How do I "cater" Corned Beef & Cabbage for 25 people?

[robinb]

My mother wants to have her annual St Pat's party at her house again this year. Her house is 1/2 block off the South Side St Patrick's Day Parade route. We usually go to the parade route early and put up a couple of tables and lots of folding chairs for everyone's comfort. We invite family and friends to come over to watch the parade and afterward we we eat corned beef and cabbage. This has been a family tradition for over 15 years.

The problem is that my mother's appliances are simply not up to the job anymore. I have been trying to get my mother to replace these dying appliances for MONTHS, but there is only so much I can do 150 miles away. My mom is one of those people who needs to find the PERFECT thing and won't "settle" for something else. This has slowed the purchasing process to a stand-still. In addition, my step father (who is usually the main cook) is also not up to the job. He's in his late 70's and has slowed down significantly the last two years and he *barely* made it last year (we are very worried about him).

I would like to have my mother and step-father relax during the party and not have to worry about cooking for a horde of people. So, I was thinking about doing some/all of the cooking in advance and warming it up at her house. I can borrow a Nesco oven roaster that I have two crock pots and a large microwave. I don't think my mother's oven works and I'm not sure about the stove top. I could easily cook all the corned beef and slice it in advance to be reheated in the Nesco. My sister lives nearby and could also cook some things too but the Chicago police close the streets down around the parade route by about 10 am and she lives too far away to walk.

Any ideas on how to cook the veggies? I will probably have 4 lbs of cabbage, 3 lbs of carrots and 8 pounds of potatoes to cook. I will be at my mother's house by about 10:00 am and the parade starts at noon so I have about 4 hours to cook the veggies. Do you think the Nesco could do it, or should I stick with crock pots? Any other advise (other than showing up with a new oven, LOL!) would be appreciated. I really want to make this easy for my parents.

 

[Master Mason]

Do they have a bbq? There is no reason you couldn't cook the veggies outside on the BBQ.

Another trick for the meat is to cook it, then wrap it in foil and put it in a cooler, put down a towel, then then foil wrapped meat, then another towel and close the lid and keep it closed. I can keep meat in the safe range with this method for 4 to 5 hours depending on how much meat you have in the cooler.

 

[jme829]

I;ve made it for 16 years for 15 or so people (dds bday is the 18th so I always make it for her party) I have done both the crock pot and the roaster and it turns out fine either way. I usually just throw it all in the morning an let it roast all day. Personally I like the meat to literally fall apart so I put it in around 9-10 for a 4 oclock eating time. I put the cabbage and onions in about the last hour. I don't precook the meat, just throw it right in the pot )(or roaster) and let her go.

 

[robinb]

I probably only have about 5 hours to cook/reheat once we are at my mother's house, so I don't think I can cook everything from scratch when we get there. I don't think we have enough time. We live in Wisconsin (3 hours away) and I had planned on cooking the beef the day before, cooling it and slicing it so it's ready to be warmed up when we get there.

They do have a grill ... hmm ... do you mean cooking the veggies right on the grill or do you mean cooking them indirectly like in a roasting pan?

 

[Master Mason]

I probably only have about 5 hours to cook/reheat once we are at my mother's house, so I don't think I can cook everything from scratch when we get there. I don't think we have enough time. We live in Wisconsin (3 hours away) and I had planned on cooking the beef the day before, cooling it and slicing it so it's ready to be warmed up when we get there.

They do have a grill ... hmm ... do you mean cooking the veggies right on the grill or do you mean cooking them indirectly like in a roasting pan?

either, or personally I boil the cabbage and carrots for this, so I would just put a big pot on the BBQ. If I were doing this, I would save a quart of the water that I cooked the meat in and add that to the pot so you have the flavors right.

I would also not slice it before re warming, Cornbeef dries out pretty quickly, so the more surface area exposed the drier it will get. Warm up the whole brisket and then slice it.

 

[crazyforgoofy]

If the meat will be pre-cooked I'd use a Nesco for the veggies. I think it would get them done beautifully in the amount of time you have. Will you cook them in the 'broth' from the meat so they have that wonderful flavor? Add a few loaves of Irish Soda Bread and some Irish brew and you're set.

Yum, may I come?