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Catering for a crowd - BBQ

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  • 28-07-2015 12:13pm
    #1
    Ruby31
    Registered Users Posts: 197 ✭✭


    We're hosting a BBQ for 24 adults & 13 kids soon (My OH's idea...sigh).

    There'll be plenty of bulk food, e.g. Baguettes of garlic bread, pasta salad, rice salad, green salad. I'm wondering how much meat to buy? There'll be burgers, hot dogs, sausages & chicken pieces. How many of each pp?! I do not want to send my OH to do the shopping as he will go way overboard (money is no object apparently!). I'm thinking it's going to work out very expensive (sigh...again!).


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    #2
    suicide_circus
    Registered Users Posts: 19,802 ✭✭✭✭suicide_circus


    Any vegetarians on the guest list?


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    #3
    eternal
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,867 ✭✭✭eternal


    Most butchers will do you a deal on a bulk buy. Look at it this way, have you a good freezer? The average person will only manage one burger, a few sausages and sides etc. Overbuy slightly to cover yourself. Men will devour steaks but to cut down on cost, chops, sausages, chicken wings, ribs and the cheaper stuff tastes so good off a bbq that there's no need to try to impress.
    So I'm recommend all that with coleslaw, sauces, salads and wedges go well also. Simple food with a good marinade and copious drinks will go down a treat. Make some homemade lemonade for the drivers and have a simple dessert option too.
    Hot dogs are not a good idea on bbq I don't think?


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    #4
    CJhaughey
    Registered Users Posts: 14,906 ✭✭✭✭CJhaughey


    I find that BBQ food will disappear a lot faster than normal food, people will eat usually twice as much as they would if it was a sit down dinner.
    Kids are usually busy playing so things like sausages in a piece of bread will do for them until they come back, allow 2 per child up to 10
    1 Pc chicken, 1 burger per person and 2 sausages pp
    Wings are a good thing to have as they take time to eat compared to the bigger food items.
    Think about cooking wings first and having them as nibbles with small sausages, bring these out 15 mins before the main course with a dip or sauce.
    If people start eating these they will start to fill faster than if they are hungry and start straight into the main course.
    It makes life easier for you too as you can cook these and keep warm in the oven while the rest of the burgers sausages and chicken is cooking.
    Buying precut thighs and marinating them is a reasonable way to buy meat, likewise wings.
    Sausages can be bought in bulk from Butchers and if you are getting them this way ask for the fatter BBQ ones not the skinny chipolata breakfast sausages.
    Plenty of bread rolls as well to bulk the burgers and sausages up.
    Couscous cooked with chicken stock is a cheap way of providing carbs.


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    #5
    rubadub
    Registered Users Posts: 32,373 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    eternal wrote: »
    Hot dogs are not a good idea on bbq I don't think?
    Some are OK, some may explode, you can get long life jars of hot dogs, and get frozen burgers and tesco have long life german burger buns with a BB date several months away.

    I would cook the fresh stuff first and have a stock of long life stuff as backup in case you run out.

    Another longer life item is those semi baked baguettes & rolls.


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    #6
    Melendez
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,645 ✭✭✭Melendez


    This post has been deleted.


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    #7
    vicwatson
    Registered Users Posts: 28,403 ✭✭✭✭vicwatson


    Do a couple of shoulders of pork (pulled pork), can be done a few days in advance, freezes well for any leftovers etc, and you can just leave a couple of squeezy things of BBQ sauce, shredded iceberg lettuce and nice big white buns from Aldi alongside it and leave people help themselves to pulled pork rolls.

    You'd get a fair amount of pork off 2 x 3kg shoulders.


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    #8
    Ruby31
    Registered Users Posts: 197 ✭✭Ruby31


    suicide_circus wrote: »
    Any vegetarians on the guest list?

    I wish!


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    #9
    Ruby31
    Registered Users Posts: 197 ✭✭Ruby31


    Thanks for the replies. Some very good suggestions there. I don't know why my OH insists on having this BBQ every year, when as suggested, there are cheaper ways to entertain.

    I'll certainly see if the local butcher will do us a deal for bulk-buying.

    I've a good idea of how much meat to buy too.

    Glad I posted!

    Thanks again.


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