The amount of pork shoulder to plan per person depends on whether it is bone- in or boneless and how much cooked meat you want to serve. Here are the general guidelines:
- For bone-in pork shoulder, plan on about 1 pound of raw meat per person. This accounts for the bone weight and fat, as well as shrinkage during cooking (about 40-50% loss). This typically yields about 1/2 pound of cooked pulled pork per person
- For boneless pork shoulder, plan on about 2/3 pound (or double the desired cooked portion) of raw meat per person. Since cooked pulled pork weighs about half of the raw weight, estimate about 1/3 pound of cooked meat per person
- If serving pulled pork sandwiches, you can reduce the cooked portion to about 1/4 pound per person, which means less raw pork shoulder is needed accordingly
- A practical rule of thumb is 6 to 8 ounces of cooked pulled pork per person. To get that, start with about 11 to 12 ounces of raw pork shoulder per person (bone-in)
- For a simple estimate, 1/3 to 3/4 pound of raw pork shoulder per person is a good range, depending on appetite and other food served
In summary:
Pork Type| Raw Pork per Person| Cooked Pork per Person
---|---|---
Bone-in| 1 pound| ~1/2 pound
Boneless| ~2/3 pound| ~1/3 pound
Pulled pork sandwiches| Less (about 1/4 pound cooked)| 1/4 pound cooked
It's advisable to slightly overestimate to allow for leftovers, as cooked pork shoulder freezes well
. For example, for 10 adults using bone-in pork shoulder, you would buy about 10 pounds of raw pork shoulder to yield about 5 pounds of cooked pulled pork
. This approach ensures you have enough pork shoulder per person for a satisfying meal.
