Dickey's Barbecue Pit is the best chain on this site for a genuinely large order, for one reason: it will sell you a whole smoked brisket. Below about twenty guests the packaged family and party packs are the simple answer. Above it, whole cuts are cheaper per usable pound than anything on the catering sheet — and the gap is not small.
Dickey's Barbecue Pit prices at a glance
The prices referenced on this page, collected up front. They vary by location and change without notice.
| Pack | Price |
|---|---|
| Picnic Pack | $45.00 |
| Classic Family Pack Special | $51.00 |
| Family Pack | $53.00 |
| XL Pack | $73.00 |
| Wing Family Pack | $75.00 |
| BYB Pulled Pork Party Pack | $155.00 |
| BYB Classic Sandwich Pack | $165.00 |
| BYB Original Party Pack | $165.00 |
| BYB Texas Brisket Party Pack | $170.00 |
| BYB Wings and Ribs Party Pack | $170.00 |
| XL Sides | $38.00 |
| Guests | What to buy | Approx. cost | Per head |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Whole large brisket + 3 lb pulled pork | ~$232 | ~$9.30 |
| 50 | 2 whole briskets + whole pork butt | ~$447 | ~$8.95 |
| 100 | 4 whole briskets + 2 pork butts | ~$894 | ~$8.95 |
| Meat | Per pound | Feeds (as a main) |
|---|---|---|
| Brisket | $28.00 | 3 |
| Brisket Burnt Ends | $28.00 | 3 |
| Pulled Pork | $21.15 | 3 |
| Turkey Breast | $20.85 | 3 |
| Marinated Chicken Breast | $20.85 | 3 |
| Kielbasa | $20.15 | 3 |
The packs, from smallest to largest
The Picnic Pack at $45.00 is the cheapest group option and the right call for a family of four or five. The step up to the Family Pack at $53.00 buys more meat for $8.00, which is fair. The XL Pack at $73.00 is where the packaged route starts to look expensive against buying by weight.
Where whole cuts take over
Dickey's sells cuts almost nobody else at this price point will: a Whole Large Smoked Brisket at $169.00, a Whole XL Smoked Brisket at $179.00, a Whole Pork Butt at $109.00 and Whole Sausage Ropes at $22.00. Set the $170.00 BYB Texas Brisket Party Pack against a $169.00 whole brisket and the whole brisket wins on yield by a wide margin.
Those figures are meat only. Add sides and bread on top: XL Sides at $38.00, Dinner Rolls at $1.00 each, Corn Muffins at $2.50 and Brioche Buns at $3.50. Order Extra Sauce for the Group at $5.00 rather than individual $0.50 and $1.00 portions — sauce is charged for at Dickey's, and a table of thirty people going one at a time gets expensive. Portion arithmetic for any group size is in the BBQ catering guide.
Buying by the pound instead
The by-the-pound sheet is the middle route, and the half-pound pricing sits close to half the full pound, so there is no penalty for buying in small increments.
Burnt ends at $28.00 a pound — the same price as regular brisket — is the quiet bargain here. Every other chain treats burnt ends as a premium item, and at a party they are the thing people talk about.
What travels and what does not
- Burnt ends travel best. They are twice-cooked and carry more rendered fat, so they survive an hour in a warming box better than anything else on the menu.
- Pulled pork is forgiving. It reheats without drying and is the safe choice if you cannot serve immediately.
- Sliced brisket is the fragile one. Ask for it sliced at the last possible moment, or buy the whole brisket and slice on site.
- Ribs go cold fast. At $2.50 a bone for 12 or more they are the best-value item on the menu, but serve them first.
- Fried sides do not travel. Onion tanglers, fried okra and both fries are $4.50 and are soft within twenty minutes. Take beans and slaw instead — the Dickey's sides ranking covers which hold.
How far ahead to order
This is the one thing you should not take from any page, including this one. Dickey's runs roughly 380 franchised locations and lead times are set locally — a store smoking on site needs more notice for a whole brisket than one with a bigger pit. Call the specific restaurant, ask how much notice they need for whole cuts, and ask what time the brisket goes on. Standard hours are 11:00 to 21:00, but catering pickup windows are agreed case by case.