How much pulled pork per person? As you cook pork, it shrinks, so you’ll need around 2/3 of a pound for each person. It is possible to use this figure to determine the amount of pulled pork to cook to meet how many guests are planning to entertain.
Pulled pork is a popular choice whether you’re looking for an excellent dinner for your family or hosting guests at an occasion.
It’s also a fantastic option to serve a meal when you have a lot of people to feed as it can be stuffed with rolls and side dishes. But, one issue many people have when cooking pulled pork is knowing the required amount!
There’s a lot involved in making a pulled-pork meal that you should consider, and you certainly aren’t going to be with a lack of food for your guests.
Find out exactly how to figure out the amount of pulled pork needed in various situations, as well as some useful tips!
How Much Pulled Pork Do You Need Per Person?
The difficult part in figuring out the amount of pulled pork you will need to serve a person you’d begin with raw pork because raw pork is cooked, it shrinks quite a bit.
In fact, during the cooking process, the pork will shrink by up to 50 percent, so you need to calculate the amount of raw pork required to get the proper quantity of pulled pork for each person.
The rule of thumb is to offer each person about 1/3 of 1 pound (5 pounds) in pulled pork.
It should be enough meat for almost everyone, and you’ll likely be left with leftovers at the end of the day. This is much, far better than not being able to eat enough.
How To Calculate Amount Of Raw Boneless Pork
If you go to the butcher or the local grocery store to purchase the pork you want to cook it, you can’t use the portion of 1/3 lb for each person is the final pulled pork weight, and you must make adjustments to your weight for the meat prior to cooking.
Because pork shrinks up to 50% while cooking so, you’ll need to increase the quantity of pulled pork cooked to be aware of the amount of raw pork you can purchase.
A simple way to work this out is to figure out the number of guests you’re serving and then utilize the following equation for bones-free cut pork:
But, it is important to be aware that this is meant for bone-free pork cuts. Bone-in pork cuts must be handled differently. Fortunately, we’ve completed the work for you!
How To Calculate Amount Of Raw Bone-In Pork
Bone-in pork requires its formula since it is necessary to consider the additional weight of bones found in pork.
If you apply the same equation for boneless pork, then you will not be able to get enough pulled pork to satisfy every person.
Instead of calculating the amount of raw pork you need to purchase with a 1/3 1 pound of pulled pork for each person, you have to determine it by using one pound per person.
Pulled Pork Serving Size Chart
Here’s a quick table that shows the serving size of pulled pork for each person you need to make to ensure there’s plenty of meaty goodness to be shared:
| Number Of Guests | Amount Of Pulled Pork |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.3 pound |
| 2 | 0.6 pound |
| 3 | 0.9 pound |
| 4 | 1.2 pounds |
| 5 | 1.5 pounds |
| 6 | 1.8 pounds |
| 7 | 2.1 pounds |
| 8 | 2.4 pounds |
| 9 | 2.7 pounds |
| 10 | 3 pounds |
| 15 | 4.5 pounds |
| 20 | 6 pounds |
Raw Boneless And Bone-In Pork Chart
Here’s a simple chart that shows the amount of raw pork you can purchase per person, both bone-in and boneless pork, to make sure you will have enough pulled pork available to feed your guests:
| Number Of Guests | Weight Of Raw Boneless Pork | Weight Of Raw Bone-In Pork |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.66 pound | 1 pound |
| 2 | 1.32 pounds | 2 pounds |
| 3 | 1.98 pounds | 3 pounds |
| 4 | 2.64 pounds | 4 pounds |
| 5 | 3.3 pounds | 5 pounds |
| 6 | 3.96 pounds | 6 pounds |
| 7 | 4.62 pounds | 7 pounds |
| 8 | 5.28 pounds | 8 pounds |
| 9 | 5.94 pounds | 9 pounds |
| 10 | 6.6 pounds | 10 pounds |
| 15 | 9.9 pounds | 15 pounds |
| 20 | 13.2 pounds | 20 pounds |
How Many People Does A Pound Of Pork Feed?
It’s not difficult to go into the butcher shop to buy a pound of pork for pulled pork for your family, but it’s crucial to determine the number of people the pound of pork provides.
Before you can determine this first, you must determine what the distinction is between pork that’s bone-free or bone-in. A pound of bone-free pork can provide more food to many than one pound of bone-in pork because there isn’t any weight carried by bone.
In general, 1 pound of boneless pork will provide enough food for two people since the pork shrinks nearly half its size when it cooks. If the pork is bone-in, 1 pound of pork should serve around one person once the meat has shrunk and the bone is removed.
If you’re unsure, your local butcher in your area will also be able to give you helpful advice on the amount of pounds of pork you’ll require to feed the number of guests you’re hosting.
What To Consider With How Much Pulled Pork To Serve
The great thing about pulled pork is its ability to pack considerably when it is served!
Choose one of the best buns for pulled pork sandwiches like brioche. Then choose the side dishes it is possible to come up with by eating 1/3 pound of pulled pork per person; you can expect to have some leftovers, too!
When deciding the amount of pulled pork you will offer per head, these are a few points to consider in determining how much is required.
Type Of Meal
If you’re making pulled pork a main dish, with only a handful of options for sides, it’s recommended to serve the entire 1/3 pound for each person, maybe an extra if you’re serving hungry guests.
If it’s just one of the dishes you’re serving (like an outdoor barbecue with hamburgers as well as hot dogs), or you’re hosting a potluck, then you’ll be able to cook less pulled pork for each person since you’ll be serving other food items as well.
You may reduce the amount that you serve pulled pork if you will be serving it with other dishes. However, when it’s the main attraction of the evening, it is recommended to be safe and prepare the suggested amount.
Salads & Sides
It is possible to serve less than the suggested amount of pulled pork per person if serving salads and sides alongside this pulled meat.
Potato salads and green salads, baked beans, and many other dishes can be very full of nutrients. If you have a selection of salads that guests can have, they might not be able to fit in 1/3 1 pound of pulled pork!
But, it could be beneficial to bring some additional pulled pork to ensure guests are still hungry even after eating the sides.
Size Of The Buns
Consider the dimensions of the buns in which you’re serving your pulled pork. Smaller buns can contain less pulled pork, while larger buns are likely to accommodate more.
Although this won’t change the amount of pulled pork, you’ll have to serve each person. However, if you’re serving smaller portions of buns, people will eat more bread if they’re served more than one, and consequently, they’ll be fuller quicker.
Number Of Guests
It is also helpful to be aware of the people you’re feeding. If you’re just making pulled pork for your family members at your home, you should consider how much each person could consume.
Younger children will not eat 1/3 of a pound of pulled pork. Therefore, it is easier to prepare less food for the children.
However, when you’re hosting guests with larger appetites, it could be beneficial to add additional pulled pork in addition to the suggested amount. It’s always better to have more than not enough!
Time Of Day
This is a difficult issue to resolve. However, people generally eat less food at lunch than at dinner. You might get away with providing slightly less pulled pork for each person at lunch.
In addition, if it’s an outdoor barbecue, the people are less likely to consume their food entirely compared to eating a complete meal during a sit-down dinner.
But, as always, it’s always better to over-cater as opposed to under-cater. This way, you’ll be able to utilize leftover pulled pork for other meals, and it won’t be wasted.
What To Do With Leftover Pulled Pork
If you don’t follow the recommended amount of pulled pork for each person, you may end up with some leftover pork.
It’s always a good idea to create a little more to have to ensure that no one comes back for more, in addition to ensuring you’ll have some leftover pulled pork left to take advantage of the next day as well.
Pulled pork is among the meals which can be prepared in various ways!
Traditionally, it’s served with side dishes or in buns; however, there are many other options you can make with the leftovers of pulled pork, and you may be able to create an entire family meal out of remaining pulled pork!
A few great ways to use pulled pork are to use it to make pizza toppings serve tacos, create pasta bakes, or make several sandwiches.
It’s also very cost-effective to purchase extra pork for pulled pork, as pork shoulder is among the most affordable kinds of meat available and gets more value in comparison to other types of meats, in particular when you’re increasing the amount!
Using Leftover Pulled Pork
When you are ready to eat your leftover pulled pork, it could be helpful to add one of the best BBQ sauces for pulled pork to help enhance flavor and replenish the water that evaporates while it is in the freezer or fridge.
Since you can freeze pulled pork, simply take it out of the freezer, and place it in the fridge overnight to defrost before serving.
After you’ve cooked any leftover pulled pork, you have to consume it or dispose of the rest — you shouldn’t reheat pulled pork following that since it could increase the risk for the growth of bacteria.
The best thing I love to do is to eat cold pulled pork leftovers!
Best Way To Store Leftover Pulled Pork
There’s a good chance that you’ll have leftover pulled pork, particularly if you’ve overestimated the quantity you’d require.
To avoid throwing away the pulled pork and letting it spoil. You must be aware of how to store the leftover pulled pork safely.
The most efficient method to store pulled pork leftovers is to store all leftovers inside a refrigerator-safe airtight container. Make sure to add any juice leftovers into the container so that the meat doesn’t become dry.
It is also possible to put the pulled pork leftovers in the resealable freezer bag and squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing it.
Whatever container you decide to use, be sure the container is airtight when sealed to keep the pulled meat in the best possible condition and prevent any smell from spreading to other food items stored in the refrigerator.
Make sure that the pulled pork is cool to the temperature of the room prior to placing it in the refrigerator so that it doesn’t increase the temperature inside the refrigerator, putting other food items at risk.
After being put in the refrigerator, use the pulled pork within two days.
Can Leftover Pulled Pork Be Frozen?
If you don’t think that you’ll use leftover pulled pork in two days, the pork can be frozen to extend its shelf life further.
You can cook the pulled pork to freeze as you would store it in the refrigerator when you place the pulled pork in an airtight container for your freezer or a food-grade plastic bag (be sure you squeeze as much air out as you can first).
When making pulled pork for freezing is extremely beneficial to label the freezer container or bag with the title of the item and the date for freezing to help you be aware of the date you’ll need to use it.
Pulled pork can be kept in the freezer for as long as 3 months. You can keep it longer, however, the quality will start to diminish, and there’s an increased possibility of freezing burn, which can damage the pulled pork significantly. For more information, you can read more on how long pulled pork is good for.
Other Questions Asked
We’ve now learned all about pulled pork as well as how you can determine the amount you’ll require per person, and we’ve got some other questions that we thought you could ask.
Which is the most suitable pork cut to pull pork?
The most suitable pork cut to use for making pulled pork would be shoulder pork. It is the fattest amount to provide succulent and juicy pork and can be cooked for a lengthy period of time to break down meat even more.
How long will it take to prepare pulled pork?
Pulled pork is the best when cooked over a prolonged duration. It should be cooked at high heat for about 4-5 hours or slow-cooked on low for at least 8 hours.
Summary of The Right Amount of Pulled Pork
The idea of making pulled pork for guests or family members is always a good idea, but you’ll get your portions correct so that everyone is satisfied, and you may have some tasty leftovers!
The general rule is that every person should have around 1/3 pound of pulled pork. When determining the quantity of raw pork, you’ll need to purchase it. You’d require doubling this amount per person as the meat shrinks dramatically as it cooks.
We’ve covered almost all you need to know about cooking pulled pork with this guide, so you now have a better idea for your next try to prepare this delicious dish!
