BBQ Food Quantity Calculator
Calculate the perfect quantities of burgers, sausages, chicken, meat, and sides for a BBQ of any size. Never run out of food or over-buy again.
BBQ Food Planning Guide
How Much Meat Per Person
General rule: 200-250g raw meat per adult for a main meal BBQ (the meat reduces in weight when cooked — a 150g burger becomes approximately 120g cooked). Breakdown per adult: 1-2 beef burgers (150g each), 2-3 sausages (50-70g each), plus optional chicken thighs or ribs. For a 4-hour afternoon BBQ, most adults eat 1 burger + 2 sausages minimum, with heavier eaters adding a chicken thigh. Children: approximately half the adult quantity (1 burger OR 2 sausages, not both, plus children tend to fill
Timing the Cook
The biggest BBQ mistake: cooking everything at once before guests arrive, then serving cold food. BBQ is best served fresh off the grill. Stagger the cooking: sausages take 15-20 minutes, burgers 10-12 minutes, chicken thighs 25-30 minutes, chicken breasts 20-25 minutes. The hot zone / cold zone principle: bank coals to one side (or turn off half the burners on a gas BBQ). Sear on the hot side first, then move to indirect heat to cook through without burning. Critical food safety: chicken must r
Sides and Salads
Sides per person: coleslaw 80g per person (a 500g tub serves 6). Potato salad 150g per person. Mixed salad 60-70g. Corn on the cob: 1 per person. Buns: 1-2 per person (always buy slightly more buns than burgers — guests want extras for sausages). Chips/potato wedges: 150g per person as one of the sides. Shopping guide for 12 adults: 1 × 500g coleslaw tub, 2 × 500g potato salad, 2 large salads, 12 corn cobs (optional), 2 × 6-packs of brioche buns, 1.5kg oven chips/wedges.
Food Safety at BBQs
Key food safety rules: keep raw meat chilled until cooking — never leave unrefrigerated for more than 1-2 hours. Separate raw and cooked meat on different plates and with different utensils. Never put cooked food back on the plate that held raw meat. Pork and chicken must be cooked through — no pink meat. Beef burgers (minced meat) must be cooked all the way through to 75°C — unlike steak, which can be rare because bacteria are only on the outside. Cross-contamination risk: use different choppin
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