How Many Sandwiches Per Pound Of Bbq?

One pound of meat. 16 ounces. Yields four 4 oz. sandwiches or three 5+ oz.

How many sandwiches can you get out of a pound of barbecue?

  • For the most part, a pound of meat sliced at standard thickness and spread out to once slice per sandwich will make about 21 total sandwiches.

How many sandwiches does a pound of pulled pork make?

On average, one pound of BBQ pork will feed three people, so serve one-third pound of pulled pork per head. When pulled pork is cooked and shredded, it will lose half its weight. For example, a raw 8-pound pork shoulder will yield 4 pounds of shredded pulled pork, serving approximately 12 people.

How many people does 1 lb BBQ serve?

While a lot of your decision will depend on how hungry your eaters are and your desire for leftovers, the general rule is to plan on a third to a half pound of total meat per person. Meredith Dean, the catering manager over at Deep Run Roadhouse, has found that typically 1 pound of meat will feed about 3 people.

How much meat goes on a BBQ sandwich?

It’s a good amount of food.” If you’re making sandwiches, go for a 1/4 pound of meat per person. Add three sides and you have a well portioned meal. If you’re not sure how much of each side to order, Michelle advises getting 5.33 ounces each of three sides.

How many sandwiches from a Boston butt?

The Meat A whole butt can weigh in at 10 pounds, which yields enough pork for around 30 sandwiches.

How many sandwiches does a pound of deli meat make?

Here’s a good rule of thumb: 1 pound of deli meat, sliced sandwich style, makes about 5 – 6 sandwiches. Cheese slices should be ordered thinner than deli meat, so you’ll have more cheese slices to layer on. Order away!

How much does 1lb BBQ feed?

Rules to Plan By. Each adult will consume 1 pound of food total; children, about 1/2 pound. The more options you have, the less you need of each; decrease the main course portion sizes by 1 to 2 ounces if served on a buffet. Guests will always eat — and drink — more at night than during the day.

How many pounds of ribs do I need for 4 adults?

In general, butchers and others who know meat recommend 3/4 pound to 1 pound of pork ribs per person. To avoid burning on the grill, don`t baste the ribs with sauces containing tomato or sugars.

How many pounds of ribs do I need for 4 people?

Select baby back ribs that are 2 pounds or less for the most tender, juicy meat. Plan on 1-pound servings for two people, or half-pound servings for four people. If serving before a meal, cut up ahead of time, arrange on a large plate and serve with barbecue sauce and lots of napkins!

How much BBQ do I need for 8 adults?

A good rule of thumb is to count on about ⅓ pound of cooked meat for each person for a main. This amount may vary between ½ pound if your guests are big eaters or you don’t have many sides, to ¼ pound if your sides are generous.

How much BBQ should I order per person?

Generally, chefs recommend serving ½ pound (8 ounces) of meat per person. To feed a party of 10 you would want at least 5 pounds of cooked meat. If you are making more than one meat entree then figure that most people will take an equal portion of each.

How much does 20lbs of pulled pork feed?

60 people / 3 servings per pound = 20 pounds of prepared pulled pork.

How much will 2 lbs of pulled pork feed?

Serving size: This recipe will yield about 2 pounds of cooked pulled pork; enough to serve about 6 people (5 oz per serving). See the post above for my tips for calculating how much pulled pork you’ll need for a larger group.

How Much Pulled Pork Per Person? Use My Calculator!

Pulled pork is one of the most affordable barbecue dinners you can cook, and it’s also a fan favorite because of its simplicity. A large quantity of pulled pork is an excellent option if you need to serve a whole group. The important question is, though, how much do you actually require. The short answer is that one dish of pulled pork weighs around one-third of a pound. This implies that you will need a pound of pulled pork for every three persons you intend to feed with your dish.

Who Are You Feeding and How Are You Serving?

If the case calls for it, you should adapt the rule of a third of a pound per person accordingly.

Cooking for Fundraisers

A popular purpose for preparing a large quantity of pulled pork is to raise funds for a good cause. You may raise a significant amount of money by selling BBQ box dinners to benefit your church or your child’s sports team. It’s important to remember when organizing fundraisers that although you want to raise as much money as possible, you also want to make sure that your consumers feel like they received what they paid for. Sales of pulled pork sandwiches and plate lunches are two of the most prevalent methods of raising funds through the sale of pulled pork.

By utilizing either a little bread that is brimming with meat or a large bun and smothering the meat with coleslaw, you may make your sandwich appear more spectacular than it actually is.

This, I believe, makes for a fairly ample portion of food.

This is a dilemma since a third of a pound of pork does not appear to be a substantial amount of meat when placed in the major section.

Cooking for a Party

If you are expecting a large number of people to attend your party, you may need to allocate additional funds for the meat portion. People will often serve themselves during a party, and you will have little control over the amount of the portions. Others guests may eat far more meat than is considered a portion, and some will return for second or third helpings of the same dish. I recommend increasing the quantity of meat served each visitor to half a pound for backyard barbecues and other similar events.

  • Plates and utensils will be placed on one side of the serving line, followed by salads, vegetables, and other side dishes, all of which will be prepared by the caterers.
  • Because their plate is already half-full, they end up eating less meat than they would have otherwise.
  • Foods that are heavy in calories, such as mac and cheese, potato salad, and baked beans, can fill individuals full more quickly than lighter options such as broccoli salad and watermelon slices.
  • You may use standard-size hamburger buns, King’s Hawaiian buns for sliders, or some large Kaiser rolls for monster sandwiches, all of which are delicious.

Because the pulled pork sliders only require 2.5 ounces of meat, you can expect to receive around six substantial sliders per pound of meat. Approximately one-half pound of meat is used in the Kaiser bun sandwich.

How Much Meat to Buy

Calculating how much meat to purchase is an easy process, but it is dependent on how you intend to prepare your pulled pork. If you purchase readymade pulled pork, such as that available at Costco, life is made easier since you can get the precise quantity that you require. The amount of completed product that you will obtain from the cut of pork that you start with must be considered, though, if you are planning to produce your own from scratch. The butt, picnic shoulder, and loin are the three most frequent pieces of pig used to make pulled pork, and they are all delicious.

If you start with a loin, you will only lose around 10% of the weight you would otherwise lose.

If you multiply four pounds by the three servings per pound standard, you will find that you have enough meat to feed around 12 people.

Pounds of Raw Pork Butt Feeds How Many People(1/3 pound serving) Feeds How Many People(1/2 pound serving)
8 12 8
16 24 16
24 36 24
32 48 32

Example2: If you start with a pork loin that weighs eight pounds uncooked, you could anticipate to wind up with a little more than seven pounds of finished pulled pork after cooking. In order to calculate the amount of meat you will need for 21 people from seven pounds of beef, multiply the number of servings per pound by three. Because pig butts and loins are roughly the same in price per pound and because the loin yields more final product, the loin appears to be the better deal on the surface of things.

Loins have a tendency to dry out and do not acquire the attractive bark that you see on butts.

Pulled Pork Calculator

The URL to the pulled pork calculator that I put up for you is available in a Google Sheet, which you can access by clicking on the image below. The sheet is locked for editing, but you may make a copy of it and make your entries and computations in the copy instead of on the original. To create a copy of the sheet, select “File” from the dropdown menu in the top left corner of the sheet. To complete the worksheet, you will need to enter three data points.

  • The number of guests
  • The size of the portions
  • The average number of portions

For starters, I would recommend a serving size of 0.33 pounds, but you may adapt it to your liking by increasing or decreasing it. It is useful to know the average number of portions per guest since it allows you to account for folks who come back for seconds. In the case of a fundraiser where everyone receives one dish, the value should be “1.” This would be common if you were selling sandwiches to raise money. However, if you are hosting a party and anticipate that half of your visitors would return for seconds, you should set the value to “1.5,” which means that half of your guests will receive one additional piece.

You can change the value of this variable to whatever you choose. Following the completion of the three entries, the calculator will display the number of pounds of finished pulled pork you require, as well as the number of pounds of pig butt you will require to begin with.

What To Do With Leftovers?

My pulled pork usually turns out to be far more than I require. I think that if I’m going to spend 10 hours or so smoking a pig butt, I may as well put on a few pounds of fat on top of it all. I keep the leftovers by placing the shredded meat in a vacuum seal bag with just enough of the pan juices to moisten the pork without making it soaking wet, and then sealing the bag tightly. Using my Food Saver, I vacuum seal the bag and store it in the freezer for later use. A pound of meat per bag is my goal since it is a manageable quantity to defrost and provides a reasonable amount of meat to deal with for a supper and leftovers the next day.

Some of my favorite ways to repurpose leftover pulled pork are as follows:

  • Baked Potatoes: Sprinkle on top of Stuffed Baked Potatoes or stir into the batter for Twice Baked Potatoes Breakfast Burritos may be made using this filling. Make a Barbecue Pizza for dinner. Nachos de carne asada (pulled pork nachos)

The following are some other articles I wrote about how to make pulled pork that you might find useful. How Long Should a Pork Loin Be Smoked? Pulled Pork on a Rotisserie is a simple and delicious dish.

How Much Pulled Pork Per Person? [Serving Guide]

When you mention “pulled pork” to any BBQ meat enthusiast, you will be greeted with a drooling audience. While it is enjoyable to prepare, it is easy to overindulge and end up with an excessive amount of leftovers. Discover how to decrease waste while yet keeping everyone pleased. Burgers and hot dogs are delicious, but they may be a little. boring. Pulling pork is a terrific way to show off your BBQ abilities when you want to be a little more experimental with your cooking. Traditionally, it has been a hit at my grilling parties, and with good cause.

When it comes to meat lovers, it’s up there with the tastiest foods they can get their hands on.

Trust me on this.

You don’t want to run out of food before everyone has had their fill, and you certainly don’t want to be left with mountains of it after everyone has gone home either.

How much pulled pork per person?

According to the USDA, one pound of BBQ pork will serve three people; thus, serve one-third pound of pulled pork each person. The weight of pulled pork will be reduced by half once it has been cooked and shredded. For example, a raw 8-pound pork shoulder will generate 4 pounds of shredded pulled pork, which will serve around 12 people when cooked through.

Pulled Pork Calculator

There are two easy principles to follow when determining the ideal amount of pork: THE FIRST RULE: One pound of cooked pulled pork is sufficient to serve three individuals. So serve one-third of a pound each person to make things move more smoothly at work. Cooked pulled pork is generally half the weight of raw pork, according to rule number two. As a result, for every pound of raw pig, you may expect around half a pound of resultant pulled pork. So, how can we turn this into a mathematical formula?

  1. Following that, you double it by 50 percent to get the yield.
  2. For example, if you are anticipating ten guests, you should 10 guests x 13 pounds of meat equals 3.33 pounds of flesh 6 2/3 pounds of uncooked pork is required if the output is 3.33 lbs/50 percent (or 0.5).
  3. Children: Contrary to popular belief, children are unlikely to be able to consume as much food as adult visitors.
  4. As a matter of convenience, I attempt to adjust the formula to something like multiplying the number of visitors by 0.25 in order to figure out how much cooked pork I will need.
  5. Food intake varies depending on the time of day: people tend to consume more calories at supper than at lunch.
  6. If you’re putting together a buffet, I usually recommend being a little extra generous with the portions.
  7. The menu consists of the following items: The creation of a large mountain of pulled pork when offering a feast of burgers and hot dogs does not really make sense if you’re also serving a feast of burgers and hot dogs.

If the pulled pork is part of a bigger meal, it’s best to keep your mouth shut. If you are serving other major courses in addition to the pulled pork, you may reduce the amount of pulled pork you need to cook by one-third by using less meat.

How to store pulled pork leftovers

Even if you do the most comprehensive of computations, you may find yourself with leftovers to contend with. Even worse things may happen than being faced with a mound of scrumptious pulled pork on your plate! What follows is information on how to care for it in a safe and effective manner, while ensuring that you keep as much of its original quality as possible: Place the pulled pork mixture in an airtight container and set aside (you might need more than one). Make sure to pour in any extra sauce as well, since this will aid in retaining the taste.

  • If you wish to store it for a lengthy period of time, place it in the freezer.
  • When meat is warmed from frozen, it loses a lot of its nutritional value, but occasionally circumstances necessitate a longer-term solution!
  • Do you want to smoke your pulled pork?
  • Nachos with Pulled Pork (Smoked)- Nachos are one of the best party foods there is, bar none.
  • Smoked Pulled Pork Tacos-Pulled pork tacos served immediately after being pulled from the smoker.
  • The 6 Best Methods for Reheating Pulled Pork- Pulled pork is a cornerstone of smoked barbecue cuisine.
See also:  How Many Finger Sandwiches For A Party Of 50?

How Much Pulled Pork Per Person: A Guide to Serving Sizes

Looking to wow your guests with a mouthwatering pile of smoked pulled pork at your next barbecue? Look no further. Certainly, it’s a seductive thought. Pulled pork is not only a fantastic source of protein, but it is also tasty, adaptable, and provides excellent value for money. Some home cooks are put off by the prospect of serving pulled pork to a large group because they believe it will be too much labor to estimate the exact amount of servings. Though it takes a little more effort than it does with burgers and hot dogs, there is a simple calculation that may take the guessing out of the process.

How Much Pulled Pork Per Person

Estimate that each person will consume around one-third pound of pulled pork. If the event is taking place during the day, if there are a large number of youngsters on the guest list, or if there will be a broad range of side dishes available, you might be able to get away with serving a little less.

About Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is traditionally produced from the upper half of the hog shoulder, sometimes known as Boston butt, and is a popular dish in the South. The average weight of a pork shoulder roast purchased at the store is between 4 and 8 pounds, depending on the butcher. The picnic shoulder or picnic ham refers to the bottom part of the hog shoulder that has been cut in two. Alternatively, both sections can be purchased together, in which case they will most likely be labeled as a full shoulder. Nonetheless, because the picnic shoulder has more bone than the Boston butt, it is more difficult to determine the yield of the meat (see How To Calculate, below).

Despite the fact that the meat originates from a location that sees a lot of action, it becomes wonderfully soft when cooked in a low-and-slow manner. Because of the high fat content, it has a wonderful taste and is quite juicy.

Tips on Buying Pork for the Smoker

When at all possible, avoid shopping at large-scale supermarkets like Walmart and Target. It’s likely that pork that has been bred for industrial reasons would have less fat and, as a result, less flavor than it otherwise would. Check with your local butcher to ensure that the pork you’re purchasing has been grown in a humane manner before purchasing it. For those of you who are as passionate about grilling as we are, the term “heritage breed” is certainly known to you. The following are some prominent examples of pork preparations: A few examples include Berkshire or kurobuta (Japanese for “black pig”), which is heavily marbled and incredibly rich; Red Wattle, which originates in the South Pacific and has a robust, almost beefy flavor; and Tamworth, which is naturally leaner than its brethren and produces incredible bacon and sausage.

You’ll undoubtedly notice a change in the flavor and quality of the product.

How Much Pulled Pork Per Person?

In general, you should plan on serving approximately a third of a pound of pulled pork to each individual. Obviously, this is the shortest possible response. When dealing with a huge, fatty piece of meat like pork shoulder, you can’t just go out and buy two pounds of meat to feed six people and call it a day. That’s just not how it works with this type of meat. Additionally, you’ll have to consider a variety of external elements, some of which you may not be aware of until you’re about to enter the service.

How To Calculate

It’s important to realize that cooked pork will weigh around half as much as raw pork shoulder if you’re following the rule of thumb of 1/3 pound per person, which is what most experts recommend. This is due to the fact that the majority of the moisture will evaporate throughout the cooking process. To put it another way, you should anticipate to get around 3 pounds of smoked pulled pork from a 6lb pig shoulder when you purchase it. To make it easier to understand, here’s how the idea is put down into a simple formula: Amount (in pounds) of raw pork required is equal to (guests x (1/3)) x 2.

You obtain the number 6 when you divide the number 18 into thirds.

This calculation indicates that you should purchase around 12 pounds of uncooked boneless pork shoulder.

Other Considerations

While 1/3 pound per person is a reasonable benchmark to utilize, you may be able to make further modifications based on the parameters we’ve provided below.

1. Time of Event

At midday, you may get away with offering lesser servings since people are less hungry. If your event takes place early in the day, you might want to consider reducing the per-person quantity to 1/4 pound rather than 1/3 pound.

2. Setting

Generally speaking, people will consume more food in a formal sit-down event than they would at a casual backyard get-together. You may want to consider reducing the portion sizes for the latter. When visitors are moving around in a bustling area, they are less likely to be attentive to the food being served. We understand that the pulled pork will most likely be the main attraction, but what other dishes do you have in mind? Will you be serving burgers or hot dogs as a side dish to the main course?

Prepare to serve extra meat per guest if you’re serving a simple platter of pulled pork with buns (see recipe below) and a couple bowls of potato chips as an accompaniment to the main course.

4. Bun Size

You are not required to serve your pulled pork with buns, but if you do, consider how the size of the buns will effect the amount of your servings. While regular hamburger buns may carry around 5 ounces (or one meal), using slider buns or bigger bulkie rolls may need you to revise your estimates. It’s also important to realize that the buns will fill your guests full more quickly, which means they may not return to the table for seconds.

5. Age of the Guests

The 1/3-pound-per-person rule will ensure that there are plenty of leftovers when there are a lot of youngsters under the age of ten on the guest list, so plan accordingly. In these instances, we recommend that you plan for only 1/4 pound each child as a minimum.

6. Leftovers

Because pulled pork is such a versatile and delectable dish, we prefer to follow the “more is more” mindset when it comes to cooking with it. After the celebration is finished, you can utilize the pork in a variety of delectable meals that can be stored and reheated with little effort. The best part is that while Boston butt is a reasonably priced cut of meat, purchasing an additional pound or two will just add a few dollars to your total bill. It’s preferable to have too much than not enough of anything.

How To Store Leftover Pulled Pork

To keep leftovers, you can use any airtight container as long as the lid is well secured to the container. It is also possible to use a plastic freezer bag. First and foremost, make sure you save as much of the liquids as you possibly can. The longer you marinate the pork, the easier it will be to reheat it. In the next step, firmly close the container and store it in the refrigerator or freezer. Pulled pork that has been refrigerated should be eaten within 48 hours. It is recommended that you thaw and consume the pork within three months if you choose to freeze it.

Ideas for Leftovers

  • Make sure you have a supply of zip-top bags on available so that visitors may take a few portions home with them when they depart. Combined with your favorite barbecue sauce, serve on bulkie rolls with cole slaw and crispy fried onions on top. Preparing shredded pork tacos is simple when you use corn tortillas, sliced onions, cilantro, tomatillo salsa, and a squeeze of lime

The Bottom Line

There are exceptions to any rule, and while we would recommend that you allow for a third pound of pulled pork each person, there are certain restrictions.

As a general rule, we recommend using this quantity as a guideline and always purchasing a serving or two more than you anticipate using. Good luck with your grilling! Articles that are related:

  • Getting the Best Cuts When Butchering a Pig
  • How to Shred Pork

Quick answers

20 people x 2/3 = 13.5 lbs of uncooked pork

How much pulled pork for 25 people?

25 people x 2/3 = 17 lbs of uncooked raw pork

How much pulled pork for 30 people?

25 people x 2/3 = 17 lbs of uncooked pork.

How much pulled pork for 40 people?

25 people x 2/3 = 17 lbs of uncooked pork

How much pulled pork for 50 people?

50 people divided by two-thirds equals 33.5 pounds of uncooked pork

How much pulled pork for 100 people?

100 people divided by two thirds equals 67 pounds of uncooked pork

How much pulled pork for 150 People?

150 people multiplied by 2/3 is 100 pounds of uncooked pork

How much pulled pork for 200 people?

200 people divided by two thirds equals 133.5 pounds of raw pork

How Much Pulled Pork Per Person – Guide & Calculator

Affiliate links are used in this piece of content. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of the links on this page, we may get a commission at no additional cost to you as a result of your transaction. Any smoker will tell you that the most important thing to do while smoking pork shoulder (or any other sort of meat) is to concentrate entirely on the task at hand: smoking a superb pork shoulder. The last thing you need is to be mentally adding and subtracting numbers and second guessing yourself about whether or not you prepared enough food to feed your guests on your special day.

We also offer a helpful pulled pork per person calculator that you can use to estimate how much pulled pork you will need.

Pulled Pork Per Person Calculator

When calculating how much pulled pork per person you will need to purchase, there are two fundamental rules that you must keep in mind. The first concept is that, on average, you should count on 1/3 pound of cooked pulled pork per person while preparing pulled pork. In other words, one pound of pulled pork may usually provide enough food for three persons. It goes without saying that this amount will vary depending on how hungry your visitors are, whether or not you have children, and what you’re serving alongside the pulled pork.

To grasp the second premise, one must first realize that cooked pork weighs less than raw pork.

Water and other liquids are drawn out of the pig throughout the cooking process, resulting in a finished product that is substantially lighter than the pork was when it was first prepared.

Keeping all of these criteria in mind, the following is the method for determining how much pulled pork to serve per person: (1/3) x 2 = Amount of Raw Pork You Should Purchase (based on the number of guests).

You would multiply the number of visitors you have by a third (or divide by 3). As a result, your ultimate aim should be 4 pounds of cooked pulled pork. When you multiply 4 lbs of cooked pulled pork by 2, you get 8 lbs of raw pork that you need purchase.

Considerations To Be Mindful Of

In the vast majority of cases, the formulae and ideas outlined above will be completely effective. However, there are a few factors that you should take into mind while performing your calculations. It may be necessary to change the amount of pulled pork per person that you prepare from time to time in order to satisfy your diners’ preferences.

Time of Day

If your smoked BBQ feast is served at lunch or dinner, please specify. For the most part, lunch portions are smaller than dinner amounts – so if you’re serving your pulled pork at lunch, you might want to reduce the amount of cooked pulled pork you serve each person to 1/4 pound instead of 1/3 pound, or even less.

Type of Event

Additionally, the location of your barbeque is really important! Are you preparing a meal for a formal dinner or a barbeque by the pool? Whenever you prepare a meal for a sit-down supper, people tend to eat more and go back for seconds if they have room in their bellies. According to my observations, if your barbeque takes place in a more dynamic location, such as a pool party or a tailgate, you may find that you have a reduced requirement for the amount of food per participant. Because individuals are up and moving around, they are more likely to err on the side of caution when it comes to overindulging in food.

  1. Is it only pork, or are you also cooking burgers or smoking other forms of meat to accompany it?
  2. If your visitors have a large number of alternatives to pick from, you may want to consider reducing the overall amount of each type of food you provide.
  3. Is it sandwiches or tacos that you’re serving?
  4. If you’re serving pulled pork with a variety of delectable sides, you probably won’t need to prepare a mountain of pork for your guests to devour.

How About the Kiddos?

Unless your child is experiencing a significant growth spurt, the likelihood is that they will consume less food per person than your adult visitors. Although every child is unique, we prefer to plan for 0.25 pounds of cooked pulled pork per child for any of our cookouts in general.

When in Doubt… Leftovers Aren’t A Bad Thing

You should always prepare a little extra pulled pork than you think you’ll need per person if you’re ever in question about how much to cook for a party. One of the best things about pork shoulder is that it’s a very inexpensive cut of meat, so buying an additional pound or two will only cost you a few extra dollars in the long run. In addition, pulled pork makes for some extremely tasty leftovers the next day. I guarantee that you’ll be able to come up with delicious ways to use up your leftovers, whether it’s tacos, BBQ pizza, or sandwiches with pickles and a little onion on the side.

The following link will take you to a comprehensive article on how to reheat pulled pork. Visit that website for ideas, methods, and anything else you need to know about maximizing the use of your BBQ leftovers after the party is finished.

Storing Leftover Pulled Pork

To conclude on a positive note, it’s critical to understand how to properly and safely store any leftovers you may have. When it comes to excellent leftovers and keeping the flavor of your pulled pork, proper storage is essential. Take a container that can be sealed and kept airtight, such as a plastic freezer bag. Place your leftovers in the container, being sure to pour in any extra fluids that have accumulated in the serving pan during cooking. Because the fluids are essential for retaining moisture and effectively reheating your leftover BBQ, it is important to keep them in the fridge.

See also:  How Do You Make Cucumber Sandwiches?

It is recommended that you consume your food within 48 hours if it has been chilled to guarantee that it is safe to eat.

After three months, the flavor of your frozen food will begin to diminish as a result of the dreaded freezer burn.

Final Thoughts

This advice on how much food you should anticipate preparing for your guests should hopefully have clarified the air for you! Finally, deciding on the appropriate amount requires a combination of art and science. There are a few broad guidelines to follow, and generally speaking, a third of a pound of cooked pulled pork per person is plenty. However, depending on your audience and the environment, you may need to adjust this number up or down. And, just in case we’ve put the wagon before the horse here, if you want to understand the principles of pulled pork, check out our article on how to pull pork next.

Please share your thoughts with us in the comments area.

How Much Meat Per Person? BBQ Planning Guide

SmokedBBQSource is made possible by the contributions of its readers. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of the affiliate links on this page, we may get a commission at no additional cost to you. More information is available here: So you’ve agreed to cook the annual company BBQ as a favor to your coworkers. As the day draws closer, your excitement gives way to fear as you realize you have no clue how much meat you will need to prepare for the meal.

There are several tried and established standards to follow to ensure that you prepare the exact amount of food, whether it’s preparing the appropriate amount of meat per person or the appropriate number of sides.

Meat planning guidelines

The first thing you should ask yourself is whether or not meat will constitute the majority of the meal. If so, is it merely a sample of the meal you intend to serve with the appetizers, side dishes, and desserts you have planned?

It is critical to consider your barbeque as a whole since doing so will relieve you of the apparently hard burden of calculating just how much meat you will serve each visitor.

  • If you want to offer three side dishes, aim for a main dish that is approximately one-third of a pound of beef per person. It is reasonable to expect children under the age of 12 to consume around half the amount of an adult.

With this approximate rule in mind, most of the uncertainty and anxiety associated with determining how much meat to cook is removed. Of course, there are a number of other factors to take into consideration while fine-tuning your menu. In terms of the side dishes, consider how full they are going to be before ordering. Will you mostly serve light salads and grilled vegetables, or will you serve some potato or cheesy pasta dishes as a side dish? Creamy, carb-heavy foods will leave your visitors feeling extremely satisfied.

This allows people to gorge themselves on whichever sort of meat they like.

Factors to consider

There are a variety of factors that might determine how much food you need to prepare, including the following:

  • How many side dishes do you want to offer, and how “heavy” do you expect them to be, is a good question. Are you going to provide dessert? Is this going to be a luncheon or a supper, and how long do you expect the event to go on for? Guest grazing may result from a lengthy meal that drags on for an extended period of time. People, on the other hand, will incline to eat more during supper time in general. Who is going to be there? Will there be a large number of children? Are the majority of your guests male or female? Is it possible that any of your visitors are vegetarians? What is the average age of your guests? So, what type of gathering is this? Is it more formal or more informal? Do you want to sit down or walk around? Is there going to be alcohol? In most cases, drinking alcohol leads to increased food consumption.

How much brisket per person?

For a main course, a reasonable rule of thumb is to plan on roughly 11.3 pounds of cooked beef per person for a main course. Depending on your guests’ appetites and how many sides you have, this number might range from 12 pounds if your guests are heavy eaters to 14 pounds if your sides are plentiful. If you buy uncooked meat, it is crucial to note that the amount of uncooked meat you purchase does not match the amount of cooked meat you will consume. Once the fat has been removed from the brisket and the liquid has been evaporated during the cooking process, you may expect it to lose up to half of its weight.

Furthermore, because preparing brisket is a time-consuming endeavor, it is always beneficial to have some leftovers for yourself.

How many ribs per person?

A rack of ribs is made up of 12 ribs in total. However, not all types of ribs are of the same size and shape. Baby back ribs, for example, are smaller than spare ribs, which are smaller than beef back ribs, and so on. Consider if the ribs will be the primary attraction of the meal or if they will be a supporting act. You may use this basic guideline to choose whether or not to make the ribs the primary attraction at your dinner party.

  • For every four people who will be eating baby back ribs, plan on half a rack or six ribs per person. For spare ribs, aim for four or five ribs per guest, depending on how many you have. Preparing beef back ribs calls for two or three ribs each visitor
  • If you’re serving them, plan on two or three ribs per guest
  • Take into consideration the gender, age, and any inside information you have about the appetite of your visitors when determining serving sizes, just as you would with any of these tips.

We’ve put together a chart on how many ribs are in a rack to assist you in determining how many racks you’ll need to purchase.

How much pulled pork per person?

Predict that your beef will lose around half of its weight when it is cooked, just like you would with brisket. Similar to that, a third to a half pound of cooked pulled pork per person makes an adequate main dish. If you intend to serve your pulled pork in a sandwich, around 14 pounds of pork per person should be plenty.

Barbecue planning tips

Here are a few additional tips to consider while putting together your forthcoming event:

  • Set out all of your sides and secondary meats first if you intend to serve your meal buffet style. This will ensure that everyone has enough food before they go on to the main meat. When serving other meats, such as chicken or sausages, make sure they are sliced into bite-size pieces so that they are easier to consume. This will encourage customers to sample a little portion of all of your side dishes, hence increasing the amount of main meat they consume. Make some preparations the day before to prevent a frenzied rush on the day of the event

Begin by prepping the sides that can be stored securely overnight, as well as preparing and applying rubs and marinades to the meat.

Inspect the pantry and barbeque to ensure that you have everything you’ll need on the big day.

The trick to making sure everything is ready at the right time

For first-time pitmasters, getting all of your meat ready to serve at a specific time is a logistical headache. This is when the “faux cambro” will come in handy and rescue the day. In layman’s terms, a cambro is just a box that has been insulated. It is possible to purchase purpose-built cambros if you frequently cook for a large group of people, but for the casual chef who only cooks for one or two people, a decent beer cooler with a good seal will suffice. To make use of one:

  1. Cooking should begin at least an hour before you intend to dine, so that your meat is done when you arrive at your destination. In this way, even if the meat takes longer to cook than you anticipated, you will still be on schedule. For those that complete the task an hour early, this is when the fake cambro comes into play
  2. Fill it halfway with around three liters of hot tap water and seal it for 30 minutes to heat up
  3. Remove the water from the container and place a cloth in the bottom
  4. Wrapping your cooked meat with aluminum foil is a good idea. Place the wrapped meat in a disposable aluminum tray on top of the cloth and set aside. Place another towel on top of the first and close the lid. Done

Cooking should begin at least an hour before you want to dine, so that your meat is done when you arrive home. It ensures that you will be on time even if the meat takes longer to cook than anticipated. For those that complete the task an hour sooner, here is when the fake cambro comes in handy; Place three liters of hot tap water in it and seal it for 30 minutes to allow it to warm up. Pour out the water and place a towel at the bottom of the container. Using aluminum foil, wrap the cooked meat.

Another towel should be placed on top of the first one, and the lid should be secured.

Wrapping it up

Outside of sticking to a general guideline of 13 pound of cooked meat per person, there are a few more considerations to keep in mind while answering the question “How much meat per person?” How many individuals are expected to attend? I’m not sure how many side dishes I’ll be serving. What is the age and gender makeup of the guests? When is the planned event scheduled to take place? All of these are important considerations to bear in mind. Do you have any practical tips for feeding a large group of people that you would like to share?

Please let us know what you think in the comments area below.

How Much Pulled Pork Per Person (With Calculator)

In the summer, there’s nothing better than a backyard barbecue. While hamburgers and hotdogs are still popular choices for a barbecue lunch, pulled pork has become more popular as well. Do you still not believe us? Try yelling “pulled pork” and see how many people come running to your BBQ to have a taste of it for themselves. Pulled pork is a crowd-pleasing dish that provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your BBQ talents. While we’re on the subject, when it comes to pulled pork, there’s nothing else that compares in terms of both appearance and flavor.

Oh, my goodness!

Take our word for it when we say that if pulled pork appears on the menu, it will not be there for long.

Hosts are frequently confronted with the challenge of determining how much food will be acceptable for a given occasion.

Having enough is a constant battle; either you don’t have enough and run out before everyone has had their fill, or you have a ton of leftovers to deal with. It’s not a bad thing to have some leftover pulled pork, but you don’t want to end up with 10 pounds of leftovers.

But How Much Pulled Pork Per Person?

If you are having difficulty determining the quantity, you have arrived to the correct location. In this post, we’ll talk about a pulled pork calculator, or, to put it another way, we’ll put out a set of detailed recommendations for making pulled pork. These will assist a dissatisfied host in determining how much raw pork to purchase for their upcoming outdoor gathering. Essentially, the guideline is comprised on two really straightforward rules:

Rule1

Consider the following scenario: you need to prepare one pound of prepared pulled pork to feed three people. As a result, one-third of a pound, or around five ounces, is sufficient per person.

Rule2

When it comes to cooking the pork, you should expect around half of the output. Example: If you are cooking a 20-pound piece of raw pork, you will finish up with 10 pounds of pulled pork that is already prepared and ready for serving. In accordance with this guideline, you may determine how much raw pork you require using a very simple formula, which is detailed in the following section: The number of guests multiplied by the number of servings per pound is the amount of pulled pork you’ll need to prepare (in pounds).

We realize how perplexing things must appear to you at the moment.

As a result, I’ve provided you with a sample computation so that you may put things into perspective and begin to make sense of things.

Sample Calculation For Pulled Pork Servings

The number of visitors you expect to arrive is 60 people. 60 persons x 3 meals per pound = 20 pounds of pulled pork that has been made. You’ll need 40 pounds of raw pork for every 20 pounds of cooked pulled pork you have. Briefly stated, you’ll need around 40 pounds of uncooked pork to adequately feed 60 people.

See also:  What Tomatoes Are Best For Sandwiches?

Here Is A Handy Calculator To Help You With The Math

To be sure, this may be a very useful formula to have on hand, but you must also consider a variety of other elements before arriving at final numbers.

Age Group and Gender

It’s true that various age groups have diverse food preferences. Teenagers have a tendency to drink more, but a group of elderly men would consume less. In a similar vein, children will consume far less food than adults. Men, on the other hand, tend to consume more alcohol than women. Additionally, we would recommend that you take into consideration the occupations of your visitors as well. For example, a group of athletes may have a greater hunger than a group of individuals who work in an office environment.

Type Of Occasion

The cuisine and the amount of food you serve are totally dependent on the occasion you’re entertaining. If we may inquire, is this a children’s party that you’re throwing? Is it a social gathering, or, as we already indicated, an outside celebration of some sort? Things would be different if it was simply a normal get-together to which you invited your neighbors and friends to spend Sunday night with you and them. To summarize, you must first determine the nature of the event for which you intend to prepare food because different occasions necessitate different sorts of meal preparation.

Furthermore, it should be noted that sit-down dinners necessitate the provision of more food on the table than stand-up socials and events.

Time Of The Day

We are confident that you are aware of the fact that the majority of individuals consume more meat during supper. As a result, you may want to give careful consideration to the time of day before beginning your meal planning. It is likely that you will need to allot around 5 to 6 ounces of pulled pork per person if you are hosting an afternoon or evening party, and approximately 7 to 8 ounces of pulled pork per person if you are hosting a dinner party.

Style Of Dish You’re Serving

If the pulled pork is given as a complementary side dish, such as with a salad, the amount of pulled pork required for sandwiches will obviously be different than that required for sandwiches. If, on the other hand, you choose a buffet, we recommend that you be a little more liberal with your portions. This is due to the fact that buffets are difficult to plan, and you can never be certain how much meat each visitor will get to consume. We believe it is preferable to have leftovers than to have guests leave with half-empty stomachs, don’t you?

How To Store Pulled Pork Leftovers

Even if you make meticulous estimates, you may find yourself with some leftover pulled pork. As a result, make sure to keep your leftover pulled pork in an airtight container. It’s important to note that you may require more than one container to store it. It’s also important to pour in any surplus sauce to ensure that the meat keeps its natural taste. After that, simply store it in the refrigerator and you’re done.

Quick Tips To Make Your Pulled Pork Better

Make careful to brine the pork shoulder the night before your gathering. While you are cooking it, it will retain more moisture as a result of this. A pork shoulder is a huge piece of meat that requires a significant amount of time to properly prepare. As a result, be certain that you take this into consideration. It might take anywhere from 10 to 12 hours to cook, depending on how much weight is involved. The general rule of thumb is that one pound of beef should be cooked for 90 minutes. If you don’t have that much time, you might want to try utilizing thetexas crutch to reduce the amount of time spent cooking.

It is intended to be cooked at a low and moderate temperature.

Before serving pulled pork, one last consideration should be made: make sure it is at room temperature before serving.

You must heat the shoulder to at least 200 degrees before you begin to shred it since the shoulder has a lot of connective tissue.

How Much Pulled Pork Do You Need to Serve 30-40 People?

Serve your guests pulled pork and a variety of side dishes. Image courtesy of VeselovaElena/iStock/Getty Images. In many regions of the country, pulled pork is considered synonymous with barbecue. The soft meat and acidic flavor of this dish make it a favorite at family reunions and parties of all sizes, especially those held outdoors.

In order to ensure that you have enough meat to feed a large gathering of 30 to 40 people, you’ll want to crunch the figures thoroughly before you go out and purchase the meat.

Tip

Plan on serving 12 pounds of pulled pork to a party of 30 to 40 people for a luncheon. If you’re serving a large number of people for supper, increase the serving size and prepare at least 13 to 17 pounds of cooked beef.

Meal Time for a Large Group

For catering and feeding big parties, the general rule of thumb differs based on when the meal is being served. Generally speaking, four to five ounces of boneless meat each guest should be provided for lunch. If you’re serving supper to a large group, you’ll want to plan on a little extra meat, around five to seven ounces. This amounts to nine to twelve pounds of pulled pork for lunch and thirteen to seventeen pounds for dinner for a gathering of 30 to 40 people.

Serving Your Pulled Pork Up With Style

You may find that the amount of food you require is less important than the manner in which the food will be served when determining how much to purchase. Plating your meal, for example, makes it easy to arrange since you’ll know precisely how many plates to prepare in advance, presuming that all of your guests have responded positively to your invitation. In this scenario, have one or two extra portions available in case your calculations are incorrect or your numbers are wrong. A buffet, on the other hand, is more difficult to evaluate because visitors can eat as much as they want.

In the event that you’re offering pre-made pulled pork sandwiches, you should allow one or two sandwiches per individual, depending on how big the sandwiches are.

Perfect Side Dishes With Pulled Pork

Choosing a variety of substantial side dishes will help you reduce the amount of pulled pork you’ll need to prepare for a large gathering of people while still providing a delicious meal. Calculate the side dishes in four-ounce servings per person to ensure that there is variety and that everyone’s hunger is satisfied. Complement the barbecue theme with side dishes such as corn on the cob, salad (garden or other greens), potato salad (cole slaw), and baked beans, among other things. You can provide a basket of rolls as a side dish if you are not serving the pork in preassembled sandwich shape.

Leftovers and How to Use and Preserve Them

In the event that you purchase too much pulled pork, it is extremely simple to freeze the excess. Fill airtight containers with the meat and lots of sauce. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Sandwiches made with leftover pulled pork are very delicious, especially when served on toasted bread. Sandwiches, on the other hand, tend to become mushy when frozen; thus, remove the bread and only freeze the meat. Allow the pork to cool completely before removing it from the container. Frozen pulled pork can keep for four to six months in the freezer.

How Much Pulled Pork Per Person — Serving Size Guide and Calculator

This article will tell you how much raw pork to buy and cook so that everyone at your next barbecue has enough pulled pork, using a simple formula and a few of rules of thumb. You like sharing your culinary creations with enthusiastic diners, don’t you? Of course you do – we don’t just do it for the sake of pleasing ourselves! Given that we’re such kind individuals, we always want to make certain that our visitors have plenty to eat. Even if it means settling for a bit less than we had hoped for.

If you’re fed up with rationing meat or undervaluing yourself, this article will come to your rescue.

I’ve already done some easy arithmetic for you (“It was my assumption that there would be no math.”) but I’ve also included the original formula so that you may test it out for yourself if you so choose.

Now you can confidently calculate the amount of raw pork required for each person to receive a good portion of pulled pork.but you don’t have to because we’ve included a fast look-up table for your convenience! I’ll begin by stating a very important truth.

Cooked Pork Will Weigh Half as Much as Raw Pork

If you’ve ever grilled meat (or if you’ve ever watched Seinfeld), you’re probably acquainted with the term “shrinking.” You’ve probably seen that those hamburger patties that appear like they’re going to smash your buns come off of the grill considerably smaller than they did when they went on. This is due to the loss of moisture caused by the pressure of contracting fibers forcing it out of the flesh. It’s the same thing when it comes to raw pork, and in particular hog shoulder or pig butt, which is the source of pulled pork recipes.

  1. (Fat = taste, after all!) With all of that fat, there’s a lot of liquid — and weight — to lose, which is a good thing.
  2. This is incredible.
  3. However, this is little when compared to the loss.
  4. The worst thing that may happen is that you end up with a little extra money, which is never a terrible thing.
  5. Remember to always buy more pulled pork than you need since leftover pulled pork may be used in a variety of ways.

At a Glance — Table of Amount of Pulled Pork for Different Size Groups

Here are fixed amounts for particular numbers of people and children to save you the trouble of doing unneeded calculations. For the sake of making it fit on a smartphone mobile screen, we’ve divided it into two tables: one for adults and another for youngsters. Adults are the first to be considered:

Number of Adults Cooked Pork Required (in pounds) Raw Pork to Buy (in pounds)
1 1/3 2/3
2 2/3 1 1/3
5 1 2/3 3 1/3
10 3 2/3 6 2/3
20 6 2/3 13 1/3
30 10 20
50 16 2/3 33 1/3
100 33 1/3 66 2/3

And now, for the younger ones:

Number of Children Cooked Pork Required (in pounds) Raw Pork to Buy (in pounds)
1 1/4 1/2
2 1/2 1
5 1 1/4 2 1/2
10 2 1/2 5
20 5 10
30 7 1/2 15
50 12 1/2 25
100 25 50

If you are not interested in utilizing the formula from the next part, you may figure out any value in between using these charts. Not to mention that if you have 100 kids over for pulled pork, you’re in serious trouble!

How Much Cooked Pulled Pork to Serve Per Person— the Math

Of course, this is mostly a question of personal preference. Individuals will always be divided into those who desire more and those who desire less. In light of my own personal experience and the general opinion among pitmasters and pork enthusiasts, you should plan on serving the following: Adults should have 1/3 pound of cooked pulled pork and children should consume 1/4 pound of cooked pulled pig. It’s important to remember that this is the cooked weight, not the raw weight. This implies that you’ll need 2/3 pound of raw pork per adult and 1/2 lb per youngster for each participant in your group.

A Simple Formula for Buying Raw Pork

Math? Dammit. Well, it’s meat math, so I guess I shouldn’t be too bothered by it. For any mix of children and adults, the following formula will help you determine the amount of raw pork you will require for your meal preparation. In order to figure out how much money you’ll need, you’ll need to multiply the number of adults by a third of pound and the number of children by a quarter pound. Once you’ve calculated your total, multiply it by two to get the weight in pounds of raw pork you’ll need to purchase.

Consider the following scenario: you’ve invited five couples, each of which has six children.

Substituting into our formula, we get:((10 1/3) + (6 1/4)) x 2 = ((10 1/3) + (6 1/4)) x 2 = ((10 1/3) + (6 1/4)) x 2 = ((10 1/3) + (6 1/4)) x 2 = ((10 1/3) + (6 1/4)) x 2 = ((10 1/3) + (6 1/4)) x 2 = ((10 1/3) + (6 1/4)) x 2 = ((10 As a result, the equation becomes (3.3 + 1.5) 2 As a result, 4.8 2 is obtained.

Adding up to a total of 9.6 pounds of uncooked pork. Easy-peasy.

Other Things to Consider

Math? Dammit. But it’s meat math, so it’s not a big deal to me right now. For any mix of children and adults, the following formula can help you determine the amount of raw pork you’ll require for your meal. If you have a group of adults, multiply their total by three-tenths-of-a-pound and the same for children, multiply both by one-quarter-pound. Once you’ve calculated your total, divide it by two to get the weight in pounds of raw pork you’ll need to purchase. With A representing Adults and C representing Children, the formula looks somewhat like this: ((A/3) + (C/4)) / 2 = Number of Pounds of Raw Pork Required As an illustration, consider the following situation.

There are a total of 10 adults and 6 children in this group.

Overall, 9.6 pounds of raw pork were consumed.

What Meal are You Serving?

The size of the portion will vary based on the meal. Lunch portions are often more moderate in size, however a supper portion may be a little more substantial.

What’s the Occasion?

If your guests will be wandering around and maybe eating off paper plates, you should plan on serving larger amounts than you would for a sit-down lunch. If you’re preparing food for a festival where attendees will be tasting items from a variety of exhibitors, a smaller portion is recommended. However, if you’ve deliberately invited friends and family over to try your products, they’ll be expecting a substantial serving of pulled pork! Are you presenting side dishes or any other grilled or smoked meats with your dinner guests?

Final Thoughts

Consider serving larger servings than you would normally offer at a sit-down lunch if your guests are strolling about and eating off paper plates. A smaller serving size is recommended when cooking for a festival where attendees will be tasting foods from several exhibitors. However, if you’ve particularly invited friends and family over to try your products, they’ll be expecting a hefty mound of pulled pork to be served. Serve any side dishes or additional grilled or smoked meats with your meal.

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