BBQ & Grilling calculators
BBQ math has a trap the other party-food math doesn’t: shrinkage. A pork shoulder or brisket loses roughly half its weight in the smoker, so the pounds you serve and the pounds you buy are two very different numbers. These calculators work in raw purchase weight — the number you actually need at the meat counter — using serving rates and cooked-yield figures from meat-science and extension sources, with a leftover buffer you control.
Pick your calculator
BBQ Meat Calculator
Work out how many pounds of BBQ meat to buy for your cookout from adult and kid guest counts — raw purchase weight across mixed meats, with a leftover buffer and cost estimate.
Open calculator →Burgers & Hot Dogs Calculator
2 grill items per adult, 1 per kid — the classic cookout rate. Enter your headcount for burger and hot dog counts, bun packs of 8, pounds of beef and cost.
Open calculator →Pulled Pork Calculator
Calculate pounds of raw pork shoulder to buy for pulled pork — per-person rates for sandwiches or plates, the 50% cooking shrink, a leftover buffer and cost estimate.
Open calculator →Ribs Calculator
Work out how many racks of ribs to buy — pounds of bone-in ribs per adult and kid, baby back vs spare rack weights, leftover buffer and an estimated cost range.
Open calculator →Chicken Wings Calculator
6 wings per adult when they share the table, 12 when wings are the main. Enter your guest count for total pieces, pounds to buy, sauce amounts and cost.
Open calculator →Brisket Calculator
Work out how many pounds of raw packer brisket to buy per person — the ~50% trim-and-cook shrink, whole-packer sizing, leftover buffer and estimated cost.
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Which calculator should I use?
If you’re serving one headline meat, use its dedicated calculator — pulled pork, brisket and ribs each shrink and portion differently, and wings are counted in pieces rather than pounds. Grilling burgers and dogs is a per-item count, so it has its own tool. Only reach for the mixed BBQ meat calculator when you’re serving two or three meats together and want one combined shopping weight. Whatever you smoke, size the sides with the side dishes calculator — heavy sides are the classic way to stretch an expensive brisket.