What to prepare/serve for a mid-tournament dinner break? (1 Viewer)

[LotsOfChips]

I'm planning to host my first ever home game poker tournament. I'm set up with chips, cards, tables and chairs for up to 18 players (two tables of 9 to start). I want the tournament to start around 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon, and have it end around 11:00-11:30ish. I have a third table available (kitchen table with padded topper) for a cash game for those who bust early and want to hang out.

With the game running more than 7 hours, I want to serve food (an actual meal, not just snacks). Because of the start time, it doesn't make sense to serve food before the game, so I was looking to have a meal break at around the 2.5-3 hour mark (probably coinciding with the end of rebuys and coloring up of the lower value chips).

I want to have something ready that I can just pull out of the fridge, oven or slow cooker, set on the counter, and have people help themselves. I'm hosting, so I'm not asking for tips/donations, and I want something that will be appreciated by all, but not cost an arm and two legs. I'm also playing, so I want something that can be pre-made, or can be thrown in the oven quickly without taking me away from the game for more than a hand or two. Delivery pizza isn't an option, as I'm outside their service zone. Hot dog sandwiches aren't really a meal (IMO), even though I may borrow a roller to have them as snacks for before/after the meal.

Options that come to mind are

• pulled pork sliders/sandwiches
• chili
• mac & cheese casserole
• shepherds pie
• baked chicken thighs on a bun
• chicken/bean/rice burritos

Any other thoughts/suggestions?

 

[Poker Zombie]

The following are dishes I have made for my group 16-24 players where the costs typically run $50-$75.

• Beef Stew - can simmer for hours
• Brisket - Low and slow, but at the high-end of costs
• Bratwurst - Similar to hotdogs, but somehow better.
• Burgers - This one would be difficult for a mid-game meal unless you have a monster grill.
• Chicken Pesto - Pesto can be made in advance. Chicken can be browned in advance and then cooked sous-vide indefinitely. Same pasta notes as Spaghetti below.
• Cilantro-lime chicken - Prep the chicken the same as Chicken Pesto
• Meatloaf - Form the loaf(s) pregame and set in the fridge. An hour or so before meal time pop them in the oven, and miss a couple hands when you add the glaze.
• Pulled Pork - low and slow, but takes time to shred.
• Smoked Turkey - low and slow
• Spaghetti - Sauce can simmer for hours (I would argue it should). the pasta noodles need to be done in smaller batches, lest it cools into a large solid pasta-blob. Buffets rinse their pasta to keep it from sticking into a blob, but this hampers sauce-adhesion, diminishes the flavor, and increases the risk of drips on the floor/tablecloth. Instead, get a large pot of water boiling and add pasta into small pasta baskets. Add some veggie oil to decrease the surface tension of the water so it doesn't boil over. You will have to "slave" for this one (8 minutes per person, divided by the number of baskets you can get in your pot), but feeds an army on the cheap.

 

[detroitdad]

Were playing cash on Saturday from 1pm - 10pm. Dinner break is lasagna, Caesar salad, and bread thanks to my lovely bride!

7 player game. I think they are all PCF'ers!

 

[detroitdad]

• Beef Stew - can simmer for hours

IN

• Brisket - Low and slow, but at the high-end of costs

IN

• Bratwurst - Similar to hotdogs, but somehow better.

In (but homemade buns please @Mrs Poker Zombie )

• Burgers - This one would be difficult for a mid-game meal unless you have a monster grill.

In

• Chicken Pesto - Pesto can be made in advance. Chicken can be browned in advance and then cooked sous-vide indefinitely. Same pasta notes as Spaghetti below.

In

• Meatloaf - Form the loaf(s) pregame and set in the fridge. An hour or so before meal time pop them in the oven, and miss a couple hands when you add the glaze.

In, but I don't really care for meatloaf

• Pulled Pork - low and slow, but takes time to shred.

IN

• Smoked Turkey - low and slow

In

Spaghetti

In


Basically, if you are willing to cook it. I'm in!

 

[Poker Zombie]

In, but I don't really care for meatloaf

To be fair, you might not know it was meatloaf at first. This meatloaf was from our April 1st game:

Mashed potato "icing", homemade BBQ sauce, and cherry tomatoes. More games should fall on April Fool's day (though I have no idea how I'd beat this one).

 

[B0mbp0t]

In our game, regular appearances are made by:

• Red beans & rice - crock pot + rice cooker, set'em up to roll ahead of the game
• Chili - obvs, many varieties
• Burrito bowls - similar setup to red beans & rice + an instant pot for meat
• Hotzies - you name it stuffed in dinner rolls wrapped in foil. We do meatball, pulled pork, pulled bbq chicken, and ham. Toss'em in the oven once wrapped for around 30 min, then throw them all into a cooler)
• Stew - obvs also

 

[LowerBama1714]

Shrimp.

Oysters.

Crab.

Cotton.

Not necessarily in that order.

 

[upNdown]

Hotzies - you name it stuffed in dinner rolls wrapped in foil. We do meatball, pulled pork, pulled bbq chicken, and ham. Toss'em in the oven once wrapped for around 30 min, then throw them all into a cooler)

This is one of the happiest things I've ever heard

 

[caballo993]

Enchiladas. You can make a few trays of those suckers the day before then just heat them up about 30 minutes before meal time.

Add some beans and rice and you got yourself a meal.

 

[bmacpoker]

I think if you're having a dinner break, any of the options here are great. I'm not an eat at the table guy, and I'm not a fan of taking a long break from the action to eat. So if during a game, I like things that are really easy and not particularly messy, but also can eat really fast if I just want to step away for 5 mins.

I'm also just sort of... not into old school comfort foods that seem so popular at every home game. Chili, meat loaf, stew, casseroles... they're like the last things I want to eat during poker. The pasta, pulled pork, and enchiladas options all speak to me, though, wish I saw more of that at home game I go to! I tend to stick to liquid calories.

 

[ef28]

Don’t know if it was mentioned yet. One of our host had meatballs in sauce in a slow cooker and bags of hoagies. Everyone grabs a hoagie and serves their own meatball.

 

[doublebooyah85]

Pulled pork/chicken and the fixings from one of the local bbq chains.

 

[caballo993]

I think if you're having a dinner break, any of the options here are great. I'm not an eat at the table guy, and I'm not a fan of taking a long break from the action to eat. So if during a game, I like things that are really easy and not particularly messy, but also can eat really fast if I just want to step away for 5 mins.

I'm also just sort of... not into old school comfort foods that seem so popular at every home game. Chili, meat loaf, stew, casseroles... they're like the last things I want to eat during poker. The pasta, pulled pork, and enchiladas options all speak to me, though, wish I saw more of that at home game I go to! I tend to stick to liquid calories.

100% Especially if im hosting. No finger foods, or eating at the playing table. The exception being chips

 

[LotsOfChips]

not an eat at the table guy,

No food at the table. I have a separate kitchen table, a kitchen island, some side tables, or people can stand and hold their plates. But stay the F away from my custom Chanman cloths!

 

[PlaidDragon]

What I do for my games is declare a potluck where I'll be providing a main dish, and everyone else is encouraged to bring sides or deserts.

We'll eat before the game and then people will graze as they like the rest of the evening.

I'll generally provide one of the following as a main:

- Sausage (brats, boudin, jalapeno, brisket dogs)
- Chili
- BBQ marinade chicken strips.

And, yes.... we have a strict no-food-at-the-table policy also. Our break levels are 15 min so people have ample time to get food throughout the night.

 

[BPTDirector]

I do meatballs and hoagie rolls or Italian sausage bread. Both with my family recipe that came over on the boat from Sicily 100 years ago.

Italian beef or enchiladas sound great and go over well also. My guys were not hotdog guys. I donated the very nice roller I bought after trying to get them to eat three or four times to my church and they now get a lot of use out of it.

 

[legend672]

Pork chops and applesauce. IYKYK

 

[detroitdad]

Cash game dinner break yesterday.

 

[Dann1215]

Surprised not to see Pizza on this list.. too messy?

 

[LotsOfChips]

Surprised not to see Pizza on this list.

I'm outside the delivery zone for my city's pizzeria of choice (as mentioned in OP). Even if delivery was an option, 5 large pizzas plus delivery fee and tip would probably be pushing $150 or more. Most of the options above would feed 18 players for $50-$60 or less. While price isn't the main factor, it is a factor.

Frozen pizza is not something that I would want to serve my guests, and even so, baking 5 large pizzas in my oven (two at a time) is not something that I want to do while trying to play in the tournament.

I play in a couple of leagues where (delivery) pizza is the go-to meal. It's okay (depending on which chain is on order that night), but I was hoping to do something a bit more personal.

 

[thePokerClub]

For my events I usually just do a tray of small sandwiches and one of the players owns a beef jerky company so he brings a few bags.

Nothing that is messy...

 

[grantcm05]

I get a giant pizza (comically large size that feeds 7-8 people) for about $50 bucks delivered. Can’t beat it, plus enough is leftover for 4th meal booze absorption.

 

[Defarse]

Pizza delivery.

 

[owlbee]

any dish in a instant pot is easy to serve and clean up. things like chili and beef stew during the winter are nice.

 

[owlbee]

or something like a cheese and broccoli soup with bread bowls would be great too in the instant pot

 

[Deucekies]

Serving anything mentioned in this thread so far would brand you The Host With The Most with pretty much anyone I know.

 

[LotsOfChips]

The Host With The Most

Well, that's more or less what I'm aiming for