How much brisket for 20 people?
For 20 people at 6 oz of brisket each plus 10% extra, plan on 8.3 lb of cooked brisket — about 17.9 lb of raw whole packer brisket.
How to work it out
- 20 guests = 20 adult portions
- 20 × 6 oz cooked × 1.1 (appetite & extra) = 8.3 lb cooked
- 8.3 lb ÷ 0.46 cooked yield = 17.9 lb raw
Brisket shrinks more than any other barbecue cut. A whole packer with its fat cap gives less than half its raw weight back as sliced meat, so twenty people need a much bigger brisket than the cooked math suggests — about an 18 lb packer, or two smaller ones.
Adjust for your project
More options: Kids · Extra
- Cooked meat you’ll serve (approx.)
- 8.3 lb · brisket (packer)
- Raw meat per adult
- 0.9 lb
- Cooked yield (USDA Food Buying Guide)
- 46%
- A whole packer brisket gives less than half its raw weight as sliced lean meat once the fat cap, the trim and the cooking loss are gone.
- Safe minimum temperature: beef roasts 145 °F + 3 min rest (brisket is cooked much further to be tender) (FoodSafety.gov). Perishable food should not sit out more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90 °F / 32 °C). Keep hot food at 140 °F (60 °C) or above and cold food at 40 °F (4 °C) or below (USDA FSIS).
Raw meat to buy by number of guests (meat and portion as above)
| Guests | Raw meat to buy | Cooked meat you’ll serve (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 9 lb | 4.1 lb |
| 20 | 17.9 lb | 8.3 lb |
| 30 | 26.9 lb | 12.4 lb |
| 50 | 44.8 lb | 20.6 lb |
| 75 | 67.3 lb | 30.9 lb |
| 100 | 89.7 lb | 41.3 lb |
How much does brisket shrink?
Two USDA tables measure it in different ways. The ARS cooking-yield table gives the weight change when a lean, trimmed brisket flat is braised: it keeps about 69% of its weight. The Food Buying Guide counts what you can actually serve from a whole brisket with a ¼ in fat trim — trimmed fat, cooking loss and all — and gets 0.46 lb of cooked lean meat per raw pound. So a 15 lb packer gives roughly 7 lb of sliced brisket. A smoked packer with a thick fat cap can come out a little lower again.
| Raw brisket | Sliced brisket (0.46 yield) | Feeds at 6 oz | Feeds at 4 oz (sandwiches) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 lb packer | about 4½ lb | about 12 | about 18 |
| 14 lb packer | about 6½ lb | about 17 | about 26 |
| 18 lb packer | about 8¼ lb | about 22 | about 33 |
| 6 lb trimmed flat (0.69) | about 4 lb | about 11 | about 16 |
Planning brisket for twenty
- Two briskets, not one. Two 9 lb packers cook faster and more evenly than one 18 lb monster, and they fit a standard smoker.
- Or a brisket and something cheaper. With pulled pork or chicken alongside, drop the brisket to 3 oz a head — about 9 lb raw for twenty.
- Leave time to rest. Briskets are wrapped and rested for an hour or more before slicing; plan the cook to finish early.
- Slice to order. Sliced brisket dries out fast. Keep it whole and slice as the line moves, holding it at 140 °F or above.
Pulled pork stretches further for the money: compare how much pulled pork for 50 people. Ground beef shrinks the least of all — see how many hamburgers for 50 people.
Different size? Use the full Meat Per Person Calculator.
What you’ll need
- Leave-in probe thermometer with alarmMid-range price
Stays in the roast or smoker while it cooks and beeps at your target temperature, so you are not opening the oven every twenty minutes.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Carving knife and forkMid-range price
A long, thin slicing blade carves turkey, ham and brisket cleanly; the fork steadies the meat without shredding it.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Insulated food pan carrierPremium price
Holds full or half pans of hot food at serving temperature for transport. Fill it with hot food straight from the oven.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links to products are affiliate links — they cost you nothing extra and help keep these calculators free.
Frequently asked questions
How much brisket for 20 people for sandwiches?
About 12 lb of raw packer brisket for 5.5 lb of sliced meat.
How much trimmed brisket flat for 20 people?
About 12 lb of trimmed flat at 6 oz each with 10% extra.
How much brisket for 50 people?
About 44.8 lb of raw packer brisket for 20.6 lb cooked at 6 oz each.
Other common sizes
- How much pulled pork for 50 people — 26.4 lb raw (bone-in shoulder) for 13.8 lb cooked
- How many people does a pound of pulled pork feed — about 4 sandwiches (4 oz each)
- How many hamburgers for 50 people — 83 burgers (20.8 lb ground beef)
- How many hot dogs for 50 people — 83 hot dogs (11 packs of 8)
Sources
- USDA FNS — Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs, Section 1 (Meats/Meat Alternates) yield table (opens in a new tab) — Cooked lean meat per lb as purchased: Boston butt bone-in 0.52, boneless 0.60; brisket ¼ in trim 0.46, practically free of fat 0.69; ground beef ≤20% fat 0.74; spareribs 0.39; chicken thighs 0.52, drumsticks 0.49, breast halves 0.66, whole chicken 0.44; turkey breast 0.64; boneless fully cooked ham 0.90; chuck roast boneless 0.63; frankfurters 8 or 10 per lb.
- Iowa State University Extension (AnswerLine) — Graduation party tips (opens in a new tab) — Per person: sandwich meat 3–4 oz, sliders 1.5–2 oz, burgers 4–6 oz, sides 4–6 oz; 1 to 1.5 lb of food per guest; soda 2 cans and water 2 bottles per hour; punch 6 oz.
- Clay County, Minnesota — Amounts of food to serve fifty (cooking for large groups) (opens in a new tab) — Quantity table for 50 servings, built on a 3 oz cooked meat serving; sides, rolls, desserts, punch and lemonade.
- USDA ARS — Table of Cooking Yields for Meat and Poultry (2012) (opens in a new tab) — Weight change on cooking (shrink), bone included: braised brisket flat 69%, grilled ground beef patty 69%, roasted spareribs 76%.
- FoodSafety.gov — Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart (reviewed Dec. 2022; copy hosted by the Virginia Department of Health) (opens in a new tab) — Poultry and stuffing 165 °F (74 °C); pork, beef and raw ham 145 °F (63 °C) with a 3-minute rest; ground meat 160 °F; leftovers 165 °F (74 °C).