BBQ Food Quantity Calculator
Tell us how many are coming and how hungry they are for a full shopping list.
Children are counted at roughly half an adult.
Answer
18 burgers, 24 sausages and 18 chicken pieces
Your shopping list
- Burgers are minced meat, so cook them right through, no pink in the middle.
- Chicken on the bone is safest part-cooked in the oven first, then finished on the barbecue.
- Cook these on a clean section of the grill, away from raw meat juices.
- Keep raw meat in a covered container at the bottom of the fridge until the moment it goes on the grill, and use separate tongs and plates for raw and cooked.
- Burgers, sausages and chicken must be cooked right through, no pink, and juices running clear.
Source: Standard UK catering and home-cooking portion guidance · Reviewed 2026-09-10 · Guidance version 1.0.0
Reference and detail
What actually runs out
Not the meat. It is the buns, the salad and the drinks, every time. Buy an extra pack of rolls and more soft drinks than you think you need. They keep, and a barbecue in the sun gets through a litre a head without anyone noticing.
Cook chicken properly
Chicken on the bone is the classic barbecue disaster: black outside, raw at the bone. Part-cook it in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes first, then finish it over the coals for colour and smoke. Check it is steaming hot with no pink meat and the juices running clear, with a thermometer, the middle should reach 70°C for two minutes, or an equivalent combination such as 75°C for 30 seconds.
Raw and cooked, kept apart
Separate tongs, separate plates, separate boards. Keep raw meat covered in the fridge or a cool box until the moment it goes on, and never put cooked food back on the plate the raw meat came off.
Vegetarian guests
Cook halloumi, veg skewers and bean burgers on a clean section of the grill, away from meat juices, and ideally before the meat goes on. Allow one and a half items each for anyone not eating meat, and remember several meat-eaters will help themselves too.
Questions and answers
Questions about barbecue quantities
How much barbecue food should I buy per guest?
Enter your guest numbers above for a breakdown by meat and side. As a rule of thumb, allow around 200-250g of meat per adult when there are several items on offer, more if burgers and sausages are the only protein.
Should I buy extra food for a barbecue?
Yes, barbecues run long and people eat more than at a sit-down meal, so buy a little more than a straight per-head sum suggests. Weather, drinking and how many other dishes are on the table all change appetite on the day.
How do children change barbecue quantities?
Children generally eat about half an adult portion at a barbecue, and often prefer plain sausages or burgers to anything spiced or sauced. Count them separately rather than as half a guest across every dish.
How do I keep raw and cooked meat apart at a barbecue?
Use separate tongs and boards for raw and cooked meat, and never put cooked food back on a plate or board that held raw meat.
Food safety
On a barbecue, cook burgers, sausages, chicken and kebabs all the way through (no pink meat, juices running clear) and use separate plates, tongs and boards for raw and cooked meat. Charring the outside does not mean the middle is done.
Source: Food Standards Agency, BBQ food safety (GOV.UK) · Reviewed 2026-09-11 · Guidance version 2.0.0
How do I know burgers, sausages and chicken are cooked through on a barbecue?
Cut into the thickest part: burgers, sausages and chicken all need to be cooked all the way through, with no pink meat and juices running clear.
Burger Cooking Time CalculatorSausage Cooking Time Calculator
Food safety
On a barbecue, cook burgers, sausages, chicken and kebabs all the way through (no pink meat, juices running clear) and use separate plates, tongs and boards for raw and cooked meat. Charring the outside does not mean the middle is done.
Source: Food Standards Agency, BBQ food safety (GOV.UK) · Reviewed 2026-09-11 · Guidance version 2.0.0
How do I time a barbecue so everything is ready together?
Cook the slowest items first and the quickest last, working out from the grill's hottest and coolest zones. The meal synchroniser can help line up several cooking times against a single serving time.
Safety guidance reviewed against Food Standards Agency sources on 11 September 2026. How we calculate cooking times and safety guidance.