Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I got volunteered to cook lunch for a bunch of folks one Saturday per month or more.
30-50, small lunch, budet 2-2.50$/head, minimal facilities (4 burner electric stove, fridge, big grill), easy serve/eat, temperatures were in the 80s Sunday. Paper plates, water/soft drinks in cans/bottles.
They are not spoilt. Hot dog, bag of chips, bakery cookie makes them happy. I am not a grill person so hamburgers will require some home testing.
Has anyone worked in food or volunteered and give me pointers in regards to portions, prep, stabilization, recipes for large batches, .....
SO will be my go-for the night before. Well furbished household kitchen, two household crock pots, one of these turkey roaster electric monsters.
I was thinking about making prairie blossoms (rolled out refrigerator biscuits in muffin tins filled with spicy hamburger, topped with cheese), cole slaw, mini brownies. Everything can be finished the night before, muffins can be brought to temperature in foil in oven/turkey roaster.
Pulled pork is my go-to meal for a crowd. Buy a Boston butt, rub some BBQ rub all over it, drizzle it with liquid smoke, cook it in the crock pot on low all day (or overnight just before you need it). Take the cooked pork out, remove the bone and any big blobs of fat, then shred the meat with two forks and add a mustard BBQ sauce to it. Serve on buns or with white bread (don't put it on bread ahead of time, it will soak through). It's a cheap cut of meat and tastes great.
The cole slaw would be great on the side. So would potato salad or pasta salad or beans. Pasta salad is easier than potato salad when you're making a big batch.
You should have a meatless option available...grilled cheese sandwiches, maybe? Then you could just cook one or two as needed, if someone doesn't eat meat.
Anything that's one-pot and can be done in large batches pretty cheaply is good. Pulled pork as above is a good one. Soup, chili, simple pasta with marinara and cheese are all good for crowds, also.
Pulled pork is my go-to meal for a crowd. Buy a Boston butt, rub some BBQ rub all over it, drizzle it with liquid smoke, cook it in the crock pot on low all day (or overnight just before you need it). Take the cooked pork out, remove the bone and any big blobs of fat, then shred the meat with two forks and add a mustard BBQ sauce to it. Serve on buns or with white bread (don't put it on bread ahead of time, it will soak through). It's a cheap cut of meat and tastes great.
The cole slaw would be great on the side. So would potato salad or pasta salad or beans. Pasta salad is easier than potato salad when you're making a big batch.
You should have a meatless option available...grilled cheese sandwiches, maybe? Then you could just cook one or two as needed, if someone doesn't eat meat.
That's exactly what I was going to suggest. ^^^^ There are lots of recipes online for pulled pork in the crock pot. If you're worried that one won't make enough, borrow another crockpot or two. If you make coleslaw or potato salad from scratch it will be very cheap, but even if you buy it prepared at the grocery store or by a bbq restaurant it won't cost much. Or you could just have chips.
I would advise against this step. I have tasted some horrendous pulled-pork where this technique has been applied. If you aren't going to actually BBQ the pork butt, just season it well and everyone will be happier.
I cook pulled-pork for large groups, but mine is actually cooked in my BBQ pit.
I would do a baked pasta with whatever type of protein was inexpensive. It's not always ground beef that is least expensive. When I had to prepare lunches for 50 or more hungry swimmers post workout I always did a baked pasta, meatballs or ground beef mixed into the pasta, a simple bagged salad, and bread.
Do you have a warehouse type store nearby? I found that pre-cooked frozen meatballs were less expensive than ground beef per pound. I'd just mix them in with the pasta or even break them up like ground beef.
I also made my own sauce using industrial size cans of crushed tomatoes, some tomato paste, and spices. It's less expensive than jarred sauces and tastes better.
Everything can be made in advance except the bread. Undercook the pasta a bit as the sauce will make it softer. You can even thaw the pre-cooked meatballs overnight. They will have plenty of time to cook as they bake with the pasta. The pasta can be heated in the oven or in the roaster and crockpots. Start it early in the day so it warms up in the crockpot or just use a couple of very large aluminum pans (the throw away type) and bake in the oven. Two large pans should fit in an oven and hold enough pasta.
Depending on age--I'd do 10-15 pounds of pasta. 6-8 lbs of meatball or other meat, salad and 5 loaves of bread.
use a large slow cooker- put in some beef stock and the hot dogs and burger patties will keep moist and tasty
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
