Say “pulled pork” to any fan of grilled meat and you’ll find a drooling crowd. While is is fun, it’s easy to go overboard and have too much. Here’s how to reduce waste and keep everyone happy.
Burgers and hot dogs are great but can be a bit boring. Sometimes you want to be more adventurous, and pulled pork is a great way to show off your grilling skills.
It’s a long-time crowd favorite at my cookouts, and with good reason.
When cooked properly, smoked pulled pork turns into a nice pile of tender, juicy meat that melts in your mouth . For carnivores, it’s one of the best dishes you can have. And when he offers guests, it doesn’t last long. trust saw.
However, one problem people often run into with pulled pork is not knowing how much to do. You don’t want to go out before everyone is full and you don’t want to be left with piles of stuff after everyone’s gone.
How much pulled pork per person?
On average, a pound of barbecue pork feeds three people, while serving up a third of a pound of pulled pork per head. When the pulled pork is cooked and shredded, it loses half its weight. For example, an 8-pound raw pork shoulder makes 4 pounds of pulled pork, which serves about 12 people.
Pulled Pork Calculator
Knowing the perfect amount of pork boils down to two simple rules:
RULE #1: One pound of cooked pulled pork is enough to feed three people. So a lot of YOU to work to serve a third of a pound a head.
RULE #2: Raw pork is half the weight of cooked pulled pork. Also, for every pound of raw pork, expect about half a pound of resulting pulled pork.
So, how do we solve this as a formula?
The two rules above mean that the calculation boils down to first multiplying the expected number of guests by 0.3 pounds of pork.
Then it is multiplied with 50% yield. Basically, this means doubling it since cooked pork tends to halve.
For example, if you are expecting 10 guests
10 effort x ⅓ pounds of flesh = 3.33 pounds of flesh
3.33 lbs/50% (or 0.5) yield = 6 ⅔ pounds of raw pork required
While it’s great to have a simple formula to follow, there are a few additional factors to consider when calculating the amount to bet.
Children: Despite what they say, children probably can’t eat as much as adult guests. As a rule of thumb, I try to earn ½ to ⅔ of what I would normally earn per capita for each child. For the sake of simplicity, I’m trying to change the formula to multiply the number of guests by 0.25 to calculate the amount of cooked pork I need.
The Event: I tend to find that seated meals require more nourishment than social gatherings or parties.
Time of day: People tend to eat more at dinner than at lunch.
Type of dish: The amount you need shouldn’t be as high for sandwiches as when the pork is served with a salad. When you’re doing a buffet, I always say, be a little generous with the portions. As a rough guide, sandwiches or buns typically contain about 5 ounces of pork. Also, adjust your calculations based on what you’re serving.
The menu: When you’re serving up a feast of burgers and hot dogs, there’s little point in creating a copious mountain of pulled pork. You’re more likely to back off when the pulled pork is part of a larger feast. If you are serving other appetizers in addition to pulled pork, you can reduce the amount of cooking by a third.
How to store leftover pulled pork
Despite meticulous calculations, YOU may still have leftovers to deal with. But hey, there are worse things than a mountain of delicious pulled pork!
This is how you care for it safely and in such a way that it retains as much of its quality as possible.
Serve the pulled pork mixture in an airtight container (you may need more than one). Drain off plenty of sauce, too, so they retain their flavor.
Keep it in the fridge if you want it within the next two days. If you want to keep them longer, put them in the freezer. Pulled pork can be frozen for about 4 months.
Meat can lose a lot of quality when reheated from frozen, but sometimes the need for a longer term solution! Luckily, there are easy ways to reheat pulled pork.
Do you roast your pulled pork? Check out our guide to the best wood for pulled pork
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
