Tri-Tip and Chicken quantity Help

Don't do it, turn back, save yourself, it's not too late...okay

Well, you have to look at the overall meal, how many sides etc...fewer sides needs more meat etc...I would look at the fact that there are two meats, and figure 1/3 pound total cooked meat serving per person in a normal meal situation. This allows for men who eat more and women who eat less. If it is all men, go 1/2 pound cooked meat per person (shave the side portions, as men tend to eat meat and don't eat as much of the sides).

Tri-tip cooked yield loss is about 15% of weight to medium rare, 20% for medium.
Chicken is around 30% of weight to proper temperature.

Assume 50 adults by 1/3 pound serving, you need 17 pounds of meat total. Split the difference, you end up with 8.5 pounds of meat of each type.

8.5 pounds x 1.20=10 pounds of tr-tip raw
8.5 pounds x 1.30=11 pounds raw boneless chicken

Thus you need to buy at least 10 pounds of trimmed tri-tip and 11 pounds of boneless chicken. This would be for full sides or sandwiches. If you are doing a meat and two meal, with say beans and slaw, tack on another 4 to 5 pounds to the meat order.

If you offer two sides, often the meat gets hit very hard and the sides do not. The exception being mac-n-cheese. Most of the times that I have done tri-tip and chicken, I have been asked to provide beans, salsa and slaw. I end up with lots of beans and slaw, and people asking about more meat.

If there is a table with several sides, then people tend to fill up a little more mindlessly, especially if there are things like little sausages, potato salad, mac-n-cheese etc...you can then use less meat. If I am starting a meal off, I like to throw smoked sausage and chips and salsa out there, start filling people a bit. If you just do two sides and meat, people really chow on the meat, often completely ignoring the beans.

bump that chicken up, you will run out..

only thing i'll add is i wouldn't order chicken by the pound but by the piece if your serving pre portioned breast fillets.