Is this enough food for a barbecue?

[Theresip]

I’m having a barbecue for 24 people on Saturday. I haven’t hosted for this many before so can I check with those if you who are more experienced whether this is the right amount of food?

On the barbecue:

24 burgers
24 hot dogs

Prepared in advance and served cold:

50 buns
A large gammon joint
15 barbecue chicken drumsticks
15 plain drumsticks
A potato salad with lemon and garlic
Homemade coleslaw
A Caesar salad
Another type of vegan salad

Then for people arriving I’ll have a cheeseboard, crisps, dips, and sweets out.

Is it enough? Should I add a pasta salad?

Millions? Really, how do you know? I have never ever seen a hot dog at a BBQ and I am very old and been to millions of BBQs Anyway each to their own. If your friends enjoy hot dog sausages then go for it.

Well if "that's that" why on earth did you bother asking opinions. Your "BBQ" is going to be talked about for all the wrong reasons.

I really don't understand why people without hosting skills and who are too tight to provide a decent quantity of nice food think its OK to invite people over for a miserable time.

If you want to minimise the actual cooking at the BBq I would put plenty of picky stuff out too. Breads, dips, crisps etc .. but you could also slow your guests to take home leftovers to prevent waste. We ALWAYS over cater (husband is indian and it’s his natural state to be a feeder 🤣) we often end up sending people home with food!

I don’t understand why people comment on threads when they cannot read.

I have said multiple times that I will increased the amount of burgers and hot dogs. All I have argued against is the suggestion that I double the quantities. It is plainly a massive waste of food, and meat at that, to serve everyone with two burgers and two hot dogs. Most people cannot physically eat that.

Have you never been to a camp site?

Fuck me. Are you really dense or just keen on an argument?

I think it depends on what is meant by hot dogs.

There are those tinned, thin hot dog sausages that are basically pink, which I think most people (me included) wouldn't expect at / on a BBQ, and which, it appears, you might be alluding to.

If someone said they're doing hot dogs, at a BBQ, I would expect fat sausages from the butchers, on a roll, and I think that's where the majority are coming from.

Hope that helps.

You said hot dogs - no protein and filled with crap

You’re still massively under catering for 24 drinking adults.

Definitely need more sausages and burgers. Every bbq ive been to theres been more than one each.

I can tell everyone is going to have such fun at this barbecue. Nothing I love more than a tinned hot-dog and a tense, humorless host.

Yeah but usually with proper sausages? I’m genuinely not trying to be a dick, but I have genuinely never been to a BBQ where hot dog sausages are served. Always proper sausages.

A "hot dog" off the barbeque is a decent regular sausage, served in a finger roll with fried onions and mustard/ketchup. It's not one of the cheap, pink, arses and eyeballs monstrosities which are generally only eaten by people who can't afford proper food.

Yep. People take "easy to cook" food to campsites for obvious reasons. I'm talking about BBQs that take place in your garden and you have invited people you would like to feed decent food to.

Yep, I’ll have crisps, dips, charcuterie, a cheeseboard, and sweets out ready for them to snack on when they arrive waiting for the other food.

It’s good you’re not coming then.

MN is way funny about food

the basic list you have provided in the first post is fine - you will have loads left over

think about - what you would be able to eat? Your husband? I would have a burger and a piece of chicken , one bread bun and some salad.in addition my DH would have another bun and some gammon

to avoid total anxiety - prep in batches

I did this recently and had packs of burgers and sausage to put in the freezer

I could easily eat 2 proper meaty sausages (I wouldn’t want pink crap hot dogs - these will probably be leftover because they are made up of crap connective tissue, E numbers, lips and arses, not because you’ve over-catered) and 2 burgers, plus the rest of the sides and chicken if it was freshly bbq and hot, rather than tepid and a salmonella risk.

What if the other 23 other people are like me and have a decent appetite?

You wanted to know if you have enough food, you’ve been told by the majority no… and you want leftovers too!

It really is very common to barbecue hot dogs of this type.

I think it's enouugh meat in total but personally if I'm going to a barbecue I want the meat to taste freshly barbecued, so I'd be swerving the gammon and cold drumsticks (not a fan of drumsticks in general tbh - thighs are better) and trying to score extra burgers and sausages

Likewise I like chicken well enough but really don't like it cold on the bone, with the skin on. Gammon seems difficult to eat at a bbq as you'd need a knife and fork unless you cut it into little bits to start. I'd probably end up having a burger and a few sausages over the period of a bbq. Less keen on the hot dog style sausages though but would eat if nothing else.

Actually, I am. We are all chatting about how you always under-cater in the group chat. We are planning to stop in at McDonalds on the way home.
We've had days of laughter regarding your gammon addiction and are wishing you weren't so stingy with the beers. No-one enjoys your salad.
And your veggie friend? She isn't actually veggie. She just can't face telling you that, really, she doesn't want a hot dog.

Well you learn something new every day! I have genuinely never seen it.
i don’t eat those types of sausages (the actual ingredients list is pretty grim) and I never let my kids have them either when they were younger. I’m a bit anal about making sure the meat I have is decent quality though.

I want to come to your BBQ Ruthietuthie 🙋‍♀️

Thank you.

I would probably have a couple of drumsticks and slices of gammon. I wouldn’t have a burger or hot dog. I’d have plenty of potatoes and a bit of salad.

DP would probably have a burger and a hot dog, but definitely not two of each.

I do think it’s unusual to be able to eat two burgers, two hot dogs, chicken, gammon/pork and sides. Fair dos to those who can but it isn’t the norm.

I think that sounds plenty. And I can't imagine eating a burger, a hot dog, a drumstick AND gammon, though admittedly I have not got a huge appetite. But, some people will like one thing and some another so I would personally get six extra each of hot dogs, burgers and drumsticks. Then it doesn't matter if someone doesn't like burgers and wants two drumsticks or whatever. A pasta salad is a great idea and it will last so hopefully won't go to waste as you can have it for lunch the next day too or something.