How Much Meat Per Person For BBQ

How Much Meat Per Person For BBQ – Plus a Table For 10 to 100 People

If you want to cater to a large group of people, it will be important to consider the types of food that would appeal to everyone. It is best to choose foods that are versatile so that you can offer a variety of options to your guests. For example, you could include some healthy choices like salads and vegetables along with some less healthy options like burgers and fries, and of course the meat.

See our Helpful Table below on How Much Meat Per Person to Serve For A BBQ for 6-100 guests.

Planning Your BBQ Menu

If you are BBQing for a small or large group of people, it is important to consider the amount of meat required by each person. 

Meat is typically the main dish when having a BBQ but you also need to consider starters, appetizers, and side dishes.

The BBQ menu plan is a key consideration because if you are going to serve a reasonable number of side dishes you can reduce the amount of BBQ meat. As a result, you can reduce your overall budget.

In planning your menu you need to get quite detailed even down to how many pounds of meat per person for a BBQ.

how much Meat and Sausages For a Party
How Much BBQ Meat and Sausages For a Party

How Much Meat Per Person For BBQ Party?

Plan on serving 1/3 lb of meat (5.3 oz) per person for a BBQ Party when you have 3 or more side dishes.

How there are some other considerations for a  bbq party or serving a big crowd, such as length of time, type of event, etc and we will cover these below before we cover the exact amounts in our table.

For example, guests at a picnic BBQ tend to eat less than at a Superbowl BBQ party especially if you have a big-screen TV.

It can be difficult to plan a BBQ for a lot of people. It’s also annoying when you run low on stuff. You don’t want to spend a lot of money on food either. It is not easy to balance. How much meat is needed for the ideal BBQ or grill?

Chefs, BBQ Masters, and caterers have been working out this BBQ food calculation for ever. 

BBQ and The Role Meat Plays

Deciding on your plan or menu is the first thing to do when planning for a barbecue.

BBQs usually feature a main course usually meat with some side dishes.

If however, you are only serving one or two (e.g French Fries) you should plan on serving up to 1/2 lb (8 oz) of BBQ meat per person.

The correct portion size for all persons is easy to calculate out once you know what you are serving.

It is worth noting that when you serve 1/2 pound of 

You can start to think about your grocery or shopping list now that you have planned your menu.

Add your portion sizes to the total number of people or guests with the guides following below. This will allow you to see the amount of meat you need to buy and cook.

Adding in some more extra portions will make up for loss, spillage, or accidents. If you drop a bun or burn meat or something your attendees will not miss it. Adding a few more extra portions for your guests and family will allow some big eaters to have seconds. And if you have leftovers then it can also be eaten the next day or frozen.

There is one last thing to think about before you go shopping for raw BBQ meat at the store and that is Meat Shrinkage.

How To Calculate Meat Quantiles For A Family Gathering
How To Calculate Meat Quantiles For A Family Gathering – See Our Table Below Of Exact Amount Of Meat To Serve For Each Guest

All meat treats when it is cooked. There is a reduction or loss of weight when cooking meat. There are also cuts that contain big or small inedible bones. To calculate or work out how much raw meat you need to purchase you have to factor in your own overall yield.

That’s all you really need and you are good to go. You can employ these guides and tips to work out and calculate the true amount of any BBQ meat you need to have at an indoor or outdoor grill or BBQ party.

How Much Meat Per Person For a BBQ Where Main Is The Dish

If meat is the main part of the dish that you are serving then clearly you need more.

Plus if you let the guests serve themselves, often people will take more, as their “eyes are bigger than their stomach”.

So if you are serving a meat-style entree grill or bbq think about having big or quite generous portions.

At a BBQ or grill, you are often having a drink, a beer, or even a cocktail, then people do tend to eat more when they drink.

The meat will be the big star of the party even with a nice mix of side dishes.

Normally, chefs, home cooks, and professional caters suggest or recommend serving around ½ pound (8 oz ounces) of meat per person. While this might sound quite a bit large – it is sensible to consider if BBQ is your main dish.

Meat is Just Part of the Dish

If you are cooking for a crowd, it is best to choose a recipe that will feed everyone.  So having meat as just part of the main dish means that you will need less. Examples are having generous portions of garden salad, rice or mashed potatoes. There are all sides that are quite filling yet reasonably budget-friendly.

So if meat is just part of the dish then budgeting on 1/3 of a pound per guest for BBQ meat should be plenty.

Another example is when you have a buffet with different mains, or perhaps you have crawfish or shrimps to also serve with the meat. Again here you will need much less meat. Mabe only a 1/4 lb per person if you serve sides as well as seafood.

Having a bit of variety, guests won’t feel left out if they want to try something new. Also, remember to include healthy options like salads and vegetables so that everyone has something to eat.

A Table Of Exact Amounts Of BBQ Meat To Serve Per Person for 6 to 100 People

This table is based on talking to a number of catering compies and our own experience in feeding large birthday parties in our buffet restaurant.  Furthermore, we’ve had a few requests from customers who wanted to know exactly how much meat to buy. So here is the table that we work on.

How Much BBQ Meat per Person Do You Need to Feed 6 People?

  • If Meat is the main dish you should serve 1/2 lb per person and you will need 3 lbs of BBQ meat for 6 people.
  • If You are serving a number of different meats and side dishes you can get away with 1/4 lb of meat per person and for 6 people you will need 1.5lbs of BBQ meat.

How Much BBQ Meat per Person Do You Need to Feed 10 People?

  • If Meat is the main dish you should serve 1/2 lb per person and you will need 5 lbs of BBQ meat for 10 people.
  • If You are serving a number of different meats and side dishes you can get away with 1/4 lb of meat per person and for 10 people you will need 2.5 lbs of BBQ meat.

How Much BBQ Meat per Person Do You Need to Feed 20 People?

  • If BBQ Meat is the single protein dish you should serve 1/2 lb per person and you will need 10 lbs of BBQ meat for 20 people.
  • If You are serving garlic bread first and a buffet-style BBQ with a number of different meats and side dishes you will only need 1/4 lb of meat per person and for 20 people you will need 5 lbs of BBQ meat.

How Much BBQ Meat per Person Do You Need to Feed 50 People?

  • If BBQ Meat is the main protein dish, then you should serve 1/2 lb per person and you will need 25 lbs of BBQ meat for 50 people.
  • If You are serving a garden salad first and a buffet-style BBQ with different meats and side dishes you will only need to have 1/4 lb of meat per person and for 50 people you will need 12.5 lbs of BBQ meat.

How Much BBQ Meat per Person Do You Need to Feed 100 People?

  • If BBQ Meat is the main protein dish, then you should serve 1/2 lb per person and you will need 50 lbs of BBQ meat for 100 people.
  • If You are serving a garden salad first and a buffet-style BBQ with different meats and side dishes you will only need to have 1/4 lb of meat per person and for 100 people you will need 25 lbs of BBQ meat.

How Much BBQ Meat Do Kids, Children or Teens Eat

Guests do not all have the same appetites.

You don’t need as much meat per person for a group of kids or children as if you are hosting a party for teenagers.

Unless they make up all or most of the guest list, I don’t calculate kids separately. I assume that I will likely have more leftover food. If you have a few lighter eaters at your party, an adult can easily make up the difference.

You may run out of food however if you ignore a group of hungry teenagers or starving ball-players after a game.

If you have a number of kids coming to your BBQ you can serve 25% less in the above table, or even 50% less if you have some chicken nuggets to serve.

For teenagers, I would plan of feeding up to 10% more.

BBQ Meat For A Group
BBQ Meat For A Group

How Much BBQ Bone-in Meat

Use the guides to calculate or figure out how much meat you need. When planning a big BBQ, how do you factor in small or large bones and other parts, like fat caps of the meat?

It might be a good idea if you want the meat to go further to have a bone in cut that you BBQ. Because people are often quite happy to chew on the bones to get the last remanets of meat off. In doing so they do not eat as much meat.

However, to allow for the fact there is bone increase your portions a bit when working out or calculating how much meat you need. I recommend using ¾ lb per guest or person as your starting or base portion size. You can adjust up a bit or down based on your guest appetite.

How Much BBQ Meat Per Guest

How To Calculate Meat Quantiles For A Family Gathering

Serve each guest 1/ 2 lb of BBQ meat and you will have a happy and successful BBQ

How Many Pounds of BBQ Meat Do You Need for 50 People?

How Much Meat Per Person For BBQ

You need 25 pounds of meat for BBQ Meat to feed 50 people

But How Do You Factor in Bones or Other Inedible Parts of Your Meat when You Are Planning a BBQ?

When you have meat with bone-in add 25% extra

Other Articles You Might be Interested in When Planning your BBQ are

See how much chili is for a party of 10 people.

Also, some Key appetizer dishes for a BBQ and their quantities are.

See our large list of how to serve a large group of people – top tips and tricks.