How Much Pulled Pork Per Person?
Pulled pork is always a crowd pleaser, whether you’re looking for a meal for your family or if you’re hosting guests for a special occasion.
It is also a great meal to serve when you have quite a few mouths to feed since you can bulk it up with rolls and sides. However, one problem many people face when making pulled pork is calculating the quantity needed!
How much pulled pork is needed per person? Generally, it is recommended that you have ⅓ pound of pulled pork per person, but this is after cooking — since pork shrinks when cooked, you would need about ⅔ pound per person. You can use this number to determine how much pulled pork to cook for the number of guests you’re expecting.
There is quite a bit that goes into planning a pulled pork meal, and you definitely don’t want to be left without enough food for all of your guests.
Read on to find out exactly how to work out how much pulled pork you need in different situations, plus some helpful tips!
How Much Pulled Pork Is Needed Per Person?
The tricky part of working out how much pulled pork you need per person is that you would start off with raw pork — when raw pork goes through the cooking process, it shrinks quite substantially.
In fact, during the cooking process, the pork will shrink up to 50%, so you do have to do some calculations on how much raw pork you need to achieve the right amount of pulled pork per person.
The general rule is that you should provide around â…“ pound (5 ounces) of pulled pork per person.
This should be enough meat for just about anyone and you will likely have leftovers at the end of it, which is better than not having enough.
How To Calculate Amount Of Raw Boneless Pork
When you visit the butcher or your local grocery store to buy the pork to cook, you cannot use this weight of ⅓ pound per person — this is the finished pulled pork weight, and you need to adjust it to the weight of the pork before cooking.
Since pork shrinks up to 50% during cooking, you would need to double the amount of cooked pulled pork to know how much raw pork to buy.
An easy way to work this out would be to know how many guests you are feeding, and then to use the following equation for boneless pork cuts:
(Number of guests x â…“) x 2 = the weight (in pounds) of raw pork needed
However, you do need to keep in mind that this is for boneless pork cuts — bone-in pork cuts will need to be worked out differently. Luckily, we’ve done the prep work for you!
How To Calculate Amount Of Raw Bone-In Pork
Bone-in pork needs its own equation, as you need to account for the extra weight of the bone found in the pork.
If you use the same equation as boneless pork, you will not have enough pulled pork for each person.
Instead of calculating how much raw pork to buy using ⅓ pound of pulled pork per person, you need to work it out using ½ pound per person.
The equation for bone-in pork cuts would look as follows:
(Number of guests x ½) x 2 = the weight (in pounds) of raw pork needed
Pulled Pork Serving Size Chart
Here is a quick chart showing the serving size amount of pulled pork per person you should prepare to make sure there’s enough meaty goodness to go around:
| 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 is a quick chart showing how much raw pork to purchase per person, for both boneless and bone-in pork, to ensure that you have enough pulled pork 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 easy enough to head off to the butcher to purchase a pound of pork to make pulled pork for the family, but it is important to know how many people a pound of pork really feeds.
Before finding this out, you need to know whether the pork is boneless or bone-in. A pound of boneless pork will feed more people than a pound of bone-in pork, as there is no weight taken up by the bone.
Typically, 1 pound of boneless pork should feed about 2 people, as the pork will shrink almost half in size as it cooks. For bone-in pork, 1 pound should feed about 1 person, once the meat has shrunk and the bone has been removed.
If in doubt, your local butcher should also be able to give you some good advice on how many pounds of pork you would need to feed the number of guests you are having.
What To Consider With How Much Pulled Pork To Serve
The beauty of pulled pork is that it can be bulked up quite a bit when served!
Once you think about the buns you are serving it on and the sides, you can get away with ⅓ pound of pulled pork per person — expect to have leftovers as well!
When deciding how much pulled pork to serve per person, here are some things to consider when deciding how much is needed.
Type Of Meal
If you are serving pulled pork as your main dish with limited sides, then it is best to have the whole ⅓ pound per person — maybe even a little bit more if you are feeding guests with hearty appetites.
If it is just one of a few dishes you are serving (like a BBQ with burgers and hot dogs), or if you’re attending a potluck, then you can get away with making less pulled pork per person since they’ll be filling up on other food as well.
You can lessen the quantity of pulled pork per person if you are going to be serving it alongside other meals, but if it is the star of the show, then it is best to play it safe and prepare the recommended amount.
Sides And Salads
You can get away with serving less than the recommended amount of pulled pork for each person if you are serving sides and salads with the pulled pork.
Potato salads, green salads, baked beans, and other sides can all be really filling — if you offer a variety of salads for guests to enjoy, then they might not have room for ⅓ pound of pulled pork!
However, it might be worth having some extra pulled pork in case guests are still hungry, even after having sides.
Size Of The Buns
Take into account the size of the buns you are serving the pulled pork on. Smaller buns will hold a smaller amount of pulled pork, and larger buns will obviously be able to hold more.
While this doesn’t really change how much pulled pork you would need to serve per person, if you are serving smaller buns, they will be eating more bread if they have more than one, and therefore might become fuller faster.
Number Of Guests
It also helps to know the guests you are feeding. If you are just cooking pulled pork for your family at home, think about how much each person would eat.
Younger children will likely not eat â…“ pound of pulled pork, so you can cater less for them.
On the other hand, if you are having guests over who have larger appetites, it might be worth adding some more pulled pork to the recommended amount — it’s always better to have too much than too little!
Time Of Day
This can be tricky to work with, but generally speaking, people eat less at lunchtime than at dinner time — you could probably serve slightly less pulled pork per person at lunchtime if you think your guests would be okay.
Also, if it is a poolside pulled pork meal, people will be less likely to fill up completely, as opposed to eating a full meal at a sit-down dinner.
However, once again, it is always better to over-cater than to under-cater — you’ll still be able to use the leftover pulled pork for other meals, so it won’t go to waste.
What To Do With Leftover Pulled Pork
Even following the recommended amount of pulled pork per person, you might still find yourself with leftover pulled pork.
It’s a good idea to make a little bit extra as well, in case anyone goes back for seconds, and also so that you have some leftover pulled pork to enjoy the next day too.
Pulled pork is one of those meals that can be used in so many different ways!
Traditionally, it is served with sides or on a bun, but there are so many other things you can do with a small amount of leftover pulled pork too — you might even be able to get a whole family meal from some leftover pulled pork!
Some great ways to use leftover pulled pork include using it as a pizza topping, serving tacos, making a pasta bake, or even whipping up some sandwiches.
It is also really affordable to buy some extra pork when making pulled pork, since pork shoulder is one of the cheaper cuts of meat around — you do get more bang for your buck compared to other meats, especially when you are bulking it up!
Perking Up Leftover Pulled Pork
When it comes time to enjoy your leftover pulled pork, it might help to add in a little more barbecue sauce to replace any of the moisture lost while it was stored in the fridge or freezer.
For frozen pulled pork leftovers, take the pulled pork out of the freezer and leave it in the fridge to thaw overnight before eating.
Once you have reheated leftover pulled pork, you need to either eat it or discard of it — you should not reheat it again after that, as it increases the risk of bacteria growth.
Best Way To Store Leftover Pulled Pork
There is a good chance you might have some leftover pulled pork, especially if you have overestimated the amount that you would need.
To avoid wasting the pulled pork, and leaving it out to spoil, you need to know how to store leftover pulled pork properly.
The best way to store leftover pulled pork is to place the leftovers in an airtight and fridge-safe container. Make sure to add any leftover juices to the container as well, to ensure that the pork does not dry out.
You can also place the leftover pulled pork into a resealable freezer bag, squeezing out as much air as possible before sealing it shut.
Whichever container you do decide to use, make sure that it seals airtight — this will keep the pulled pork in the best condition possible and stop any odor from spreading to other food in the refrigerator.
Wait until the pulled pork has cooled down to room temperature first before placing it in the fridge so that it does not increase the internal temperature of the fridge and put the other food at risk.
Once placed in the fridge, use the pulled pork within 2 days.
Can Leftover Pulled Pork Be Frozen?
If you do not think that you will be using the leftover pulled pork within 2 days, then you can freeze it to extend its shelf-life further.
You can prepare the pulled pork for freezing just like you would for refrigeration by placing it in an air-tight freezer container or in a plastic freezer bag (once again making sure to squeeze out as much air as possible first).
However, when freezing pulled pork, it is really helpful to label the container or freezer bag with the name of the contents and the date of freezing, so you can keep track of when you need to use it by.
Pulled pork can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can leave it for longer than this, but the quality will begin to decline and there is an increased risk of freezer burn, which will ruin the pulled pork substantially.
Final Thoughts
Making pulled pork for your family or guests is always a great idea, but you definitely want to get your quantities right so that everyone is left happy and full — you might even find yourself with some delicious leftovers, too!
The general rule is that each person will need about ⅓ pound of pulled pork — when working out how much raw pork to buy, you would need to double this amount per person, as the meat shrinks substantially during the cooking process.
We have covered just about everything you need to know when making pulled pork in the above guide, so take a read-through to be better prepared for the next time you make this crowd-pleaser!
Related Questions
Now that we’ve learned all about pulled pork and how to figure out the amount you might need per person, here are some additional questions we thought you might have.
What is the best pork cut for pulled pork?
The best cut of pork to use to make pulled pork is pork shoulder. It has the best fat content to give tender and juicy pork, and it can be cooked for a long period to break down the meat more.
How long does it take to cook pulled pork?
Pulled pork is best when cooked for a long period of time. Ideally, it should be cooked either on high for 4-5 hours or slow cooked on low for up to 8 hours.
