how many butts for 80 people

This is just a guess (I want to se how close I am with what the experts say). If you are doing 4 oz sands and loose 50% per pound, figure .125 lb per sand x 80 people = 10 pounds. Figure many will eat more than one sandwich. My "guess" is 15 pounds (per your 1/4 lb per) and I'm probably way off . What do you experts say...?

Is this an "all you can eat" event if so , what all will be served with it? Will there be children there? If there is going to be families and some trimmings my guess is around 50-52 lbs of meat to cook. 50 lbs with cooking loss of 50% will yield 25lbs @ .25 per will give you 100 sandwiches. Kids don't need 1/4lb per sandwich. You can always cook more and eat later. Just my guess.

Wheelz,

I think you got your math backwards. If you want a finished 4 oz. sandwich, you have to start with 8 oz. of uncooked meat based on a 50% shrinkage factor. Thus, to serve eighty 4 oz. sandwiches, you should start with 40 lbs of uncooked meat.

To be on the safe side, I would two extra butts and freeze whatever you don't need. It won't go bad.

John

See, I knew I'd blow it! You are absolutely correct RibDog, math is backwards. Guess that's why I just spend the money and the wife trys to keep the check book balanced! Kidding. I knew 15 lbs sounded way too low but the math was right(ly wrong). Next time, next time.

Thanks John!

Or like Ribdog says,multiply your raw weight by two and get the number of 4 oz sandwiches/portions.

With a single meat,lots of folks cook 2/3 lb raw meat per person.

Cook some hotdogs for the kids and they'll fill up on the snacks setting around.

Several ways to get where you're going.

thanks guy's have 40lbs on hand ,will smoke all 40lbs. thinking of choping instead of pulling, any thoughts on this. j foley

If you are providing servers for these 80 people, I would think that chopping would allow for easier portion control.

What I've done is wrangled up some volunteers to help pull. There are always people willing to help. Spend 20 seconds showing them how and turn them loose. You'll have "pulled" pork and friends who will feel good about contributing.

fed 88 people sunday with a little 3lbs left over. smoked 4 8 1/2 lb butts in 08. a little tight. rubbed w/ cs rib rub & chic. rub. put in frig. over night. put in 08 at 1pm sat. at200deg. at 10pm switched bottom 2 to top & top to bottom,turned temp down to 180 went to bed after a final cocktail. at 7am temp was 170, raised to 250. took them out at 10am and they fell apart when i took them out. used 6oz of hickory. came home with 22 drink tickets plus what i drank when i was at the lodge. i think they liked it. thanks for all the help.

j foley

So you actually only started with 34 pounds..and it feed them all....sounds good..did you have much side dishes?

david
tampa

quote:

Originally posted by GeiyserQ:
[qb] If you are providing servers for these 80 people, I would think that chopping would allow for easier portion control. [/qb]

I tend to agree.

BTW, GeiyserQ, that wbesite you have for a signature might be the nost annoying site I have ever visited. What is with all the guns shot noises? YIKES!

lips, we had baked b. pot. sal. w/free draft beer.

j foley

Good Job J, I know it was a lot of work.

thanks russ, no it was all done by the cs o8 all i did was load it and it was done when it was done. thanks again to all at the forum for the help. j foley