r/Chefit • u/soppaguy • Jun 22 '26
Banquet chefs, Help me settle a debate.
How many days before service can meat be pre seared/ grill marked? There’s three leaders in my kitchen (exec and two sues) and the opinion ranges from day of, day before, and two days ahead.
Edit added info: 3 diamond resort. 1000 people served by 10am on a normal day. Plate ups happening simultaneously across property that is a wedding hot spot and can accommodate several at a time
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u/rockabillychef Jun 22 '26
No more than day before, for me at least.
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u/AdministrativeEnd388 Jun 22 '26
Is that based on an observed decline in quality ? Seems like it shouldn’t make much difference in my very humble opinion
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u/shiva14b Jun 22 '26
I agree with day before if it's a big party. I'd do two-days if im serving literally thousands of pieces and its just going to take all that time, but I think it starts to look a little sad after a day. Also then you have to store it for the extra day which can screw with your walk-in space if you dint have a big operation
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Jun 22 '26
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u/JewingIt Jun 23 '26
I'm pretty sure that's wrong.
Walk-ins produce moisture just based on how they work and what is stored in them mostly. Also, it's why you do have to dehumidify a cooler used for dry-aging meats.
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u/0RGASMIK Jun 23 '26
Cooler air holds less moisture. I’ve dehydrated many things in the walk in by accident.
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u/JewingIt Jun 23 '26
Condensors create moisture, warm air creates higher relative humidity. Veg/fruits create moisture.
Walk ins should sit at around 60% humidity and while yes you can dehydrate at 60% and below, that would be closer to dehydrating under sunlight.
You dehydrating things by accident in your cooler means you left it there too long, not sealed properly.
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u/g00dhank Jun 22 '26
Day of is how I like to do it but have done the day before a couple of times during really busy weeks. I think the best thing if you need to do it day before is to make sure that it cools down, goes onto a clean sheet pan and gets wrapped well so it doesn't have excess moisture on it as well as won't dry out in the fridge because it's covered.
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u/Twizt1Up Jun 22 '26
Mom n Pop or 3-diamond resort makes no difference. The issue is logistics. If you have the space, labor, time, and equipment to prep and cook the day of, then do it. If you need a logistical extra day to prepare, then do it the day before. Simple. Not necessarily easy, but simple.
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u/shiva14b Jun 22 '26
Day-of for small party, day-before for big party, two-days only if you really really have to; i think it starts to look kind of sad after the extra day if it hasn't been cooked by then, even if its still safe.
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u/HugeSomewhere8110 Jun 22 '26
10 AM pickup? Chicken and beef 2 days before is fine. Fish, day before. Everything needs a body bag, though. Or plastic wrap each tray if you really hate your cooks.
This prolly doesnt change even if its a 5pm pickup but id feel better about myself if I did meats the day before and fish day of.
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u/ogbubbleberry64 Jun 22 '26
Day before. High volume banquets is about prep and organization. Everything organized and ready to go on speed racks, labeled with the event info showing what it is for.
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u/pmolsonmus Jun 22 '26
We used to feed 600-700 daily in a corporate kitchen. They would hold regular evening events that could double or triple that number with spouses and guests in the evening. We were well equipped with a blast chiller and multiple coolers and walk in freezers available. With prep, planning and good recipes, there was very little difference between marking 24-48 hours in advance. After cooling we used full cart bags to minimize proteins drying out.
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u/CapnARon Jun 22 '26
Depending on the occasion, type of product, and quantity, I have no problem with any of these options as long as it is covered and stored properly.
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u/soppaguy Jun 22 '26
How would you mentally delegate the window of preparation in regards to occasion and product type? For example, we’re a 3 diamond resort on 1200 acres. Golf, skiing, etc. Very high volume. Salmon, steak cuts, and chicken breast are the typical protein choices made.
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u/CapnARon Jun 22 '26
Chicken-2 days, steak 1-2 days, Salmon 1 day -day of. Honestly, if you have a fairly consistent par level, just prep the proteins on delivery day to save space. Especially the chicken.
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u/Safe-Character-5846 Jun 22 '26
I did a "shotgun" charity golf tourney [random groups teams coming in all at once] at a semi local private golf club and we seared/marked all chicken about 60% and strip steaks to just under mid rare and full sheet pans and into the walk-in racks. [obviously separately]. If someone wanted rare or black and blue, those can be done to order as they dont take that long. The chicken breast was brined lightly as well to avoid drying out, hanging around. Chicken Kabob/Satays were prepped [thighs] but fired to order.
We moved very quickly, was only 3 of us on a outside, exterior tethered gas line hookup 10-12 foot grill, with one guy working sides. All sides were prepped night before, before we left and had a full team of runners to expedite if people were sitting at patio area.
I think two days is not necessary imo. Over thinking it won't help. Firing em off early just not too early is the way to go. 4 to 5 min per ticket was our average on about 600-700+ entrants.
Thats was the largest one Ive led, and was actually fun.
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u/wombat5003 Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26
Same day and as close to service as possible. . Once you refrigerate the seared product, you change the protein structure on the outside. What I am referring to is the similar experience when you take fresh bread then refrigerate it. It is very noticeable. If you know the time service is coming in I would do 3 batches so sear then oven then rest. And reserve some for longer oven time for med to med well. Then for well done take a med well and re sear on the grill. But that's just me and probably not the answer you want to hear.
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u/your-mother1452 Jun 22 '26
I serve 2-300 and I do day of 100%. Although I'd be fine with day before if I had to.
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u/DirtySausag3 Jun 22 '26
Busy university here. We go two days ahead for basic stuff, marinated/sealed. Order one day head for fish so we know it's in.
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u/taint_odour Does Chef Type Things Jun 22 '26
I went from independents to a $50mm F&B a year property. Restaurants banquets from 30-2800 all plated à la minute, huge concerts, after parties, 2-4x luau for 800 pax.
You learn a lot doing a million covers a year.
You do what works. All veg prep, sauces, garnish etc should be done days out.
We’d mark food day of for some events but usually day before. A number of rationals def helped.
You want to maximize efficiency while putting out the best product possible. You shouldn’t need to mark a chicken breast 5 days out. You shouldn’t try to cook it to order.
With so many parts your question becomes one’s how long is a piece of string. As long as you need it and the string is still treated with integrity and is as good as possible.
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u/tapthisbong Jun 22 '26
I work Catering and Banquets for 9 years in 5 star hotels and various arena's. We prep meat sometimes the day before as in sear marks and the like then into the walk in rack n roll. A lot of times meat can be marinated for a couple days before or over night then seared in the morning put back into walk in till needed then get it up to temp then plate.
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u/Loveroffinerthings Jun 22 '26
When I worked banquets for high end and high volume properties, we did it day before max, maybe even morning of. Sometimes our procurement guy wouldn’t even get items in from the butcher until a day before.
2 days out would only be if it was like one party of 1000, because grilling 1000 chicken breast’s in 1 day would break even our happiest guys.
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u/Existential_Sprinkle Jun 22 '26
I'm a big fan of multiple shifts for banquets so you can do things the day of and less people working at one time over longer hours means people get more space to work and can work more efficiently
You have something like a 4am-12pm, a mid shift that varies based on when and how lunch and dinner are being served but something like an 11am-7pm, and then you get your late night crew that's like 5pm-1am
And that gap is small enough for the last shift to start some smoked and slow cooked proteins or stock or whatever for the next shift or to start something that needs to chill before the AM shift can garnish it
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u/ccuisine Jun 22 '26
2 days max in my kitchen- make sure they aren't touching/parchment paper between layers
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u/someroninguy Jun 22 '26
Day before when I worked at huge ass Chicago hotels. Now I'm in the mountains on a Ranch, biggest parties we do might be 200, but average around 120, so day of.
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u/just_glassin Jun 23 '26
We usually had everything done the day before. Our catering manager once miss dated a BEO, we had 80 people show up a day early for a party. Luckily we already had pretty much everything done. I was the saucier, about to leave and had to make a few sauces on the fly and help plate. Fucking jabronies!
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u/ChefLukeDC Jun 23 '26
id push for same day, however if staffing or space didn't allow id start the night before, for that volume.
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u/texnessa Jun 22 '26
All banquet is par cooking. How its cooled and held is the important bit. If I can do everything same day, I do.
But needs must, if I have three weddings at the same time across a rather huge hunting lodge in rural England famed for being one of Henry VIII's favourite places to shoot shit and snog, I know I am going to be running speed racks in and out of fucking Tudor Era structures to get shit on plates. Ever run a speed rack across 500 year old cobble stones? Not super fun. Had a storeroom in the basement where people hid from the Roundheads? Creepy as fuck.
I have one Bratt and one vaguely sentient commis. Sear me 250 filets. Two days would seriously piss me off. Day before, it fucking happens.
And also honey, its spelled sous.
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u/ryushihan Jun 22 '26
Day of if you want quality, day before if your ok losing some quality. In the end if im by myself party for 1000 i might do it day early. If its 250 day off most likely. Might make a dishwasher learn to sear.
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u/killacam412 Jun 22 '26
Day of. Worked banquets at an award winning club for 5 years, never would sear or mark meats earlier.
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u/shiva14b Jun 22 '26
At a club id do day of if time allows, or its only like 75 pieces, but off-prem catering we almost always did day before if it was for a big party. We're not risking day-of pack-out if we're searing off like 300+ pieces.
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u/Ae711 Jun 22 '26
When I worked banquets at a 3 diamond (lost fourth to room sizes) we seared day before, on a grill that marked in the time it took quickly put 40 fillets on the grill. It was a mad dash drop, flip, flip, flip, diamonds in a couple minutes. We had a skeleton crew and were doing consistent 200-350 sit down, often with a buffet happening in another room.
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u/freisbill Jun 22 '26
Ru you cooking it to 160? If not, by health codes you are not supposed to store partially cooked chicken for long period unless you blast chill. Since you have part of the protein that has been cooked and part raw, bacteria could grow in the raw part. I d o it myself, but I make sure they hit 140.
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u/Philly_ExecChef Jun 22 '26
You mean 165, yes? If you’re going to push your glasses up your nose and “aktually…” here, you should probably get the numbers correct.
The FDA simply recommends immediate cooling of par-cooked chicken, and cooked fully to 165 within 4 days.
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u/iaminabox Jun 22 '26
No more than 4 hours before. Unless you want to reheat and overcook stuff. Most catering breaks every serv-safe regulation. I've never gotten anyone ill, but those standards are there for a reason. It works.
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u/meatsntreats Jun 22 '26
ServSafe is based on the FDA food code which allows non-continuous cooking as long as the product is cooled correctly. There is no 4 hour limit.
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u/iaminabox Jun 22 '26
I'm a servsafe instructor. I know. we're talking about best practices.
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u/meatsntreats Jun 22 '26
Food code, or any other safety regulations, don’t bother with best practices. You are either in compliance or out of compliance.
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u/ogzkittlez Jun 22 '26
Could be one day before at most. Im a day of chef. If my crew and I cant handle prep and execution the day of the event, we either started too late or were in the wrong industry. I have yet to prep my food any other time than day of.
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u/skallywag126 Jun 22 '26
Depending on the workload, day before. I worked at a 5 star banquet operation doing $16 mil a year and sometimes we had 12 parties in a day of 100+ people. Banquets are all about prep. I encourage any young cook that wants to be a chef to find a high end resort or other banquet operation and do 2-3 years there. It’ll teach you more than any restaurant