Need help for 50 person party...
 

I'm sure this has been covered many times before, but please help a brother out. We are planning a graduation party for my daughter and are planning on about 50 people. The plan is for pulled pork, pulled chuckie, pulled chicken and brisket. I already have a 13# briskie and about 7# of chuckie. I was thinking about picking up a double pack of Costco pork butt, and five roasted yardbirds to pull. We will also be having potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, veggie trays, fruit trays and other assorted snacks. Most people coming will be adults. Is there a rule of thumb for how many pounds of raw meat to plan per person? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. :mrgreen:

Should've told me sooner. I'd have flown out. :tsk:

The general rule of thumb is 1/3-1/2 pound cooked weight per person. Generally the shrinkage on meat like butt is about 40% (you can figure 50% for ease of calculation). A rough rule then is 1 pound uncooked meat per person will give you a bit more than 1/2 pound cooked per person = 1 serving. For steak, the shrinkage isn't as much, but people generally eat more. You can also figure about 1 pound uncooked per person if you like. This varies greatly by appetite (how many of your daughter's friends are football players? -- I did notice that her boyfriend was a light eater though) and how good a cook you are. You can really tell how good the food is by how much people eat. I usually take this recommended amount and double it.

Thanks Gore... That helps a ton. The party isn't until June 9th so you, e, the girls and Ninja are officially invited. That goes for all the rest of y'all too! The more the merrier! :mrgreen: Please just let me know so I can plan accordingly. :thumb:

Thanks for the invite, Al, but I'll be flying back from Arizona on the 9th. That'll be a good ten pounds less meat that you'd have to cook, all salmon too. :becky:

Johnny come lately here, but Gore pretty much hit it. With a variety like you have there, you may want to err slightly higher (providing a selection). Some of it depends on the type of party and whether the folks are really eaters or nibblers. I did my daughters college graduation party and thankfully I'd over-budgeted because the eaters hit the pork like it was going out of style. They ate what amounts to about 3/4ths of a pound per person. I've also done other parties, same numbers, hardly an eater in the bunch and was slightly under 1/3lb per person. With all those extra fixin's, you should have plenty of meat with just over 1/2 a lb per.

Thanks Hance... I have a feeling most of them will be nibblers although you never know. I do know most of them aren't used to having BBQ on a regular basis so I could be a hero or a zero depending on what they think of the menu. :mmph:

I really appreciate this thread because I'm doing two parties in two weeks: one for my son with a hundred and twenty expected, the other for a neice's graduation with about the same coming. I was very uncertain til I found this. Thanks!

Thanks guys! I logged on to post the same question (my team is cooking ribs, pulled pork and ribs for 100 of our closest friends) and this thread was right there near the top. It'll be some sight to see every wsm, kettle and uds we have amassed like a bunch of brooding penguins.

Any teenage boys and you could be in trouble.

Back in my fire department days, we always cooked a pound of meat per man. Never, ever, lay out short (hose or food).