Doing a party!

[MrBlue]

Just generally looking for any tips or hints for doing this BBQ style for a party........ we have PRO Q Excel, 3 stackers, 4 whole chickens, (I'm thinking Stella chicken here ) 10 racks of meaty ribs, and a cooked and pulled pork (frozen)..........using Hickory + Oak and restaurant grade lump for the cook!.........what's the best way to do this?...............we also have separate grillin' BBQ to use for the usual sozzies and buggers!

[mcdodge]

I did a bit of a party on Sunday, had 13 people.

We had it all ready for peoples arrivals

That mean...
- Pork went on at 6:30am, came off at 3pm to be wrapped and put in the cooler. Pulled this about 5pm for sandwiches.
- RIbs went on a 9:45, foiled at 12:45, glazed at 2:45. They fell off the bone and were a huge success
(This was all done with one load of the Restaurant Charcoal and some chunks of wood. Be damned if I remember which!)

- Wings went on my Weber OneTouch for a quick blast rather than a smoke. This resulted in amazing wings!
- Burgers were done on the OneTouch

We had pasta salad, crusty barms ready, home made Blue Cheese dips and a few other choices.

All in all, a great day. I am sure you will be fine - it is all in the planning of timings. Work backwards from when people are arriving.

[MrBlue]

Thanks for the tips so far......this place really helps!


Whats the best way to get the Pork back to life? (and I dont mean literally ).......meat juices and apple juice, then foil and back on the smoker for 1/2 hr??
Just wanna try and ensure it remains as moist as when it was pulled if possible?

[mcdodge]

Thanks for the tips so far......this place really helps!


Whats the best way to get the Pork back to life? (and I dont mean literally ).......meat juices and apple juice, then foil and back on the smoker for 1/2 hr??
Just wanna try and ensure it remains as moist as when it was pulled if possible?

It will keep in a cooler for a good few hours if it is foiled, wrapped in towels and then put in the warm cooler. Mine was only in an hour and I had to use forks in the end as it was too hot. I've left them 2 hours before and had the same problem.

[MrBlue]

maybe I wasn't too clear here mcdodge - we cooked the Pork on Friday night just gone - it's been pulled, placed in a container and frozen - and we just need to revive it this coming Saturday!.......looking for the best way!

Also at MIM our Ribs were dry yet undercooked ................is this not enough mop.....or something else??

[Swindon_Ed]

Do you foil your ribs? Also do you put anything else in the foil with the ribs?

With the pork what have you got it stored in? Did you get a vacume sealer or is it in a ziplock bag or something like this?

If it's in a ziplock bag defrost it and then i would use a saucepan and some BBQ sauce. I do like vinegar sauces with pork(I've put a recipie in the sauce section below).

[MrBlue]

Hi Ed, yes ribs in foil with a dollop of BBQ sauce and a good old splashing of Apple juice - I think possibly the cock up came when they came out the foil and back on the Q for maybe too long???.......just need to understand how it happened so we can avoid it happening this weekend and also in future cooks!

As for the pork, it's just piled high in a ceramic dish and covered with about 4 layers of clingfilm, and we're just looking for the best way to serve - I was gonna defrost it, drop it back in some foil with a good spraying of apple juice then just heat it back up! When we did this at MIM , we cooked 2 butts and one we kept whole and in the foil, then when we got home popped it in the oven for about 45 mins and it turned out like it had just been cooked!

[LM600]

With the freezing aspect...do you have a Costco near you? If you do grab a box of the plastic takeaway tubs, I think I paid about £9 for a couple of hundred a while back. They're dishwasher and freezer proof.

When it comes to reheating, I do one of two things...

1) Defrost and then reheat in a pan with some caramelised onions and garlic then add some red wine vinegar, a crushed, dried red chilli or two, some shop bought Q sauce (liking the Newmans atm) and some passata...warm it all up and it's nice.

2) Defrost, pop into a pan with some AJ and some chopped tomatoes (or passata), foil it and throw it in the oven until hot.

The first is sweet and sour and a little spicy, the second is just sweet but they both allow the pork and the smoke to come through.

The ribs aspect, not much help I'm afraid, I've done them 3-2-1 and they've come out good and rubbish, done them 3hrs, come out good and rubbish, done them 5hrs and they've...you've guessed it!!!

[MrBlue]

thanks LM600 - the Pork is in the freezer now, as we intend to defrost it and and use it straight away on Saturday...........like the sound of your re-heating method though! ...............my nearest Costco is about 40 miles away in Croydon, so its cheaper for us to order in a Chinese then wash out the containers they provide!

On the ribs, we find the same as you - I'm a firm believer the outcome is down to the quality of ribs used

[All Weather Griller]

While you are at Costco pick up some of the better quality disposable plates and knives, keeps the aftermath to a minimum.

Honestly, I hate throwing money away and with disposable plates you really are, but I think it's not worth the hassle. Pack of 50 about 6 quid, they do good quality knives and forks too.