How To Figure Out The Perfect Amount Of BBQ Sauce To Serve At Your Cookout Every Time
Hosting a barbecue for friends requires a lot of prep work. From the staples to the sides, there are plenty of dishes to account for. If you're cooking up pork or brisket, then you also need to decide how much sauce the food needs. There is not necessarily a right answer, but there are some things to focus on: know your audience (are they a saucy crowd, or are they barbecue lovers who prefer the meat to stand out?), always assume it's better to have too much than not enough, and don't overdo it with sauce on all of the meats.
To start, decide how much meat you're preparing. If you're making pulled pork or chicken, estimate about ½ pound of meat per person. For brisket, you can go a little higher — between ½ and ¾ of a pound per person. So, if you're hosting a party for 20 people, assume you'll need somewhere between 10 and 15 pounds of meat. Then, consider the way you'd measure out sauces for other meals. For a sauce-to-pasta ratio, for example, you want the sauce to just barely coat the pasta, which is about 1 ½ cups of sauce per pound of pasta served (so, 1 ½ cups per eight servings). You can use this as your base and plan for the same amount of barbecue sauce per meat serving. For 20 servings of meat, that's 3 ¾ cups of sauce.
It's better to have too much sauce than too little
Nobody wants to waste food, but you also don't want to offer up too little sauce and quickly run out. One way to problem solve is to measure the amount of sauce you think you need, then buy another bottle or two, keep the receipt, and hold this extra sauce in your pantry in the event that your guests run out. If they don't, you can return the sauce bottles to the store, and if they do, you have backup. Whether you're doing homemade barbecue sauce or using a store-bought sauce, it generally freezes well in a freezer-safe bag for up to three months, so making a little extra just means less work the next time you want to cook up some barbecue.
Finally, don't overdo it with the sauce when it comes to adding it to the meats. For the best guest experience, provide the sauce on the side. This allows people to add the amount they feel comfortable with, whether it's just a drop for added flavor or a fully saucy experience.