How much BBQ meat will I need? Help!
Discussion
Afternoon all,
We (the wife and I) agreed to have a small BBQ for friends and family for our daughter's first birthday - I agreed to a BBQ thinking it would be cheaper and less wasteful than hiring a hall, buffet, entertainment etc.
Last night she comes clean that we have 35 adults at least, possibly more, and about 15 kids aged between 1 and 5. I have a reasonable size gas BBQ and a couple of small charcoal ones borrowed, so cooking space is not an issue, and the guests are arriving over a few hours due to work etc.
How much meat should I buy? I have to pre-order it, as in my infinite wisdom, the party is the day after we return from holidays. I don't really want to end up with a freezer full of meat afterwards, but likewise, don't want to run out of meat.
I am planning on simple food - burgers, sausages, few ribs, chicken skewers etc. I am by no means a BBQ expert, so any suggestions are helpful as to how much food to get, how to do it on a reasonable budget etc
We (the wife and I) agreed to have a small BBQ for friends and family for our daughter's first birthday - I agreed to a BBQ thinking it would be cheaper and less wasteful than hiring a hall, buffet, entertainment etc.
Last night she comes clean that we have 35 adults at least, possibly more, and about 15 kids aged between 1 and 5. I have a reasonable size gas BBQ and a couple of small charcoal ones borrowed, so cooking space is not an issue, and the guests are arriving over a few hours due to work etc.
How much meat should I buy? I have to pre-order it, as in my infinite wisdom, the party is the day after we return from holidays. I don't really want to end up with a freezer full of meat afterwards, but likewise, don't want to run out of meat.
I am planning on simple food - burgers, sausages, few ribs, chicken skewers etc. I am by no means a BBQ expert, so any suggestions are helpful as to how much food to get, how to do it on a reasonable budget etc
Meat can be frozen, so no big issue if you over order. But food will go if its there for the taking.
I'd wager an average of 3 pieces of meat per person, e.g. a sausage, chicken thigh and a burger. 1 for the kids. If you do kebabs, not too much meat on them. I'm cooking for 5 tonight and have got 13 items, a mixture of fish, chicken, sausages etc.
Make some salad, have fresh bread etc.
ETA: Couscous is a good cheap and easy thing to do. It's also quite filling, so have that out before the meat gets offered!
I'd wager an average of 3 pieces of meat per person, e.g. a sausage, chicken thigh and a burger. 1 for the kids. If you do kebabs, not too much meat on them. I'm cooking for 5 tonight and have got 13 items, a mixture of fish, chicken, sausages etc.
Make some salad, have fresh bread etc.
ETA: Couscous is a good cheap and easy thing to do. It's also quite filling, so have that out before the meat gets offered!
As much as I would like to have half a cow and half a pig its not going to happen. Burgers and sausages and chicken and ribs and kebab skewers is about the limit of budget and cooking ability. I will throw on some sweetcorn cobs and onions salads etc. I figure that 60 burgers and 60 sausages say 30 bits of chicken and some ribs n kebabs will about do me.
Don't bother with ribs if you're just going to flash them on the grill. They'll be tough as old boots unless you precook them in a really low oven first.
I'd suggest you want stuff that's nice and quick to cook in quantity so as you've said, burgers, snags, chicken skewers, kebabs etc. you could also get a few big old rump steaks (not expensive) marinade in soy sauce, garlic and honey (basically teriyaki) and chuck them on. Just slice them up to serve (they'll go a long way).
I'd suggest you want stuff that's nice and quick to cook in quantity so as you've said, burgers, snags, chicken skewers, kebabs etc. you could also get a few big old rump steaks (not expensive) marinade in soy sauce, garlic and honey (basically teriyaki) and chuck them on. Just slice them up to serve (they'll go a long way).
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