Pulled Pork

Smoking pork for my son’s graduation. Never made it for a large group. Any idea how many pounds I would need for say 150 people if there is other food there as well?
DT

Say 1/2 lb per person, which will be less after bone and fat. I’d say about 75 lbs for that size group

1/4# to 1/3# per person so 37.5 to 50#, key is to have smaller buns so a child that is 4 doesn’t grab a huge sandwich and eats 1/4 of it you can always have plenty of buns. I have yet to see a graduation run out of the main course of food. Also I’m assuming a mother is involved in the food planning and they will have an abundance of other food! Good luck

Ok. 75 lbs is probably high, but 37 lbs is probably low. 50 lbs is probably a good number. Small buns is a great idea people can come back for 2nds but limit the amount of wasted food.

The nice thing about pork is it freezes nice. Not sure why I offered to smoke pork. Sounds like this is getting expensive. We did walking tacos for my GF’s daughter’s party and we made way to much burger. Lol. Also ended up with two extra cases of chips.
DT

Just remember if you buy 50 lbs of pork you won’t have 50 lbs after you smoke it. Shrinkage is real…..

Had my daughters Graduation party 2 weekends ago. We did a Taco bar and made 12lbs of ground beef. I decided at the last minute to do 2 pork butts ( 12lbs each ) as a added option. Good Thing I did because The 2 pork butts and almost all the ground beef were gone when the party was done. I think we figured there was like 100 or so people at the party. for 150 people I’d do at least 50 lbs and would probably go with even more. Right now pork buts are not cheap. Pulled pork will go over real well but not your cheapest option.

I think that’s why I was leaning higher initially. I fill my plate meat heavy and also you’re right it saves well.

So far I have an 11 pound and 17 pound shoulder. I’m getting stressed out. Lol
DT

2 smaller shoulders cook faster than one big one. Not sure if your smoker will do 50# or 60# in one batch. Multiple batches, time may be more of a factor. Also I take some after its pulled. Drain it, put it in a pan with BBQ sauce. Then put it back on for 30 to 60 minutes. But some people will prefer un-sauced. You could do a mix. Some folks are just as happy with a burger or a brat. That’s a lot less work.
I saw there is a chicken wing shortage. Wings are 3x the price of other cuts. Like to see the look on my Grandparents face. To see the price of wings and ribs. Compared to other cuts.

The 17 pounder ended up being two pieces in one package so they are more like two 8 or 9 pounders. I ordered 3 more 10 pounders and will pick them up and smoke them tomorrow. What I had is on the smoker now.
DT

stevenoak wrote:

I saw there is a chicken wing shortage. Wings are 3x the price of other cuts. Like to see the look on my Grandparents face. To see the price of wings and ribs. Compared to other cuts.

That is one reason I have a Costco membership. 3 racks of spare ribs for less than $30. Cub or Festival they are 15-20 for one. Meat prices are out of control right now.

Does Costco sell pork shoulders? My mom has a membership. Should have checked there.
DT

deertracker wrote:

Does Costco sell pork shoulders? My mom has a membership. Should have checked there.
DT

Yes, they are usually sold 2 to a pack (boneless) and around $2/lb. for the last few years. I never see them on sale but use to always be a fair price I thought and would get a case every fall when it was venison sausage time. I have no idea what they are now- I’m afraid to find out.

I figure 1/2# per person on raw weight. Usually net about 1/4# or just a little more when done. Normally works out close. I vac seal left overs and freeze.

One of my local lockers was $3.50/pound and the other was $3.99/pound. That’s for bone in.
DT

Yeah typically this time of year there are sales on them, but haven’t seen a butt under $2 in a while. Wanting to fill freezer for venison sausages too!

mahtofire14 wrote:

That is one reason I have a Costco membership. 3 racks of spare ribs for less than $30. Cub or Festival they are 15-20 for one. Meat prices are out of control right now.

Eye opener at Costco (Rochester) last week when ribs were on the menu for the weekend. Those $2.99 ribs are now $4.99.

Found butts at my local grocery store for $2.99/pound. Canceled my order at the meat locker and saved $30. Just pulled 3 butts out of the smoker to rest. Going to sneak some for dinner tonight.
DT

Tasted great.
DT

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deertracker wrote:

Tasted great.
DT

Looks great too! I think our weekend menu may need to change…

Put in 4 more last night.
DT

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barc wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mahtofire14 wrote:</div>
That is one reason I have a Costco membership. 3 racks of spare ribs for less than $30. Cub or Festival they are 15-20 for one. Meat prices are out of control right now.

Eye opener at Costco (Rochester) last week when ribs were on the menu for the weekend. Those $2.99 ribs are now $4.99.

Yup, just paid $4.99/lb for baby backs at Costco yesterday. $45 for 3 racks..Used to pay like $25.

Follow-up as the party was yesterday. Just less than half of what I made was eaten. I’m going to be eating pulled pork for the rest of my life. Lol. But everyone absolutely loved it.
DT

curious mathematical what was the weight per person eaten uncooked?

I’ll weigh one of my containers later and try to get close to the before and after weight.
DT