How much meat per person for a braai?
The South African rule of thumb is 400-500g of raw meat per adult. Inside that, plan for about 200g boerewors, plus a mix of steak (rump or sirloin at ~250g), lamb chops (~100g) and chicken (~150g). Big eaters and long afternoons push the total to 600g; mixed crowds with kids average closer to 350g.
The calculator above uses these defaults, change the guest count, untick what you don't want, and it does the maths.
How many beers and cooldrinks?
Two beers per adult covers a typical 3-4 hour braai. For longer afternoons or hot summer days, plan four to five. Always over-cater on 2L cooldrinks: drivers and kids drink more than you think.
Why a braai costs more overseas
For SA expats in the USA, UK and Australia, a braai costs roughly 2-4× what it does at home, boerewors is an imported specialty item, brandy is taxed differently, and even mealie meel comes via niche distributors. The country tabs above use real prices from real specialty shops, not rough conversions.