Roast pig for 80 people

[ned]

I'm doing a BBQ for a friend's wedding. He wants a pig. There are 80 people invited. I'm trying to figure out how big a pig to buy. In order to do that I need to know roughly how much meat (maybe as a percentage) you get out of a whole cleaned pig. For example, and this is my guess, out of a 100 pound pig I'll get 30 to 40 pounds of meat. Somewhere between 30% and 40% yield. Am I close?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Luckylies]

This pig will be head on right? I just read 1.5 pounds carcass weight per person. google: whole pig yield.

Edited July 8, 2006 by Luckylies (log)

[ned]

Thanks Emma.

Yeah head-on. We're thinking less than 8 oz of meat per person as there are sides, salads and also some planked salmon. So we're at a pound, cleaned weight, per person. A 70 to 80 pound pig.

Edited July 8, 2006 by ned (log)

[Fat Guy]

The rule of thumb I've heard from many barbecue aficionados is 1/3 meat yield based on carcass weight.

Because it's a festive occasion you'll want to create the appearance of abundance. My suggestion would be that you grab a couple of extra shoulders and cook those as well. That way you'll have plenty of extra meat, just in case.

[judiu]

Thanks Emma.

Yeah head-on.  We're thinking less than 8 oz of meat per person as there are sides, salads and also some planked salmon.  So we're at a pound, cleaned weight, per person.  A 70 to 80 pound pig.

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Ned, just a thought; what kind of people are coming to the wedding? City slickers, bikers, country folk, yuppies, a mix of all of the above? The more of the "macho man" (or woman) types you have on the invite list, the more meat you'll need. You can NOT overestimate the appetite of your average Harley rider for large quantities of smoked pig! Believe me; been there, done that, got the scars and the tee shirt to prove it! Truck drivers also come under this heading... You've been warned!

[srhcb]

My Grandmother used to roast a pig every year for Serbian Christmas. About all I remember about the process was that the tail and ears were done long before the rest, so they became "delicacies" used to placate restless, hungry children.

SB (cook's perogative though ....

[Luckylies]

Thanks Emma.

Yeah head-on.  We're thinking less than 8 oz of meat per person as there are sides, salads and also some planked salmon.  So we're at a pound, cleaned weight, per person.  A 70 to 80 pound pig.

←

Ned, just a thought; what kind of people are coming to the wedding? City slickers, bikers, country folk, yuppies, a mix of all of the above? The more of the "macho man" (or woman) types you have on the invite list, the more meat you'll need. You can NOT overestimate the appetite of your average Harley rider for large quantities of smoked pig! Believe me; been there, done that, got the scars and the tee shirt to prove it! Truck drivers also come under this heading... You've been warned!

←

and Jews!

[ned]

You may be a little bit psychic Emma. The pig is a sore spot between the groom and his parents who don't keep kosher but nevertheless felt uncomfortable at the thought of THAT MUCH PORK at their son's wedding. The groom's father, in response to questioning said ". . . well I wouldn't take a ham sandwich to a synagogue." He seems to have a sense of humor about it.

Steven, your advice about extra shoulders is good. I don't really want to have leftovers but a whole roasted shoulder is another matter. Might not be such a bad thing especially if your 1/3 yield calculation ends up being right.

The pig is coming from Sylvia Pryzant at Four Story Hill Farm. She successfully tempted me with five milk-fed poulards that are going to roast on a spit over the caja china coal bed. That in addition to some planked Yukon River king salmon had ought to provide sustenance for the non-pig eaters.

Judiu. The guest list is composed of Swedes, high school teachers, artists, Jews. . . and a stevedor and a zoookeeper. It's hard to say how this cross-section will respond to roast pork. Hard to say.

Edited July 9, 2006 by ned (log)

[ned]

Proportions worked out great. Because of all the salmon I didn't make any extra shoulders. We didn't eat quite all the pig but there are plenty of hungry mouths around finishing it off as we speak. Cubanos etc.

Thanks for all the good advice.