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Pulled Pork Calculator
Pork shoulder loses about half its weight to fat, bone and moisture. This works backwards from how much cooked pork you need to how much raw shoulder to buy.
Your results
Raw pork shoulder to buy
4.5 kg (9.9 lb)
Cooked pulled pork
2.3 kg (5.0 lb)
Buns
23
Approximate smoking time
13 h 14
A bone-in pork shoulder yields roughly 50% of its raw weight once the fat has rendered, the bone is out and the moisture has cooked off. Buy double what you want to serve.
Cooking time depends on the size of each piece, not the total. Two 4 lb shoulders cook in about the time of one 4 lb shoulder — not twice as long. That is why the estimate above caps the piece size.
Pull it at 203°F (95°C) internal, not at a time. Shoulder is done when a probe slides in with no resistance, and that point moves by hours between two apparently identical pieces.
Questions people ask
How much pulled pork per person?
About 150 g (1/3 lb) of cooked pork per person in sandwiches, or 220 g (1/2 lb) as a main course. Because shoulder loses half its weight cooking, that means 300 g and 440 g of raw shoulder respectively.
How much pulled pork for 15 people?
For sandwiches, 2.25 kg (5 lb) cooked — so buy about 4.5 kg (10 lb) of raw bone-in shoulder. As a main with sides, buy about 6.6 kg (14.5 lb) raw.
How long does pulled pork take?
Roughly 90 minutes per pound at 225°F (107°C), so an 8 lb shoulder runs 10 to 12 hours including the stall. Cook to 203°F (95°C) internal, not to the clock.