Just learned pork shoulder yield math blew my mind

I was messing around with some numbers last night before a big catering order and I finally sat down and figured out the real loss on pork shoulders after trimming and cooking. Turns out you lose almost 40 percent of your raw weight between bones, fat cap, and moisture during a long smoke. I always just guessed and added a few extra pounds but now I know for a fact I need to start with like 20 pounds to get 12 pounds of pulled meat. I found this out from a chart on the AmazingRibs website that broke it all down by cut and cooking method. Blew my mind that I've been under ordering for years and never noticed until a customer complained about short portions. Anyone else ever actually weigh their trimmings to see what you're really selling?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan.logan29d ago

Dude @oliver_morgan I feel you so hard on that. Math was never my strong suit either and I just eyeballed everything for years. I finally did the trimming weigh in after a buddy showed me his numbers and I felt like such a fool. My jaw dropped when I saw almost two pounds of fat and bone from a single 10 pound shoulder, no wonder my buffet trays always looked a little sad.

oliver_morgan2mo ago

Math was never my strong suit, lol.

patricia_schmidt142mo ago

Math was never my strong suit" either, but pork math hits different when you're short on portions. @oliver_morgan just weighing the trimmings once will make you never guess again. I did it a few months back and it changed how I buy meat entirely.