Pounds of meat per person

[BaconAF]

Hey yall, I've agreed to smoke up a dinner for about 30-40 people for an event, but I've realized I'm not entirely sure how much meat to get. Obviously I don't want to run short, but I also dont want to have 20 lbs to much. Does anyone have experience with about how many pounds of meat per person or anything like that? There will be side dishes and desserts so I won't be the only food there

 

[02ebz06]

Never done that many, but I seem to recall it's about 1/2lb per person.
Others that have cooked for large numbers may chime in with their experience.

 

[normanaj]

8oz sounds about right to me too.

What type of meat were you planning on?If you're planning on something like pulled pork don't worry about having a little extra as you can shrink wrap it then freeze it and have it on hand for a quick meal or three.

 

[BaconAF]

8oz sounds about right to me too.

What type of meat were you planning on?If you're planning on something like pulled pork don't worry about having a little extra as you can shrink wrap it then freeze it and have it on hand for a quick meal or three.

Some pulled pork and ribs. I want to get into catering more and I worry about meat like a brisket cooking wayyyy too much

 

[Gonna Smoke]

With boneless meat, 8oz. per person is plenty. With ribs, 2-3 ribs per person. This is with sides...

 

[SmokinEdge]

All good info. Just remember also that low slow bbq like PP and brisket can lose 40-50% the original weight after the cook is done. That is a 10# butt will generally net you 5-6# meat once pulled.

Also consider who you are feeding and weather or not you will have the meat served or if self serve.

Men eat more than women. Young men from teenagers through their 20’s eat the most. Women are the best at portioning while young men are the worst at portion size. So part of your crowd will take 1/2 pound but part will only take 1/4 pound.

Also sides are a big factor. They can really help stretch the meat.

In the end though it’s fun to do and always remember that low slow bbq freezes very well so it’s not like you have to throw out or refrigerate the leftovers. Vacuum seal and freeze.

 

[voyager 663rd]

Ribs about 1/2lb RAW/person. It doesn't shrink as much as brisket.

Brisket?? That is a good one to calculate. Figure on 6-8oz/person COOKED.

When smoking a brisket, it usually loses 40-50% of it's raw weight. So, if you start with a 10 lb brisket (and that's small), figure on finished weight of about 5 (maybe 6)lb give or take. Honestly, it does vary and can only guess at a finished weight.

 

[Hijack73]

IMO - and I've cooked for many a crowd, whatever final number you think is about right, add an extra 25%. If you think 3 butts is enough, cook 4. If you think 5 racks of ribs is enough, make 7.

One of the most embarrassing moments of my life - church BBQ. I made pulled pork and brisket. The line went though and about 3/4 of the way through I noticed the brisket pan was empty. Pastor and I were standing there yapping and he said 'dang, I was looking forward to some of that brisket'.

That night I started another brisket after I got home. The next afternoon I took most of it to him. I had to have a couple of lbs for me....

Leftovers are better than people standing around with that sad look on their face. Pork is cheap. Dignity is priceless. Embarrassment cuts to the bone.

3 ribs per person is ok until you get cousin Jimmy who puts away 3/4 of a rack and turns his nose up at coleslaw and tater salad. If I host, and Jimmy wants to eat 2lbs of meat, Jimmy can eat his fill. I'm not going to stand there and say "hey Jimmy, back off on the ribs"

 

[BaconAF]

All good info. Just remember also that low slow bbq like PP and brisket can lose 40-50% the original weight after the cook is done. That is a 10# butt will generally net you 5-6# meat once pulled.

Also consider who you are feeding and weather or not you will have the meat served or if self serve.

Men eat more than women. Young men from teenagers through their 20’s eat the most. Women are the best at portioning while young men are the worst at portion size. So part of your crowd will take 1/2 pound but part will only take 1/4 pound.

Also sides are a big factor. They can really help stretch the meat.

In the end though it’s fun to do and always remember that low slow bbq freezes very well so it’s not like you have to throw out or refrigerate the leftovers. Vacuum seal and freeze.

Really good numbers here, thank you very much.

 

[motolife313-2]

Brisket and pulled pork but will lost almost 50% weight. So if u get 20 pound brisket and 20 pounds of pork butt you will be left with about 20 pounds in meat. if u got 40 people that’s 1/2 pound meat each and that’s probably not enough

 

[DougE]

Brisket and pulled pork but will lost almost 50% weight. So if u get 20 pound brisket and 20 pounds of pork butt you will be left with about 20 pounds in meat. if u got 40 people that’s 1/2 pound meat each and that’s probably not enough

Half a pound of boneless, cooked meat per person is actually probably enough, unless you're feeding hogs, considering appetizers and sides, but I'd still cook more than I thought I needed. The leftovers will vac seal nicely.

 

[daspyknows]

It depends of the BBQ is good. People eat a lot more if it is.

 

[smokinstubbs]

There will be side dishes and desserts so I won't be the only food there

That sounds like a nice way of telling people to "eat me"!

 

[bill1]

As they say in show-biz, know your audience. Who are you cooking for? A bunch of middle-aged women don't pack it away like a bunch of young football players. I certainly agree a good host always makes 25% more than expected, but there's a lot of crowds where .5#/person is 2X too much.

I'm amazed how much less **I** eat now than I did 50 years ago. Not near as strong as I used to be either.