How Much Meat Do I Need? A Butcher’s Guide for Parties, Tailgates & Family Gatherings

You’ve planned the party. You know who’s coming. You’ve figured out the drinks, the sides and maybe even the playlist.

Now comes the question that seems to stump every host:

How much meat do I actually need?

Buy too little and you’re watching the serving tray nervously before half your guests have made a plate. Buy too much and you’re eating leftovers for the next week.

Fortunately, figuring out how much meat to serve a crowd doesn’t have to be complicated.

At Redstone Market & Butcher, we help customers feed everyone from a few friends watching the game to a hundred guests at a catered event. Here’s a simple starting point for planning your next party, tailgate, family reunion or backyard barbecue.

The Quick Rule: Plan About 6 Ounces of Meat Per Person

For boneless smoked meats like brisket and pulled pork, a good starting point is about 6 ounces of cooked meat per person.

That assumes you’re also serving sides, bread and other food.

Of course, no two crowds eat exactly the same way. A group of hungry adults may eat more, while a party with lots of appetizers and sides may need less. And if you’re serving multiple meats, you can divide the total amount among your selections rather than planning a full portion of each meat for every guest.

When in doubt, though, we’d rather have enough for a leftover brisket sandwich tomorrow.

How Much Meat Do You Need?

For 5 people:
Brisket: About 2 lbs.
Pulled Pork: About 2 lbs.
Ribs: About 2 racks
Chicken: 5 portions
Sides: 2 varieties

For 10 people:
Brisket: About 4 lbs.
Pulled Pork: About 4 lbs.
Ribs: About 3–4 racks
Chicken: 10 portions
Sides: 2–3 varieties

For 20 people:
Brisket: About 7.5 lbs.
Pulled Pork: About 7.5 lbs.
Ribs: About 6–7 racks
Chicken: 20 portions
Sides: 2–3 varieties

For 50 people:
Brisket: About 19 lbs.
Pulled Pork: About 19 lbs.
Ribs: About 16–17 racks
Chicken: 50 portions
Sides: 3–4 varieties

For 100 people:
Brisket: About 38 lbs.
Pulled Pork: About 38 lbs.
Ribs: About 33–34 racks
Chicken: 100 portions
Sides: 4+ varieties

A few things to keep in mind: These numbers are starting points. For brisket and pulled pork, plan on approximately 6 ounces of cooked meat per person when you're serving sides and other food. For ribs, plan around 3–4 ribs per person when they're part of a larger meal. Chicken quantities will vary depending on whether you're serving pulled chicken, wings, tenders or quarters.

If you're serving more than one meat, you don't need a full serving of every meat for every person. Instead, calculate the total amount of meat you'll need and divide it among your selections..

How Much Brisket Per Person?

For cooked brisket, start with about 6 ounces per person when you’re serving it alongside sides, bread and other food.

That works out to approximately:

5 people: 2 pounds
10 people: 4 pounds
20 people: 7.5 pounds
50 people: 19 pounds
100 people: 38 pounds

If brisket is the only main dish and you know your crowd can eat, add a little extra.

If you're cooking a raw brisket yourself, remember that brisket loses considerable weight during trimming and cooking. You'll need to purchase more raw meat than the amount of cooked brisket you ultimately plan to serve.

Or you can let our Smokehouse Kitchen do that part for you.

How Much Pulled Pork Per Person?

Pulled pork follows a similar rule.

Plan around 6 ounces of cooked pulled pork per person for a meal with sides.

Pulled pork is particularly convenient for big gatherings because it’s easy to portion, serve and keep warm. Add sandwich buns, Redstone pickles and barbecue sauce and guests can build their own plates or sandwiches.

If you’re serving pulled pork alongside another meat—say brisket and pork—you don't need six ounces of each per guest. Instead, aim for roughly six ounces of meat total per person and divide that amount between your selections.

How Many Ribs Per Person?

Ribs are a little different because you’re paying for—and serving—bone as well as meat.

If ribs are one of several proteins, plan on approximately 3–4 ribs per person.

If ribs are the star of the meal, you may want closer to half a rack per adult, depending on the size of the racks and what else you’re serving.

This is one of those situations where your butcher can be especially helpful. Tell us how many people you're feeding, whether you're serving another meat and how hungry your crowd tends to be. We'll help you work backward from there.

How Much Chicken Per Person?

First, decide what kind of chicken you're serving.

For pulled chicken, the same general 6-ounce-per-person rule works well.

For chicken quarters, plan approximately one portion per guest when chicken is the main dish.

Wings are different. If they're being served as part of a meal with other foods, Redstone recommends starting around six wings per person.

And if you're serving chicken tenders, plan around three tenders per person.

How Many Sides Do You Need?

For a smaller gathering, two sides are usually plenty.

Once you're feeding a bigger group, we like offering at least three so everyone can find something they like.

Redstone's catering menu includes favorites like mac and cheese, baked beans, collard greens, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, cole slaw, Brussels sprouts and garden salad.

As a general rule, plan around 4–6 ounces of sides per person per side, depending on how many different sides you're offering.

And don't forget the things that turn meat and sides into a meal: buns, rolls, pickles and sauces.

Adjust for Your Crowd

The chart is a starting point, not a law of barbecue.

Before placing your order, think about who you're feeding.

If you're hosting an afternoon tailgate where people will be grazing for hours, you may want extra. If you're serving appetizers before the meal, you may need a little less. Kids typically eat smaller portions than adults, while a crowd of hungry football fans might make that six-ounce estimate disappear quickly.

Also consider whether you want leftovers.

Personally, we don't consider leftover brisket a problem.

Feeding a Crowd? Let Redstone Do the Math

You don't have to stand in your kitchen calculating pounds of pulled pork the night before your party.

Redstone Market & Butcher offers catering for everything from tailgates and family gatherings to office lunches, birthdays, graduations and larger celebrations.

Our Smokehouse Kitchen can prepare brisket, pulled pork, pulled chicken, ribs, sausage, wings and homemade sides, and our team can help you determine how much food you actually need for your guest count.

Redstone's catering packages make things even easier for groups of 20 or more, with your choice of meats and sides plus buns, pickles, sauces and bread.

And we'll even send plates, napkins, cutlery and serving utensils.

Tell Us How Many People. We'll Help With the Rest.

Whether you're feeding five people around the dinner table or 100 people at your next big event, we'd rather have you enjoying your guests than worrying about whether you bought enough brisket.

Stop by Redstone Market & Butcher in Athens, GA, talk to our team at the butcher counter or place a catering order for your next gathering.

Just tell us how many people are coming.

We'll help you figure out the food.