"Yield" on a Pork Shoulder

[dflaher]

Hi,

Trying to plan to have enough pulled pork on hand for an upcoming party.

Wondering how much edible pulled pork I should expect out of a 9 pound roast, after moisture loss, bone removal, etc. Would 7 1/2 pounds be a good estimate? Also I'm thinking about 4 sandwiches per per pound, using Hawaiian rolls or similar. Is that in the ball park? Of course some folks will skip the bread I'm sure.

Thanks.

 

[traeger860]

You'll lose 30-50% during the cook. Really depends on the cut. A good rule of thumb is one pound per 3 people. I always make more just in case. How many people are you looking to feed?

 

[dflaher]

You'll lose 30-50% during the cook. Really depends on the cut. A good rule of thumb is one pound per 3 people. I always make more just in case. How many people are you looking to feed?

The cut is a standard Fry's (Kroger) shoulder butt. We're expecting 45-60 people, BUT I am also grilling chicken thighs and we are going to have lots of side dishes/desserts.

As far as your rule of thumb, a 9 pound (uncooked) shoulder would feed 27 people? Or is the one pound after cooking?

 

[midwest]

I agree, 1/3 pound of meat per person is a good estimate. Some kids or women might not eat and some men will eat a 1/2 pound or more. If you have 60 people I would plan on close to 20 lbs of cooked meat to serve

 

[traeger860]

The cut is a standard Fry's (Kroger) shoulder butt. We're expecting 45-60 people, BUT I am also grilling chicken thighs and we are going to have lots of side dishes/desserts.

As far as your rule of thumb, a 9 pound (uncooked) shoulder would feed 27 people? Or is the one pound after cooking?

Sorry. One cooked pound per 3 people. Like Midwest said, some people will eat more. But some won’t have any or only have a little bit. It’ll average out.

 

[RayClem]

Pulled pork is one of the easiest meats to reheat after cooking. Cooking a large piece of meat can take a while and you never know exactly how long it will take. The pork also needs to rest a while after cooking before you can pull or chop the meat. Thus, I recommend you cook the pork a day or two ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until the appointed day. You can even do it a few weeks in advance and freeze the meat, but allow time to defrost. The last thing you want is a crowd of hungry people gathered and you are sweating bullets hoping the pork will be ready on time. You will have enough to worry about on the big day. The pulled pork does not have to be one of them.

 

[dflaher]

Thus, I recommend you cook the pork a day or two ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator until the appointed day

Exactly my plan, thanks @RayClem!

 

[Slimpicker]

Catering event

Im going to be catering a friends party, it is about 35-40 people. How many pounds of pork shoulder would y'all recommend cooking? I was thinking somewhere around 18

www.traegerforum.com

 

[Slimpicker]

Pork loses 50% of it's weight to become pulled pork.
1 pound "normally" equals 3 people

(Number of Guests x (1/3)) x 2 = Amount of Raw Pork You Should Buy

some didn't eat meat, some didn't show up hungry, some women on a diet, some too drunk to eat, etc.
Every party will have this happen which equals out to be "enough for the party and then some"

Here's a good article I found on this: https://ownthegrill.com/how-much-pulled-pork-per-person/

 

[RayClem]

Pork loses 50% of it's weight to become pulled pork.
1 pound "normally" equals 3 people

(Number of Guests x (1/3)) x 2 = Amount of Raw Pork You Should Buy

some didn't eat meat, some didn't show up hungry, some women on a diet, some too drunk to eat, etc.
Every party will have this happen which equals out to be "enough for the party and then some"

Here's a good article I found on this: https://ownthegrill.com/how-much-pulled-pork-per-person/

The great thing about pulled pork is that if you cook too much, it is easy to freeze the leftovers and reheat them later. When cooking for large groups in our younger days, my wife's biggest fear was running out of food. Pulled pork is great as it is relatively inexpensive. Make more than you think you will need and freeze any left over.

 

[Trae Bar IV]

1/3 lb per person is more than enough if you factor in what other food you maybe serving. I just did a pulled pork ( 9 lb pork butt) for a large party of 30+ adults with kids and we still had plenty afterwards. I too have a wife who is always afraid of running out of food!

 

[Slimpicker]

it's basically the same for brisket really, serving wise, I'm not sure the shrinkage but that EXEL file will tell you