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I'm having a BBQ and EVERYONE rsvpd yes. So I'm in panic mode. I don't eat read meat, ever. I don't make hamburgers. I have someone to man the grill, but I don;t know how much to buy.
It's about 15 adults and 15 kids under 10. How much chop meat (hamburgers)/hot dogs/chicken and rolls should I get to make sure we don't run out?
If burgers only I'm thinking you can guestimate about 1/3 lb ground beef per person. Some will eat more, some less.
If chicken only about 2 1/2 pieces per person.
If hotdogs only 3 per person.
The main problem I see is you are having 3 meats -- makes it tougher to plan and I think you'll wind up with lots of leftovers.
Buy enough so you don't run out of anything and send the leftovers home with guests.
How much meat depends a lot on what other things are served and whether or not you serve hors d'oeuvres and how filling they are.
I make 6 ounce burgers and you don't want smaller than that for grilling. So, 6-8 ounces per burger.
I wouldn't buy too many hot dogs. Get some good sausages like Johnsonville brats. Then some plain hot dogs for any young children.
You don't eat red meat, but do you eat chicken? If so, don't get more than one burger per person and do a good marinated chicken. You can freeze the leftover chicken for yourself. You could also buy fancy chicken sausages, something like the chicken apple sage ones. Those would be well received and you could freeze the leftovers for later.
I find people always eat so much less than I think they will. Maybe because I like to serve a lot of dips and stuff.
Are you cooking for 30 people on one small grill? Logistics matter - chicken takes a lot longer to cook than burgers and dogs, for instance. Hot dogs could be boiled and kept warm in simmering water - I'd buy 2 or 3 packages. 30 guests seems like a great time to go convenience and buy pre-fab burger patties from the freezer section. They cook quickly and evenly and they're easy. Chicken breasts are so big nowadays, I'd cut each into two portions and marinate them in lemon, garlic, and olive oil or Italian dressing. You could also make them into kebabs with a few veggies.
There is no shame in buying frozen burgers for a lot of people. 2 per adult. same with the dogs.
As someone above pointed out, you can always send home leftovers with a guest..
There is no shame in buying frozen burgers for a lot of people. 2 per adult. same with the dogs.
As someone above pointed out, you can always send home leftovers with a guest..
Even though I'm as "from scratch" a cook as you're going to find, I could not agree more with this sentiment. Entertaining is about everyone having a good time, including the host. Make things as easy on yourself as you can.
I would make 24 burgers, qtr pound burgers (most popular with adults), 24 hotdogs (most popular with kids), and about 15 chicken breasts or legs, or whatever you were thinking of. Kids eat like birds, so they are hardly a factor in the equation.
You could get by with less, if you want to, but this is abundant enough.
I have used premade burgers before, but it seems like they are so fatty. It's no big deal to make the burgers from 6# of 80/20 ground beef. If you don't eat meat, I suggest you buy Hebrew National all beef, not some cheap hotdogs.
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