BBQ Pulled Pork for 30 people...how much pork?

[SuperGlue]

I had a thread on here last week about ideas for party food for a party we have coming up and we are strongly thinking of making a huge platter of pulled pork in BBQ sauce with buns and coleslaw...however I have a couple of questions:

1. how much pork and what cut is best to get for approx 30 adult guests? There will be other food too but more nibbles such as cheese boards and salami and french bread etc

1. is it best to pre-make up the buns with the pork & coleslaw etc and have them on platters or let guests self-assemble? (I'm thinking queues etc)

1. is the pork best served hot / cold / room temp?

Thanks!

I have literally this evening (well, all today) cooked pulled pork for 30 people! I bought a bone-in shoulder (and the rest, practically a whole spare rib) from the butcher which weighed just over 6kg. This will definitely feed 30, especially when pulled and served with side dishes. Have just pulled mine apart - smells and tastes amazing!

Oh and to answer your other q's.....I would let people make their own rolls as otherwise they're likely to get soggy. Also, if you have any leftover (rolls, or pork) then it won't go to waste. I serve pulled pork in a huge Le Creuset casserole which I have cooked the day before and then reheated in the pork's juices a little while before serving. I wouldn't serve cold, but gently warmed is fine. You can add BBQ sauce directly to the pork or let people help themselves to it on the side.

Thanks a million dairymoo that is exactly the info I needed.

So I ask for a 6kg bone-in shoulder of pork and just roast it? Did you add anything to yours for flavouring etc? I am planning on cooking mine the night before the party and then re-heating it in the oven.

Can I be a real nuisance and ask how long you cooked yours for? And did you cover it or not?

Have never cooked it before!

Thanks

I would cover it and cook at 150C for 12 hours - have you got a meat thermometer - I love mine, no more guessing, no more over cooking!

I wouldn't add sauce - serve it on the side...it's often sweet and smokey, some people will hate that...like my dh! After slow cooking you could try removing the fatty skin and producing some crackling....sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but it's a lovely thing when you get it right.

Have fun....sounds like a perfect menu for a large groupie of people.

I made this for 35 people. In fact I have done it a few times, it's fab.

Make sure you have a roasting tin big enough and enough oven space!

I made a rub of about 3 tbsp dark muscavado sugar, 3 tbsp salt & 1.5 tbsp sweet smoked paprika. Rubbed it in well and then roasted at 230C for 30 mins and then poured about 250ml of water into the roasting tin, covered it tightly with foil and lowered the temp to 150C for about 10 hours. Rest it for 30 mins and then start to pull it apart....forks or fingers work best. You know it's done when the internal temp reaches 87C as that is when the collagen breaks down and you can pull it very easily...great if you have an internal thermometer but no need as you won't be able to pull it if it's not cooked long enough. If you like, you can remove the skin & fat and crank the oven up again to make the crackling. Hope that helps!

oh my god super you have won the prize for the amount of times you can say pork in an opening thread, well done youi have won mnhq's gold pen!! woohoo

And yes, ask for 6kg nine in shoulder + spare rib. Tell the butcher what you are making and just check that he thinks it will serve 30. I got a big shoulder so no worries, but I guess a little piggy might not stretch as far.

Bone in even

200g per person, so yes 6kilos works. Just remember that the bone is heavy, so maybe add anothe kilo if it looks like a hefty bone.

Completely different comment: Before long roasting in the oven, do check your oven's safety cut-off. Last time I tried slow roasting something over night (making clotted cream) I found the next morning that the oven had turned off in the night, I would guess after 6 or 8 hours, though I can't find a reference to it in the manual! So next time I'll do it through the day so I can check and reset the temp when necessary.

Your plan sounds great - I used a 1kg boned shoulder pulled pork in the slow cooker for 6 adults, served with buns plus extra sausages and salads and it all disappeared very quickly.