Whether you are feeding your family, a crowd, or a special occasion, knowing how much pulled pork to serve per person can be tricky. There are a few easy calculations that can be done to ensure you have the right amount of shredded/pulled pork to serve. No more worries if you will not have enough or have too many leftovers. Be confident that you will know the right serving size of pulled pork per person.
Once you take into account what the full menu is and how much other food you will be cooking, it will be easy to complete the meal. Below are all the quick tips, calculations, and guides for how much shredded pork to offer for a complete meal.
This will ensure you have enough meat whether it is a pulled pork plate with sides or a pulled pork sandwich on a bun, everyone will be served the right amount. Below is all you need to know to have plenty of pulled pork for whatever your meal, buffet, or party menu may be.
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Plan the Full Menu to Decide
The most important first step is to take into account what will accompany the pulled pork. There are a lot of amazing sides to serve with pulled pork so make it a meal no one will forget.
Consider the role of tender smoked pulled pork shoulder in the overall menu. When the meat is the main course with a few sides, you will want more per person. When the pulled pork is on a bun or is part of a casserole or is used as a topping for nachos, you will want less per person.
Also, take into account who will be eating the pulled pork. Is it a family of 6 with 2 adults and 4 young kids or are you having a BBQ for a group of adults for a Super Bowl party? Hungry adults will eat more than small kids. Keep this in mind and maybe 2 kids will count as 1 adult. Now that you know this, continue on to find out more.
Pulled Pork Plated or in a Sandwich
When serving pulled pork as the only main ingredient, you will want to make sure you plate up a hearty amount. Make sure you offer enough pork per person and measure out how many pounds.
To calculate how many pounds of pulled pork per person, use the simple grid below. This will help you figure out how much raw pork shoulder to buy per person. It will also estimate how the amount of meat you will have once it has cooked.
The calculations below are an estimate of ⅓ - ½ pounds of cooked pulled pork per person. I recommend ⅓ a pound of pulled pork when enjoying a hearty sandwich. If you want a pulled pork plate without a bun, ½ pound per adult is the best.
| ENTREE - COOKED | Per Person | 5 people |
| Pulled Pork Sandwich | ⅓ pound | 2 pounds |
| Pulled Pork, plated | ½ pound | 3 pounds |
| ENTREE - COOKED | Per Person | 10 people |
| Pulled Pork Sandwich | ⅓ pound | 4 pounds |
| Pulled Pork, plated | ½ pound | 5 pounds |
How Many Pounds of Uncooked Pork
To start, you need to know how many pounds of raw pork to buy. Since smoking and slow-cooking a pork shoulder or pork butt will yield much less meat than the initial size of the roast. Once cooked, you will lose about 40-50% of the overall weight once rendered down and cooked.
Here is the best guide to know how much raw pork shoulder or Boston butt to buy to calculate how many people it will serve. Whether bone-in or boneless here is how many uncooked pounds of pork you will need per serving.
Raw Boneless or Bone-in Pork Butt or Shoulder
The weight of your uncooked pork butt will be about half once it is cooked. Therefore, the amount of pulled pork meat you will get from a boneless roast is about ½ as much as the initial weight.
The simple calculation is you need 1 pound of raw shoulder or pork butt per person. Once cooked it will yield ½# of pulled pork per person.
- 6 pounds of raw boneless pork = 3# cooked for 6 people
- 10 pounds of raw boneless pork = 5# cooked for 10 people
- 20 pounds of raw boneless pork = 10# cooked for 20 people
When Pulled Pork is Part of a Recipe
If you have leftover pulled pork and are ready to transform it into something new, time to figure out how much you need. This will help especially if you need to defrost the pulled pork and want to make sure you have enough but do not thaw more than you need.
This is true for example when serving pulled pork as part of a stir-fry, breakfast hash, or tacos as a main dish. This is the best way to figure out how much pork meat to add to pasta, stews, or casseroles.
When you are making a recipe where the meat is about ½ of the total ingredients, it is best to use ⅙ of a pound per person. This is when about 2 ounces of pulled pork per person should be used. An easy way to think of this also is that 8 ounces of pulled pork for a recipe that serves 4, like in this delicious pulled pork nachos recipe that is loaded with cheese, coleslaw, & more.
How Much Pulled Pork for a BBQ Buffet
If you have a big family reunion, party, or wedding, you may need to serve a crowd a lot of pulled pork. Be a gracious host and provide plenty to eat so everyone leaves happy & remembers the wonderful meal.
For a buffet where 1 other entree is being served for a crowd, the amount of pulled pork needed per person is simple to calculate. If the wedding, birthday, anniversary, or party has other entrees, sides, and more - the serving amounts on how much to serve per guest are suggested below.
Use this guide when the complete menu includes appetizers, at least 1 other main course plus the pork, 3 or more sides, and a dessert. This is how much pulled pork to serve a crowd - adult-portion sizes are what is considered here.
How Much Pulled Pork for 25 people
| BUFFET ENTREE | 25 people |
| Pulled Pork Sandwich | 7 pounds |
| Pulled Pork, plated | 9 pounds |
How Much Pulled Pork for 50 People
| BUFFET ENTREE | 50 people |
| Pulled Pork Sandwich | 14 pounds |
| Pulled Pork, Plated | 18 pounds |
Other How Much Meat Guides
Another party guide that may be helpful for your buffet, is knowing how many pounds or pieces of chicken to cook per person. If you are serving ham, find out how many pounds of ham per person for that too. Or if you are having a southern cookout, don't forget to serve the right about of crawfish per person too. You will have exactly what you need.
All are estimates and are not exact science. Keep in mind that this is for when this is the main meal of the day and not a light lunch. Guest makeup may also be taken into consideration - for example, are they all adults, some children, etc.
Angela says
Thank you so much for this information! I was about to buy enough pork to feed only half of my party! You saved my son's graduation party 😊