On 17-May-2009, "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote:

> "Bob-tx" > wrote in message
> ...
> > In about three weeks, I need to cook some pulled pork for 12 people,
> > half
> > men - half women. Going to make sandwiches on buns, smaller than a
> > hamburger bun. Will also have potato salad, pinto beans, pickles, and
> > a
> > desert.
> >
> > I figure I'll need about 5 to 6 pounds of cooked meat. Does this sound
> >
> > like too much or too little?
>
> Figure about 8 oz per adult male, 6 ounces for women and chidren, and
> hope
> no teenage boys show up because any one can finish off everything.

Pay attention here. Ed knows of what he speaks. Teenage boys are
bottomless pits. One could easily demolish two full pounds of pork
plus the trimmings that go with it.

>
>
> >
> > To end up with 6 pounds cooked, I figure I'll need two ten pound butts
> > (that is 40% shrinkage). Is this about right?
>
> 20 to 6? Check your math

Big chuckle. A ten pound butt would do if you could find one, but 10
lb butts are rare. 7 to 8 lb butts (bone in) are normal. Cook two and
plan on freezing some leftovers. It's a win/win situation in my book.

>
>
> >
> > I plan to cook it a day ahead of time, to be served about 6:30 the next
> >
> > evening. I don't think I should wrap it in foil, towels, and put it in
> > a
> > cooler for 24 hours, so I will have to refrigerate it. How long should
> > I
> > let a six pound butt cool before tossing it in the fridge?
> >
> > To heat it the next day, I figure to put it in the over at about 225
> > degrees and bring the meat temp back up to 190. What is a rough time
> > to
> > do this (3 - 4 hours, 5 - 6 hours, or more or less)?
> >
> > Any suggestions I have not thought of. Your help is appreciated.
> >
> > Bob-tx
>
> IMO, you are risking drying the meat by heating, cooling, heating again.
> I'd cook it, pull it, sauce it, then reheat it in a pot as needed. Or
> small
> batches in a MW if available. Or in a crock pot on the table.

Can't argue with Ed here. I don't have a lot of experience with holding
meat over, but have fed groups on four occasions with meat cooked
the day before and reheated on the day. I left the butts whole, wrapped
them in foil and towels and kept them in a cooler overnight. They were
still quite hot the next morning. The meat was reheated, still in the foil,
in a 350 degree oven to 140 to 150 degrees internal and then pulled.
It took only an hour or so to bring the meat back up to reasonable
eating temperature.

It isn't as good as fresh from the pit, but nobody got sick from it and
only a barbecue connoisseur is ever going to call you on it.

Maybe Big Jim (LazyQ.com) or TFM® will say I'm full of it, but
they've both eaten it and both survived.

It's probably fair to say that if your offerings are not five star perfect,
it will not offset the general enjoyment of the gathering itself. Only if
you truly screw up are you likely to get in trouble and in that case I
would dash out to the nearest fried chicken emporium and grab a
few buckets of chicken at the last minute. I'm pretty sure that my
guests would have had a good laugh at my expense and enjoyed
the gathering just as much anyway.

--
Brick (Youth is wasted on young people)