How much brisket for 25 people
Short answer
Buy about 8.8 kg (19-20 lb) of raw packer brisket for 25 people — in practice, two whole briskets. That yields roughly 4.4 kg (9-10 lb) cooked, or 175 g a head.
Change the numbers
Your results
Raw brisket to buy
8.8 kg (19.3 lb)
Cooked yield
4.4 kg (9.6 lb)
Smoking time
24 h 00
Plus rest (minimum)
1 h
Half. That is the number that matters, and it is worse than most people expect. You trim the fat cap before it goes on, more fat renders through fourteen hours of smoke, and moisture leaves the whole time. A 9 kg packer puts about 4.5 kg on the table, and buying for the finished weight is how a party of 25 gets 12 servings.
Two briskets take about as long as one. Heat travels into each piece independently, so a full smoker needs longer to recover its temperature but not longer to cook. What two briskets do need is space — they cannot touch, or the faces that touch never form bark and never get the airflow that finishes them.
One hundred and seventy-five grams a head assumes brisket is the main course alongside sides. On a Texas-style plate where brisket is most of the meal, that goes to 250 g and you need 12.5 kg raw — three briskets. If there is also sausage and chicken, 125 g is enough and two smaller packers will do.
Slice to order, not in advance. Brisket dries fast once it is cut and the surface is exposed, and a tray sliced an hour early is noticeably worse than one sliced as people come back for seconds. Keep the unsliced half wrapped and warm.
Related questions
Should I buy one big brisket or two small ones?
Two. They fit most home smokers better, cook a little faster, and give you twice the bark. A single 20 lb packer is a competition-sized piece of meat and most backyard smokers cannot hold one flat.
How far ahead can I cook brisket for a party?
A full day is fine. Cook it, cool it whole and unsliced, then reheat wrapped at 275°F until it reads 150°F. Cold brisket also slices far more cleanly than hot.
How much does 25 people worth of brisket cost?
Two packers is a real outlay, which is exactly why the yield matters. Buying 4.5 kg because that is what you want to serve costs you the party; buying 9 kg costs you money you were going to spend anyway.