Hey guys I'm looking for a decent size smoker for small catering jobs that will feed 100 to 250 people. I would prefer having a reverse flow but isn't really that necessary. Hope you guys can help me out here thanks
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WTB Stick burner in the NW
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Founding Member
- Jul 2014
- 1595
- Lake Charles, LA
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Started Low-N-Slow BBQ in 2012. Obviously, it's taken hold (in chronological order:
1.) A pair of Weber Smokey Mountain 22.5's
2.) #LilTex, a 22" Expensive Offset Smoker (looks like a Yoder Witicha)
3.) #WhoDat1, a HUGE Gravity Fed Insulated Cabinet Smoker (cooking chamber 3'x2'x6')
4.) A Full Size Commercial Dryer/converted to Vertical Smoker.
5.) Jambo Backyard stickburner (my FAVORITE Pit so far)
6.) GrillMeister, a huge 24"x48" Adjustable, Charcoal Grill from Pitmaker.com
7.) 22" Weber Kettle with Slow-N-Sear
8.) Vault insulated reverse-flow cabinet smoker from Pitmaker
9.) BarbecueFiretruck...under development
10.) 26 foot BBQ Vending Trailer equipped with HUGE Myron Mixon 72xc smoker is HERE, Oct 2016!
11.) Opened www.PaulsRibShackBarbecue.com Food Trailer officially in March 2017
12.) Austin Smoke Works 500 Gallon Propane Tank Offset Smoker, named "Lucille" as travel pit for PaulsRibShack, Oct 2018.
12.) Opening Brick & Mortar location at 4800 Nelson Rd, Spring 2019. Had a pair of 1,000 Gallon Austin Smoke Works pits, both in RibShackRed for our new place!
Fabulous Backlit Thermapens, several Maverick Remote Thermometers (don't use any remotes anymore), Thermoworks Smoke, Other Thermoworks toys, Vacuum sealer, lots and lots of equipment...
I'm loving using BBQ to make friends and build connections.
I have #theRibList where I keep a list of new and old friends and whenever I'm cooking, I make 1 to 20 extra and share the joy.
I love this question!!!!
100 to 250 is a big range. If you are just cooking pork butts, for example, then that's 22 butts, in my calculator, for 5 oz per portion. If you go to a full plate, with 4 oz of pork and 4 oz of brisket, then that's 22 butts and 10.5 briskets.
That's a big smoker!
My Myron Mixon 72 xc is 69" x 33". That's a big rack! It comes with 3 racks, which is 47 square feet of cooking space. 10 briskets fit easily on a rack. When i cooked for the 1,000 person job, I packed in about 15 butts per rack. I could have put more on each rack. On the company website, they say 90 butts will fit, which is 30 per rack. I'm sure you can put that many on there, but it would be super tight, meat touching meat all day, and airflow would be restricted. So you would have to cook a little lower temp and slower.
I list the comparison of my actual functional capacity, vs. the maximum capacity listed on the websites, because it will be helpful when looking at various pits and what you'll need to make sure you get enough cooking space to pull it off.
My pit has 47 sf as configured, and I can cook for about 500 people at a time (all butts). If I'm cooking multiple meats, reduce that number. So, if you are wanting to cook for up to 250, then I'd suggest you keep the cooking space at least 23 square feet. That's a Lang 84", for example.
Stickburning is the best!
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Founding Member - Moderator Emeritus
- Jul 2014
- 5029
- Stockholm, Sweden
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Author of the book Barbecue, fire and smoke
Manufacturer of:
Hank's Bonafide Beef Rub
Hank's KC Royale Pork 'n Poultry Rub
Hank's Signature Steak Rub
Grills
Big Green Egg (M)
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PK TX
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Slow n' Sear
All my recipes, photos and information can be found at
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Invaluable feedback, PaulstheRibList, thanks! Love the specified vs actual comments, they help a lot.
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Thanks Henrik! I'm sure you can put that many of the stated meats on a pit, but the way it cooks will change (slow down, less even) when the airflow is restricted. And the day you want to learn those changes is NOT the day you are about to feed the most number of people ever!
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First off thanks to everyone for posting some info. Im located in Oregon and I guess saying 250 people would probably be max with multiple meats. Ive picked up a few weddings over the years and would like to expand my operation is all im looking for. As for budget I would like to stay in the $2000 to $2500 range if its even possible.
I did come across this Lang 84 deluxe down in San Fran for $2500. Any thoughts? Looks like it has seen better days and has lots of pitting going on. Im guessing it can be cleaned up but would like more opinions. What would you pay for this model in this condition?
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Administrator
- May 2014
- 19038
- Clare, Michigan area
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Follow me on Instagram, huskeesbarbecue
Smokers / Grills- Yoder loaded Wichita offset smoker
- PBC
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- Slow 'N Sear Deluxe Kamado (SnSK)
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Might even be easier to just get (or build) new shelves. Expanded metal is thin and there's a chance they're just past their life. Like holehogg says though, best to tell in person.
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Founding Member
- Jul 2014
- 9698
- Smiths Grove, Ky
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Hi, my name is Darrell. I'm an OTR truck driver for over 25 years. During my off time I love doing backyard cooks. I have a 48" Lang Deluxe smoker, Rec-Tec pellet smoker,1 Weber Genesis 330, 1 Weber Performer (blue), 2 Weber kettles (1 black and 1 Copper), 1 26" Weber kettle, a WSM, 8 Maverick Redi Chek thermometers, a PartyQ, 2 SnS, Grill Grates, Cast Iron grates, 1 ThermoPop (orange) and 2 ThermoPens (pink and orange) and planning on adding more cooking accessories. Now I have an Anova sous vide, the Dragon blower and 2 Chef alarms from Thermoworks.
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