A barbecue outdoors or at the dacha always starts the same way: someone says "let us take about five kilos" and nobody knows whether that is a lot or a little. Then it turns out there is twice as much meat as was eaten, or that you had to run out for sausages. Let us count once, calmly.

Below are simple rules for a group: how much meat per person, which cuts to choose, how to marinate and what to take besides the meat. There are no prices in the text, because they change every week: you will see the fresh offers of the shops in the live blocks.

How much meat per person

The main rule: about three hundred grams of raw boneless meat per adult. After grilling about two thirds remain, and for a filling meal that is enough. If the table has many starters, sausages and vegetables, you can take two hundred and fifty grams. For a child a hundred and fifty to two hundred is enough. If chicken on the bone is on the grill, count about three hundred and fifty to four hundred grams per adult.

Here is how it works out for different numbers of guests:

  • four people: about a kilo and a half of meat;
  • eight people: about two and a half to three kilos;
  • twelve people: about four kilos;
  • sixteen people: about five kilos.

If many of the guests are men who love barbecue, add a quarter. If you are also grilling mici, you need less meat on the skewers.

Which cuts to take

For barbecue what matters is not the brand but the part of the animal. Pork neck is the best choice: it has fat, the meat is juicy and it forgives mistakes even if you left it too long on the fire. Loin is more tender and leaner: it dries out quickly, so it is grilled briefly and cut bigger. Leg is in the middle: easier to cut into cubes, but marinate it longer.

For lamb barbecue take leg or shoulder, for beef tenderloin or leg meat, and it is marinated longest. Cut the pieces about the size of a matchbox, not smaller: small ones dry out. Here is what there is now in meat:

In the catalogues now: meat

All offers

Chicken: thighs, not breast

Chicken for the barbecue suits when there are many guests and you want to feed everyone fast. Take thighs, drumsticks or wings: the skin and bone hold the juice. Breast will also do, but marinate it well and take it off the fire a little earlier. Chicken cooks faster than pork, and the pieces on a skewer should be about the same size.

If some guests do not eat pork, put the chicken on a separate skewer or a separate grid. Let us see what there is now in chicken:

In the catalogues now: chicken

All offers

The marinade: the basics without secrets

Good meat does not need a complicated marinade. The basis is simple. Onion: about half a kilo per kilo of meat, cut in rings and squeezed by hand to release its juice. Salt: about a tablespoon and a half per kilo, so that the meat has flavour. Pepper: black, allspice and a little seasoning for meat. Acid: one or two tablespoons of vinegar, or a glass of kefir, or lemon juice, or half a glass of dry wine. And a little oil so that the pieces do not stick.

Pork is left three or four hours, chicken two or three, beef and lamb better from the evening before. More than a day is not needed: the meat turns too soft. Marinate in the fridge and take it outdoors in a cool bag.

What to buy besides the meat

For a barbecue you need much more than meat. Vegetables: tomatoes, sweet peppers, onions, aubergines, courgettes for the grill, plus fresh cucumbers and radishes. They work both as a starter and as a side. Bread or flatbread, sauce, salt, water and drinks, plus napkins, disposable tableware and rubbish bags.

For vegetables count about two hundred grams per person, and for drinks a litre to a litre and a half. Here is what the flyers have in vegetables now:

In the catalogues now: vegetables

All offers

And here is what there is in soft drinks:

In the catalogues now: fizzy drinks

All offers

The overall plan: the evening before and the day itself

The evening before: buy the meat, cut and marinate it, put it in the fridge. Pack the skewers, grill, matches, firelighter, knife and board into one bag in advance.

The morning of the barbecue: buy bread, vegetables, greens and drinks. Load everything into the cool bag, the meat separately.

An hour before grilling: light the charcoal. It should be covered with grey ash, with no flames left. The meat goes over the embers, not over the fire.

At the fire: watch the skewers and turn them every three to five minutes. Pork neck takes about fifteen to twenty minutes, chicken the same, beef a little longer.

A ready-made basket for the barbecue

If you want to check yourself against a list, open the "Shashlik" basket: it has the basic products for a group, and next to them it shows where each one is cheaper now:

What it costs: Barbecue shopping list: where to buy it cheaper

The whole set at the best prices163.63 leiFound 6 of 7 items

Where to get the set

  • METRO6 of 7 itemsMost items
    207.40 leiMissing: Charcoal
  • Kaufland6 of 7 items
    214.15 leiMissing: Charcoal
  • Nr15 of 7 items
    122.85 leiMissing: Onions, Charcoal
  • Bonus5 of 7 items
    175.95 leiMissing: Onions, Charcoal
The whole basket

The other offers of the week are in the discounts.

A short checklist

  • Meat: three hundred grams raw per adult, a hundred and fifty to two hundred per child.
  • Onion, salt, acid and oil for the marinade.
  • Vegetables, bread, sauce and water.
  • Charcoal by the kilo of meat and one more bag as a reserve, firelighter, matches.
  • Skewers, grill, knife, board, napkins, rubbish bags.
  • A cool bag for the meat and the drinks.