How Much Meat Per Person for a BBQ

The standard catering starting point is 350 g of cooked meat per adult for bone-in cuts (ribs, chicken pieces) and 280 g for boneless cuts (steak, burgers, skirt). Because meat shrinks during cooking and bone-in cuts have inedible bone, you need to buy more raw weight. For bone-in at normal appetite and moderate sides, that means about 508 g raw per adult; for boneless, about 358 g raw per adult. Always add 10% buffer for seconds and unexpected guests.

For 10 adults with normal appetite and moderate sides: bone-in ribs → buy about 5.1 kg raw (5.6 kg with 10% buffer); boneless steak or burgers → about 3.6 kg raw (3.9 kg with buffer); sausages → about 2.0 kg raw (2.2 kg with buffer). Adjust up by 25% for very hungry guests (teens, athletes) or if you're serving few sides.

For bone-in cuts (normal appetite, moderate sides): 20 people → ~10.2 kg raw; 30 people → ~15.2 kg raw; 50 people → ~25.4 kg raw. Add 10% buffer to each. For boneless steak: 20 people → ~7.2 kg; 30 people → ~10.8 kg; 50 people → ~17.9 kg. Use the calculator above for custom headcounts, different appetite levels, and mixed groups with children.

Yes, significantly. Bone-in cuts like ribs and chicken pieces need roughly 45% more raw weight because about 30% is inedible bone and cooking shrinks the rest by around 25%. Boneless steak and burgers lose about 22% in cooking, so you only need 28% more raw weight than your target cooked portion. Sausages lose just 12%, making them the most efficient buy per gram.

With hearty sides — potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, corn on the cob, garlic bread, and dessert — reduce your meat target by 20% (use the 'Hearty' sides option). Guests naturally fill up on carbs and salads before reaching for seconds of meat. With minimal sides, increase by 20% (use 'Few / none'). The difference between a full-sides spread and no sides can be as large as 40% in total meat needed.

Typical cooking shrinkage by cut: grilled steaks and burgers lose 15–25% of raw weight; ribs and other bone-in cuts lose 25–35% on the meat portion (plus the inedible bone); bratwurst and sausages lose only 10–15%. Slow-smoked brisket and pulled pork lose 30–40%. This calculator applies the appropriate loss factor automatically based on the cut type you select.

Standard counts: quarter-pound burger patties (113 g raw) → 2–3 per adult, 1–2 per child. Bratwurst or full-size hot dogs (85–100 g each) → 2–3 per adult, 1–2 per child. Chicken wings → 6–8 per adult, 3–4 per child. For this calculator, select 'Sausages' as the cut type and enter your headcount — it will give you the total weight, which you can then divide by the individual sausage weight to get a count.

Run the calculator separately for each meat type and add the results, but split the portions. For example, if serving both ribs and sausages for 10 adults, you might allocate 50% of the serving to each: calculate 10 adults bone-in × 0.5 = 5 effective adults, then 10 adults sausages × 0.5 = 5 effective adults, and add the two raw weights. This way the total cooked meat still equals one full adult portion per person.

Yes. Teenage boys (13–17) commonly eat 1.25 to 1.5 times the standard adult portion at a cookout. Count each teenage boy as 1.25 adults in the calculator — enter them under the adults field with that mental adjustment. For a group of 8 teenage boys, enter 10 adults to account for their above-average appetite. Similarly, teenage girls typically eat closer to a standard adult portion.

Three rules: (1) always buy 10% more than the calculator's base estimate (the calculator shows this buffer automatically); (2) front-load the grill — put sausages and chicken pieces on first so early arrivals don't eat into the premium cuts meant for everyone; (3) keep one backup option on hand: a tray of frozen burger patties or a pack of hot dogs that you only open if needed. Leftover grilled meat reheats well for next-day tacos and sandwiches, so buying slightly more is always the safer play.