BBQ For Beginners: Essential Basics for Planning Your Barbecue

Proper barbecue planning can prevent last-minute stress and ensure the meat is perfectly cooked and ready when guests arrive. This guide provides a straightforward method for determining how much meat to buy, estimating cooking times, and scheduling the cook for consistent results.

Determining the Right Amount of Meat

Knowing how much meat to purchase is critical. Raw meat will lose weight after trimming and cooking. Different cuts shrink at different rates, so understanding yield percentages is essential.

Brisket

Brisket yields about 45 to 50 percent of its raw weight after trimming and cooking. For example, a 20-pound brisket will provide roughly 9 to 10 pounds of cooked meat.

Pork Shoulder

Pork shoulder yields around 55 to 60 percent. Bone-in shoulders generally yield closer to 55 percent, while boneless yields about 60 to 65 percent.

Ribs

One rack of ribs feeds approximately three people, or two if particularly hungry. Baby back ribs generally serve two or three, while St. Louis or spare ribs can serve up to four.

Whole Chicken and Turkey

Whole chickens and turkeys yield between 50 and 65 percent of their raw weight, depending on butchering skill.

Calculating Meat Needs Using a Simple Formula

A good estimate is half a pound of cooked meat per person. For 25 guests, that equals about 12.5 pounds of cooked meat.

Since pork shoulder yields about 55 percent, divide 0.5 by 0.55 to get raw meat needed per person (about 0.91 pounds). Multiply by the number of guests (25) for roughly 23 pounds of raw pork shoulder.

Estimating Cook Times for Common Cuts

Knowing cook times per pound helps with scheduling.

Brisket

At 225°F, brisket cooks approximately 1.5 hours per pound, meaning 15 hours for a 10-pound brisket. At 275°F, cooking time reduces to 10 to 12.5 hours. At 300°F, a 10-pound brisket cooks in 7.5 to 10 hours.

Pork Shoulder

At 225°F, pork shoulder requires about 1.5 to 2 hours per pound. At 275°F, expect 1 to 1.5 hours per pound.

Ribs

The 3-2-1 method involves 3 hours unwrapped, 2 hours wrapped, and 1 hour sauced, totaling about 6 hours at 225°F for baby back ribs. St. Louis ribs often take 7 hours at 225°F.

Whole Chicken and Turkey

A 5-pound whole chicken takes about 4 hours at 225°F and approximately 2 hours at 300°F. A 10-pound turkey requires about 5 hours at 225°F or around 3.5 hours at 275-300°F.

Scheduling Your Cookout

To serve dinner at 6 p.m. for 25 people with pulled pork, allow three hours for resting the meat. That means removing the meat at 3 p.m.

For the largest piece of 8 pounds at 275°F (about 1.5 hours per pound), cook time totals about 12 hours. Subtracting 12 hours from 3 p.m. gives a start time of 3 a.m.

Managing Early Finishes and Stalls

If the meat finishes early, keep it warm in a faux Cambro by wrapping in foil and towels and placing in a cooler.

If a stall occurs, especially with brisket, wrap the meat in foil or butcher paper and raise the temperature slightly to proceed through the stall.

Key Takeaways

• Plan for half a pound of cooked meat per person.

• Calculate raw meat amounts based on yield percentages.

• Use cook times per pound and temperature to schedule your cooking.

• Start early enough to allow resting before serving.

• Manage early finishes by wrapping and warming.

• Wrap and increase temperature to overcome stalls.

• Proper planning reduces stress and ensures smooth cooking.