Roasted turkey for a crowd

Hi all,
What I am looking for is how to cook and serve a roasted turkey for approximately 100 people. My friend has a daughter who is graduating in a couple of months and they have asked me to make the food.
I would like to put the meat in a roaster with the juices but am unsure of exactly how do go about doing it. Anyone with any tips would be soooo greatly appreciated.
Thanks a bunch!!!!

"cook and serve A roasted turkey for 100"? Man, that's gonna be one BIG bird!
(sorry, couldn't resist)

I would think about useing hotel breasts, forget the whole turkey thing. If your useing your own kitchen it would be alot less time and labor. Might also want to think about deep frying a couple of whole birds to compliment the breasts. You can under cook the breasts a little then wrap in foil place in a tight cooler they will finish off in there and be nice and moist. Chow Jim

You need to buy 100 6oz.turkeys,stuff them with 1/2 saltine,cook them on high for approx. 1 minute,plate,serve,and listen to the squeals of delight!

Thats a LOT of turkeys! I'd suggest asking your local supermarket or meat store, how much 10-12 lrg roasted turkeys would cost. Just contemplating the logistics of cooking all that at home is mind boggling. Or do like Jimeats said and ask about roasted and sliced breasts. Locally Winn-Dixie and Publix both provide giblet gravy with their cooked birds..

I'll have to agree with Jimeats also. I'd contact someone like Sysco or GFS and see what pan fulls of presliced turkey (in stock) would go for (or boxs of breasts). This way all you do is heat and serve.. For that many people, you may want to consider renting some chaffing dishes or warmers to keep that much food warm. Then comes the battle of those who want white meat vs. dark meat if you do the whole bird. Breasts would probably be the easiest though.

Are these hundred folks friends or possible future customers? If not, the pre-cooked pre-sliced frozen stuff makes sense.

Really want to roast turkey? Do it as breasts and drumsticks.

I know that drsmoke02 was joking, but his general thought is not that farfetched. Have you (and your friend) considered serving individual Cornish game hens instead of turkey?

6star- logisticaly the cornish hens would be a nightmare. It sounds like she is doing this out of her kitchen at home where as she is going to serve out of a roaster. Turkey for the ease of prep and food cost makes sence. I like cornish hens but without a commercial kitchen tough thing to do. It would also be hard to put on a buffet table and should be individually plated for presentation purposes. Chow jim

If I were doing it I would go to Sam's and by their oven roasted breasts which are around 8 lbs or so. You can change the flavor by cooking it however you want for about 3 more hours at a low temperature (225F).

One breast should feed around 32 people.

Two thoughts:

1. Carving time may become an issue. I am the family carver and it takes me 20 min to cut and slice a 15 to 20 pound bird.

2. Cater it.

Slick 32 to a breast? I would think 15 to 20 would be more like it and thats streaching it. I'm baseing this at about 3oz per person, bone in hotel breast, with shrinkage and waste. I was once told that the basic bone structure of a 12 to 14 pound bird is the same as a 24lb bird. So the larger the bird the greater the yeild of meat. Buy the largest breast you can find avalible. Less waste more meat. If doing this the day before don't discard the bones, simmer them down and make a minestrone nice compliment to the buffet. Chow Jim

32 to a breast.... sounds like each gets a mouhful...if that! I don't think I could slice it that thin without a deli slicer. I would think 12-15 depending on actually cooked weight/size. Maybe I'm just used to larger eaters....

Hotel Breasts. Salt and pepper heavily. Roasted them off, slice and put in hotel pans. Add a few ladlefuls of thin turkey gravy. Cover with plastic wrap, then foil. Hold at 180 until serving. Yield should be about 18-20 servings per.

quote:

Originally posted by Willly

Hotel Breasts. Salt and pepper heavily. Roasted them off, slice and put in hotel pans. Add a few ladlefuls of thin turkey gravy. Cover with plastic wrap, then foil. Hold at 180 until serving. Yield should be about 18-20 servings per.

mistydawn,you got your answer here, don't forget the gravy,as breast meat is awful when dry,as i'm sure you know.

good luck.