Lots of pulled pork

Your yield will be 50-60% so you should be right on target.

I generally assume about 45-50% yield. This may be due to the fact that we try to take out most of the fat left in the butt as we pull it with forks, rather than just blend it all in as many do... matter of preference I guess.

I generally also assume 1/3lb per person of cooked pork, assuming there are plenty of sides, and in the end I would expect some leftovers to hand out goodie bags or take home.

Just yesterday I took 8lbs of cooked pork to a family event. By planning, this would serve 24 people. We actually had 19 people, some big eaters and some smaller appetites. We had about 2lb left over.

Thanks for the help guys!!!

Nordy

So I feel pretty comfortable with the amount to cook... (cook will be Thurs night). Thanks for the input.

Now, how to serve. It will be served up as pulled pork sandwiches between 11-12:30-ish.

My gut feeling for best results is to hang out and just pull the pork as it's needed, keep it FTC otherwise. However, the coordinator would prefer a (gasp) crockpot or similar (nesco type cooker) full of pulled pork for self serving without anyone hanging out there and serving.

So, a delima. My pulled pork which requires no sauce etc. vs pulled pork mush vs dry pork held in a nesco cooker with some type of sauce...

To clarify... there will be no cooking in a crockpot or nesco! Only holding for serving...

Ideas?

Nordy

Just have some Vaunted Vinegar sauce by the pork. Smoking Okie also has some similar sauces. People do not need a tomato based sauce to mess up the flavor smoked pulled pork. Once you serve the pulled pork from you Cookshack, the pulled pork in restaurants will likely taste awful in comparison. I, personally, refuse to eat pulled pork in a restaurant. It just doesn't taste good after you have made your own.

Agree. Pulled pork from my SM020 or the PG1000 is hands down better than any restaurant pork I've ever had...

I think I'll have some of smokin's finishing sauce around... You're right don't need any other sauce messing up my pork... Just don't want the 12:30 eaters to have 1)mush or 2)dry pulled pork.

Nordy

Ended up being a bigger crowd than originally thought....

I cooked 40 lbs of pork butt, half on my Sm020 and half on my PG1000.

At the venue I pulled it and seasoned with some rub and put it in a nesco type roaster/cooker at about 180 degrees. I added some SmokinOkies finishing sauce and left.

My worries were unfounded. I went back to pick up my stuff about 3 hours later and the small amount that was left over was still moist, not mushy etc. Got great compliments from all who had some both early and late in the process.

Kudos to my wife for "volunteering" me to do this cook, she had more confidence in me than I did... Now I know I can handle bigger cooks etc.

Thanks also to this forum for all the help, both solicited and from reviewing the archives... this forum is full of great info!

Nordy

Yep,used correctly,the Nesco s can be workable.

I have also been “volunteered” to feed a large group. My problem is that I don’t really know how many people are coming. I’m guessing about 50 adults and a bunch of kids.

I have learned a lot from this thread. But I have some more questions:
- Based on your post, I should cook about 50 lbs of uncooked, bone-in pork. Does that sound right?
- I planned on pulling a bunch and putting them in a warmer. It sounds like that worked for you.
- I want to keep some on hand in case more folks show up. Do you have any suggestions for storing and reheating the extras? I was thinking about storing some in vacuum bags and then putting the vacuum bags in boiling water.

Any other advice?

We probably need to start over with some tighter info.

First,kids fill up on snacks,etc,so some hotdogs probably covers them.

For the only meat,one lb uncooked pork,will produce two 4 oz sandwiches/person.

As a meat,no buns,six oz should cover each adult guest.

Thus,each bonein butt yields 50% meat.

That many butts will cover all your needs,and baggies for folks to carry home.

You'll look good,and make lots of friends.

If you cook 50# you'll have plenty for 50 adults plusk kids if you have other sides etc. Hi dogs etc are good for kids too... And easy

I would recommend FTC all the butts and then pull right before you start eating and put it in the warmer. Add some sauce or smokin okies sauce if needed. I'd keep butts in the cooler until you need to refill the warmer... Then pull them. They will stay hot wrapped in foil and a towel in the cooler.

Nordy

Thanks for the addition advice.
Some more info...

I only have a smokeette. I think I can get 4 butts done at a time.

I was planning on doing 4 butts around Wednesday. I was going to pull those butts, vacuum pack them, and put them in the fridge. I can reheat them in the bag in boiling water as needed.

Then, I was going to cook 4 more right before the party. I was going to pull them right before eating.

Does that sound like a plan?
Has anyone cooked 4 butts in a smokette??

I did 2 10lb buts in my SM020, and another 20lbs on my PG1000.

40 lbs of Butt

You can see it'd be a tight fit to put 2 more in my 020. But could probably be done if I put the rack holders in the lower position and put the top rack on top of the holder (not in the channels.)

If you've got a 009, you could probably do 4 in there. Just would probably have to be smaller than 10 lb butts since each shelf is 14x14 (020 is 14x18), and the listed capacity is 20-25lbs.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Take some pictures!

Nordy

CS is always very conservative on weights.

You may have to pick your sizes/shapes.If you have to cook right over the firebox,cooking fat down can help protect the meat.You can put the larger butts there,because they get more direct heat.

You also may wish to rotate the butts at the half way point.

I assume you have checked the actual temp level at your cooking surface.

235º might be a good cooking temp.

Hope this helps a little.

I'll let you know how it goes trying to get 4 butts in there.

As background, I can get 9 full slabs of babyback ribs in my smoker. That may be a record. I'll try for the butt record too...
Rib thread

quote:

Originally posted by Tom:
...
235º might be a good cooking temp.
...

I normally cook at 225. Do you always recommend cooking at 235 or just because my smoker will be so full??

Tom likes his smoker at 235* unless he's smoking something specific like ribs at a higher temp. I smoke at 235* also. No change for partial or full load.

Different cookers have places they like to cook.My Smokette seemed to be happier at 235*.
Pags hears me say that and it also works for his cooker..Now some of my FECs like 225*.

Newer cooks,may feel the need to check what is going on,may open the door more often,may keep it open a little longer.

Butts are very forgiving and newer cooks may worry a little more about scheduling.

A half century of cooking pork has taught me to get things done on time,and often correctly.

You may learn,over time,that yours cooks a little different,but 15*-20* won't change a shoulder too much.

That's funny. Seems like the wood smokes better at 235* vs 225*. Let's see. That'd be about 5%. Are we really that perceptive?

Ok. My first batch of butts are rubbed. I rubbed them this morning and will put them in the smoker around 5pm this evening...

In my case,it doesn't have anything much to do with the smoke,but the heat source the cooker cooks best at.

Thus ,those of us that manage the TIMING of the cook,as well as the amount of SMOKE ABSORBED,and the SMOKE PUT ON the product,use different cooking temps.

Also,the amount of fat to render and collagen to break down might dictate the cook temp.

What product I need to achieve might dictate the internal/finishing temp.

These are much more than the initial question.

So, the first 4 butts are pulled and vacuum packed. I'll warm the bags as needed in boiling water.

The second set of 4 butts are still cooking. They were going too fast so I turned the smoker down to 200 overnight. Now, it is 6 hours until the party. The butts are 165 and the smoker is back to 225.

I am hoping to cooler them about 11am and pull them at 2:00. We'll see

Thanks for all your help. I turned out great.

I had 4 butts vacuum bagged and ready as backups.

The other 4 butts came out of the smoker at 1:00. The temp was 190F and they seemed a bit more shrunken than normal butts. But I foiled them and waited for the party.

I pulled two butts at 2:00. Everyone started digging in and really liked the butts.

I pulled another butt around 3:00.

At 4:, I pulled another butt. It was still very warm.

At 6:00, I boiled a vacuum-bag butt. That tasted great too..

I still have 3 vaccumed butts that will probably be eaten some time this week