THE COALCREST TOOLS
BBQ cook planner
Work out your BBQ shopping quantities and a cook-start window, backwards from serving time.
Set your guest numbers, choose your mains and enter the cook-time range from your recipe. You'll get a shopping list and a schedule to print or share.
Your shopping and timing plan
2.25 kg total mains for 10 guests
Plan: kettle, direct; 3 side dishes. This is the total across all selected mains, divided equally. Side dishes do not change it automatically.
- Burgers: 1.13 kg (2.48 lb)
- Sausages: 1.13 kg (2.48 lb)
- Light / preheat
- 16:30–16:50
- Start cooking window
- 17:00–17:20
- Rest allowance
- 5 minutes, only once cooked through
- Extra buffer
- 15 minutes
- Aim to serve
- 18:00
For foods that need cooking through, the FSA gives 70°C for 2 minutes (158°F). Follow its guidance for your cut; a timeline does not establish doneness.
Charcoal quantity depends on the cooker, fuel, weather and cook. Use the cooker manual and keep reserve fuel; this planner does not predict a safe fuel load.
Cook-start windows are arithmetic based on the cook times you entered, not tested timings for these cuts. Cook in batches if needed and add that time. A long cook may need a much larger buffer.
What goes into the plan?
The total raw boneless allowance is (adults × adult grams + children × child grams) × appetite multiplier × (1 + bone allowance ÷ 100). It is divided equally between your chosen mains, rather than adding a full portion of every main.
The default 250 g for an adult and 125 g for a child are editable planning examples, not dietary advice. Your sides, appetites, cuts and expected leftovers matter. Fissler's BBQ planning tips give example portion ranges; ask your butcher about bones and trimming. Side-dish count is a reminder, not an automatic reduction.
Work back from serving time
Subtract your rest allowance, buffer and shortest/longest cooking times to get a start window. Subtract lighting time again to find when to light or preheat. The example uses your entered cook-time assumptions; it is not a timing recommendation for any specific cut.
Food that needs thorough cooking should reach a core temperature of 70°C (158°F) for 2 minutes, or an equivalent combination, following the Food Standards Agency cooking guidance. Whole intact cuts have different guidance from poultry, pork, minced or rolled meat. The clock never confirms food is safe.
What this tool cannot tell you
Cooker capacity, batches, wind, the stall and fuel behaviour can change the day. The selected cooker and method do not predict a cooking time. Use your recipe and manual for these; add a generous buffer for long cooks. Charcoal quantities need the cooker manufacturer's guidance.
Your plan stays in your browser. A shared link includes your selections in its URL. No guest names or personal details are needed.