brisket: lbs. per mouth?

[austintexas]

I have always gone by the measuring stick of people=lbs in figuring out how many a brisket will feed. 10 lb. brisket will feed @ 10 folks.

Yay or nay?

 

[hullabelew]

When in doubt, defer to the Hornfans resident expert
17 to 20 people per brisket by the time you factor in the fixin's.

 

[Luke Duke]

It really depends on what else is being served and who you are serving. Is it mostly guys or is it a mixed crowd? Will there be a bunch of kids? Is brisket the only meat being served? What else do you have - bread, beans, potato salad, dessert, etc.

 

[12thStudStan]

There are lots of variables such as the selection & desirability of side dishes, who you are feeding, etc. but your pound of uncooked brisket per person rule of thumb seems reasonable IMO.

A packer brisket will yield anywhere from 40-60% of the original weight in trimmed smoked meat, depending upon amount of fat, so an average 10lb'er might give you 5lbs of meat or 1/2lb per person for 10. For most groups I plan on 1/2lb to 2/3lb of cooked meat per person, especially if it is self-serve. You might have leftovers using my guidelines, but you will also be able to accommodate surprise guests or a unexpectedly ravenous crowd.

In contrast, your typical low bid bbq caterer will usually provide 1/4lb per person on a served plate and perhaps 1/3 lb for an additional charge. Ironically in some cases, that may be more meat than necessary if you know what I mean.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

I think 1 lb. per is a good average to go with, especially if you have other meats to consider (i.e. bird, ribs, etc)... you'll probably end up with just about enough in the way of meat leftovers.

For 10 peeps, one 8 - 10 lb. brisket, 2 whole birds & a single rack of pork ribs would go over well. I say 2 birds 'cause you know that if you only have one it will go too fast.

 

[hullabelew]

Last weekend for 12 people I smoked:
1 10 lb brisket, 3 racks of ribs, 3 bone-in turkey breasts.
Plus beans, potato salad, chips, dip, gazpacho, and 2 more sides.

Leftover was about 1/4 of the brisket, 1 rack of ribs and 1 turkey. I've been eating good since then.

 

[jimmyjazz]

Gee, thanks for the invitation, hullabelew. I'd have driven.

 

[Brisketexan]

Yup -- I figure I get just over 50% of the pre-cooked weight. E.g., a 12 lb brisket gives me almost 7 lbs of sliced meat.

For a mixed crowd (men, women, children), I figure on 1/3 lb per person (so about 20 people with a 12 lb brisket).

For just men, I figure on about 1/2 lb per person (so 14 or so with a 12 lb brisket).

That is presuming a plate with brisket and two sides (beans, potato salad, etc.) with bread, pickles, onions, etc.

For MOST occasions when I smoke a brisket, I figure that my typical brisket (12-13 lbs) will serve 15-20. Honestly, it's usually a bit closer to 20 when I have a mixed crowd (which is usually the case). Some guys will eat 1 lb, but a lot of the kids have two slices on a piece of bread. It all evens out.

Oh, and I am far from the guru on the subject. There are plenty of other experts on this board, and I've learned something from most of them. The day I quit trying to improve my cue is the day they put me in the ground.

 

[UTEE]

For catering events, BriskeTexans's rules of thumb are precisely what I've always used as well. 1/3lb to 1/2lb of cooked meat per person on average, and a packer brisket yields roughly just over half.

Also, you can cut your waste by cutting the long slices in half, but do it AFTER you've made all of your slices crosswise against the grain, otherwise you'll do twice the work.

 

[Hornius Emeritus]

I go with two pounds of brisket per person.

That way, I end up with a lot of brisket leftovers.

 

[austintexas]

Thanks everyone. It will be a mixed crowd, will have sides (beans, pot salad) and I'll be serving sausage and ribs as well. Maybe one turkey.

I'm prepping for a tailgate of 75-100. My pit can handle 6-8 briskets at a time, so I'll smoke those in Friday and then I'm bringing that bad boy below (that I just ordered) to the tailgate to prepare the sausage, ribs and turkey.

Brisket, there's a chance I'll need to run down the street and fire your pit up if it will be available, depending on what size briskets I get. If you get a 2 am knock on your door the night before the TCU game, don't shoot. I come in peace and I bring an offering of beer and beef.

Here is my most recent purchase.

 

[C-Man]

Let me just add my two cents. For our catered orders at Sammy's, we recommend one pound of meat for every 2.5 people. So for 10 people, we're talking about four pounds and so on. If it's all old ladies or all 300-pound construction workers, we adjust accordingly. Also, if we put a 10-pound brisket in the smoker, we're getting about half of that back out. The rest cooks away.