# Pulled Pork Calculator

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AndrewBudd.Pulled Pork Calculator
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The Pulled Pork Calculator calculates the amount of  raw pork you need to cook in order to feed a certain amount of people.  Enter the number of people you need to serve and the serving size per person and you will get the amount of raw pork you need to cook to meet that demand.

There are several facts that you can assume when figuring out how much pork to cook.

1. The average size of a good serving of pulled pork is about 5 ounces. If you want smaller or larger servings per person you can change the default amount.
2. You will get about a 50% yield from your pork butt. After accounting for bone, fat, and juices lost during cooking, a ten pound pork butt will yield roughly 5 pounds of meat.

There is a lot of fat in a good pork shoulder but if it was very lean it would not be able to make good, juicy pulled pork. Lean meat needs to be cooked faster at higher temperatures to avoid drying it out into something resembling leather, but meat with lots of fat throughout can be cooked at lower temperatures for long periods of time. This slow cooking gently breaks down the connective tissues in the meat while the abundance of fat keeps the meat juicy, resulting in a delicious, melt in your mouth end product.

Keep in mind the method you are planning to use for serving your pulled pork. If it will be served on buns you should account for the bun size. An average sized sandwich bun is just right for an average 5 oz serving but smaller or larger buns will require adjusting the portion size.

Because we don't want you to be too precise and not have enough food for your guests this calculator is on the generous side. You will likely get a few more servings than required but it never hurts to overestimate and have some extra just in case. Pulled pork is still delicious left over.

It is also worth noting that while the cut of meat usually used for pulled pork is called a 'butt' it is more accurately called a pork shoulder because it is from the front shoulder of the pig. The shoulder is generally divided into two cuts, the Boston butt and the picnic shoulder or picnic ham. The Boston butt is the top portion of the shoulder and the picnic shoulder is the lower portion which contains more bone. You can also get them both undivided which is usually referred to as a whole shoulder.

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