How much pulled pork per person?
Plan 1/2 lb of pulled pork for each adult, which means buying 1 lb of raw bone-in pork butt. A butt loses about half its weight to fat, water and the bone, so one 8 lb butt feeds about 8 people.
Pulled pork per person chart
For typical eaters at a cookout with sides. Raw weights are as bought, rounded up to the half pound.
| Adults | Pulled pork | Raw, bone-in butt | Butts at 8 lb | Raw, boneless butt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 5 lb | 10 lb | 2 | 9.5 lb |
| 15 | 7.5 lb | 15 lb | 2 | 14 lb |
| 20 | 10 lb | 20 lb | 3 | 18.5 lb |
| 25 | 12.5 lb | 25 lb | 4 | 23 lb |
| 30 | 15 lb | 30 lb | 4 | 27.5 lb |
| 40 | 20 lb | 40 lb | 5 | 36.5 lb |
| 50 | 25 lb | 50 lb | 7 | 45.5 lb |
| 75 | 37.5 lb | 75 lb | 10 | 68.5 lb |
| 100 | 50 lb | 100 lb | 13 | 91 lb |
Light eaters need about two thirds of these weights and big eaters about half as much again. The calculator above does both, and counts children as half an adult.
Why a pork butt shrinks by half
Pork butt, also sold as Boston butt or pork shoulder, is a fatty, hard-working cut. That is why it pulls apart after a long cook. On the way there it renders a lot of fat and loses water, and a bone-in butt also has a blade bone you throw away. Plan on getting back about 50% of the raw weight as pulled meat.
A boneless butt has no bone to lose, so a little more of it comes back: we plan on about 55%. Many cooks still prefer bone-in, because the bone slides out clean when the meat is done, which tells you it is ready to pull.
Warehouse clubs often sell butts in pairs, two in one pack at 14 to 18 lb. Two of those packs feed about 30 people.
Sandwiches and sliders
A pulled pork sandwich takes about 1/4 lb of meat, and a slider about half that. For a crowd eating mostly sandwiches, count sandwiches. Forty sandwiches need about 10 lb of pulled pork, or 20 lb raw bone-in.
Pulled pork is the easiest barbecue to stretch and to keep. It reheats well with a splash of its own juices, and it freezes for months.
What to smoke it on
The three cookers our reviews rate highest for smoking low and slow, from the 52 we have scored for it. A big cut sits on the heat for 10 hours or more, so how a cooker holds low and steady matters more here than how hot it gets.
Kamado Joe Classic II
What we liked: The Kontrol Tower holds its air setting through a lid opening, which the $999.99 entry Classic does not offer. One sealed ceramic chamber covers 225 to 750 degrees, though a single round fire never gives two independent zones.
What we didn't like: At $1,499.99 the extra $500 over the entry Classic buys a hinge and a vent, with nothing new on the grate.
Char-Griller 22-inch Kettle Charcoal Grill and Smoker
What we liked: At $149.99 the enameled bowl, coal door, ash bucket and five-year cover all arrive together, with nothing held back for the accessories aisle. Coal door, grate lifter, two dampers and a lid dial cover every routine job on a kettle.
What we didn't like: Char-Griller publishes one heat figure, up to 400°F, and rates the bowl for only 2 lb of charcoal.
Broil King Keg Kamado Charcoal
What we liked: Leads the kamado field on handling: 140.4 lb rolling on four locking castors, with shelves that lift off by hand. Ceramic bricks and a diffuser do the storing, two dampers do the steering, and the reversible cast iron grid does the searing.
What we didn't like: Around $1,256 buys the cooker, then the diffuser kit, pellet module and rotisserie are each a separate purchase.
See every pick for smoking, or the best smokers on their own.
Questions people ask
- How much pulled pork do I need for 50 people?
- About 25 lb of pulled pork, which is 50 lb of raw bone-in butt. That is 7 butts at a typical 8 lb each. For a lunch crowd or lots of sides, two thirds of that is enough.
- How much pulled pork for 100 people?
- About 50 lb cooked and 100 lb raw, or 13 butts. Pork butts are forgiving to cook side by side, so this is a manageable cook on a large smoker or two smaller ones.
- How many people does an 8 lb pork butt feed?
- About 8 adults. An 8 lb bone-in butt gives roughly 4 lb of pulled pork, at 1/2 lb each. A 10 lb butt feeds about 10.
- Is the 1/2 lb raw or cooked?
- Cooked. Half a pound is the pulled meat on each plate. Raw, plan on 1 lb per adult for bone-in butt, or about 15 oz for boneless.
- How much pulled pork per person in grams?
- About 225 g of pulled pork per adult, which is about 450 g of raw bone-in butt. Switch the calculator to kilograms and every figure follows.
- How many servings are in a pound of pulled pork?
- Two plates, or four sandwiches. At 1/2 lb a plate and 1/4 lb a sandwich, one pound of cooked pork is two to four servings depending on how you serve it.