GUIDES FROM THE MASTER
Shashlik for 50 People: How Much Meat, How Many Grills and Who Grills When
Around 20 kg of shashlik feeds 50 people when it is the main course. That is the butcher’s rule of thumb: 400 g of marinated meat per guest. With a large buffet, 15 kg is enough; for a hungry football team, plan closer to 25 kg.
With 50 guests, a barbecue becomes a small project. Club party, company summer party, big wedding or family reunion: a team grills at 3 to 4 grills, 20 kg of meat has to stay cold, and nobody wants a queue at the serving table. Here is the plan, from the packs to the timeline.
The shopping list on this page covers lavash, onions, salad, sauce and charcoal for 50 guests.
At a glance
- 20 kg of shashlik feeds 50 people as a main course; with a large buffet 15 kg is enough, big appetites need 25 kg.
- 5 × “Friends and Family” cost €339.90, which is €6.80 per person; for a buffet, 4 packs with 16 kg for €271.92 will do.
- 3 to 4 grills are needed: with four, 20 kg is grilled in 2 to 3 rounds, with three in 3 to 4 rounds.
- 8 grill masters in two shifts, one runner at the cooling station and 1 to 2 people serving are enough for four grills.
- 20 kg of charcoal plus a spare bag is the rule of thumb: about 1 kg of charcoal per kg of meat.
Your shopping list for 50 people
Based on 400 g of shashlik per person as a main course.
5 × Friends and Family = 20 kg
€339.90 Total · €6.80 per person · free delivery
View 5 packagesOn the product page you set the mix of varieties for all 5 packages together.
For the table
- Lavash or flatbread1 per person50 breads
- Onions for pickling1 for 3–4 people15 large onions
- Salad200 g per person10 kg
- Fresh herbs1 bunch for 3–4 people15 bunches
- Sauce50 ml per person2.5 l
- CharcoalRule of thumb: 1 kg per kg of meatabout 20 kg
Different group size? Open the calculator
BBQ for 50 people: how much meat do you need?
With 50 guests it pays to plan by group: teenagers after a tournament eat differently from grandparents and toddlers. If there are sausages too, take about 100 g off per sausage.
| Guests and appetite | Per person | People | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large buffet, lots of salads | 300 g | 50 | 15 kg |
| Shashlik as the main course | 400 g | 50 | 20 kg |
| Big appetites, few sides | 500 g | 50 | 25 kg |
| Mixed: adults | 400 g | 30 | 12 kg |
| Mixed: teenagers and athletes | 500 g | 10 | 5 kg |
| Mixed: children up to about 12 | 150–200 g | 10 | 1.5–2 kg |
| Mixed crowd in total | – | 50 | 18.5–19 kg |
Ordering shashlik for 50 people: packs and prices
For 20 kg, order five “Friends and Family” packs, the best value at €6.80 per person. With five packs, the mixer on the pack page spreads the whole 20 kg across the varieties in 500 g steps. Unchanged, you get 5 kg each of Classic pork, Onion & Garlic pork, Classic chicken breast and Mayo chicken thigh. Swaps stay within the price group, pork for pork and chicken for chicken, so the 10 kg of pork stays in the pack.
If some guests don’t eat pork, the highlight option fits well: four packs cover 40 guests, and the 4 kg of lamb and beef cover up to 10 pork-free guests. If there are more, add chicken as a single variety. Every option comes with free delivery:
| Option | What you order | Amount | Price | Per person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main course | 5 × “Friends and Family” | 20 kg | €339.90 | €6.80 |
| With a highlight | 4 × “Friends and Family”, 2 kg lamb, 2 kg beef | 20 kg | €379.88 | €7.60 |
| Buffet | 4 × “Friends and Family” | 16 kg | €271.92 | €5.44 |
Grilling for 50 people: 3 to 4 grills and grill masters in shifts
Rule of thumb: a large charcoal grill or mangal handles about 2 to 3 kg of shashlik per round, and a round takes 15 to 20 minutes. With four grills, 20 kg is done in 2 to 3 rounds; with three grills, in 3 to 4 rounds. A single grill would need 7 to 10 rounds.
With 50 guests, grilling is shift work: one person per grill, and after about two rounds the second shift takes over while the first eats. Four grills means eight grill masters. Charcoal: about 1 kg per kg of meat, so around 20 kg plus a spare bag. Top up early, as fresh charcoal needs another 20 to 30 minutes. Grilling times: see our guide to grilling shashlik.
Run the grills as stations, one group of varieties each, so every round takes the same time and pork-free skewers never sit next to pork:
| Station | What goes on it | Time per round |
|---|---|---|
| Grills 1 and 2 | Classic pork and Onion & Garlic pork | 15–20 min |
| Grill 3 | Classic chicken breast and Mayo chicken thigh | breast 10–15, thigh 15–20 min |
| Grill 4, pork-free | Lamb and beef, or more chicken | lamb 12–18, beef 12–15 min |
| Cooling station | Cool boxes by variety; a runner hands out one round at a time | – |
Keeping 20 kg of meat cold: where do you store that much shashlik?
20 kg rarely fits into one fridge. Decide beforehand where it will be kept, such as the clubhouse cold room, the company kitchen fridge or the fridges of two or three helpers. Clear the space before delivery; the best-before date is on the pack.
On the day, the meat only leaves the fridge, or cool boxes packed with plenty of ice packs, shortly before grilling. Only what fits on the grill comes out: 2 to 3 kg per grill and round. Run the cooling station like this:
- One cool box per station, labelled: pork, chicken, pork-free.
- Cool boxes in the shade, away from grills and sun, lids always closed.
- Separate tables, tongs and plates for raw and cooked meat, and a thermometer at every grill.
- Always cook pork and poultry right through: Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) recommends at least 70 °C in the centre for at least 2 minutes.
Serving and buffet: how 50 guests avoid a long queue
With 50 guests, serving decides whether the party feels relaxed. The grills deliver in rounds, so the meat arrives in waves. Quantities are in the shopping list above, make-ahead salads in our guide to sides for shashlik. Here is how serving works:
- Open the buffet first: lavash, pickled onions, salads and sauces are out before the first round comes off the grill.
- Meat at the end of the line: guests help themselves to sides first, and the meat reliably goes round.
- A helper serves the meat and slides it off the skewer with lavash. That is quicker than self-service, and fewer hands touch the tongs.
- Call people up in waves: table by table at a wedding or summer party; at a club party, children and the second-shift helpers first.
Club party, summer party, wedding, family reunion: what changes at the grill?
Depending on the occasion, shift the focus:
- Club party: there are plenty of helpers and usually grills too. Put up the shift plan and ask members to lend a mangal. If you sell food to visitors at a public event, extra hygiene requirements may apply; check with the local authority (Ordnungsamt or Gemeinde) in good time.
- Company summer party: mealtime is in the programme. Light the grills so the first round is ready when the speech ends, not halfway through.
- Big wedding: the couple and their parents don’t grill. Ask friends to join the grill team and give them the timeline below. Lamb and beef make the meal more festive.
- Family reunion: everyone from toddlers to great-grandparents is there. Count children at 150 to 200 g. Chicken thigh stays juicy and forgives a few extra minutes on the grill.
Timeline for 50 guests: from planning to leftovers
Smaller groups have their own plans: shashlik for 10 people, for 20 people and for 30 people. Any other group size is worked out in our guide to shashlik per person.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 4 to 6 weeks before | Sort out venue and grills, find a grill team and helpers for two shifts. |
| 2 weeks before | Count replies, fix the amount, secure fridge space for 20 kg. |
| In good time before the party | Order with a few days’ buffer, especially before public holidays. |
| When it arrives | Into the fridge straight away, check the best-before date. If you ordered early, freeze in portions. |
| The day before | Freeze the ice packs, make salads and sauces, set out charcoal, tongs, plates and thermometers. |
| 90 minutes before | Set up grills, cooling station and serving table; put up the shift plan. |
| 30 minutes before | Light all grills; after 20 to 30 minutes the embers are white. |
| During the party | Top up round by round, change shifts after about two rounds. |
| Afterwards | Chill cooked leftovers promptly; freeze raw meat that stayed cold throughout. |
Order shashlik for 50 guests
Five “Friends and Family” packs feed 50 people, and single varieties such as lamb, beef and chicken fill the pork-free grill. Ready-marinated by a master butcher, with free delivery.
Frequently asked questions
How much meat do I need for 50 people?
For 50 people you need 20 kg of shashlik as a main course, which is 400 g per head. With a large buffet, 300 g or 15 kg is enough; for big appetites, plan 25 kg. Count children up to about 12 at 150 to 200 g.
How much does shashlik for 50 people cost?
5 × “Friends and Family” cost €339.90 for 20 kg, which is €6.80 per person. With 2 kg of lamb and 2 kg of beef as a highlight it is €379.88. For a buffet, 4 packs with 16 kg for €271.92 are enough, and delivery is free in every case.
How many grills do I need for 50 people?
Three to four large charcoal grills or mangals. Each handles about 2 to 3 kg per round in 15 to 20 minutes. With four grills, 20 kg is done in 2 to 3 rounds.
How many helpers do I need to grill for 50 people?
One person per grill, in two shifts. With four grills that is eight grill masters, plus a runner at the cooling station and one or two people serving.
How do I keep 20 kg of meat cold at a party?
In the fridge or in cool boxes with plenty of ice packs until shortly before grilling, in the shade and with the lid shut. Only take out one round per grill, so 2 to 3 kg. Drinks go in boxes of their own.