Picture this: tender, smoky goodness so irresistible it practically melts in your mouth. Now, imagine taking smoked pork butt and transforming it into mouthwatering pulled pork on the Traeger grill. With our help, you’ll learn how to make every batch of food taste just right, with the right amount of smoky flavor and juicy tenderness.
Pulled pork is a quintessential BBQ dish with tender smoky shreds of pork shoulder just begging to be piled high on a bun. But when cooking a bone-in pork butt or shoulder for pulled pork, how much finished meat can you expect to end up with?
In this article, we’ll break down how to calculate the yield from an 8lb bone-in pork butt. We’ll look at factors like bone weight, fat rendering, and cooking method that impact your total quantity of pulled pork.
Whether you’re meal planning for a crowd or just want to nail your pork predictions, let’s dig into the meat math and see how much delicious pulled pork you can yield from an 8lb pork shoulder.
Starting Weights and Yield Ranges for Pork Butts
First it’s helpful to understand typical pork butt starting weights and ranges of expected yields
- Whole bone-in pork butts usually range from 8 to 12 pounds.
- For an 8lb pork butt, expect a yield between 4.5 and 5.5 lbs of pulled pork.
- In general, plan for around a 40-50% yield from a bone-in pork butt after cooking, pulling, and fat rendering.
- Heavier butts and boneless roasts will yield a higher percentage than smaller or bone-in cuts.
These yield ranges account for loss of moisture, fat rendering, and bone weight during the long, slow cooking process. Now let’s look more closely at why you lose so much from a whole pork shoulder during cooking and pulling.
Factors That Reduce Pork Butt Yield
There are a few key reasons your 8lb pork butt shrinks down significantly when cooking pulled pork:
- Bone weight – The shoulder bone accounts for 1-2 lbs of weight in an 8lb pork butt. After cooking, this bone is removed, decreasing yield.
- Fat rendering – Pork shoulder has a high fat content, both visibly marbled and in a thick fat cap. Much of this fat melts and renders out during low, slow cooking.
- Moisture loss – Extended cooking times result in evaporated moisture, concentrating flavors but reducing water weight and yield.
- Trimming – Excess fat is trimmed after cooking and pulling to yield a leaner finished pork.
Cooking methods that use moisture, like braising and slow cookers, minimize weight loss versus drier roasting. But in general, losing 35-50% yield from a whole bone-in pork butt is normal.
Calculating Pulled Pork Yield from an 8lb Butt
Now let’s put this all together to predict the yield from an 8lb bone-in pork shoulder:
- 8lb raw pork butt
- Remove ~1.5lb bone after cooking = 6.5lb
- Lose about 30% of weight from moisture and fat rendering = 4.5lb
- Trimming some fat after pulling removes about 0.5lb = ~4lb yield
So for an 8lb pork butt, expect approximately 4-5lbs of finished pulled pork after cooking, pulling, and trimming.
If you remove the bone before cooking, you may get up to 1lb more finished pork. And a less fatty picnic shoulder cut tends to yield slightly less than a fattier Boston butt. But the takeaway is an 8lb bone-in pork butt yields around 4-5lbs pulled pork.
Estimating Cook Times
With your starting weight and expected yield range determined, next comes the cooking! Guidelines for cook times are:
- Plan for 1-1.5 hours per pound at ~300°F
- An 8lb butt takes around 8-12 hours in a slow cooker or oven
- Grill and smoker times vary more based on temperature. An 8lb butt may take 10-14+ hours.
- Monitor internal temp, not time. Cook to 200°F for pulling.
The long, low cooking is key to properly breaking down the fat and connective tissue to yield tender, pullable meat. Rushing the process reduces moisture and tenderness. Patience pays off in perfect pulled pork!
Serving Size Estimates
Now that you know roughly how many pounds of finished pork to expect, how many people can you serve? Here are some serving size estimates based on a 5lb yield:
- For sandwiches: Count about 1/3 lb pork per regular sandwich = ~15 sandwiches
- For a meal: Estimate 1/2 cup pork per person = ~10 servings
- For a crowd: Allow 2-3 oz pork per person = 20-30 servings
These are rough estimates that can help guide your purchasing and recipes. Serving sizes vary based on the other dish components and diner appetites!
Maximizing Leftovers
The good news about pulled pork is the leftovers last for several days and work in many dishes beyond sandwiches like:
- Tacos, burritos, and enchiladas
- Pizza, nachos, stuffed potatoes
- Omelets, breakfast burritos, hash
- Salads, wraps, and soups
Properly stored in the fridge, pulled pork keeps for 3-4 days. Freeze extra portions for later use within 2-3 months. Pre-portioning into usable amounts helps reduce waste.
Get Pulling!
Armed with estimates for yield amounts, cook times, and servings, you can confidently take on an 8lb pork shoulder roast. Allow ample time for low, moist cooking methods and use a thermometer for best results. Rest assured the end result will be mouthwatering pulled pork that makes the time investment well worth it.
How Much Pork Do You Need?
Smoked pork butt goes a long way, but make sure to plan accordingly for large gatherings. Plan on about one-half pound per person for boneless. When you pull the pork, keep in mind that a lot of the meat will shrink and fat will be wasted if you do it bone-in. Count on approximately 30% loss.
Let It Rest (This Is Key)
When cooking large hunks of meat, a good rest is as important as a good cook. When youre smoking a pork butt, its no different.
Before you shred it, let it sit at room temperature for at least 45 minutes and no more than two hours. If. if it’s going to be more than a few hours before the meal, you can leave the meat on the Traeger with the heat off or put it in the oven and turn the temperature down to about 170°F.
Make a faux Cambro using a tight plastic beer cooler. Leave the probe in the meat and wrap the hunk tightly in foil. Then wrap the foil with more towels, and put the whole thing in the cooler. Fill up the cooler with more towels, blankets, or newspaper to keep the meat insulated. Hang the thermometer cord over the lid of the cooler, and close it tightly. Make sure it never goes below 145°F. This will soften the bark and slightly change the texture of the meat.
Smoked Pulled Pork – How To Feed 350 people [ CATERING ] 16 pork butts in 8 min WOW? #catering
FAQ
How many sandwiches will 10 pounds of pulled pork make?
How much does 8 lbs of pulled pork feed?
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Pounds of Pork Butt (Raw Weight)
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Number of Servings (1/3 pound serving)
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Number of Servings (1/2 pound serving)
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8
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12
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8
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16
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24
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16
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24
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36
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24
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32
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48
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32
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How many pounds of pork to make pulled pork for 100?
How many pounds of pulled pork to feed 30 people?