The toughest part of organizing an event isn’t the guest list, the decorations, or the beer run. It’s figuring out how much food to make to satisfy every guest.
An epic BBQ can become a bummer if there isn’t enough food to go around. After all, the food is the main event. However, you also don’t want to waste money or throw away leftovers if you buy too much.
Naturally, you want to make the perfect amount of food for everyone. As BBQ veterans, we have years of experience and plenty of pro tips to share.
Follow this guide, and you’ll serve the perfect amount of food for each guest—no more, no less.
Planning a dinner party, barbecue, or other gathering and need to figure out how much shredded beef to buy and cook? When cooking for a crowd, it can be tricky to determine the right amount so you have enough but don’t end up with a ton of leftovers. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to buy, prep, and serve the perfect quantity of shredded beef for 30 guests.
Calculating Raw Beef Needed
The first step is estimating how many pounds of raw beef you need to purchase Here are some general guidelines on how much meat per person
- Adults: Plan on 1⁄2 pound raw beef per adult
- Kids: Go with 1⁄4 pound per child
- Teens & preteens: About 1⁄3 pound each
For a group of 30 with a mix of adults and kids, a safe estimate is to budget for 15 pounds of raw beef Always better to have extra than run out!
You can tweak this up or down depending on the demographics of your group and how prominently shredded beef will feature in the menu. For example, if serving it as more of a topping vs. main dish, you may be able to get away with 10-12 pounds.
Accounting for Shrinkage
An important point is that raw beef loses moisture and fat when cooked resulting in weight reduction. This is known as shrinkage. For braised slow-cooked shredded beef, plan on approximately 25-30% shrinkage.
So if you start with 15 pounds of raw beef, it will yield around 10-11 pounds cooked after shrinking. Use this simple formula to estimate:
Yield (cooked beef) = Raw beef weight x (1 – Shrinkage %)
For our example, with 15 lbs raw beef and 30% estimated shrinkage:
15 lbs x (1 – 0.30) = 10.5 lbs cooked beef
Buying enough raw beef is key to ending up with the desired quantity cooked.
Suggested Serving Size
Once you’ve shredded and cooked the beef, how much should you portion out per person? Here are some serving size guidelines based on your menu:
- Main entrée: 6-8 oz cooked beef per adult
- Sandwiches: 4-6 oz per sandwich
- Tacos: 3-5 oz per taco
- Appetizer: Around 2-3 oz per adult
For a dinner party with shredded beef as the focal point, plan on 6-8 ounces or 3⁄4 to 1 pound per person. When served as more of a topping, you can reduce portions to 3-5 ounces per adult.
Kids and seniors often eat less, so reduce portions for them. Teen boys may eat full adult portions! Add a few extra pounds to be safe if you have some big eaters.
Picking the Right Cuts of Beef
Selecting the proper cut makes a big difference when it comes to shredding beef for a crowd. The best cuts to use are:
- Chuck roast
- Brisket
- Rump roast
- Flank steak
Look for well-marbled, 4-5 pound chuck roasts or 3-4 pound briskets. These cuts become meltingly tender when braised low and slow yet still have great beefy flavor. Avoid pre-tied roasts as the string can hinder shredding.
Cooking Methods
The cooking technique you use affects the final flavor, texture, and cook time. For pull-apart, shreddable beef, opt for moist heat methods:
- Crockpot: Low 8-10 hours, High 4-6 hours
- Oven: 250-275°F covered for 3-4 hours
- Instant Pot: High pressure 60-90 minutes
- Smoker or grill: Indirect heat 225°F for 4-6 hours
Always let beef rest for 10-15 minutes before shredding so the juices can redistribute. Moisten with defatted pan juices or broth as needed.
Shredding and Serving the Beef
When party time rolls around, you want to keep your shredded beef warm and appetizing. Here are some serving tips:
- Offer fun personalized toppings like guacamole, cheese, salsa, etc.
- Serve on rolls for easy shredded beef sandwiches
- Portion into taco shells or tortillas for DIY tacos
- Pair with classic BBQ sides like baked beans, coleslaw, mac & cheese
- Keep warm in a slow cooker, chafing dish, or warming trays
Tips for Leftovers
Got extra shredded beef after your event? Here are some creative ways to use it up:
- Shredded beef omelets or breakfast burritos
- Shepherd’s pie or cottage pie
- Shredded beef pasta sauce
- Beef tacos or burritos
- Shredded beef pizza topping
- Beef soups, chilis, or stews
With the right calculations and techniques, you can confidently tackle cooking tender, juicy shredded beef for your whole crowd of 30 guests. Let us know if you need any other tips for planning, prepping, and serving!
Frequently Asked Questions
How much shredded beef for 30 people?
For 30 adults, budget for 15-20 pounds of raw beef, which will yield 10-13 pounds cooked after shrinking. Plan on 6-8 ounces cooked beef per person.
How much raw beef per person?
In general, allow 1⁄2 pound raw beef per adult, 1⁄4 pound per child, and 1⁄3 pound per teen. For mixed groups, average it out to 1⁄3 pound per child and 1⁄2 pound per adult.
How much meat for 30 people?
For 30 adults, plan for 15-20 pounds of raw meat total. For a mixed crowd with kids, aim for 10-15 pounds. Portion out 6-8 ounces of cooked meat per adult, and reduce for children.
What cut of beef is best for shredding?
Look for well-marbled chuck roast, brisket, rump roast, or flank steak. These cuts braise well and become fork tender but still have robust beef flavor.
How do you calculate cooked vs raw beef?
Use this formula: Yield (cooked) = Raw weight x (1 – Shrinkage %). For braised shredded beef, expect around 25-30% shrinkage.
How much roast beef per person?
Figure about 1⁄2 to 1⁄3 pound roast beef per adult. For a meal focused on roast beef, allot 1⁄2 pound per person. As part of a buffet, 1⁄3 pound is usually sufficient.
How many sandwiches per pound of roast beef?
With 4-6 ounces roast beef per sandwich, you can expect around 5-8 sandwiches per pound of cooked roast beef. Always have extra meat handy for big eaters.
What are good ways to use leftover shredded beef?
Some tasty options are tacos, burritos, sandwiches, omelets, pizza topping, pasta Bolognese, shepherd’s pie, beef stroganoff, soups, and casseroles. Get creative with leftovers!
What Resources and Tools Do You Have?
Maybe you don’t have a 94-gallon smoker or multiple grills in your backyard. Maybe you don’t want to spend days preparing side dishes ahead of time.
Keep it simple and cook things you already have experience making. Spend this time with your family and friends, and save that complicated new dish for another day.
Keep your limits in mind when configuring your guest list and buying ingredients. If you’re new to BBQ, keep your event small—around five to ten guests.
You’re going to need a grill or a smoker that’s large enough to suit your number of guests. The meat will also need a place to rest and stay warm, like an oven or another heat source. You can even use an insulated cooler for this if needed.
Remember that even the best BBQ chefs can only do what their tools allow them to do. You also don’t want to do more than your grill can handle. Be honest with yourself about what you can do, and give yourself some room to breathe so you don’t get too stressed out and miss the fun.
Meat Amount By Type
It’s not always easy to figure out how much meat to buy, especially since the amount per pound depends on how it’s cooked, the bones, and other things.
Here’s a guide to measuring specific types of meat.
Rather than going by the pound, consider the number of actual ribs. With other tasty dishes in the works, it’s safe to serve around five or six ribs per person.
You have to have this classic BBQ dish at your next event, but keep in mind that brisket loses about 30% to 50% of its weight when it’s smoked. Seven pounds of brisket cooks down to less than five pounds when it’s time to serve. Keep this in mind as you make your plans.
If you have other meats and lots of sides, two pounds of brisket is enough for twelve people, plus some to eat the next day.
Little bits of pulled pork go a long way because they are usually served with buns and other sides to soak up the juices.
For more than a dozen people, seven pounds of pulled pork is enough as long as you have all the fixings and other meats on hand.