How Much Meat per Person? A Butcher's Guide to Quantities

"How much do I need?" is one of the questions we hear most at the counter. The answer depends on the cut, the bone, the cooking method and who you are feeding, but there are some simple rules of thumb.

The Basic Rule

For an adult main meal, allow:

• Boneless meat: 150 to 200g raw per person.
• Bone-in meat: 250 to 350g raw per person.

Allow a little more for big eaters and teenagers, and about half for young children. If there are plenty of sides, you can sit at the lower end.

Steaks and Chops

• A steak of 250 to 300g is a generous single serve. A thick rib eye of 500g or more will usually feed two.
• Lamb cutlets: 3 to 4 per person.
• Lamb loin or chump chops: 2 per person.
• Pork chops: 1 thick chop per person.

Roasts

• Boneless roast beef, lamb or pork: about 200 to 250g raw per person, which allows for shrinkage and a little left over.
• Bone-in leg or shoulder of lamb: a 2kg roast feeds about six.
• Standing rib roast: one rib feeds about two people.
• Whole chicken: a 1.6 to 1.8kg bird feeds four.

Slow-Cooked Cuts

Slow-cooked meat loses a fair amount of weight as fat renders and moisture cooks out, often 30% or more. Allow:

• Chuck, cheeks or brisket: 200 to 250g raw per person.
• Pork shoulder for pulling: 250 to 300g raw, bone-in, per person.
• Lamb shanks: one per person.
• Short ribs: 400 to 500g bone-in per person.

Barbecues

At a barbecue, people tend to take a bit of everything, so allow 250 to 300g of meat in total per adult. Sausages are the easy measure: 2 to 3 per adult. Offer a mix, such as sausages, chicken and one steak or lamb option, and you will please most people.

Christmas

• Leg ham on the bone, as part of a spread with other meats: about 200 to 250g per person. More if you love leftovers, and most people do.
• Whole turkey: about 500 to 750g of bird per person, as so much of the weight is bone.

Cooking for a Crowd

• Choose cuts that hold well. Slow-cooked shoulder, brisket and braises can be made ahead and kept warm. Steaks for twenty cannot.
• Plan your oven. Two big roasts may not fit at once. A roast that rests for 30 minutes frees up the oven for everything else.
• Buy whole and carve. A whole leg of lamb or a big roast is easier to manage than thirty individual portions.
• Keep it safe. Do not leave cooked meat out for more than two hours, and get leftovers into the fridge promptly.

Planning something big? Give us a call or ask at the counter and we'll help you work out the quantities. You can also order online in the shop.