Graduation catering

Graduation parties · May and June book by March.

Backyard graduation parties, multi-family pool-graduation gatherings, USAFA commissioning parties. Most-ordered package is BBQ Basics + a half rack of ribs. Book early — the smoker fills.

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40 – 200

headcount we'll quote

8 – 12 weeks (book by March for May/June)

typical lead time

BBQ Basics

recommended package

24 hr

quote turnaround, weekdays

What you get

The dishes most-ordered for this kind of event.

Most grad parties land on BBQ Basics + a ribs upgrade. Bigger USAFA commissioning parties (150+) often step up to the Pitmaster Spread for the second meat and dessert station.

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Signature

The 14-Hour Brisket

$16

Post-oak smoked. Brioche, pickles, slaw, a stripe of Carolina Gold. The one we'd order.

Pulled Pork

$14

12-hour shoulder, pulled to order. Slaw on top, sauce on the side, pickles in the basket. Available as a $18 plate.

St. Louis Ribs · ½ rack

$19

Six hours over pecan, light glaze, one side, cornbread.

Signature

Burnt-End Mac

$15

Brisket burnt ends, scallion, pickled jalapeño, breadcrumb crust. The default.

Eve's Slaw

$4 / $7

Apple-cider dressed, no mayo. Bright and sharp.

Cornbread

$3 / $6

Sweet, dense, honey-butter on the side.

Detail · 01

Why graduation books out by March.

Graduation season in Colorado Springs runs concentrated — the second-to-last and last Saturday of May, the first Saturday of June, and (for USAFA) the Wednesday and Saturday of commissioning week. Most of those dates fill on our calendar by the end of March. If you've got a graduation party on a fixed date (you do — graduation dates aren't moveable), get the quote in by January and the deposit down by February for any chance at the prime Saturdays. We hold a few inside-the-week slots open for last-minute requests — usually drop-off, under 60 people — but the big backyard graduation parties for 80 – 200 lock up two months in advance.

Detail · 02

The standard grad-party menu — what most clients order.

Backyard graduation parties for 40 – 100 people: BBQ Basics with pulled pork as the meat, mac and slaw as the sides, brioche, sauce on the side, three sauces. Add a half rack of ribs (works out to about $5 / person line-item) and you've got a spread that doesn't read 'office lunch caterer.' For 100+ guests, step the menu up to the Pitmaster Spread — two meats (brisket + pulled pork), three sides (mac + slaw + beans), dessert (peach cobbler is the grad-party default), and the full sauce flight. The grad gets a custom plate (their pick of any two meats, any two sides, two slices of cornbread) brought to wherever they're sitting taking photos with their grandma.

Detail · 03

USAFA commissioning parties — what's different.

USAFA commissioning week is its own beast. Two main days (Wednesday commissioning, Saturday graduation), back-to-back parties at multiple family homes around the Springs, families coming in from out of state. We routinely run multi-party umbrella contracts during commissioning week — same family books a Wednesday post-commissioning lunch (40 people, BBQ Basics, drop-off at noon) and a Saturday post-graduation dinner (80 – 150 people, Pitmaster Spread, on-site service through dinner). One coordinator on our side handles both, one deposit covers both. Get the quote in by January for the umbrella contract — by April those weeks are fully booked.

Detail · 04

Kid-friendly portions and the parent-friendly cleanup.

Grad parties have a weird headcount mix — the grad is 18 or 22, but the guest list is everyone from a 4-year-old cousin to an 80-year-old grandparent. We size the buffet for the full headcount but split the meat ratios for the kid count you give us — more pulled pork (kid-friendly, slider-friendly), slightly less brisket (adult-friendly), more mac (universal), slightly less Brussels (adult-only). Drop-off: we leave you the buffet running; you run it through the photo line and the toast. Parent-friendly cleanup: chafers are ours, we pack them out the next morning if you want; plates, forks, napkins are compostable and go in your bin.

Recommended package

BBQ Basics — the graduation catering default.

Custom builds quoted line-by-line. The recommended package is the starting point — most clients adjust at the menu-lock conversation.

Recommended

BBQ Basics

The classic spread. Office lunches, casual receptions, family reunions.

$14

per person · 20 minimum

One smoked meat (brisket, pulled pork, or chicken)
Two sides (mac, slaw, beans, cornbread, greens)
Brioche buns, pickles, three sauces
Disposable serving ware + utensils
Delivery within 30 mi of Colorado Springs

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Pitmaster Spread

The wedding default. Two meats, real sides, dessert included.

$22

per person · 30 minimum

Two smoked meats from a list of five
Three sides + cornbread + buns + pickles
Eve's sauce flight — all five sauces
Dessert: peach cobbler or banana pudding
Real serving platters + setup
Coordinator check-in 7 days before event

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The Full Smokehouse

Show. Stop. Three meats, four sides, a pitmaster on-site running the line.

$32

per person · 50 minimum

Three smoked meats — whole brisket option
Four sides + cornbread + buns + pickles + slaw
Two desserts + late-night burnt-end taco bar
On-site pitmaster carving + replating
Linens, real platters, chafers, table runners
Dedicated coordinator + day-of point of contact

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Step one

Tell us about your event.

Five questions, two minutes. We’ll come back within 24 hours with a real quote — not a brochure.

Get a quote→Browse the menu first

Before you ask

Graduation Party BBQ Catering FAQ.

When's the latest I can book a graduation party?

For drop-off under 60 inside a week, sometimes yes — call. For anything over 100 on a prime Saturday in late May, the answer is probably no by April. Book by March is the rule.

Can you cater for both USAFA commissioning week parties?

Yes — umbrella contract covers Wednesday + Saturday with one deposit, one coordinator, one menu lock. Tell us at quote it's a USAFA family.

What if the grad has very specific food requests?

Within reason, yes. The grad picks the two sides at menu lock, and we'll make them a custom plate day-of. Past that — vegetarian, gluten-free, custom — runs through the same dietary process as any other catered event.

Do you handle the dessert?

Peach cobbler is on every BBQ Basics + upgrade. Pitmaster Spread includes cobbler + banana pudding. Cake is on you or your bakery.

How much food per person should I budget for a grad party?

About 0.5 lb of meat per adult, 0.25 lb per kid. BBQ Basics ships at those ratios automatically. The sides ship at 4 oz / person each. Cornbread one piece per person plus 20% extra (people take two).

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