Cookin' for the Memphis boys...

[Papa Tom]

FYI, I'm smoking briskets and sausage for a high school tailgate next Friday night here in Dallas. I'll have the final count tomorrow but it's looking like 85 adults and 65 kids. If I'm doing both meats, do you figure 4 oz of beef and 2 oz of sausage? I'm assuming a 50% yield on the briskets, correct?

Congrats on the good cook, you are hooked -you'll be doing it a lot now....
I figure 45% yield on packers. Your portions might be OK if you serve. Will it be sammys? and will there be other sides? If so, you're serving (meaning not self serve) sandwiches and there are some other sides then you are close. Depending on the age of the kids too young ones don't eat much teens can't be filled.

[DATsBBQ]

FYI, I'm smoking briskets and sausage for a high school tailgate next Friday night here in Dallas. I'll have the final count tomorrow but it's looking like 85 adults and 65 kids. If I'm doing both meats, do you figure 4 oz of beef and 2 oz of sausage? I'm assuming a 50% yield on the briskets, correct?

Congrats on the good cook, you are hooked -you'll be doing it a lot now....
I figure 45% yield on packers. Your portions might be OK if you serve. Will it be sammys? and will there be other sides? If so, you're serving (meaning not self serve) sandwiches and there are some other sides then you are close. Depending on the age of the kids too young ones don't eat much teens can't be filled.

Guess'n it depends on how they show up. I've had some that were trimmed to the point that I thought they dry all to hades and others that I've had to wack off a pound or more of fat. Same supplier, depends on the mood of the guy at the packing plant perhaps.

[OSD]

Congrats on the great cook. Sounds like everything went good.

[Papa Tom]

Guess'n it depends on how they show up. I've had some that were trimmed to the point that I thought they dry all to hades and others that I've had to wack off a pound or more of fat. Same supplier, depends on the mood of the guy at the packing plant perhaps.

That is a good point DD the ones I checked to come up with the 45% yield had the big fat between the flat and the point.

[OSD]

Good point about the trim of the meat. But for figuring how much I'll need for a cook I use 45% and add a couple extra servings. I would rather have a little extra than not enough. Nothing worse than running short of meat for a cook.

[bonehunts]

So just to be clear, when you say 45%, are you saying a 10# brisket gives you 4.5# of finished meat?

[DATsBBQ]

Yes, yield refers to how much meat you end up with.
SoEzzy's bbq planner, available here http://www.texasbbqforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=473 has brisket yield at 60%. Pappa T and others figure at 45%. Personally I get between 50 & 55% on briskets (Packers).

Which number works for you? Don't know. Depends where you get your briskets, (how trimmed up are they to start) The fat cap can be huge if they weren't trimmed much at the packing house. That fat will melt out and reduce your yield. Trimmed too close = dry meat.

[Papa Tom]

The 45% figure came from a case of packers purchased at Sams. I figured it was about as representative as any. The 45% represents the meat as served divided by the cryovac weight.

[SoEzzy]

Yes, yield refers to how much meat you end up with.
SoEzzy's bbq planner, available here http://www.texasbbqforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=473 has brisket yield at 60%. Pappa T and others figure at 45%. Personally I get between 50 & 55% on briskets (Packers).

Which number works for you? Don't know. Depends where you get your briskets, (how trimmed up are they to start) The fat cap can be huge if they weren't trimmed much at the packing house. That fat will melt out and reduce your yield. Trimmed too close = dry meat.

The figures on the planner were the results of conversations with 5 bbq caterers, they are the average from the 5 figures they gave me, and are just therefore set as a default setting, perhaps now I have a personal figure, I should change the default down to my own experience.

I to get something less than the 60%, actually around 53% on average, but if I change the setting to 53% there will still be others saying it's too high or low.

If everyone who is using or has used the planner would like to email me their figures for anything they cook on the planner and their yields, I will be happy to average the numbers out and re-set the defaults.