Brazilian BBQ (Churrasco) Calculator
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A churrasco is not a hamburger cookout. Brazilians grill big cuts of beef, chicken and sausage over live charcoal for four to six hours, and the shopping list is built in kilograms, not patties. Enter how many adults, children and beer drinkers you expect, and this calculator tells you exactly how much beef, chicken, sausage, garlic bread, charcoal, beer, soda and ice to buy.
The 400-gram rule
The Brazilian benchmark is 400 grams (about 0.9 lb) of meat per adult for a four-to-five-hour lunchtime churrasco with side dishes on the table — rice, farofa (toasted cassava flour), vinaigrette salsa and bread. A short three-hour barbecue can drop to 300 g per adult; a long event of six hours or more climbs to 500–600 g, which is why picking the long-event option here adds 25% automatically.
Children up to twelve count as half an adult: 200 g each. Teenagers count as full adults — they eat like it. And unlike older Brazilian charts, this calculator does not split portions by gender: appetite varies far more from person to person than it does between men and women, so a single adult average plus a 10–20% safety margin is both simpler and more accurate.
One caveat: those grams are purchase weight for boneless, trimmed cuts. Bone-in cuts need more, as the yield table below shows.
Ready shopping lists
These come straight from the same calculation, assuming adults only, 60% of them drinking beer, at a regular lunchtime barbecue. The default meat split is 60% beef, 20% chicken, 20% sausage.
| Item | 10 guests | 20 guests | 30 guests | 50 guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef | 2.4 kg | 4.8 kg | 7.2 kg | 12 kg |
| Chicken | 0.8 kg | 1.6 kg | 2.4 kg | 4 kg |
| Sausage (linguiça) | 0.8 kg | 1.6 kg | 2.4 kg | 4 kg |
| Total meat | 4 kg | 8 kg | 12 kg | 20 kg |
| Garlic bread | 15 pcs | 30 pcs | 45 pcs | 75 pcs |
| Charcoal | 4 kg | 8 kg | 12 kg | 20 kg |
| Beer | 9 L | 18 L | 27 L | 45 L |
| Soda + water | 9 L | 18 L | 27 L | 45 L |
| Ice | 8 kg | 16 kg | 24 kg | 40 kg |
Bone-in versus boneless yield
Bone-in cuts — beef short ribs, chuleta, chicken wings and drumsticks — are roughly 30% bone. To serve one kilogram of meat you need to buy about 1.4 kg of the bone-in cut. Fatty cuts such as picanha (top sirloin cap), fraldinha (flank) and maminha (tri-tip) lose 10–20% to trimming. Lean boneless cuts like top round and knuckle yield almost exactly what you paid for.
Meat also loses about 25% of its weight on the grill, but that shrinkage is already baked into the 400 g figure, which is purchase weight — do not subtract it twice.
| Cut | Approximate yield | Buy per 1 kg served |
|---|---|---|
| Lean boneless (top round, knuckle, rump) | 95–100% | ~1.05 kg |
| Picanha, flank, tri-tip (fat cap on) | 80–90% | ~1.15 kg |
| Beef short rib, chuleta (bone-in) | 65–70% | ~1.4 kg |
| Chicken wings and thighs (bone-in) | 65–70% | ~1.4 kg |
Charcoal, drinks and grilling order
Charcoal is where beginners fail. The safe rule is 1 kg of charcoal per 1 kg of meat, rising to 1.5 kg per kilo on an open grill or a windy day. Light it 40 to 60 minutes before the first cut goes on: you want embers covered in white ash, never open flame. Charcoal keeps forever, so always buy one bag more than the math says.
For drinks, plan on 1.5 liters of beer per drinking adult at a lunchtime churrasco (a bit over four 350 ml cans), plus half a liter of water or soda for the same person. Non-drinkers average 1 liter of soda or juice plus half a liter of water. Ice runs 0.5 kg per guest just to keep the cooler cold, plus another 0.5 kg per drinking adult for chilling warm bottles and mixing caipirinhas.
Grill in order: sausage and garlic bread first, since they cook fast and keep hungry guests happy; chicken next, over medium embers and with enough time to cook through; the prized beef cuts last, seared hard over hot coals. Salt with coarse salt only as the meat hits the grill, flip once per side, and let it rest three to five minutes before slicing against the grain.
Frequently asked questions
How much meat per person for a Brazilian BBQ?
400 grams (roughly 0.9 lb) per adult for a four-to-five-hour churrasco with side dishes, and 200 grams per child up to age twelve. A long event of six hours or more moves adults to 500–600 g. Add a 10–20% safety margin — leftover churrasco is a feature, not a bug.
How much charcoal do I need?
One kilogram of charcoal per kilogram of meat is the safe rule, up to 1.5 kg per kilo on an open grill or in wind. A small enclosed grill can get away with 700–800 g per kilo. Running out of charcoal mid-barbecue is the single most common way to ruin a churrasco.
What is linguiça and do I really need it?
Linguiça is a coarse Brazilian pork sausage, usually seasoned with garlic and paprika, sold in a rope or in links. It grills in about fifteen minutes and is traditionally served first, while the beef is still cooking. It is also cheap, which is why upping the sausage and chicken share from 20% to 25% each is the standard way to cut the bill.
What cuts should I ask for at the butcher?
Picanha (top sirloin cap, fat cap left on) is the signature cut. Fraldinha (flank) and maminha (tri-tip) are cheaper and nearly as good. Costela (beef short rib) is the slow-cooked centerpiece for long events — four to six hours over low, indirect embers. For chicken, coxa and sobrecoxa (thigh and drumstick) hold up far better on the grill than breast.
Sources
Estimates based on portion standards used by Brazilian butchers, meatpackers and food publications, verified in August 2026. Real consumption varies with guest profile, weather, side dishes and time of day.
Related calculators
Also available in Portuguese: Calculadora de Churrasco: quanto comprar por pessoa