Portion planner
Tell it how many people are eating and what you are cooking, and it works out the raw weight to buy. The important part is the yield loss: a packer brisket comes off the pit at roughly half the weight you paid for.
Yields are typical, not guaranteed — a heavily trimmed packer loses more. Leftovers are a feature, so round up rather than down.
How it works
Start from cooked ounces per guest, then divide by the cut's cooked yield to get back to the raw weight you need at the counter.
When the meat is one of several proteins, per-guest weight drops by about 40 percent.
Bone-in cuts carry weight you are not serving, which is already reflected in the yield figures.
What it assumes
- Seven cooked ounces per guest is the standard portion. Five is light, ten is a hungry crowd with few sides.
- Yields are typical, not guaranteed. Heavy trimming lowers them further.
- Leftovers are a feature. Round up.
Questions
Plan on about half a pound of cooked brisket per guest. Because a packer yields only around 55 percent after trim and render, that means buying close to a pound of raw brisket per person.
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