Help me not ruin dinner, to much meat, not enough smokers/bbqs!

[syoungs]

Cooking for a crowd this weekend. I've got 16 racks of pork ribs, 2 full shoulder butts, and 12# of bratwursts.
This is for a backyard wedding.

My tools!
 I've got a rental open face bbq, 6' x30" or so, a char griller dual fuel propane/charcoal grill (my personal grill I know well), a Bradley smoker, a little chief smoker and a 3 burner expedition camp chef with a professional griddle. (Full size)

Normally I loosely follow a 3-2-1 method for my ribs, but I dont have the space to get 16 racks done, along with 2 butts.

So how do I make 16 racks of fall off the bone ribs, 2 butts (for pulled pork) and a ton of sausages cooked?!

I'm thinking the sausages will go on the open face grill, easy enough, then move over to the griddle along with grilled onions and peppers for serving.

Ribs will take turns going into the smokers for about an hour or so a load, just to get some flavor,  hit the open face grill wrapped in foil with apple juice and seasonings for a couple hours nice and low, then 45 min to an hour before serving, come out of the foil and on to direct heat to finish/sauce

Probably stuck doing the butts over night so I can pull it in the am  then reheat before service. If I do this I'll probably stick all the pulled/lightly sauced meat into a dutch oven for re-heating and to serve out of.

Backyard wedding is camping themed, and I've been asked to serve from my typical camp kitchen setup, right off grills and dutch ovens, etc.

How would you guys with more experience doing larger cooks handle it!?

[Blacklab]

Sound like a good crowd  First thing to mind is start a few days early. Pulled pork is the most time consuming  also the most forgiving. Smoke/cook early then just reheat. 16 racks is a lot of space 3-2-1 is your best bet. Brats will be easier. Have fun  and good eats 

[92xj]

Serious question...
What time is the first guest serving their plate?

Also, cut each rack of ribs in half.  Going to be a lot easier to manage the ribs in half rack form and fit puzzle piece wise on the cooking surface. 

Cook butts during the night.

Or, depending on what time and day you are serving.  Bring me the two butts and I will smoke them for you, wrap in foil and deliver to you hot, so you can pull and serve.

[92xj]

Or, smoke butts tomorrow, rest for a few hours, pull, add whatever sauce and vacuum seal.  2 hours before the party get a pot of boiling water going, 1hour before serving, drop vacuum seal bags of pulled pork in water unopened, let float around in the boiling water until service, pull out bag, cut open, dump bbq and fluff it with a fork and serve.

[92xj]

after rereading your post, don't touch the little chief. 
Get a huge pot of beer, heat beer with sliced onions in it on the 3 burner.  Place all your brats in the beer and let them do their thing.  Right before service, pull brats, slap on the hot open face for grill marks and serve.  That way all will be completely cooked in the beer, not dry and no worry of any undercooked meat.  Leaving the open face free 95% of the time for your half racks of ribs.

[syoungs]

I was hoping you'd chime in 92xj 

I'm thinking I'll smoke the butts starting tomorrow or thursday so I dont have to worry about them.
Great idea on the beer brats, dont know why I didnt think of that.

Cutting ribs to 1/2 racks is a good idea too, these are where I'm coming up with the most trouble. Normally I use my Bradley smoker to do ribs until the last bit when they hit the grill.
I think I can get the ribs packed onto the char griller to get the first 5 hours of cooking done, and finish on the rental bbq, worst case I split the ribs between the char griller and Bradley I guess...
How much leeway do I have with ribs? If I start them early and they are finished by say 5 or so, would they make it to 6-630 on a warmer of some type, or maybe have them cooked to the point of putting them on direct heat and saucing them early even?

 

First guest is served at 615pm approx. You know how these things go though...

[WSU]

I don’t understand what the open face grill is? Propane I assume?

[syoungs]

Its charcoal, that's what the rental place called it

Its basically a bbq grate that's got a box for charcoal under it. No lid or anything. Would be killer for steaks or burgers.

[Dhoey07]

Pressure cook half the ribs and finish them on the grill. Sounds weird but they’re damn good that way.

[bracer40]

Pressure cook half the ribs and finish them on the grill. Sounds weird but they’re damn good that way.

 
So much easier, quicker and sooo good this way!!

[syoungs]

id be down do to this, but then I would have to source a bunch of pressure cookers. or start cooking now for the weekend lol 

[92xj]

I'd be tempted to bake the ribs in a covered foil tray for a few hours, then pull out, throw over a single layer of charcoal that is burned down some to sauce and finish the last hour before cooking.

I'd also buy some premade hamburgers as a back up if the pork goes all to hell. Those and the brats are easily done on the open face.

[syoungs]

I'd be tempted to bake the ribs in a covered foil tray for a few hours, then pull out, throw over a single layer of charcoal that is burned down some to sauce and finish the last hour before cooking.

I'd also buy some premade hamburgers as a back up if the pork goes all to hell. Those and the brats are easily done on the open face.

failure is not an option 

I'm gonna pre cook tonight and test some ideas.

My other idea is to get my new brother in law a nice Bradley smoker as a wedding present, and "pre-season" it for him cooking for the wedding lol

[92xj]

Roger that.
If you need, I'd be glad to throw those butts on my cooker Friday night and have them finished up around early afternoon Saturday and deliver them back to you, ready to be pulled. If you get in a pinch...

[syoungs]

Roger that.
If you need, I'd be glad to throw those butts on my cooker Friday night and have them finished up around early afternoon Saturday and deliver them back to you, ready to be pulled. If you get in a pinch...

I truly appreciate that offer!
I think I'm gonna go ahead and do those tomorrow through the night, so Friday morning I can pull it and vacuum pack it up.

[Stein]

I agree, do the buts early, they are every bit as good a day or two later.  You can warm them in the oven and then shred them up just before serving.

[PA BEN]

I did 14 racks of ribs using rib racks in my Traeger 34.

[Woodchuck]

You can borrow my big propane smoker for the weekend if you need. It is a 44in Smoke Hollow. 

[Blacklab]

 If you’re going to need to hold the ribs in a warmer. Get a couple coolers and put them in that. Layer them in the cooler and when it gets kind of full put tinfoil on top covered with a towel put the lid on it and it should be good for a few hours and they’ll be hot 👌😉🍻

[Pnwrider]

Don’t be afraid to use an oven for ribs either. I have had to do ribs in the oven when I ran out of room on the smoker before. No one could really notice a difference.

[syoungs]

You can borrow my big propane smoker for the weekend if you need. It is a 44in Smoke Hollow. 

That's a great offer, I appreciate it!
I just did a "dry run", and think I've got the space to cover it in 2 batches pretty easy, if I do the pulled pork early.
Thanks for all the advice everyone! I'll post results soon lol!

[duramax]

There is always a sous vide cooler you could water bath the half ribs in and finish on the charcoal works out amazing. Agreed on the braut method

[92xj]

Success?

[syoungs]

Success?

I forgot about this thread, definitely success! Dont think I took any pictures though :/

[Woodchuck]

Success?

I forgot about this thread, definitely success! Dont think I took any pictures though :/

[pianoman9701]

Success?

I forgot about this thread, definitely success! Dont think I took any pictures though :/

[bigdave]

First of all, there is never too much meat. (If i was a junior high boy I would insert a 'that's what she said' joke here) Second of all, I am always impressed with the level of help and actually good advice put out here. Good job hunt wa!!

[Westside88]

I have a rib recipe that requires you to cook them in the oven beforehand (a day or two is fine) then wrap them in foil and refrigerate. They then just need to be heated on bbq and basted when ready to serve. I’d be happy to email you the recipe if you’d like