For most backyard BBQs, plan on about ½ pound of cooked meat per adult and ¼ pound per child. For big eaters, increase that to about ¾ pound of cooked meat per person.
The amount of raw meat you need to buy will be higher because brisket, pork shoulder and other meats lose weight from trimming, rendered fat and moisture during cooking. The exact amount also depends on the type of meat you're serving, whether you're serving multiple meats, and how many side dishes are on the menu.
BBQ Meat Per Person: Quick Reference Chart
| Meat | Amount to Buy Per Adult | Typical Serving |
|---|---|---|
| Brisket | ¾–1 lb raw | ½ lb cooked |
| Pulled pork | ¾–1 lb raw | ½ lb cooked |
| Baby back ribs | ½–¾ rack | ½–¾ rack |
| Spare/St. Louis ribs | ½ rack | ½ rack |
| Beef ribs | 2–3 ribs | 2–3 ribs |
| Chicken breast | 1 breast / about ½ lb | 1 breast |
| Chicken legs | 2–3 | 2–3 |
| Chicken wings | 6–8 | 6–8 |
| Hamburgers | ½ lb ground beef | 2 quarter-pound burgers |
| Hot dogs | 1–2 | 1–2 |
Jump to:
- BBQ Meat Per Person: Quick Reference Chart
- How Many Pounds of BBQ Per Person?
- Calculating Portions Based on the Type of Meat
- How Much BBQ Per Person When Serving Multiple Meats?
- How Much BBQ Sauce Per Person?
- How Much BBQ Do I Need for 10, 20, 50 or 100 People?
- How Do Side Dishes Affect the Amount of BBQ Per Person?
- Avoiding Food Waste
- Final Thoughts
How Many Pounds of BBQ Per Person?
As a general rule, plan for about ½ pound of cooked BBQ meat per adult and ¼ pound per child. For big eaters, increase that to about ¾ pound of cooked meat per person.
When buying raw meat, you need more because brisket, pork shoulder and other cuts lose weight from trimming, rendered fat and moisture during cooking. For brisket or pulled pork, buying roughly ¾ to 1 pound of raw meat per adult is a good starting point when the meat is the main course.
- Adults: ½ lb cooked
- Children ¼ lb cooked
- Big eaters: ¾ lb cooked
- Lunch: slightly less
- Dinner: standard portions
- Cocktail-style BBQ: smaller portions of several foods
Keep in mind that meat loses moisture during the cooking process, and it varies with different cuts of meat. For example, a whole packer beef brisket can lose 30-40% of its weight during cooking, but thick-cut pork chops may only lose 15-20% of their weight.
Calculating Portions Based on the Type of Meat
Different types of meat have varying yields and portion sizes. Here's a breakdown for the most popular BBQ options:
How Much Brisket Per Person?
Plan on about ½ pound of cooked brisket per adult when brisket is the main meat. Because a whole packer brisket loses weight from trimming, rendered fat and moisture during cooking, plan on buying about ¾ to 1 pound of raw brisket per adult.
For big eaters, increase that to about 1 to 1 ¼ pounds of raw brisket per person. You can reduce the amount when serving brisket in sandwiches or alongside other meats such as ribs, sausage or pulled pork.
Beef brisket.
Smoked meatloaf.
How Much Pulled Pork Per Person?
Plan on about ½ pound of cooked pulled pork per adult when it's the main meat. Since pork shoulder loses weight from rendered fat, moisture and any trimming, plan on buying about ¾ to 1 pound of raw pork shoulder per adult.
If you're serving pulled pork sandwiches or several other meats, you can reduce that amount. For a crowd of big eaters or when pulled pork is the only meat, stay closer to the upper end of the range.
If you're cooking pork shoulder for a crowd, my Smoked Pulled Pork recipe walks through the entire process from seasoning through pulling the finished pork.
How Much Chicken Per Person?
Chicken generally has a higher cooking yield than brisket or pork shoulder because it loses less moisture during cooking. So, how much chicken should you buy? It depends on the cut.
- Whole chicken: About ½ chicken per adult when chicken is the main dish.
- Chicken breasts: One breast, or approximately ½ pound, per adult.
- Chicken legs: 2-3 legs per adult.
- Chicken wings: 6-8 wings per adult.
Chicken wings.
Rotisserie chicken.
How Many Ribs per Person?
How Many Baby Back Ribs Per Person?
Plan on ½ to ¾ rack of baby back ribs per adult when ribs are the main course and you're serving side dishes. If you're serving several meats, you can reduce the portion because guests will usually sample each one.
How Many Spare Ribs Per Person?
Plan on about ½ rack of spare or St. Louis-style ribs per adult as part of a meal with sides. For big eaters or when ribs are the only meat, increase that to ¾ rack or even a full rack.
How Many Beef Ribs Per Person?
Beef ribs have much larger bones, so pounds aren't particularly useful for estimating portions. Plan on 2-3 beef ribs per adult with side dishes and up to 4 ribs for big eaters.
If beef ribs are on the menu, try my Smoked Beef Dino Bones with Bourbon BBQ Sauce for a Texas-style version made with meaty beef chuck short ribs.
Baby back ribs.
St. Louis ribs.
For pork ribs, my Baby Back Ribs Using the 3-2-1 Method gives you a complete step-by-step method for smoking them.
How Many Burgers and Hot Dogs Per Person?
- Hot Dogs: Plan for one to two hot dogs per adult, depending on the number of sides.
- Hamburgers: Plan for one-half pound ground beef per adult with sides.
How Much BBQ Per Person When Serving Multiple Meats?
When serving several types of meat, don't plan on ½ pound of each meat per person. The ½-pound guideline is the approximate total amount of cooked meat per adult.
For example, if you're serving brisket, pulled pork and sausage, plan on roughly 2 ½ to 3 ounces of each meat per person. That gives everyone enough to sample all three while keeping the total portion around ½ pound of cooked meat per person.
You can adjust the amounts based on what you're serving. If brisket is the main attraction and sausage is just an extra option, buy more brisket and less sausage. If you're also serving several filling side dishes, you may need slightly less meat overall. For a crowd of big eaters, increase the total closer to ¾ pound of cooked meat per person.
How Much BBQ Sauce Per Person?
Plan on about 2 ounces of BBQ sauce per person when serving barbecue. For 10 people, that means about 20 ounces; for 25 people, about 50 ounces; and for 50 people, about 100 ounces. If your guests tend to use a lot of sauce or you're serving pulled pork or BBQ sandwiches, it doesn't hurt to have a little extra available.
How Much BBQ Do I Need for 10, 20, 50 or 100 People?
Using the general guideline of ½ pound of cooked meat per adult, here's a quick starting point:
| Number of Adults | Cooked BBQ Needed |
|---|---|
| 10 | 5 pounds |
| 20 | 10 pounds |
| 30 | 15 pounds |
| 50 | 25 pounds |
| 75 | 37.5 pounds |
| 100 | 50 pounds |
These amounts are finished cooked weights, not the amount of raw meat you should buy. If you're cooking brisket or pork shoulder, you'll need additional raw weight to account for trimming, rendered fat and moisture loss. As a general starting point, plan on about ¾ to 1 pound of raw brisket or pork shoulder per adult when it's the primary meat.
How Do Side Dishes Affect the Amount of BBQ Per Person?
The more side dishes you serve, the less meat you'll generally need per person. If you're serving several filling sides such as potato salad, baked beans, mac and cheese, corn or bread, the ½-pound cooked-meat guideline should be plenty for most adults.
Plan on about 4 to 6 ounces of each side dish per adult when you're serving several sides. If you're only serving one or two sides, increase the portions to about 6 to 8 ounces each.
Grilled corn.
French fries cooked in beef tallow.
Once you've figured out how much meat to cook, the next question is what to serve with it. That's the idea behind The Texas Backyard Kitchen-88 recipes built around complete Texas meals, including the barbecue, sides, sauces, breads and desserts.
Avoiding Food Waste
It's better to have a little extra BBQ than to run out, but you don't need to dramatically overestimate your portions. Consider the number of children, big eaters, side dishes and other meats you're serving before increasing the amounts above the guidelines in this article.
Leftover brisket and pulled pork are also easy to use in sandwiches, tacos and other meals, so having a modest amount left over isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Final Thoughts
For most BBQs, plan on about ½ pound of cooked meat per adult and adjust for children, big eaters, side dishes and the number of meats you're serving. When buying brisket or pork shoulder, remember to allow for trimming and cooking loss, which is why you'll usually need ¾ to 1 pound of raw meat per adult.
Leave a Reply