of us. Also adding hotdogs on the grill for the kiddies. I figure that $5.00 more what is the difference.

 

[bigwheel]

Ok gotcha. An act of love..I can compute. I much prefer to deal with halves over spatchcocked. If a well distributed foursome of halves aint up to 175 in the thigh within an hour..somebody is cooking way too slow. Then they need wrapping and at least an hours rest in the hot box before then finishing glaze and the consumption of the critters. Cook skin side down the whole time and do not spill the juice which collects on top. That is called the swim cap method. Think my old adversary Rock McNeilly come up with that or..or he was hot on the trail of it. Not sure he ever filed for the patent. lol.

 

[Max1]

I have decided to have chicken pieces. They are cheaper, and easier to cook, well for me anyway. Also going to be cooking the cake, and cup cakes about 2 weeks in advance then freezing them. Take that off the list. I do think I am going to be cooking the pork shoulders thru the night the day before the party. When I wake up the day of the party, first thing to do will to be get the ribs on the smoke, next will to be the the shoulder rest for a couple of hours then shred it and place into a crock pot on low. A couple of hours before serving starts add the sauce to the meat. Money Muscle will be for the Pit Master, and Minions. Muhahahahah!

 

[Janet H]

It sounds yummy but still too complicated... There are places you can cut items to reduce redundancy and increase ease of prep and service. Remember - you should be a guest at this bash as well.
I grayed out stuff I think you could do with out and added suggestions in blue.


Try this:


Main Dishes:

6 Racks of ribs 4 with my rub, 2 teriyaki style
2 Pork Shoulders, or a Brisket (have not decided yet)
Turkey Drumsticks (cook em with the pork)
A Couple Spatchcocked Chickens for the lamers that don't like pork
​

Side Dishes:

Baked Beans, with homemade bacon and brown sugar
Grilled Corn on the Cob
Green Bean Casserole consider ditching this or serving slaw instead.
BIG bread basket. Rolls, biscuits, cornbread muffins, sliced etc.
Regular Cheddar Cheese Mac, and Cheese
Grown Up Mac and Cheese with Gouda, Provolone, and fresh sauteed mushrooms (white button, portobello, and shiitake mushrooms)
​

Salads:

BIG Garden Salad
Fruit salad
Greek Salad
7 Bean Salad (baked beans and 7 bean are redundant. imo)

​

Dessert

Cake
Cupcakes for the kids
Fruit Pie - it's summer, party hard - have dessert twice!


​

Buy the breads, Make and freeze all desserts and thaw and decorate the night before. Have someone show up with the fruit salad and garden salad. Put someone in charge of bringing all the breads in a nice giant basket. Plan out your condiments and how they will be served. Corn needs butter, breads need butter, salad needs dressing, etc

Are we invited?