BBQ food quantities for a group

The whole skill of catering a group barbecue is buying the right amount: run short and half the crowd goes hungry, overbuy and you are eating cold sausages for a week. Here are the rough per-person quantities that get it right.

Meat and protein, per adult

• •Around 300–400 g of meat per adult across the whole barbecue — more if it is the only food, less with lots of sides.
• •A good spread is 2 items per person: e.g. a burger and a sausage, or a skewer and a piece of chicken.
• •Add a veggie option (halloumi, corn, veggie burgers) — count at least one per person, not just for the vegetarians.

Bread, sides and salads

• •Buns/bread: 2–3 per person — they always go faster than you expect.
• •Salads and sides: 3–4 different ones for a group, ~150–200 g per person total.
• •Don’t forget the extras: cheese slices, sauces, butter, napkins, foil.

Drinks

Plan roughly 2–3 drinks per person for the first couple of hours, then 1 per hour after. Split it across beer, soft drinks and water, and always have more water and ice than you think — a hot afternoon gets through both fast.

Cook in waves, not all at once

A grill only holds so much. Start with the food that takes longest (chicken, corn), keep a warm tray for cooked batches, and do quick items (sausages, burgers) in rounds so everyone eats hot food rather than everything landing cold at once.

Split the cost across the group

A barbecue for a crowd adds up — meat especially. Rather than one person fronting a giant supermarket bill, agree a per-head contribution or log who bought what and settle it fairly afterwards.