Pork Butt Serving Quantity Question

[gsmith140]

Hi all- I'm new to the forums and pretty new to smoking- I started last summer. I'm enjoying it though, and I have a question.

We're having a party this weekend and I want to get a pork butt to do some pulled pork sandwiches. We're expecting about 25-30 people, so how big of a slab do you think I would need?

There will be the standard burgers/dogs and sides, so I don't need the pork to cover everyone multiple times, just probably enough for one sandwich a person. I was hoping an 8-9 lb butt would do it, but I'll leave this to the more experienced members. Thanks for the help.

 

[Ron_L]

Most folks figure 1/4 to 1/3 pound of cooked meat. I lean towards that 1/3 pound since I like a generous sandwich :-D. So, for 30 people at 1/3 lb per serving is 10 lbs of cooked meat. A 50% yield is pretty typical for pork butts, so that means 20 lbs of raw weight. Unless you can find big butts, I would cook three 8 pounders and have leftovers.

 

[Chef Jim]

Ron is right on.

I'm having 40 next weekend but will also have brisket and chicken so I'm only doing two butts. I will have about 20 lbs of brisket and 4 chickens.

 

[stan]

Ron has it right. if you are buying your butts at sams club you get two to a pack so you need to decide how much extra you want. If capacity is not a problem cook for and vacuum seal the left overs for future use. It makes great enchiladas, pork stew, etc. Sounds like a good time!

 

[gsmith140]

Wow, I was way off. Thanks for setting me straight!

Next question- I've read that the rule is 1-1.5 hrs per pound for pork butt. So one 8-pounder would be 8-12 hours. So if you add another 8-pounder (or two) to the mix, how does this affect the cooking time? A little, a lot, not at all? I've tried to keep it simple so far so I've been sticking to just one slab of meat at a time.

Edit: I should mention that I'm using an 18.5" vertical smoker.

 

[mwmac]

Be careful using time/lb cooking times. Butts vary in the amount of connective tissue etc that has to break down before the temp crosses the stall level. Get a good thermometer probe and cook until internal temp hits 190-195, pull, double wrap in heavy duty foil and place in a cooler filled with towels. It will safely hold for hours packed that way. Pull the pork just before serving.

:thumb:Good Luck

Mike

 

[gsmith140]

Thanks for the tip. I use the times just for a general guide, I always use a thermometer to monitor the meat temp. Was just wondering if I could expect a much longer cook time with 2 or 3 butts instead of 1.

 

[Desert Dweller]

Be careful using time/lb cooking times. Butts vary in the amount of connective tissue etc that has to break down before the temp crosses the stall level. Get a good thermometer probe and cook until internal temp hits 190-195, pull, double wrap in heavy duty foil and place in a cooler filled with towels. It will safely hold for hours packed that way. Pull the pork just before serving.

:thumb:Good Luck

Mike

Hello, Contrary Compton here...
My experience is not the same as Mike has listed above. I usually find the "Stall Zone" to be around 160+ degrees, and the connective tissue does not begin to break down till closer to 190. So the tissue breaking down happen after the "stall", not before. I usually take mine closer to 200 degrees internal before I begin pulling the meat, it just makes pulling (shredding) the meat easier. Mike said he wrapped his butts at 190-195, and during the first 5 minutes or so of a hunk of meat wrapped and resting, the temp will continue to rise internally another 5-10 degrees, so that accounts for him taking the meat out of the smoker before I do, as I seldom wrap and hold the meat BEFORE shredding.

Whatever method you use, Good Luck!

 

[mwmac]

Thanks for the tip. I use the times just for a general guide, I always use a thermometer to monitor the meat temp. Was just wondering if I could expect a much longer cook time with 2 or 3 butts instead of 1.

A couple of weeks ago, I did my first 4 butt cook, total 32 lbs, on my 18.5 WSM after only having cooked 2 at a time before. They were done in 12 hours so they really did not take any longer than average. Just remember to have your cooker up to temp before adding all of the meat as it is a large heat sink.:thumb:

 

[gsmith140]

A couple of weeks ago, I did my first 4 butt cook, total 32 lbs, on my 18.5 WSM after only having cooked 2 at a time before. They were done in 12 hours so they really did not take any longer than average. Just remember to have your cooker up to temp before adding all of the meat as it is a large heat sink.:thumb:

Awesome, thanks Mike!

And thanks to everyone for the helpful tips. I'll let you know how everything goes!

 

[mwmac]

Hello, Contrary Compton here...
My experience is not the same as Mike has listed above. I usually find the "Stall Zone" to be around 160+ degrees, and the connective tissue does not begin to break down till closer to 190. So the tissue breaking down happen after the "stall", not before. I usually take mine closer to 200 degrees internal before I begin pulling the meat, it just makes pulling (shredding) the meat easier. Mike said he wrapped his butts at 190-195, and during the first 5 minutes or so of a hunk of meat wrapped and resting, the temp will continue to rise internally another 5-10 degrees, so that accounts for him taking the meat out of the smoker before I do, as I seldom wrap and hold the meat BEFORE shredding.

Whatever method you use, Good Luck!

I get the same stall temp as Desert Dweller, around 160:thumb:.

 

[GeauxBigRed]

A couple of weeks ago, I did my first 4 butt cook, total 32 lbs, on my 18.5 WSM after only having cooked 2 at a time before. They were done in 12 hours so they really did not take any longer than average. Just remember to have your cooker up to temp before adding all of the meat as it is a large heat sink.:thumb:

I second what he said. :thumb:

 

[Cast Iron Chef]

Most folks figure 1/4 to 1/3 pound of cooked meat. I lean towards that 1/3 pound since I like a generous sandwich :-D. So, for 30 people at 1/3 lb per serving is 10 lbs of cooked meat. A 50% yield is pretty typical for pork butts, so that means 20 lbs of raw weight. Unless you can find big butts, I would cook three 8 pounders and have leftovers.

So RonL I'm doing same thing for my sons High School graduation. 30 people for lunch along with other catered sandwiches and things. Rented a room for about 2 hours. I was using similar numbers but didn't count in the 50% yield. Bought 2 7.5 pounders. Think I might be a little short (that's not a personal question)? Also heating. I will have to cook the week before and freeze. Planing on heating in the oven while we attend the graduation then have to run home grab the stuff. Think about 2 hours will get it heated through after defrosting? Thanks.

 

[Haltech]

I wrap my pork at 165F internal along with some liquid. You will see the stall in the 160s. At 201F i pull the pork, wrap them with more foil and then towel and stuff them in a cooler until im ready to pull and serve.

 

[gsmith140]

I wrap my pork at 165F internal along with some liquid. You will see the stall in the 160s. At 201F i pull the pork, wrap them with more foil and then towel and stuff them in a cooler until im ready to pull and serve.

This brings up an interesting point. I've read that you can wrap around 165 (with liquid/wrapping mixture) and then put back into the cooker until it's up to pulling temp.

I know foil is sort of a contentious topic in BBQ-ing, but what are everyone's thoughts on this? It seems like it might be a good way to keep the meat moist, but it also seems to me like it would affect the bark (i.e. you wouldn't get as nice of a bark)- but bc of my inexperience, this is pure conjecture on my part. Thoughts?

 

[MRI_Guy]

Another thing to consider is boneless vs. bone in butts. My last two cooks have been with boneless butts. These were my first time using boneless butts.

One thing I like about the boneless is the ability to apply the seasoning rub to much more of the meat's surface area. When I was ready to shred the pork this morning, separating the different 'lumps' of pork revealed an amazing aroma as well as more of the meat being seasoned.

Also (as I discovered yesterday) watch out for those flabby butts at Costco - buy the firmer ones...........

 

[Tazto]

For a company function, we fed 80 people pulled pork sandwiches, sausage, coleslaw, chips and cobbler. I smoked four 9-lb (pre-cooked weight), bone in butts along with 10 lbs of sausage. At the end of the day, I had about a pound of sausage and half of the last butt left over.

I asked the same question about the impact of smoking 4 butts vs. 1 butt. One of the Brethren pointed me to this helpful link. http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63610

 

[mwmac]

This brings up an interesting point. I've read that you can wrap around 165 (with liquid/wrapping mixture) and then put back into the cooker until it's up to pulling temp.

I know foil is sort of a contentious topic in BBQ-ing, but what are everyone's thoughts on this? It seems like it might be a good way to keep the meat moist, but it also seems to me like it would affect the bark (i.e. you wouldn't get as nice of a bark)- but bc of my inexperience, this is pure conjecture on my part. Thoughts?

I keep my butts on the smoker until they reach 192-195 then wrap in foil and rest in a cooler for about 1 hour before pulling. Bark is perfect. Never tried foiling at the stall temp so I will leave it to others to comment.:thumb:

 

[gsmith140]

Also (as I discovered yesterday) watch out for those flabby butts at Costco - buy the firmer ones...........

Thanks for the tip! Luckily we seem to have a good number of local butchers here in the area, so I'm going to head to one for the meat.

 

[ZBucket]

Depends on the mixture of gals and guys. We had a mix totalling 60 people last week and we went threw 40 pounds of uncooked pork butt. I add 25-50% to this for all guy camping trip.