BBQ Meat & Charcoal Calculator
Set the adults, children, appetite, sides and grill size. The page returns the meat to buy by cut, the charcoal to light, the grate area you need, how many rounds it takes and a timeline from lighting to the last plate.
Barbecue maths is mostly about buying the right weight and lighting enough charcoal. Set the head count, appetite and grill, and the page returns the meat by cut, the charcoal to buy, the grate area you need and a timeline that starts 30 minutes before the first guest eats.
The guest list
Count children as half an adult portion. Sides are counted per person, per dish.
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How to split the meat
| Cut | Share | Weight |
|---|
Quick weights by head count
| Adults | Light | Normal | Hearty | Charcoal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0.5 kg | 0.6 kg | 0.7 kg | 0.5 kg |
| 4 | 1.0 kg | 1.2 kg | 1.4 kg | 1.1 kg |
| 6 | 1.5 kg | 1.8 kg | 2.1 kg | 1.6 kg |
| 8 | 2.0 kg | 2.4 kg | 2.8 kg | 2.2 kg |
| 10 | 2.5 kg | 3.0 kg | 3.5 kg | 2.7 kg |
Five rules for the shop
- Buy 300 g of meat per adult for a normal meal. Boneless weight is what counts — bones and skewers add nothing to the plate.
- Children eat about half: 150 g each. Do not multiply the adult figure by the number of children.
- Charcoal weighs roughly 0.9 times the meat. That covers lighting, preheating and one top-up on a 2–3 hour cook.
- Allow 300 cm² of grate per adult and about 70% usable area. Anything more and the food steams instead of searing.
- Sides are 60–80 g per person per dish. Two sides are usually enough alongside 300 g of meat.
Practical notes
- Light the chimney 30 minutes before the first plate. Coals are ready when they are grey on top and glow between the gaps.
- Keep a cool zone on one side of the grate. Thick cuts finish there without burning, and children’s food cooks better over it.
- Do not crowd the grate. One centimetre between pieces is the difference between browning and steaming.
- Add about 20% more charcoal at the halfway point, not all at once at the start. A huge bed of coals just burns out early.
Four common mistakes
- Buying by the pack rather than by weight. Two 500 g packs are not 1.2 kg, and the last guests get the scraps.
- Filling the whole grate at once. The temperature drops, the meat releases water and it stews.
- Forgetting the rest time. Steak and chicken need 5–10 minutes off the heat; cutting early loses the juice.
- Underestimating charcoal. Running out mid-cook means a 20-minute relight while everyone waits with a plate.
Weights are planning estimates for a mixed adult menu. Adjust for heavy bones, large appetites or mostly seafood; always cook poultry through and keep raw and cooked food separate.