Buying and lighting calculator
How much do I buy and when do I light?
Pick the cut, say how many of you there are and when you want to eat. We tell you how much to ask for at the butcher or fishmonger (raw, counting bone and trim) and when to light the kamado so the meat reaches the table rested.
How much meat and fish per person, raw
Quick reference for the most common kamado cuts. Grams per person of raw cut, as you buy it. The calculator above applies these figures and rounds to what is sold.
| Cut | Per person (raw) | Bone / trim | Fire | Approx. time | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef | |||||
| Beef brisket | 400 g | ≈50 % (fat and water) | 110 °C · smoked, indirect | 160 min/kg (min. 8 h) | 60 min |
| Bone-in ribeye and tomahawk | 320 g | ≈38 % (bone and cooking) | 160 °C · indirect then seared | 60 min | 10 min |
| Beef tenderloin | 250 g | ≈20 % (cooking and trim) | 190 °C · indirect, with deflector | 15 min/kg (min. 35 min) | 10 min |
| Picanha (rump cap) | 270 g | ≈25 % (fat and cooking) | 160 °C · indirect then seared | 30 min/kg (min. 40 min) | 10 min |
| Beef short ribs | 440 g | ≈55 % (bone, fat and water) | 120 °C · smoked, indirect | 180 min/kg (min. 9 h) | 60 min |
| Beef cheeks | 310 g | ≈35 % (fat, silverskin and water) | 150 °C · indirect, with deflector | 180 min | 15 min |
| Ground beef (burgers) | 290 g | ≈31 % (fat and water) | 250 °C · direct, no deflector | 8 min | 3 min |
| Pork | |||||
| Pork ribs (St. Louis and baby back) | 420 g | ≈52 % (bone and cooking loss) | 120 °C · smoked, indirect | 270 min | 15 min |
| Pork shoulder (pulled pork) | 330 g | ≈40 % (fat, bone and water) | 120 °C · smoked, indirect | 210 min/kg (min. 6 h) | 30 min |
| Pork collar (neck) | 280 g | ≈28 % (fat and water) | 160 °C · indirect, with deflector | 100 min/kg (min. 2 h) | 15 min |
| Pork loin (roast) | 260 g | ≈24 % (water and a little fat) | 180 °C · indirect, with deflector | 55 min/kg (min. 45 min) | 15 min |
| Fresh pork belly (skinless) | 300 g | ≈33 % (fat and water) | 120 °C · smoked, indirect | 150 min/kg (min. 4 h) | 30 min |
| Pork knuckle (hock, bone-in and skin-on) | 440 g | ≈55 % (bone, skin and fat) | 150 °C · indirect, with deflector | 170 min/kg (min. 3 h 10 min) | 15 min |
| Suckling pig (half, split and cleaned) | 440 g | ≈55 % (bone, head and fat) | 150 °C · indirect, with deflector | 85 min/kg (min. 2 h 30 min) | 20 min |
| Ibérico pork presa | 270 g | ≈25 % (fat and water) | 115 °C · indirect then seared | 85 min/kg (min. 45 min) | 15 min |
| Lamb and rabbit | |||||
| Leg of lamb (bone-in) | 340 g | ≈42 % (bone, fat and water) | 160 °C · indirect, with deflector | 50 min/kg (min. 1 h 15 min) | 20 min |
| Lamb shoulder (bone-in) | 340 g | ≈41 % (bone, fat and water) | 160 °C · indirect, with deflector | 50 min/kg (min. 1 h) | 20 min |
| Lamb rib chops (milk-fed) | 400 g | ≈50 % (bone and fat) | 250 °C · direct, no deflector | 10 min | 5 min |
| Whole rabbit | 340 g | ≈42 % (bone and cooking loss) | 160 °C · indirect, with deflector | 40 min/kg (min. 45 min) | 10 min |
| Poultry | |||||
| Whole chicken | 450 g | ≈56 % (bone and cooking loss) | 190 °C · indirect, with deflector | 50 min/kg (min. 1 h) | 15 min |
| Chicken wings | 500 g | ≈60 % (bone and cooking loss) | 200 °C · indirect, with deflector | 45 min | 5 min |
| Chicken thighs and drumsticks | 400 g | ≈50 % (bone and cooking loss) | 180 °C · indirect, with deflector | 50 min | 5 min |
| Cornish hen (picantón) | 450 g | ≈56 % (bone and cooking loss) | 190 °C · indirect, with deflector | 50 min | 10 min |
| Whole turkey | 420 g | ≈52 % (bone, skin and cooking loss) | 165 °C · indirect, with deflector | 32 min/kg (min. 2 h) | 20 min |
| Bone-in turkey breast | 330 g | ≈40 % (bone, skin and cooking loss) | 165 °C · indirect, with deflector | 45 min/kg (min. 1 h 15 min) | 20 min |
| Whole duck | 500 g | ≈60 % (bone, rendered fat and cooking loss) | 180 °C · indirect, with deflector | 60 min/kg (min. 1 h 30 min) | 20 min |
| Duck breast (magret) | 310 g | ≈35 % (rendered fat and moisture) | 180 °C · indirect, with deflector | 18 min | 10 min |
| Fish and seafood | |||||
| Portion-size whole fish (sea bream, sea bass, trout) | 380 g | ≈55 % (head, bones and skin) | 200 °C · indirect, with deflector | 20 min | 5 min |
| Large whole fish (sea bass or sea bream, 1-1.5 kg) | 350 g | ≈52 % (head, bones and skin) | 200 °C · indirect, with deflector | 40 min | 10 min |
| Salmon (fillet) | 230 g | ≈25 % (skin, trim and water) | 190 °C · indirect, with deflector | 25 min | 3 min |
| Bluefin tuna (loin) | 200 g | ≈15 % (trim and water) | 260 °C · direct, no deflector | 4 min | 2 min |
| Octopus | 310 g | ≈45 % (water lost in cooking) | 150 °C · indirect, with deflector | 50 min/kg (min. 1 h 30 min) | 10 min |
| Large prawns (gambones) | 350 g | ≈52 % (head and shell) | 250 °C · direct, no deflector | 5 min | 0 min |
| Sardines | 310 g | ≈45 % (head, backbone and skin) | 250 °C · direct, no deflector | 8 min | 0 min |
| Cuttlefish | 350 g | ≈51 % (cleaning and water lost on the grill) | 260 °C · direct, no deflector | 7 min | 0 min |
How we calculate it
We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.
To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.
Frequently asked questions
How much meat should I buy per person for a barbecue?
It depends on the cut: bone-in and heavy trim (ribs, brisket, lamb) is 450 to 600 g raw per person; boneless (loin, tenderloin, picanha) is 250 to 350 g. The calculator applies each cut's trim loss and rounds to what the butcher sells.
When do I light the kamado to eat at two?
Take the rest and the lighting off the cook time: a 1.6 kg whole chicken at 190 °C is about 65 minutes of cooking, 10 of rest and 30 to light, so 12:15. A 3 kg brisket at 110 °C means lighting before eight in the morning.
Are the times exact?
No. Thickness, wind, charcoal and each kamado change the time. The times help you organise shopping and the day; to know when to take the meat off, the probe decides. Long cooks carry a margin and keep well wrapped.