Help plan backyard bash

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How big is your grill?

Grilling 80 portions of salmon safely will be tricky, but it appears you don't want to go easy.

So, for appys, how about bacon wrapped around jumbo shrimp and a slice of water chestnut, and a spicy/sweet chili dipping sauce. Times 160 (people will want at least 2) I've been craving that, lol.

As far as ice cream goes, you're gonna need about 8 to 10 gallons, plus toppings if so inclined.

The grill is a standard 3 burner Weber - the surface is about 25 x 20. I might be able to cook 20 small (suitable for a roll sized sandwich) portions at a time. and then serve with some arugula or capered mayo or avacado


https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/grilled-salmon-sandwiches-recipe-1941492


I need to keep this simple and while the shrimp sounds amazing, that many would be expensive and the prep to wrap them is a little daunting.
 
I'd go with the pulled pork and buy slider buns for them; they're smaller and easier to eat. You can use smoked paprika in the rub to give it a smoky flavor. Cole slaw, pickles, baked beans, pasta salad with veggies and a vinaigrette for sides. A fruit salad is refreshing with this, too.

Another good summer salad is a Greek peasant salad - no lettuce, just chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, feta and a vinaigrette with either red wine vinegar or lemon juice. This can be prepped in advance and dressed the day of.

Everyone loves deviled eggs, right? Top them with smoked paprika instead of regular.

My favorite nibble for a party is tzatziki with pita chips and veggies. You could fancy it up by serving blanched asparagus and baby rainbow carrots instead of the usual.

Do you know what his favorite cookie is? You could make ice cream sandwiches with it for dessert. Easy to make in advance, and to serve, and you can keep it for a surprise :ohmy: [emoji38]
 
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What about some cheese trays with fruit? We had a potluck and brought 5 lbs of cheddar curds with grapes and strawberries, people were crazy for that.

Frozen cheese cakes on skewers dipped in chocolate, bring them out 20 at a time. As soon as word gets around that those are cheese cakes on skewers dipped in chocolate, people will be waiting for the next tray. Do half naked and half covered in chocolate, not everyone likes chocolate.
 
Whether it is pulled pork, carnitas or Cuban roast pork, it is still pork butt, which is super easy to cook well. You can smoke it, braise it, or I guess crock pot it (I have little experience with crock pots).

Sliders are a good way to serve pulled pork. They are easy to eat, even standing up.

BUT, I still say let people sauce their own pork. Maybe offer a few choices, such as a Carolina style vinegar sauce, a smokey KC sauce, or a spicy Mexican sauce. Put little tent cards by the sauces describing them.

Pulled pork cooked in BBQ sauce is a little pedestrian (I say while looking down my nose).

CD
 
Whether it is pulled pork, carnitas or Cuban roast pork, it is still pork butt, which is super easy to cook well. You can smoke it, braise it, or I guess crock pot it (I have little experience with crock pots).

Sliders are a good way to serve pulled pork. They are easy to eat, even standing up.

BUT, I still say let people sauce their own pork. Maybe offer a few choices, such as a Carolina style vinegar sauce, a smokey KC sauce, or a spicy Mexican sauce. Put little tent cards by the sauces describing them.

Pulled pork cooked in BBQ sauce is a little pedestrian (I say while looking down my nose).

CD

It would be fun to provide a selection of sauces. There's a local restaurant chain here that smokes beef, pork and chicken and has six types of sauce on the tables. Let me know if you need suggestions for sauces. Along with the tent cards, I'd put them in squirt bottles with labels, so they don't get mixed up.
 
Do you know what his favorite cookie is? You could make ice cream sandwiches with it for dessert. Easy to make in advance, and to serve, and you can keep it for a surprise :ohmy: [emoji38]

Oops. I thought I had seen this idea somewhere else but, reading back, I see that Whiskadoodle brought it up. Great idea! [emoji38] Sorry, Whiska.
 
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I like the idea of pulled pork sliders too.
Pulled pork for a crowd is easy to do in one of those turkey size electric roasters such as Nesco. If you don't have one, maybe one of the guests has one you could borrow. Don't add any liquid, just make a paste of sea salt and liquid smoke to massage the pork, and slow cook for several hours. No muss, no fuss and it can be kept serving temp after it's pulled.
I also like the choice of sauces in labeled squirt bottles...good idea GG.
In addition to Casey's ideas of Carolina style vinegar sauce, a smokey KC sauce, or a spicy Mexican sauce, I would add a Hawaiian style sauce.
By the way Whiska, thanks for the nod to my Kaula Pig..I do it in my Nesco 6 qt. roaster now days.
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f14/crock-pot-kalua-pig-65081.html
 
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OK - so the menu is set and now I need some help with quantities and cook times/methods. Cooking for 80.

Menu:

Sliders: Pulled pork, pickles and bbq sauce/s
Pasta salad w chopped parsley and peas
Handcut tri-color slaw
Corn and Black Bean Salad
Deviled eggs
Melon (cubed) with a light lime, mint dressing
Cake - purchased
Chips / pretzels / dips. Purchased


Pulled Pork: I need help here. I've made a Crock pot version but not for 80. Can I cook pork butts in an oven? How long? How many lbs? I have two ovens available or could borrow crock pots.

Pasta salad: How many lbs (raw and cooked)?
Slaw: how much?
Corn salad: how much?
Melon - How many?


Any advice would be appreciated - most especially on the pork.
 
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OK - so the menu is set and now I need some help with quantities and cook times/methods. Cooking for 80.

Menu:

Sliders: Pulled pork, pickles and bbq sauce/s
Pasta salad w chopped parsley and peas
Handcut tri-color slaw
Corn and Black Bean Salad
Deviled eggs
Melon (cubed) with a light lime, mint dressing
Cake - purchased
Chips / pretzels / dips. Purchased


Pulled Pork: I need help here. I've made a Crock pot version but not for 80. Can I cook pork butts in an oven? How long? How many lbs? I have two ovens available or could borrow crock pots.

Pasta salad: How many lbs (raw and cooked)?
Slaw: how much?
Corn salad: how much?
Melon - How many?


Any advice would be appreciated - most especially on the pork.
And theeeeeeere’s the reason I don’t cater! I “catered” my parents’ 45th anniversary party, 140 some guests. My friends and I prepared non-stop for three days. My parents arrived about two hours late (it was a surprise party), and when they finally arrived, the food was nearly gone!

I’d imagine the only worse thing would be restaurant purchasing. “Gee, how many people do you think will order the veal saltimbocca tonight.”
 
Here's a chart with guidelines for how much you'll need to serve 50 people. Multiplying by 1.5 should be enough. https://www.chef-menus.com/food-quantity-chart.html

I posted a recipe for pulled pork in a slow cooker: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f49/slow-cooker-pulled-pork-81344.html

You can also cook it in the oven, with low heat for a long time. I haven't done it, but there's no reason why you can't. Cook till the temperature reaches 195 degrees F. After it gets a bit crispy on the outside, you can cover cover the butts with foil to help them cook a little faster.

Pulled pork freezes very well, too, so you can make it well in advance.
 
And theeeeeeere’s the reason I don’t cater! I “catered” my parents’ 45th anniversary party, 140 some guests. My friends and I prepared non-stop for three days. My parents arrived about two hours late (it was a surprise party), and when they finally arrived, the food was nearly gone!

I’d imagine the only worse thing would be restaurant purchasing. “Gee, how many people do you think will order the veal saltimbocca tonight.”
Culinary schools and hospitality programs teach how to do this.
 
It just occurred to me to check my favorite recipe site - Serious Eats - to see if they have an oven-cooked pulled pork recipe - and they do! [emoji2] lol would suggest using the same rub as in the recipe I gave you and just use some vinegar and chicken broth for liquid. That way, you can still serve it with a variety of sauces.

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/02/easy-oven-pulled-pork-recipe.html
 
Pasta salad for 50 or 100. You'll at least get an approximation for how much pasta and water.
 

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Here's a chart with guidelines for how much you'll need to serve 50 people. Multiplying by 1.5 should be enough. https://www.chef-menus.com/food-quantity-chart.html

I posted a recipe for pulled pork in a slow cooker: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f49/slow-cooker-pulled-pork-81344.html

You can also cook it in the oven, with low heat for a long time. I haven't done it, but there's no reason why you can't. Cook till the temperature reaches 195 degrees F. After it gets a bit crispy on the outside, you can cover cover the butts with foil to help them cook a little faster.

Pulled pork freezes very well, too, so you can make it well in advance.

I like that chart!
 
When I cook for a party, I always cook too much food. Always. My biggest fear is that there won't be enough food. So, I eat leftovers for a week, and give extra food to my neighbors. I start every party thinking, "Did I make enough food?" At the end of the party, I use every piece of Tupperware that I own to put the excess food away.

CD
 
...At the end of the party, I use every piece of Tupperware that I own to put the excess food away...
This is why I hang on to (too many) yogurt, cottage cheese, Chinese take-out, and sour cream containers. Whenever I hand over a food "gift" to a neighbor (AKA getting rid of too much of a good thing - or, planned excess for the neighbor who loves my soups), I pass it along in that type of cast-off "Tupperware". If any is left hanging around whenif we move, I'll just toss into the recycling bin.
 
I would go another direction - steaks. Most cook fast, they are easy. Then some potatoes, bed kinda, butter, sour cream, maybe some melted cheese and broc, which can also serve as a regular side.

Another veggie is in order, and don't forget the salad.

If you don't want steaks then brats and sausages, not dogs. Now with those you want probably baked beans and a few different things.

T
(wow, this thread is only 3 years old)
 
Easy meals that serve a bunch of people:

  • taco/burrito bar with carnitas, shredded beef, pulled pork
  • Sausages, i.e. brats, kielbasa, hot dogs
  • Sloppy Joes
  • Salad bar with multiple olives, dill, brad and butter, and sweet pickles
  • Egg salad canapes
  • potato salad
  • Korean ribs
  • Fruit salad
  • Waldorf salad
  • stuffed celery
  • cheese cubes
  • chili
  • pizza bites
  • burger sliders
  • Italian sausage sliders with marinara, and cheese
  • pigs in the blanket
  • garlic-butter roasted potatoes
  • Spanish rice
  • gelatin of choice mixed with whipped cream and fruit
  • baguette slices with olive oil dipping sauce
  • baked beans
  • diced, or sliced Ham with honey mustard sauce
  • Chicken meatballs and either rice, or soba noodles with pineapple sweet and sour sauce
  • baked spaghetti with a good ragu
  • Freshly smoked turkey

There's a few ideas that might work without being too labor intensive.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
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