BBQ Planner
Calculate meat, sides and drinks quantities for a BBQ by guest count with shopping list and estimated budget
Menu Items
Shopping List
Select items to see shopping list
Pro Tips
- Prep marinades the night before
- Grill burgers last to keep them warm
- Always have extra ice
- Keep cooked food warm with foil tents
How Much Meat to Buy for a BBQ
Standard portions per adult: 250g of burgers (one quarter-pounder), 300g of sausages (about 4 large), 300g of chicken (one breast or two thighs), 400g of ribs (a generous half-rack). Pick two protein options for any BBQ over 6 guests so vegetarians, kids and big eaters all have something. For 12 adults choosing burgers and sausages, that's 3kg of burgers and 3.6kg of sausages.
Add 20% if your guests are mostly men aged 18-35, subtract 20% if there are young children or the BBQ runs only 90 minutes. Charcoal BBQs serve fewer guests per hour than gas; if the grill is small, plan a single protein and rotate it through. The two most common BBQ failures are running out of meat at the 90-minute mark and serving cold sausages because the grill couldn't keep up. Both are solved by buying more than you think and pre-cooking sausages in the oven for 15 minutes before they hit the grill.
Sides, Drinks and the £4-per-head Rule
Plan 150g of coleslaw and 1 corn cob per adult, plus a bowl of green salad and a bowl of potato salad to feed the full table. Bread rolls: one per burger plus one per sausage, plus 25% extra. Drinks: 2 cans of beer, 1 soft drink and 500ml of water per adult over a 3-hour BBQ. For families with kids, swap one beer for two soft drinks and add ice lollies for the school-age crowd.
The default cost guide assumes UK supermarket prices for April 2026: burgers £4 per portion, sausages £3.50, chicken £5, ribs £12, corn £2 per cob, coleslaw £1.50 per portion. A 12-adult BBQ with burgers and sausages, corn and coleslaw lands around £125-£150 in food costs before drinks. Buying premium meat from a butcher roughly doubles that. The [recipe cost calculator](/recipe-cost-calculator) handles per-recipe budgeting if you're making the burgers from scratch.
Cook Times and Food Safety
Burgers (1.5cm thick): 4 minutes per side over direct medium heat, then check with a probe thermometer for 71°C internal. Sausages: 15-18 minutes turning every 4 minutes, internal 75°C. Chicken thighs: 25 minutes total, finishing skin-side down for crispness, internal 75°C. Ribs: pre-cook in the oven at 150°C for 90 minutes wrapped in foil with apple juice, then 10 minutes on the grill for the char.
Never trust visual cues alone for chicken or pork. A digital probe thermometer costs £8 and saves you a stomach upset. Cross-contamination is the second biggest BBQ risk: keep raw meat tongs separate from cooked meat tongs, and never put cooked meat back on the plate the raw meat came off. The [meat cooking calculator](/meat-cooking-calculator) gives oven-and-grill cook times for any cut at any weight.
What to Do When the Weather Turns
British BBQs are weather-dependent. If you have a covered patio or gazebo, the BBQ can run in light rain (most BBQs cope; the cook just gets damp). Heavy rain or wind needs a Plan B: pre-cook everything in the oven (chicken at 200°C for 20 minutes, sausages at 200°C for 25 minutes, burgers at 200°C for 12 minutes) then finish under the grill or on a griddle pan for the char.
Build the menu so it works indoors too. Coleslaw, potato salad, corn (boil instead of grill), bread rolls and burgers all work in any kitchen. Skip the ribs and the whole chicken if rain is forecast - they need real BBQ time. Have the [meal planner](/meal-planner) handy for the weekend either side; whatever's left over from a 12-person BBQ usually feeds the family for two more dinners.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much food per person at a BBQ?
For adults, plan around 500-600g of mixed protein and sides per person if it's the main meal, or 300g if it's a snack-style afternoon BBQ. Kids under 10 eat about half an adult portion. The default in this tool errs slightly high so you have leftovers, which is what most hosts want.
What's the best protein mix for a mixed-age BBQ?
Burgers and sausages are the workhorse pairing. Burgers please most adults and teens; sausages are kid-friendly. Add a chicken option if you have a few guests who don't eat red meat, and consider halloumi or a black bean burger for vegetarians. Skip ribs unless you've got the BBQ time and the audience for them.
How early should I start the BBQ?
Light a charcoal BBQ 45 minutes before guests arrive. Coals need 30-40 minutes to be at proper cooking temperature (white-grey ash, no flames). Gas BBQs need 10-15 minutes preheat. Pre-cook ribs and slow-cook chicken in the oven before guests arrive so the grill is just for finishing and the quick-cook items.
How much beer per person at a BBQ?
2-3 drinks per adult over the course of a 3-4 hour BBQ. Half should be alcoholic, half soft drinks and water. UK weather usually means 1 hot afternoon followed by a chilly evening, so include hot drinks if the BBQ runs past 7pm. Always have at least 500ml of plain water per adult; people drink less than they think on hot days.
What if I have a vegetarian guest?
Halloumi (200g per veggie guest), portobello mushrooms (1 large each), corn cobs and a black bean or lentil burger (one each) covers most preferences. Cook them on a separate grill section that hasn't had raw meat on it, ideally with a fresh sheet of foil underneath. Kebabs (peppers, courgette, red onion, halloumi) cook in about 10 minutes and look good on the grill.