Big Poppa
Administrator
Ok I decided to elaborate on this topic due to the comments on us nailing our timeline and serving over 600 people right on time and within 25 minutes.
Two words and they are connected....planning and timeline...if I add one more knowledge and feel.
How do you get feel....experience. No shortcut. It is a combo of understanding and trusting your cooker and its temps. Think of how you react when searing at really high heat vs low and slow....it is understanding and "feeling" the difference. Searing you are on your toes. You know that if you keep it on for 30 seconds too long depending on the thickness of your meat that you could ruin it.
Knowledge..... of how long something will cook based on your cookers internal temp.
Planning....using knowledge and experience to determine:
amount of each item
which cooker is optimum
time to cook and rest each item
time to do final serving prep.
OK lets say we are doing Pork butts, Ribs, Chicken.
Now comes the timeline
Reverse engineer it.
Start with the pork, then the ribs, then the chicken...
Pork
Lets say you are doing UNFOILED pork butts. Some will get done in 11 hours...some 15. So....lunch is at 12.....15 hours back of 12 is 7 pm....with slow cooked meat and the ablilty to cooler it you have a little leeway....so you give yourself another hour at the front of the cook....Meat goes on at 6... Season at 5 light cooker at 5:15...Pork done.
Now ribs...depending on your cooker and its capacity and volume you put in the cooker...(the more meat you cook the more you are slowing the cooking process) Lets call it a dozen racks....you know that if you foiled them that it would be a 4 hour cook. Give yourself 5.5 hours....add a half hour for fudge factor....Remember mealtime is 12 you want them ready and sauced by 11:30 minus 5.5 hours. Ribs go on the cooker at 5:30....light the cooker at 4:45 You can preseason the ribs the night before and hold in a cool cooler or fridge.....
Now chicken. thighs and legs at least 180....My cooker that i will use is super hot and I can do them in 40 minutes. Mealtime is at 12 remember...I want them ready to serve at 11:30....Light the cooker at 10 Season the chicken put on the cooker at 10:45.
No if you notice I have given myself slack in each of the meats but with a large cook you need the fudge factor....This cook everything is resting the right amount...You dont want to hold the chicken for 3 or 4 hours but the pork is fine.
Now to an average meal....think the same way and creat your timeline in advance...after the cook critique it...make adjustments to the time line after the third cook you will have developed 'feel for the multi cook you have and will be sort of programmed for success
Two words and they are connected....planning and timeline...if I add one more knowledge and feel.
How do you get feel....experience. No shortcut. It is a combo of understanding and trusting your cooker and its temps. Think of how you react when searing at really high heat vs low and slow....it is understanding and "feeling" the difference. Searing you are on your toes. You know that if you keep it on for 30 seconds too long depending on the thickness of your meat that you could ruin it.
Knowledge..... of how long something will cook based on your cookers internal temp.
Planning....using knowledge and experience to determine:
amount of each item
which cooker is optimum
time to cook and rest each item
time to do final serving prep.
OK lets say we are doing Pork butts, Ribs, Chicken.
Now comes the timeline
Reverse engineer it.
Start with the pork, then the ribs, then the chicken...
Pork
Lets say you are doing UNFOILED pork butts. Some will get done in 11 hours...some 15. So....lunch is at 12.....15 hours back of 12 is 7 pm....with slow cooked meat and the ablilty to cooler it you have a little leeway....so you give yourself another hour at the front of the cook....Meat goes on at 6... Season at 5 light cooker at 5:15...Pork done.
Now ribs...depending on your cooker and its capacity and volume you put in the cooker...(the more meat you cook the more you are slowing the cooking process) Lets call it a dozen racks....you know that if you foiled them that it would be a 4 hour cook. Give yourself 5.5 hours....add a half hour for fudge factor....Remember mealtime is 12 you want them ready and sauced by 11:30 minus 5.5 hours. Ribs go on the cooker at 5:30....light the cooker at 4:45 You can preseason the ribs the night before and hold in a cool cooler or fridge.....
Now chicken. thighs and legs at least 180....My cooker that i will use is super hot and I can do them in 40 minutes. Mealtime is at 12 remember...I want them ready to serve at 11:30....Light the cooker at 10 Season the chicken put on the cooker at 10:45.
No if you notice I have given myself slack in each of the meats but with a large cook you need the fudge factor....This cook everything is resting the right amount...You dont want to hold the chicken for 3 or 4 hours but the pork is fine.
Now to an average meal....think the same way and creat your timeline in advance...after the cook critique it...make adjustments to the time line after the third cook you will have developed 'feel for the multi cook you have and will be sort of programmed for success
