Buddy of mine wants to throw a party for 50-60 people and does not want to cater. Wants my help with cooking/prep fajitas/fixins and insists on cooking fajitas the night before and then reheating them the day of. Party kicks off mid- to late-afternoon.

I tell him the fajits will probably be dry and it is best to cook/bake/grill fajitas late morning and reheat.

Reheat in either case will be oven/steam table/chafing dish(es).

Okay, OB, what say you?

Get friends who are better hosts.

Reheat in roaster ovens but don't slice till you serve them. They should be fine.

Day of.

Be a man, make to order

It doesn't matter when you cook them....if you're reheating them, you're going to dry them out no matter whether you reheat the next day or the day of. I agree...heat them in a roaster with a little water in the bottom and keep the lid on or in the oven covered with foil. Cut just before serving.

As stated above, as long as they are sealed in foil, you'll be OK.

Yuck!

I would slap them on the grill for a few minutes per side, just enough to get them seared. Then throw them in the fridge. You can do that a day ahead. What you don't want to do is cook them all of the way. If you cook them till done at this point, you're sunk. Then, an hour before service, pop 'em in the oven to "re-heat" and the re-heating process will "finish" them.

I used to cook in the banquet kitchen at a 5 star, 5 diamond hotel... this is exactly how we did ALL of our steaks, as well as chicken.

[This message has been edited by IsleAg11 (edited 3/12/2010 2:36p).]

Good call. Helps to store them all together in a big ass sealed aluminum pan, so they marinate in the smoke and fat juices all night long. This can arguably make them more flavorful when "re-grilled".

I used to cook fajitas for 50 once a week for a summer.


We used frozen precooked meat(ducking), reheated in a disk wok with olive oil, fresh onions, and fresh peppers.

They always tasted great to me.

Throw in a few day old Aoudad fajitas with them and see if anyone notices.

Update: buddy now wants to buy HEB or Sam's Club marinated fajita meat rather than cook from scratch.

Sounds bad, but works the best

At least find a Fiesta Mart or something...

Why not just start cooking them an hour or two before the party. Fajitas only take a few minutes to cook.

Run

Styrofoam coolers are your best friend here.

Start early, cook as you normally would. Wrap each cut in foil, shiny side in after almost done. Place in Styrofoam coolers with a towel between each layer. Be sure and line your styrofoam "cooler" with a towel or the heat from the foil will melt the sides.

As the party reaches feed time, remove packs from bottom of styrofoam "heater" first.

It works. Well. Just make sure you have enough coolers.