# BBQ catering planner!



## SoEzzy (Feb 13, 2007)

I have created a catering planner for bbq food items, that you can download for free or you can open with Internet Explorer directly.

It is available either as an Excel file (.xls) or as a Zip file (.zip) you can download either, (by clicking the links in blue), and use them on your own computer for free!

You can change anything in the cells with the green backgrounds: -

The number of guests.
The number of meats.
The number of servings per lb.
The number of sides.
The servings of sides per lb.
The local sales tax %.

You can then input: -

The real costs / lb to buy the meat, etc.
The cost you want to charge your clients / lb of meat.

You can also input: -

The number of ribs / portion.
The weight of steaks / portion.

All the green background cells are available for your customization.

The Yields, in the cells with gray backgrounds can also be adjusted *, but the figures that are in these cells have been carefully considered, and work well as an average yield for each item covered. * If you adjust them please make sure that the figure is expressed as a "%", and make sure that there is a "%" in the cell or the calculations will not work out as they are designed to!

If you have details you think should be added, (or questions you need answering), you can email me directly from the .xls, just click the link that says Email Me.

Follow the links above or the one in my signature, (go onto the forum, then to Miscellaneous, then onto the thread about the Catering Planner), please use it for free and if you like it or even dislike it, let me know what you think!


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## Captain Morgan (Feb 13, 2007)

Sweet!  Thanks, I'll download it when I get home.


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## Bill The Grill Guy (Feb 13, 2007)

Works great.  Thanks.


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## SoEzzy (Feb 13, 2007)

For me the yield on chopped pork is higher as I tend to remove less fat and connective tissue than when pulling, my pulled pork has little in the way of either fat or connective tissue, and is meat and bark only,(with some fat because I am always a little looser with my pulling or a little tighter on time to do the job than I want to admit). :roll:  On chopped pork I don't take it down quite as clean, there is some fat and connective tissue still in the meat when I start to chop, so it will yield the extra ten percent by weight.

Some folks say they only get 50% by weight with pulled pork, they must pull it even "cleaner" than I do, that is why you can customize the yields to suit your own methods, (and experiences), just remember to leave the % on those figures or the math won’t work correctly!


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## Captain Morgan (Feb 13, 2007)

I agree...when chopping, I leave a good bit of fat in there
to keep the meat moist....it drys out quickly when chopped.


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## Bobberqer (Feb 13, 2007)

Very well thought out process, and professionly presented.. Nice job

 I have a question on the rib part though .... per pound vs, per piece, and yield.. My initial thinking is that a rack is a rack... and a piece is a piece, no matter how much it wieghs... not sold as a poundage item...so the percentage would always be 100% yield... Maybe I'm not looking at it the right way.. I'll get back to you.. just wanted to thank you very much  for taking the time to do that.. Great job..


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## SoEzzy (Feb 13, 2007)

Bobberqer said:
			
		

> Very well thought out process, and professionly presented.. Nice job
> 
> I have a question on the rib part though .... per pound vs, per piece, and yield.. My initial thinking is that a rack is a rack... and a piece is a piece, no matter how much it wieghs... not sold as a poundage item...so the percentage would always be 100% yield... Maybe I'm not looking at it the right way.. I'll get back to you.. just wanted to thank you very much  for taking the time to do that.. Great job..



Thanks for pointing that one out, check it out again, I think I have it sorted now, I had that one recalculated, but I had posted the old version by mistake.   

Now as the number of ribs goes up the number of portions goes down / rack of ribs, the rib calculator is based on portioning Spare Ribs at 3.5 lbs / rack, 12 ribs to the rack, so if you portion as 2 ribs there will be 6 servings / rack and they will average upto 7.93 Oz / serving, (cooked weight). If you went with 6 ribs / serving you get 2 servings / rack and 23.80 Oz / serving (cooked weight).


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## Bobberqer (Feb 14, 2007)

just a note on turkeys, and the shrinkage... According to Cooks Illustrated, unbrined Turkey loses 28% of weight... Brined Turkey, only 18%.. can add up if you're doing a sizable catering job..


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## SoEzzy (Feb 14, 2007)

Bobberqer said:
			
		

> just a note on turkeys, and the shrinkage... According to Cooks Illustrated, unbrined Turkey loses 28% of weight... Brined Turkey, only 18%.. can add up if you're doing a sizable catering job..



Don't forget that brining is therefore good for the profit margin, not just because you don't shrink them as much, but you added water at almost no cost and get to charge turkey prices for it!


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## SoEzzy (Feb 26, 2007)

Up dated version with better explanations and comments on the important boxes, greater detail to help understand what is going on all round. For those who are interested, go download the new and improved version.


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## Captain Morgan (Feb 26, 2007)

Thanks again!


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## SoEzzy (Mar 5, 2007)

Thanks to Steve Baum for pointing out an error on line 16, tax was not being added, now it is calculating correctly.

For any who want to go back and get the next version, they were updated again today, 03/05/07.


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## SoEzzy (May 1, 2007)

*Minor Change*

There is a newer version with a few minor changes to the chicken area, for those that would like the new version, please download it and overwrite your existing versions.


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## Diva Q (May 1, 2007)

Very kind of you to continually share the updates and planner with everyone. 

Kudos to you.


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## SoEzzy (Sep 12, 2007)

http://www.bbq-review.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10 The latest version of my catering planner is up and about, a couple of corrections and I have made it even more customizeable on some of the sections.

This is version 3.01 issued 09/11/07.

There is going to be an additional version with an executable file that will allow you to pick selections and print a page with those selections on it, in the not too distant future.

Still free to download and free to use. Enjoy!


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## Bill The Grill Guy (Sep 13, 2007)

Thank you SoEzzy.  I used the old one so I will deffantly use the new one.


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## SoEzzy (Sep 14, 2007)

Thanks to Steve Brandon for spotting that B76 was protected and should be changeable.

Now corrected, New New version 3.02 online thanks also to Ray Lesko for asking me to put a version number on the spreadsheet, from now on the version number will be on the title Barbecue Review catering planner V xxx.

This is the latest, latest version!


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## SoEzzy (Nov 29, 2007)

Catering planner version 3.03 available now from http://www.bbq-review.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10 in the top post on this thread are the new versions of the Excel spreadsheet (.xls) and a Zipped version of the spreadsheet (.zip).

Now using the number of meats and the number of sides with an algorithm to calculate multiple meat / side figures.


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## SoEzzy (Mar 22, 2008)

New Updates!

1) Minor changes to the Math on some sections, now rounds up to next unit value so you should always have enough, even if it is just enough.

2) Addition of Loin Back ribs to pork section.

3) Minor corrections to some rib math on weights.

All the figures are "real" so if you have big or small eaters adjust accordingly with your portion size.

It is available either as an Excel file (catering304.xls) or as a Zip file (catering304.zip) you can download either, (by clicking the links), and use them on your own computer for free!

It is also now available for Canada, (new version of this one too), with GST and PST instead of Local Sales Tax,  (catering305CA.xls).


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## SoEzzy (Sep 19, 2008)

Latest versions 3.06.xls and 3.06CA.xls are now available, http://www.bbq-review.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10 the first for those with only one tax to worry about the second for the Canadians with GST and PST to think on.

Changes to Chicken breasts, thighs, drum sticks, wings and tenders, now calculates from Tyson sizes in their 7lb packs.
Breasts 12 in 7lb.
Thighs 16 in 7lb.
Drum Sticks 21 in 7lb.
Wings 24 in 7lb.
Chicken Tenders 13 portions, (2 tenders / portion) / 2.5 lb bag.


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## Captain Morgan (Sep 19, 2008)

wow, thanks for your dedication and for helping others.


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## dollarbill (Sep 22, 2008)

Thats awesome!  Thank You!


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## dollarbill (Oct 3, 2008)

This ought to be a "Staple" forum/thread that we can all have immediate access to.  Kinda like the "Are you just looking"  forum/thread.  Make sense?  thanks.


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## dollarbill (Oct 4, 2008)

Thanks For the Sticky!           :!:


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## Koopdaddy (Aug 23, 2010)

Thanks for sharing!


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