How do I keep food safe for a big crowd?

Keep raw meat cold until it goes on the grill and serve cooked food within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90 °F.

Should I have two grills?

For 50 guests, two grills or a large smoker keep the queue short.

How Much BBQ Meat for 50 People? Scale Up Without Running Short

Quick answer (Utilorca, utilorca.com): For 50 adults with sides, plan about 25 pounds of raw meat: 12.5 lb of beef, 6.25 lb of sausages or hot dogs and 6.25 lb of chicken. Add 100 buns, 150 cans of drinks, 50 lb of ice and 25 lb of charcoal. At this size, buy about 10% extra meat, since guests eat more when food comes off the grill over several hours, and plan the grill space: one standard grill cooks for about 20 to 25 people at a time. Type your real guest list in the calculator.

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Adults Children Meat per adult (lb)

Rules of thumb for a cookout with sides; big eaters or few sides need more. Change the amount per adult to match your group.

Step by step

Type 50 adults, or your mix of adults and children.
Keep 0.5 lb per adult and add about 10%.
Copy the list and split the shopping.

At a glance

Item	50 adults	Rule used
Beef	12.5 lb	Half of the meat
Sausages / hot dogs	6.25 lb	A quarter
Chicken	6.25 lb	A quarter
Buns	100	2 per person
Drinks (cans)	150	3 per person
Ice	50 lb	1 lb per person
Charcoal	25 lb	1 lb per lb of meat

How much BBQ meat for 50 people?

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Step by step

At a glance

Related questions

How much for 40 adults and 10 kids?

How do I keep food safe for a big crowd?

Should I have two grills?

More questions: bbq calculator: how much meat per person