Nothing beats a backyard BBQ in the summer. While hamburgers and hotdogs make for a delicious BBQ meal, pulled pork is now a staple too. Don’t believe us? Well, try screaming, ‘pulled pork’ and witness for yourself the drooling people at your BBQ. Pulled pork is a crowd pleaser and a great opportunity to show off your BBQ skills.

Speaking of this, when you get pulled pork right, no other food item could match up to its beauty and taste. You won’t ever get enough of that melting sensation when you taste its saucy flavor. Oh, so good! For meat lovers, pulled pork is surely one of their top choices.

Trust us when we say that if pulled pork is on the menu, it will not stay around for very long. However, there is one problem when it comes to choosing pulled pork as the menu. Hosts often face a dilemma of how much quantity is going to be appropriate for a party. The struggle is to have enough, you either don’t have enough and run out before everyone has had their share or you are left with a ton of lefterover. We don’t think having some left over pulled pork is a terrible thing but you don’t want 10 pounds of leftovers!

But How Much Pulled Pork Per Person?

If you have trouble estimating the quantity, you are in the right place. In this article, we are going to talk about a pulled pork calculator, or you can say, put forth a set of comprehensive guidelines. These will help a frustrated host determine how much raw pork they should get for their outdoor event.
Essentially, the guideline consists of two very simple rules:

Rule #1

Let’s say that to feed three people, you need to prepare one pound of prepared pulled pork. Hence, one-third of a pound, that’s about five ounces, is enough per head.

Rule #2

Expect about half of the yield when cooking the pork. For instance, if you are cooking a 20-pound slice of raw pork, you will end up preparing 10 pounds of pulled pork ready to serve.
This rule means that you can calculate how much raw pork you require using a very simple formula mentioned below:
The number of guests / number of servings per pound = pulled pork you’ll prepare (in pounds).
Then, pounds of cooked pulled pork / 0.5 (50% yield) = raw pork you’ll need (in pounds).

We understand how confusing everything must be looking to your right now. Therefore, here is a sample calculation for you so that things can get in perspective and start making sense for you.

Sample Calculation For Pulled Pork Servings

Number of guests you’re expecting: 60 persons
60 people / 3 servings per pound = 20 pounds of prepared pulled pork.
20 pounds of prepared pulled pork / 0.5 = 40 pounds of raw pork you need.
In a nutshell, you have to get about 40 pounds of raw pork to feed 60 guests to the fullest.

Here Is A Handy Calculator To Help You With The Math

Things To Consider

Sure, this can be a great formula to rely on, but you still have to think of other factors before reaching upon final estimates.

Age Group and Gender

As a matter of fact, different age groups have different appetites. While teenagers tend to consume more, a group of old men will consume less. Similarly, children will eat way less than adults.

On the other hand, men usually consume more than women. Additionally, we will also suggest that you consider the occupation of your guests too. For instance, a group of athletes might have a bigger appetite than people who work desk jobs.

Type Of Occasion

The menu and quantity both depend entirely on the occasion you’re hosting. If we may ask, is it a children’s party you are hosting? Is it some social event, or as we mentioned earlier, an outdoor party? If it is just a simple get together where you invited your neighbors and friends to spend Sunday night, things would be different.
To sum up, you first need to be sure about the event you are planning to cook for as different occasions require different types of meal planning. Moreover, allow us to mention that sit-down meals require more food on the table than stand-up socials and events.

Time Of The Day

We are sure you must be aware that most people tend to consume more meat during dinner. So, you might just want to thoroughly consider the time of the day before you start the meal planning. If you are looking for a rough estimate, then you probably will have to allocate about 5 to 6 ounces of pulled pork per person if it is a lunch and about 7 to 8 ounces per person if it is a dinner party.

Style Of Dish You’re Serving

The amount of pulled pork you need for sandwiches will obviously be different if the pulled pork is served as a complimentary side dish, such as with a salad. However, if you are opting for a buffet, we would suggest you be a tad more generous with servings. This is because buffets are tricky, and you can never be sure about how much meat each guest will get to enjoy. Well, we say it is better to have leftovers than guests leaving with half-empty stomachs, no? Plan on serving about 5 to 6 ounces of pork for sandwiches or buns.

How To Store Pulled Pork Leftovers

Even with thorough calculations, you might end up with some leftover pulled pork. So, take an airtight container to store your leftover pulled pork. Note that you might need more than one to store it. Also, make sure to pour in the excess sauce so that the meat retains its flavor. Then, keep it in the refrigerator, and you’re all done.

Quick Tips To Make Your Pulled Pork Better

The night before your party make sure to brine the pork shoulder. It will make it retain moisture better while you are cooking it. A pork shoulder is a large piece of meat and it takes a long time to properly cook. So make sure you take that into account. Depending on how much it weighs, it can take upwards of 10 to 12 hours to cook. The rule of thumb is 90 minutes of cook time per pound of meat. If you don’t have that much time, consider using the texas crutch to speed up the cooking time.

Another thing to keep in mind is how you are cooking the pork shoulder. It is meant to be cooked low and slow. Usually around 225 degrees and with indirect heat. The final thing you need to keep in mind when making pulled pork is getting it up to temperature before you serve it. Pulled pork comes from the shoulder of the pig, sometimes people call it a pork butt but it’s actually the shoulder. The shoulder has a lot of connective tissue so it needs to get to at least 200 degrees before you start to shred it. Otherwise, it will be tough and chewy.