Brisket Questions

[Peter_Caldwell]

I got a request to do a party for 35 people and they would like brisket. I just called my butcher and the price is $5.99 per pound right now. What is a fair price for my efforts? Also, they were asking about perhaps some chicken since some people at the party may not care for beef. Any suggestions on how or what kind of chicken to make? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Peter_Caldwell]

I should add that I have to UDS to work with and a Weber 22".

[TuscaloosaQ]

Peter I just paid 2.89 a pound for full packer brisket USDA choice I am in Alabama though

[alleyrat58]

When it comes to pricing I give (some) customers an option on pricing.
1. They can buy it by the piece (i.e. a 14 lb brisket - precooked weight). This option generally results in a lower overall price, but it makes your life a bit easier so trade off. Formula I use is:
cost per lb * 2
this will be enough to cover the cost of the meat, rubs, charcoal, time, supplies, etc. and leave a little left over. Your profit is a little lower in this scenario, but sometimes the trade off is worth it.

2. They can purchase the meat by cooked weight. This is a bit more tricky for you, but gives your customer a hard number they can plan on. You need a little information on this one, because you need to take into account weight lost in trimming / cooking. Here is what I use:
cost per lb / weight retained (usually .6 or .65 for packers) = true cost per lb - this is what you actually paid for a cooked lb of brisket
true cost per lb * 3 - this will cover costs (as described above) and leave you with a decent profit.
The assumption here is that you have to buy 1 lb of raw meat to produce 2/3 lb of cooked BBQ. So calculating true cost per lb is important.

Food cost * 3 is the generally accepted calculation in the food service industry for calculating retail price.

For a party of 35 people you would probably want to plan 10 - 12 pounds of cooked brisket (about 1/3 lb per head)
(5.99 / .65)*3 = 9.22 * 3 = $27.66 / lb
27.66 * 11 = $304.26
Divide that by 35 and you end up around 8.50 / per person for the party. That's not an awful number.

Chicken I price by the piece = avg cost per piece * 3.

A lot of math - hope that helps!

[alleyrat58]

Peter I just paid 2.89 a pound for full packer brisket USDA choice I am in Alabama though

I am currently paying 2.36 / lb - 5.99 seems a little high, you might shop around.

[SoloQue]

Food cost * 3 is the generally accepted calculation in the food service industry for calculating retail price

That number is pretty much dead on for retail. I worked the retail food industry for about 7 years and my target was always .3 - .33 food cost of course we had some pretty serious fixed cost that mandated getting as close to .30 as we could get.
Just for my 2 cents whenever I am doing butts for folks I charge sticker price * 2.25 for my sale price. If I get an 8 lb butt for 1.39 a lb that's 11.12 up front cost for the meat. Take that *2.25 and I'm charging 25 for the product out the door. For me it all breaks down to how many I get to cook at once to maximize my return on time and charcoal. When I do ribs it even breaks to 2.25 multiplier, basically if I am buying 3 lb slabs for around 8 bucks each I'm going to sell them for 18 out the door. Now that number is strictly based on regional pricing on a slab of ribs but a good coincidence.
Hope this helps, I know when I end up just doing 1 or 2 butts or slabs I really don't want to look at time spent but that's usually when I'm helping out a friend.

[alleyrat58]

Just for my 2 cents whenever I am doing butts for folks I charge sticker price * 2.25 for my sale price. If I get an 8 lb butt for 1.39 a lb that's 11.12 up front cost for the meat. Take that *2.25 and I'm charging 25 for the product out the door. For me it all breaks down to how many I get to cook at once to maximize my return on time and charcoal. When I do ribs it even breaks to 2.25 multiplier, basically if I am buying 3 lb slabs for around 8 bucks each I'm going to sell them for 18 out the door.

That's also assuming you're pricing the whole piece and not selling the cooked weight. Sometimes I can get away with that too - works out better for me that way, but then some of my customers want a very specific amount of something and so they pay a premium for that service.

[SoloQue]

some of my customers want a very specific amount of something and so they pay a premium for that service

I hear ya special orders get special pricing and some folks will always pay that extra percentage because they have higher expectations. On the whole piece pricing it is easier on me and as long as I use consistent product the final poundage falls into a workable profit margin for me. But I am just a weekend warrior on the food stuff so it's not super critical, I like to cook but I'm not crazy about cooking for other folks for free.

[alleyrat58]

I like to cook but I'm not crazy about cooking for other folks for free.

I hear that!!! "Oh hey you're firing up the smoker this weekend? Can I throw the 8000 lbs of meat in my freezer in there? You don't need to cook it - I will do all the work. (then bitch cuz I don't like it)" LOL - I get that monthly...

[Peter_Caldwell]

Thanks for the help everyone. Prices on brisket around here stink. I talked to my customer and we're going to do pork tenderloin. I can make it quicker and it'll cost them less. Plus, I've made it enough that I'm confident in it coming out well.

[Mcgerf]

Might keep looking around a little more. We pay about $2.39 out here for Angus choice grade brisket and they run about 16 to 19lbs on average. Usually if you're going to get the banana in the price department, it's going to be here. You can't swing a dead cat around here without hitting an oil refinery, but we're still paying right at four bucks a gallon for gas. I don't git it....

[Smokeone]

I bet ut us because of transportation costs ..........................................NOT!