Newbie question about food quantities

[pigpen]

Ok guys,
completely new to smoking, I have been studying all I can to avoid asking stupid questions , but I can’t help noticing that everyone is smoking large amounts of food? Every picture seems to show the grill full of food, 2 chuck roasts, 20lb briskets, multiple racks of ribs, are all of you feeding large groups or smoking for the week? I read about some freezing and reheating food later, is that the goal? It’s just the wife and I, hard to justify a 15lb piece of meat without a plan for all of it?

thanks,
Tom

 

[Pacman]

Welcome!

Yes, when you start talking briskets, etc. you are talking about a fair amount of meat. There are a bunch of different ways to handle this. Many of us vacuum seal and freeze leftovers for easy meals later. You can also get creative doing different things besides plain sliced brisket or pulled pork like brisket chili, pork tacos, etc. There a ton of ideas tried and documented here.

The other remedy is to find smaller, but similar cuts. A brisket flat is a nice option. I discovered pork collars that run around 3 to 4 pounds raw. Same basic meat as a pork shoulder/butt, but a fraction of the size. A small tenderloin (pork or beef) is a nice cook. Chicken can be a handful of wings up to a full bird.

Yes, a lot of the photos are some of us filling up our grills. In reality these are special occasions for most of us and our "normal" cooks are considerably smaller.

For all of these...

There are plenty of these...

 

[Jim6820]

Yes, @Pacman has it right; “There are a bunch of different ways to handle this.” We are also just a couple as well, though kids and grandkids live close by and can up the numbers substantially—and quickly.

A vacuum sealer is our go-to tool when we cook a larger piece of meat; we consume a portion that day and, then vacuum seal and freeze the rest in two-portion meals. Preparing several meals worth and then freezing them gives us a lot of flexibility. We can spread the meals out for ourselves or pull several out of the freezer when family or friends drop in.

We also choose the smaller cuts when we can; 12-15 pound packer briskets, 5-7 pound flats (when we can find them), pork or beef loin, chicken thighs, etc. Even then, we usually have enough to vacuum pack and freeze some of it for later use.

You’ll get the hang of it in short order. And, welcome to one of the best grilling and smoking forums around.

 

[Gonefishin]

We’re just 2 also, in the smoker I do brisket flats, the thicker and more uniform the better, mainly cause we don’t care for the points. We get the nights meals and usually 3 future ones, being cheap, we use doubled zip locks. The butts become 4 or 5 future meals. Turkey is 2 meals and a future stew. A rack of ribs is dinner for 2 and lunch the next day. Having a small smoker, 340, a brisket flat fills the grill.

Leftovers usually become something else, Brunswick Stew, all kinds of Tex-mex, loaded baked potatoes, and once in a while just plain leftovers. The chest freezer gets pretty full at times.

it would be nice to have a bigger smoker a couple times a year when we have the family over, but I make due between the 340 and the other grills. That’s really the only time I could fill the smoker like you see in the images.

 

[Waterboy]

Welcome to the forum @pigpen. The comments above cover most of what I would have said. I’ll add that there are tons of examples of smaller meals shown on this forum as well. Meat loaf, pizza, chuck roast cooked like brisket, even good old tube steaks are just a few meals that are great on the recteq. The Bullseye is great for grilling steak, chops and chicken as well. Good luck exploring what works best for you.

 

[pigpen]

Thank you all for the replies, great information. I am looking forward to learning from all the experience here, guess I will take it one cook at a time.

 

[DenStinett]

Welcome to the Forum Pigpen
It's just the Wife and I too, but we fill the Bull was as much ________ as it'll hold each cook
Eat that meal, then VacSeal and freeze for another day
It's nice to have great Bar b Que whenever you want
"Let's see, maybe Prime Rib tonight"

Remember:
"Keep'er Full"

 

[Roaniecowpony]

Just talking briskets here, but I tracked purchase weight vs cooked meat a couple times. I got around 45% yield. That is for a 20lb brisket, after trimming the fat appropriately and cooking, I got 9lbs of meat coming off the pit. I think it was similar yield for pork butts.

There's just me and my wife. But I vacuum pack most leftovers. I especially like having big thick slices of brisket in the freezer in 2 person serving size. It's very versatile for making other dishes that really benefit from smoked brisket. Having small portions of brisket or other smoked meats available without having to smoke all day, makes it very handy.

Pulled pork is probably the bbq meat we use most often for all kinds of dishes. 1/2 lb vacuum/frozen packs are the most handy for the 2 of us.

So, the take-away here is that a vacuum sealer goes hand in hand with bbq, especially for a home of just a couple.

 

[SmokeOCD]

Remember:
"Keep'er Full"

I do this because the fuel cost of the cook is about the same for 1 rack as it is for 6. (or whatever meats you're using) I quit using the bradley smoker because the cost of the pucks. Charcoal has gotten stupid expensive. Pellets are the most economical cook I can get (gas doesn't count). 6 racks on Sunday are gone by Tuesday or Wednesday - not much vacuum sealing going on here.
I figure I'm still about 8-10 years away from cooking for 2; then I'll vac seal more.

 

[FastEddie]

If you're going to plan a cook and sometimes spend hours for the cook, might as well consider filling that sucker up for leftovers.
+1 on having a vacuum sealer handy.
Sometimes I'll do a small quick smoke on some chicken, then throw them on some real fire for the char.

 

[Snorebaby]

We;lcome!

Sometimes I do the complete meal on my Bull. Beats heating up the kitchen with the stove and oven (I have a double oven) and tastes better too. I have 2 of the small and 1 of the large shelfs that RT sells if I need double height cooking.

 

[FF Cory]

Ok guys,
completely new to smoking, I have been studying all I can to avoid asking stupid questions , but I can’t help noticing that everyone is smoking large amounts of food? Every picture seems to show the grill full of food, 2 chuck roasts, 20lb briskets, multiple racks of ribs, are all of you feeding large groups or smoking for the week? I read about some freezing and reheating food later, is that the goal? It’s just the wife and I, hard to justify a 15lb piece of meat without a plan for all of it?

thanks,
Tom

I agree with all the replies you've received. As the rest of the guys, it's just my wife and I. My dad lives next door so he gets a lot of what I cook. I purchased a decent vac-u-packer and it has served well for us. I just pulled some brisket out of the freezer and made chili with it from a cook back in November. It was amazing! What I have found is that the meat will keep pretty well if you let it cool before packing and freezing it. just my 2 cents. Welcome!

 

[Johnshac]

Welcome pigpen!

 

[Elias]

We also are 2 people. Wife will put leftovers into vacuum sealed bags and into the freezer. We have meat for a week or two.

 

[dosmas2xs]

Ok guys,
completely new to smoking, I have been studying all I can to avoid asking stupid questions , but I can’t help noticing that everyone is smoking large amounts of food? Every picture seems to show the grill full of food, 2 chuck roasts, 20lb briskets, multiple racks of ribs, are all of you feeding large groups or smoking for the week? I read about some freezing and reheating food later, is that the goal? It’s just the wife and I, hard to justify a 15lb piece of meat without a plan for all of it?

thanks,
Tom

I think you'll find most foods (ribs, chicken, steaks) you'll do fine smaller cuts but something like a brisket is waaaay more forgiving doing a 15+lb packer vs a small 4lb one. Just my experience

 

[Roaniecowpony]

In prepping to go to a friend's for the Super Bowl, I figured I'd bring bbq. I couldn't quite decide on tritip or pulled pork, so I bought both when shopping.

I decided I'd bring a tray of pulled pork, tortillas, cheese, lettuce, and salsa. It makes kind of a complete concept on a plate. I hate when people bring something to a potluck that either doesn't fit in with the other foods or doesn't really stand on its own. You know, someone brings an uncooked pack of hotdogs, but no buns and condiments and no way to cook/heat them. That actually happened at one of our block parties.

Anyway, I went old school and fired up the komado. I ran hot and fast on the smoke around 350-400F, built bark in a few hours, wrapped the 2 shoulders, and into the oven to finish. Then schredded the meat and put it back on the komado for a double smoke. I ended up with about 6 lbs of schredded meat. I'll take 3 lbs to the party. The other 3 lbs got vacuum packed and frozen.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

I think you'll find most foods (ribs, chicken, steaks) you'll do fine smaller cuts but something like a brisket is waaaay more forgiving doing a 15+lb packer vs a small 4lb one. Just my experience

I've had my best luck with big briskets 18-20 lbs.

#pigpen, that ends up about 8-9 lbs of cooked meat after trimming and cooking. If you vac and freeze what you don't eat right away, you'll have some great meat for all kinds of dishes.

 

[rwigginsjr]

Ok guys,
completely new to smoking, I have been studying all I can to avoid asking stupid questions , but I can’t help noticing that everyone is smoking large amounts of food? Every picture seems to show the grill full of food, 2 chuck roasts, 20lb briskets, multiple racks of ribs, are all of you feeding large groups or smoking for the week? I read about some freezing and reheating food later, is that the goal? It’s just the wife and I, hard to justify a 15lb piece of meat without a plan for all of it?

thanks,
Tom

Tom, there are many good options noted above. Another great option is: invite your friends and family over and show off your new RecTeq and the awesome food you're gonna make.

 

[SmokeOCD]

Tom, there are many good options noted above. Another great option is: invite your friends and family over and show off your new RecTeq and the awesome food you're gonna make.

Invite everyone you know to help you set up your garden. (Digging, planting , etc) Then when your real friends show up, feed them a Recteq feast. No gardening involved, it just cuts down on the number of guests.