Adjust for your crowd
Enter how many of your guests are kids; each counts as half an adult.
Brisket for other crowd sizes
tap a row for its own list ↓| Guests | Cooked | Raw to buy | Whole briskets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 people | 4 lb | 8 lb | 1 |
| 20 people | 7 lb | 15 lb | 1 |
| 25 people | 9 lb | 19 lb | 2 |
| 30 people | 11 lb | 22 lb | 2 |
| 40 people | 15 lb | 30 lb | 2 |
| 50 people · you're here | 18 lb | 37 lb | 3 |
| 75 people | 28 lb | 55 lb | 4 |
| 100 people | 37 lb | 74 lb | 5 |
| 150 people | 55 lb | 110 lb | 8 |
| 200 people | 73 lb | 147 lb | 10 |
3 whole packers for 50 people. If they won't all fit on your smoker at once, cook in two rounds and hold the finished briskets wrapped in towels in a dry cooler.
How many people does a 12-lb brisket feed?
Feeds about 18 people with sides, or 12 if brisket is the main event.
Everything else for 50 people
How we got this number
- 150 guests × 1/3 lb cooked = 16.7 lb
- 2× 1.10 cushion = 18.3 lb cooked
- 3÷ 0.50 cooked yield = 36.7 lb raw → 3 whole packers
we always round up to whole briskets. Leftovers beat running out!
We count briskets at 15 lb each, the top of the usual 12–15 lb range. If the ones at your store run smaller, buy by weight: about 37 lb in all.
Food safety: cook brisket to at least 145°F and let it rest 3 minutes (most pitmasters take it far past that, to about 200°F, so it slices tender) (USDA safe temperature chart), and don't leave it out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (USDA).
Sources for this rule: Smoked BBQ Source (2023, updated 2026); Old Farmer's Almanac party chart; USDA Food Buying Guide; AMSA / Texas A&M brisket study summary (2021); Traeger.
Brisket questions
How much brisket for 50 people?
Buy about 37 lb of raw brisket: 3 whole packer briskets. It cooks down to about 18 lb sliced: 1/3 lb per guest with sides, plus a 10% cushion. Range: 29–46 lb depending on appetite.
What if 10 of the 50 guests are kids?
Kids count as half an adult, so it's 45 adult portions: buy about 33 lb of raw brisket: 3 whole packer briskets.
How much brisket for 50 people as the main event?
Buy about 55 lb of raw brisket: 4 whole packer briskets.
How many people does a 12-lb brisket feed?
Feeds about 18 people with sides, or 12 if brisket is the main event.
Different headcount? The brisket calculator works for any number of guests, and the menu planner builds one shopping list for the whole party.