How Much Sauce for Pork Butts

[jeffreywp1]

I have a large cook coming up and need to figure out how much sauce to make. I will be cooking for 175 people and figured on cook 120# plus of butts. I have a handle on the rub as the last bottle of Yardbird got me three butts with almost enough left for a forth, but how much sauce do I need. I do use sauce for finishing after I pull, but I use very little (about 1/3 cup per 8#butt) I will be making a mustard sauce and maybe use Shack sauce for my finishing sauce.

[MilitantSquatter]

120/8 = 15

15 * 1/3 c = 5 cups

That would be for what you regularly do.

Then, if you plan to have sauce on the side figure 2 oz. per person

so if you have 175 people x 2 oz. per person that's 350 oz. / 16 = ~ 22 cups.

Go up or down from here depending on how you plan to serve.

[Bludawg]

I figure 2 oz per serving that includes what little ENC I a add when I pull it.

[jeffreywp1]

120/8 = 15

15 * 1/3 c = 5 cups

That would be for what you regularly do.

Then, if you plan to have sauce on the side figure 2 oz. per person

so if you have 175 people x 2 oz. per person that's 350 oz. / 16 = ~ 22 cups.

Go up or down from here depending on how you plan to serve.

This seems to be good math. In the past I have always had too much, which is better than not enough. Recently I did 5 butts about 40# and made 10 cups of mustard sauce and 4 cups of Shack sauce and brought home a little over half of the sauce. So with 4 times the amount of meat, twice the amount of sauce should be close.

[IamMadMan]

I never sauce, but rather serve it on the side.

Last Sunday I served 80 pounds of cooked pulled pork and the patrons used less that 12 ounces of three sauces combined.

Believe it or not, no one even touched the commercial brands I always bring for those who want a recognized brand.

.

[aks801]

Timely post, as I am contemplating cooking my first pork butt soon.

Is the "finishing sauce" what you toss in as you pull the pork?
Should it be the same as what is offered for folks to put on their sammies?
FWIW, I plan on making a mustard/vinegar sauce.

[qman]

120/8 = 15

15 * 1/3 c = 5 cups

That would be for what you regularly do.

Then, if you plan to have sauce on the side figure 2 oz. per person

so if you have 175 people x 2 oz. per person that's 350 oz. / 16 = ~ 22 cups.

Go up or down from here depending on how you plan to serve.

Where did the 16 come from in this equation?
a cup is 8 ounces, not 16. Am I missing something? 350 ounces is more like 44 cups.
About 2.75 gallons

[muidaq]

...or that's some seriously dense sauce. :lol:

[jeffreywp1]

Timely post, as I am contemplating cooking my first pork butt soon.

Is the "finishing sauce" what you toss in as you pull the pork?
Should it be the same as what is offered for folks to put on their sammies?
FWIW, I plan on making a mustard/vinegar sauce.

Yes, finishing sauce is what you put in when you pull the pork. It doesn't have to be the same but usually is for me. I usually only make the mustard sauce, but when I made the Shack sauce on the last big cook, I had a brain fart and quadrupled the recipe when I only needed to double it, so I used that for the finishing sauce and thought it was pretty good with the mustard sauce on the sammies. 1/3 a cup of sauce per butt for finishing isn't going to be highly detectable as far as taste goes, its just getting a little acidity in there to balance the flavor for the folks who don't add sauce later IMO.

[jeffreywp1]

Where did the 16 come from in this equation?
a cup is 8 ounces, not 16. Am I missing something? 350 ounces is more like 44 cups.
About 2.75 gallons

I didn't see his math error. Based on the past big cook, im thinking 22 cups would be enough. Its hard to calculate because not everyone uses the sauce.

[qman]

I didn't see his math error. Based on the past big cook, im thinking 22 cups would be enough. Its hard to calculate because not everyone uses the sauce.
I agree that the 22 cups should be enough. Partly depends on if you are serving as sandwiches or plated. I find those who use sauce will use more if they are eating with a fork, rather than a sandwich. I always use the 2 ounce per serving rule[because i am anal] and always have too much.
Good luck.