BBQ Meat Per Person Calculator
Calculate how much meat you should buy for the BBQ, based on number of guests, type of meat, and how hungry the crowd is.
How to use the calculator
- Enter how many guests will be at the BBQ.
- Choose the type of meat — hot dogs, burgers, or steak/chicken breast each have a different recommended portion weight.
- Choose appetite — set to "Big/hungry crowd" if the meat is the main attraction of the party.
How the quantity is calculated
The calculator multiplies the number of guests by the portion weight for the selected meat type and an appetite factor:
This is raw weight for grilling — not including sides like salads, bread, or sauces. Round up for long parties or when the meat is the main attraction of the event.
The sides decide how much meat you need
The amount of meat per person cannot be set independently of the rest of the table. If the barbecue is the whole meal with little alongside it, people eat noticeably more meat than when there are several salads, potatoes, bread and sauces available. A well-stocked side table can cut the meat requirement appreciably, and is cheaper per person than adding more meat.
The mix matters too. A selection with sausages, marinated chicken and a larger joint means people take a little of everything, and the total per person ends up higher than if there is only one dish — everyone samples all of it. Grilling losses come on top: meat shrinks on the grill, and some inevitably falls through the grate or gets left behind.
Frequently asked questions
Should I calculate differently for children at the BBQ?
Yes, children typically eat less than adults. You can count children as a half to two-thirds portion, or manually adjust the guest count to account for this.
How many sides should I have in addition?
A common rule of thumb is to plan roughly as much sides (salads, bread, potatoes) as meat by weight, but this varies with how big a role the sides play in the meal.
What if I'm serving several types of meat at once?
Run the calculator once per type of meat with a split of the guests (or a share of the portions) for each type, and add the results together.