Getting how much meat per person for a BBQ right is what stands between a relaxed afternoon and either a mid-cook dash to the shops or a mountain of leftovers. A safe starting point is 400g to 500g of raw meat per adult across all the meats combined.
This guide breaks that down into clear serving sizes for sausages, steak, burgers and more, gives you kilogram totals for any crowd size, and helps you buy the right amount without overspending.
The quick answer: BBQ portions at a glance
For a barbecue, plan on 400g to 500g of raw meat per adult across all the meats you serve, not for each one. Adjust within that range depending on how meat-focused the menu is and how generous the sides are.
The style of barbecue makes a real difference. A steak-and-chops spread with a couple of salads needs the higher figure, while a casual snags-and-salads afternoon sits comfortably at the lower end. Use the table below as your starting point.
| Style of barbecue | Raw meat per adult | Notes |
| Meat-focused, few sides | 500g to 600g | Steaks, chops and big appetites |
| Balanced spread | 400g to 500g | The standard for most gatherings |
| Snags and salads | 300g to 400g | Casual, plenty of sides |
Portions by meat: sausages, steak, burgers and more
When you serve several meats, reduce each one so the combined total still lands around 400g to 500g per adult. This mixed-meats rule is where most hosts go wrong, adding a full serve of everything and badly over-catering.
The amounts below are per person when that meat is one of several on the grill. A typical mix might be two sausages, a piece of steak and a skewer each. If you are leaning hard on the best steak for a BBQ, size the steak up and trim the rest back.
| Meat | Per person | Notes |
| Sausages | 2 to 3 | Around 150g to 200g |
| Beef burgers | 1 to 2 patties | 150g to 200g |
| Steak | 200g to 250g | Usually one steak |
| Lamb or pork chops | 2 to 3 | Bone-in, so allow extra |
| Chicken skewers or kebabs | 150g to 200g | Marinate ahead for flavour |
| Wings or drumsticks | 3 to 4 pieces | Popular with kids |
| Ribs | 300g to 400g | Bone-in and they shrink |
How much meat for 10 to 100 people
For a standard mixed barbecue, multiply the number of adults by roughly 450g to get your total raw meat weight. Split that total across two or three meats so there is variety without waste.
The table gives you a quick total for common group sizes. Round each figure up to the nearest pack size, and buy a little extra when you cannot easily predict appetites. For the larger numbers, buying in bulk is far more economical, and our guide on how to buy meat in bulk and save shows you how to order well.
| Guests | Total raw meat (mixed BBQ) |
| 10 | 4.5kg |
| 20 | 9kg |
| 30 | 13.5kg |
| 50 | 22.5kg |
| 100 | 45kg |
Adjusting for kids, big eaters and sides
Adjust the 450g-per-adult figure up or down for who is coming and how much else is on the table. A headcount alone can mislead you either way.
Count young children as around half an adult serve, since most fill up quickly on bread, salads and a sausage or two. Teenagers, on the other hand, often eat as much as adults, so plan full serves. Add about 100g per head for a hungry, meat-loving crowd, and take off roughly 20 per cent when you are laying on generous sides like bread rolls, potato salad and corn.
Raw vs cooked: why you buy more than you serve
Buy more than the cooked amount you want on the plate, because meat loses roughly a quarter to a third of its weight on the grill. Fat renders, moisture cooks off, and bone-in cuts shed even more.
That is why the figures in this guide are raw weights, which is what you actually purchase. A 250g raw steak comes off the barbecue closer to 180g, and a rack of ribs shrinks noticeably as the fat melts away. Factoring in this shrinkage is the difference between a table that is comfortably fed and one that runs a little short.
Buying for your barbecue without blowing the budget
Buy slightly over your headcount, prep ahead, and freeze anything left rather than risk running out. A small buffer costs far less than the stress of an empty grill halfway through.
Marinating tougher, cheaper cuts is a smart way to feed a crowd well for less, and our guide to marinating beef helps you get more flavour from budget-friendly meat. Anything you do not cook keeps well in the freezer, as our guide to how long you can freeze meat explains. When you are ready to stock up, you can browse the full range of cuts and have them delivered chilled in time for the weekend.
Conclusion
Plan a barbecue around one figure: 400g to 500g of raw meat per adult across everything you serve, split into two or three meats and adjusted for kids, appetites and sides. Buy with a small buffer, prep ahead, and freeze the rest. For quality cuts delivered in time for the weekend, Cost Cut Meats has you covered.
