How many hot dogs for 30 people
Short answer
Sixty hot dogs for 30 people — two each. That is five packs of twelve, and eight packs of buns to cover them, since buns come in eights and sausages in twelves.
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Hot dogs to grill
60
Packs of 12
5
Buns (packs of 8)
8 (64)
Condiments
3 × 500 ml
Two hot dogs per adult. A hot dog is the thing people take a second of without deciding to — it is small, it is quick, and it is in reach. Running out of hot dogs is the classic BBQ failure precisely because a burger feels like a commitment and a hot dog does not.
The packet mismatch is real and it is worth planning around. Twelve sausages, eight buns: for sixty dogs you need 7.5 packs of buns, so you buy eight and have four spare buns, or you buy seven and end the night with four naked sausages. Buy on the bun count.
If a third of your thirty are children, fifty is enough — count children at one and a quarter, not two. If hot dogs are the only main course rather than one option among several, go to two and a half each and buy 75.
Grill them, do not boil them. Boiling waterlogs the casing and washes out what little smoke flavour a hot dog can carry. Three to four minutes on a hot grate, turned twice, gives you char and a snap. They are pre-cooked, so this is about texture — but the target is still 165°F (74°C), which matters if anyone at the table is pregnant or immunocompromised.
Related questions
How many packs of hot dogs is 60?
Five packs of twelve, or seven and a half packs of eight. Sausages usually come in twelves in North America and eights in Europe, so check before you multiply.
How much condiment for 30 people?
Three 500 ml bottles — ketchup, mustard and one other. Put out relish, chopped onion and grated cheese too; toppings are how a hot dog table stops being just hot dogs.
Should I score hot dogs before grilling?
A shallow spiral cut helps them cook evenly and holds condiments, and it stops them curling. It is two seconds a sausage and it is the only trick here worth the time.