How much meat per person for a braai
A planning guide for how much boerewors, chops, chicken and ribs to buy per adult, with a worked example for ten people and how sides change the count.
Buying meat for a braai is guesswork for most people, and the guess is usually too much. These figures are a guide, not a rule. They are raw weights per adult and assume a normal spread of sides. Adjust for your own crowd once you have fed them a few times.
The simple version
- Boneless meat: 250 to 300 g (9 to 11 oz) per adult in total.
- Bone-in meat: 350 to 450 g (12 to 16 oz) per adult, because the bone is part of the weight.
- Big eaters, or a braai where the meat is the whole point: add about 20 percent, up to 450 to 500 g (1 to 1.1 lb) boneless.
- Children count as about half an adult, unless they make up most of the guests, in which case count them as adults and expect leftovers.
Meat shrinks on the fire. Most cuts lose 25 to 30 percent of their raw weight. Brisket, pulled pork and oxtail lose closer to half. A cooked serving of 110 to 170 g (4 to 6 oz) is about the size and thickness of your palm, which is a useful check when you plate up.
Per item
| Meat | Per adult, as one of several meats | Per adult, as the only meat |
|---|---|---|
| Boerewors | 150 to 200 g (5 to 7 oz) | 250 to 300 g (9 to 11 oz) |
| Lamb chops | 2 chops, about 200 to 250 g (7 to 9 oz) | 3 chops |
| Steak | 200 to 250 g (7 to 9 oz) boneless | 300 g (11 oz) |
| Chicken pieces | 2 bone-in pieces, such as a thigh and a drumstick, about 300 g (11 oz) | 1 leg quarter plus a wing |
| Pork or lamb ribs | 300 to 400 g (11 to 14 oz) bone-in, about a third of a rack | Half a rack |
| Chicken wings | 4 to 5 | 7 to 10 |
| Sosaties | 2 skewers | 3 skewers |
| Whole chicken | A quarter | A third |
A whole flattie chicken feeds four as part of a mixed braai. Boerewors is usually sold by weight, so ask for the length you need rather than guessing from the coil.
A worked example: ten adults
A typical mixed South African braai for ten might be 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) boerewors, 20 lamb chops at about 2 kg (4.4 lb), and 10 chicken pieces at about 1.5 kg (3.3 lb). That is 5 kg (11 lb) in total, or roughly 500 g (1.1 lb) bone-in per head. It is generous. If there is also potato bake, pap and chakalaka, salads and bread, cut the meat by about a fifth and nobody will notice.
Sides change the count
- Heavy starch sides cut meat consumption: pap, potato bake, braaibroodjies, garlic bread, roosterkoek. Plan at the low end of the ranges.
- Light sides such as green salad and coleslaw do the opposite. People eat more meat. Plan at the high end.
- A potjie served alongside the braai is a meal in itself. Halve the braai meat.
Buy a small buffer
Add one or two portions for drops, burns and late arrivals. Leftover braai meat is not wasted. Sliced wors and chops go into braaibroodjies the next day, and chicken off the bone goes into a potjie or a curry.
Stretching the budget
Cheaper cuts braai well if you treat them right. Chicken thighs cost less than breasts and taste better off the fire. Pork neck chops are forgiving. Lamb rib (ribbetjies) is cheap and good over low coals. More bread and a big pot of pap on the table lets you buy less meat without anyone going short.