How Much BBQ Per Person

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If you’re hosting a BBQ, the amount of food that people eat can vary depending on how hungry they are. You might want to provide a smaller amount of food for those who just came over to visit and don’t plan on eating much.

But if everyone is really hungry, you’ll need more meat and sides! In this blog post, we will walk through how many pounds per person your barbecue should have!

Here’s how we break it down:

  • 2–4 people: Depending on how hungry they are, you will serve 2 pork chops or a rack of spare ribs.
  • 6–8 people: Depends on the amount of appetizers you’re serving. If you have nothing but meat to offer, then you would suggest either two racks of St Louis style ribs (which are small), 2 large pork or beef ribs, or one whole chicken and smoky sausage links (about 5 lbs total).
  • 10–12 people: It’s time for brisket! If everyone eats 3 slices of brisket per person, then that is about 4 lbs of beef. Serve with your favorite side dishes.

In addition to the food listed above, you can serve the following appetizers when hosting a barbecue (no matter how many people you have over):

  • Cheese and crackers (with assorted meats such as salami or smoked ham).
  • Fruits (apples, grapes, etc.) with dip.
  • Chips and salsa or guacamole (store bought is fine).

How Much Pork Per Person

If you’re cooking a whole hog (60-80 lbs), you can have 12-16 servings per pound. If it’s over 100 pounds, it will be more like 40-50 servings per pound with about 20% of that being in the form of pork loin and chops.

How Much Beef Per Person

If you’re cooking beef, you can have 12-14 servings per pound with about 25-30 pounds per person for a whole brisket or shoulder.

How Much Chicken Breast Per Person

If you’re cooking chicken breast, you can have 18-20 servings for 12-14 ounces (or 350-400 grams).

How Much Vegetables Per Person

The average number of servings per pound for veggies is about 16 so a little over one pound should be sufficient. This would provide enough variety to include corn on the cob, green beans, and potatoes as an example! You can also try out some other vegetables like squash, zucchini, and tomatoes.

Bobby Johnson

When he's not writing about barbecue, you can find Bobby smoking meat for friends and family. He's been a backyard pitmaster for roughly half his life, and has worked with nearly every cut of meat. Not everyone has a hands-on guide to teach them BBQ, but that's what Bobby hopes to do with Electric Smoker HQ. He wants to help people create amazing food that they can be proud of.