John Andrew
John Andrew, owner of The Meat Inn Place in Lilydale, boasts a legacy of butchery, offering exclusive grass-fed and free-range meats, and specialising in low-and-slow cuts. With a career inspired by his father, John’s passion and expertise have nurtured a reputable business distinguished by unique offerings like Kiwami Wagyu, driven by a commitment to quality and community service.
Hosting a Party? Here’s How Much Meat to Buy for a BBQ
Reading Time: 8 minutes and 30 seconds
Rule of thumb: Plan for ≈ 350 – 400 g cooked meat per adult. Work backwards from the yields below and you’ll never run short.
| Meat Type | Raw per Adult | Typical Cooked Yield | Buy More If Only Meat?* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisket | 500 – 1 000 g | ≈ 50 % | Yes |
| Pulled pork | 330 – 500 g | ≈ 60 % | Yes |
| Steak (boneless) | 500 – 750 g | ≈ 75 – 80 % | Yes |
| Chicken, bone-in | 750 – 1 000 g | ≈ 70 – 75 % | Yes |
| Sausages | 2 – 3 links | ≈ 85 – 90 % | No (filler) |
*If it’s the only meat on the menu, use the upper figure; with two or more meats, drop each portion by roughly 30 %.
Five Step Portion Rule
Start point
- Boneless cuts: ≈ 500 g raw per adult
- Bone-in cuts: ≈ 1 kg raw per adult.
Children
- 250 – 300 g raw per child (aged 5–12).
Adjust for the crowd
- Big eaters/teenagers: +20 %.
- Plenty of sides: –20 %.
Account for shrinkage (see table).
Always round up by 10 %—leftovers freeze, hungry guests don’t forgive.
After helping hundreds of customers plan their BBQs at The Meat Inn Place, I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. This guide covers it all – how much per person, what to adjust if you’ve got kids or big eaters, and how to stop guessing.
If you want a no-fuss answer, keep reading.
How Much Meat Does One Person Eat?
At The Meat Inn Place, one of the most common questions we get is, “How much should I buy per person?” Here’s a simple guide to get you started:
- Boneless meats like steak or pulled pork: around 500 grams per adult
- Bone-in meats like ribs or chicken: up to 1 kilogram per adult
- Kids usually need 250 to 300 grams, depending on age and appetite
These numbers work well as a baseline, but a few things can shift the total:
- How many sides are you serving? You won’t need as much meat if there’s plenty of salad, bread, or snacks.
- Is it lunch or dinner? Dinner tends to mean hungrier guests, especially if drinks are involved.
- Are you offering multiple meats? When there’s variety, people take a little of each.
- What sort of crowd are you feeding? A table of teenagers and tradies will eat more than a relaxed group of families.
We take all of this into account when helping customers in the butcher shop. You don’t have to be exact, just close enough so no one goes hungry and you’re not left packing trays of leftovers.
What Happens After It Hits the Grill?
Raw weight doesn’t tell the full story. Once meat starts cooking, it loses moisture and fat, which means you end up with less than what you started with.
Here’s what that looks like in real terms:
| Meat Type | Shrinkage Rate | What You Actually Get |
| Brisket | Around 50% | 1 kg raw gives you roughly 500 g cooked |
| Pulled Pork | Around 40% | 1 kg raw becomes about 600 g cooked |
| Steak | 20 to 25% | 1 kg raw gives 750 to 800 g cooked |
| Chicken (bone-in) | 25 to 30% | Varies depending on cut and fat content |
| Sausages | 10 to 15% | Minimal shrinkage, stays fairly close |
What this means: if you’re planning to serve 250 grams of brisket per person, you’ll need to buy double that in raw weight to make up for what’s lost on the grill or in the smoker.
This is where most people underbuy without realising it. We always account for shrinkage when helping customers, especially with low-and-slow meats like brisket or pork shoulder and planning for what comes after the cook is just as important as what goes on the shopping list.
Different Meats, Different Rules
Not all meats behave the same when it comes to quantity. Some are filling. Others are better as part of a mix. Here’s a simple table we use at The Meat Inn Place to guide customers based on what they’re serving and how much of it they need per person.
| Meat Type | Raw Per Adult | Cooked Yield | Good To Know |
| Brisket | 500 g to 1 kg | ~50% | Great for slow cookers. Expect a lot of shrinkage. |
| Pulled Pork | 330 g to 500 g | ~60% | Works well in sliders or sandwiches. |
| Steak | 500 g to 750 g | ~75 to 80% | Less shrinkage, but still depends on doneness. |
| Chicken (bone-in) | 750 g to 1 kg | ~70 to 75% | Drumsticks and wings are great for groups. |
| Sausages | 2 to 3 per person | Minimal loss | Easy filler and always a crowd favourite. |
Planning to serve more than one type of meat? You don’t need full portions of each. People tend to sample across the board. A bit of brisket, one sausage, a few chicken wings. It all adds up.
If you’re only offering one meat, use the full per-person amount from the table. If you’re offering two or three, you can scale each one back slightly.
How We Help Customers Plan Properly
We had someone come in last week planning a BBQ for 25 people. They were cooking for family and friends and wanted to serve brisket, sausages, and chicken wings. They had no idea how much to buy.
We asked a few quick questions:
- Is this lunch or dinner?
- Are you serving sides?
- How many kids are coming?
- Is it a mixed crowd or mostly big eaters?
They were planning a dinner with a couple of salads, bread rolls, and drinks. Half the group were adults, half kids. Based on that, we suggested 6 to 7 kilos of brisket, 60 sausages, and around 5 kilos of wings. That gave them enough variety and volume without going overboard.
It’s not about being exact. It’s about asking the right questions and matching the food to the people. We do it every day in the shop and it’s one of the most useful parts of the service.
What BBQ Forums Get Right
We’ve looked through plenty of BBQ threads over the years, and most of what the online grilling community says matches what we see in real life.
On Reddit, one of the most common tips is to allow about half a pound (roughly 225 grams) of meat per adult, especially when sides are on the table. That holds up pretty well across most events we help plan.
Over on BBQ Brethren, the advice gets a little more specific. If you’re serving more than one type of meat, you don’t need full portions of each. People will sample a bit of everything, so you can scale back the quantity of each meat type slightly without running short overall.
And in the TexasBowhunter forum, a lot of posters bring up bread, tortillas, and sides. They say it changes everything. If you’re serving rolls, mac and cheese, or potato salad, most guests will naturally eat a bit less meat. We’ve seen the same thing. Add a few solid sides, and you can drop meat quantities by 15 to 20 percent without anyone noticing.
These are tips from real people cooking for real groups, not food stylists prepping for magazine shoots. They line up with what we hear in-store, and they’re worth keeping in mind when you’re working out your own numbers.
Smart Ways to Get Meat Portions Right Without Wasting a Thing
Planning meat for a BBQ doesn’t have to be guesswork. A few simple steps can help you avoid running short or buying way too much.
Ask your guests ahead of time
It’s not rude to check if someone’s a big eater or just there for a few sides. If you know your crowd, you’ll buy smarter.
Round up when you’re unsure
It’s always safer to buy a little more than you think you need. Leftover meat is easier to deal with than hungry guests.
Include cheaper filler meats
Sausages, chicken wings, and burgers help stretch your budget without skimping on quantity. Budget cuts go fast and keep everyone full.
Offer a couple of veggie options
Grilled corn, stuffed mushrooms, and a decent salad can take the pressure off your meat count. Not everyone loads their plate the same way.
Freeze leftovers properly
Anything you don’t use can go into the freezer and get reheated later. Pulled pork, brisket, and even sausages all hold up well when stored right.
At The Meat Inn Place, we’ve seen plenty of people stress over quantities, but once you break it down, it’s pretty straightforward. It just takes a bit of planning and the right mix of cuts.
BBQ Habits by the Numbers
A UK survey featured in The Independent found that the average person hosts three BBQs a year and attends around four more. Over time, that adds up to a lot of meat on the grill.
Let’s say you’re feeding ten people at each event. Across seven BBQs a year, that’s 70 servings. Over ten years, you’re looking at around 700 plates of meat. Multiply that by average per-person servings, and it’s not hard to imagine that a single BBQ-loving household could go through hundreds of kilos of steak, sausages, brisket, and chicken in a decade.
If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s worth learning how to plan meat properly, those numbers make it pretty clear. Most people will throw a few dozen BBQs in their lifetime. Getting better at quantities can save you money and make those events a lot easier to pull off.
We’ve even had regulars come into The Meat Inn Place with notebooks tracking how much they served, what was left, and what they’d do differently next time. It might sound over the top, but those are the people who always get it right.
Quick Tables for Planning Meat
If you just want straight answers, this section is for you. Whether you’re hosting 10 or 50 people, here’s how much meat you’ll need based on the most popular BBQ cuts.
These numbers assume you’re serving sides and maybe one or two types of meat. If you’re offering more than three, you can pull each portion back slightly. If you’re only serving one meat, use the higher end of the range.
Plenty of our customers print this out or keep it saved for the next event. You don’t need to get it perfect every time. You just want to get close enough that everyone is fed and nothing goes to waste.
| No. of Guests | Pulled Pork | Brisket | Sausages | Chicken Wings | Steak |
| 10 | 3.5 to 5 kg | 5 to 7 kg | 20 to 30 | 3 to 4 kg | 5 to 7.5 kg |
| 20 | 7 to 10 kg | 10 to 14 kg | 40 to 60 | 6 to 8 kg | 10 to 15 kg |
| 50 | 18 to 25 kg | 25 to 35 kg | 100 to 150 | 15 to 20 kg | 25 to 35 kg |
These estimates assume you’re serving a mix of meats along with sides like salad, bread, or potatoes. If you’re only offering one or two meats, use the higher end of each range. If you’re including all five, you can reduce each one slightly.
Want a more tailored breakdown based on appetite or menu mix? You can use this simple BBQ planning tool to fine-tune the numbers.
Plenty of customers print this out and bring it in when they’re placing a large order. It’s a simple way to avoid overbuying or falling short.
FAQ
Always plan based on raw weight, but keep shrinkage in mind. Most slow-cooked meats like brisket or pork lose 30 to 50 percent of their weight, so factor that in when ordering.
If you’re feeding a crowd, stick to cuts that are easy to portion and cook consistently. Rump, sirloin, and scotch fillet are solid choices. You can slice them thinly after cooking so everyone gets a bit without needing a full steak.
If you’re planning for 20 guests or more, give us at least 3 to 5 days’ notice, especially if you need something specific or want it pre-portioned. Around holiday weekends, a week’s notice is even better.
Let’s Make Your Next BBQ Easy
You don’t need to overthink it. With a bit of planning, the right cuts, and realistic numbers, you can serve the right amount of meat without the stress. Whether you’re cooking for a few mates or half the neighbourhood, getting your quantities right means fewer leftovers, less last-minute panic, and a better time around the grill.
If you’re still not sure how much to buy, we’re here to help. Drop by The Meat Inn Place or give us a call. We’ll walk you through the numbers based on your crowd, menu, and budget.
Planning a BBQ shouldn’t be guesswork. With the right advice, it never is.
