Meat Per Person Calculator
Work out how much meat to buy for the number of people sitting down.
Answer
800 g of boneless meat
The detail
Reference and detail
Bone-in joints
A joint on the bone needs a larger total weight, because the bone is part of what you buy. Allow roughly a third more than a boneless joint.
Leftovers
If you want cold meat or sandwiches the next day, choose a generous appetite or add a whole extra portion.
Questions and answers
Questions about buying meat per person
How much more meat do I need to buy on the bone compared with boneless?
Roughly a third to a half more, because bone, fat trim and shrinkage during cooking all reduce the amount of meat you actually eat from a joint on the bone. Enter whether your joint is on or off the bone above rather than adjusting a boneless figure by hand.
Does a joint of meat lose weight during roasting?
Yes, through moisture and fat loss, which is exactly why the on-the-bone and off-the-bone figures differ rather than being adjusted for shrinkage separately. Buy to the raw weight shown by the calculator rather than trying to allow extra for cooking loss on top of it.
Should children get the same amount of meat as adults?
No, children generally eat noticeably less. Use the child figure in the calculator rather than halving the adult portion, since it's based on typical appetite rather than a straight fraction.
How much extra meat should I buy if I want leftovers?
Use the generous setting on the calculator rather than guessing an extra joint size, then plan what you'll do with the leftovers before you cook.
Cooked meat needs to go in the fridge promptly and be used within a few days, or frozen. See the leftovers guide for storage times.
Guidance
Read the full guide
- How to Roast BeefChoosing a joint, searing, rare through to well done, why beef is timed differently from chicken, and how long to rest it.