It’s that time of year again, the time to enjoy all that nature has to offer. As summer rolls in, we want to spend more and more time outdoors. And one of the most exciting ways to be outside is with family and friends. Small gatherings around a fire always bring laughs and memories. And I’ve always said, food brings people together. So let’s get to the basics; here are some tips on how to throw the most stress-free and successful backyard BBQ this summer. A party all of your friends won’t forget anytime soon.
1. The number one rule that one needs to remember is to have enough cold drinks for everyone. I cannot stress this enough. Keep the cooler stocked for guests and replenish it throughout the night. We recommend to have 1.5 drinks per person for every two to three hours. Make sure everything is chilled before the guests arrive. Setting up a separate table for the drinks, will help keep the clutter/overcrowding down when people are getting their food.
If you are using solo cups have a permanent marker laid out next to the drinks, so guests can write their name on it, or you could get a sheet of label stickers to stick onto the drinks. Just keep in mind, the condensation might make the stickers fall off the cups. Either way will help so they won’t get their drinks mixed up with another guest’s cup. If you are going to have wine glasses out, purchase wine stem charms to be placed around the bottom of the glass to stop the mystery of whose glass is whose.
Place ice in an open tub, bowl, or ice bucket with a ladle or ice scoop for cleaner and easier scooping, instead of having guests reach into a cooler for ice for their drinks. Another fun and easy tip is to put fruit in ice cube trays with the water and freeze them to use in lieu of plain ice. Sliced strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries work the best. Guests will then be able to combine them with their juice, soda, seltzer, water, or mixed drinks.
A large metal pail filled with ice can be placed on the table with different chilled wines in it, set next to room temperature wines, wine glasses, an opener, and accessories as a self-serve wine section.
It is also convenient to have a punch bowl set out for your guests, non-alcoholic or alcoholic is fine, just make sure you label what it is so your guests know. If you don’t want to set out a punch bowl, set out a mini bar if sorts for your guests. Three different liquors, tonic water, limes, cherries, sugar, a muddler, cocktail shakers, a jigger, cola, and a juice will work fine for a basic set up.
2. Always prep in advance. There can never be enough set-up time in a day to fully prepare without feeling rushed for a party. Make sure your grill has all of the essentials that will be needed: charcoal, lighter fluid if that is what you use, although it is not recommended, a chimney starter is more practical. A grill brush, tongs, a grill thermometer if your grill does not have one built in, a spray bottle filled with water for any flare-ups, spatulas, and any accessories for other foods that will be grilled are all basics as well.
There are three different ways to cook your meal. Using a gas grill will cook your food fast, whereas a charcoal grill will cook the meat at a medium rate, and finally a smoker, which keeps the fire away from the food for a lower and slower cooking process.
It is okay to go with a potluck style BBQ to keep the host somewhat sane when organizing the event. That being said, NEVER ask your guests to bring more than one thing. If they are bringing a dish to pass, make sure you are providing the drinks. Do not require them to bring both. I was invited to a party once where we were supposed to bring our own drinks, a dish to pass, and whatever we wanted to grill for ourselves. All that the hosts provided was the grill to grill our own food on. That is a huge party faux pas. If you plan on being a host, be a host. This will require some work and a lot of effort.
3. The prepping for a party and organizing are kind of the same step. Organizing the layout of how you would like things set up will require a little bit of thought. You don’t need a blueprint of your yard to make it successful, but here are some ideas on how to place your tables and stations for the best backyard set up.
Yard games should be in the yard ready to go so the guests have something to do when they arrive. The fire pit should also be set up before people get there so that when the sun sets you can just light it and enjoy your time you’re your company without bringing out a bunch of chairs and setting up piles of wood. Having the pit itself ready to light when you’re ready is a good idea too. The music will set the atmosphere of your event. Make sure that it is steadily playing in the background at a decent volume that everyone can hear, yet that it doesn’t drown out everyone’s conversations.
Have a separate “kids zone” area set up for anyone who is bringing their children along. This can be a small section set off from the adults with bubbles, chalk, jump ropes, balls, hula-hoops, etc. All of these things can be found at your local dollar store and won’t cost you a fortune to keep the children occupied.
Another table that could be set up, that comes in handier than most people realize, is a necessities tables that has a basket with sunscreen, bug spray, hand wipes, hand sanitizer, sunglasses, hand-held fans, and light blankets. These necessities are a convenience for your guests who may be uncomfortable with the weather conditions.
Make sure the area that the party will be held in will be well lit at night by stringing some lights, buying tiki torches, having some candles set up, or purchasing the solar yard lights.
Go to your local farmer’s market for bouquets of flowers for decorations, you can also get all of your veggies for appetizers there. Decorate the corners of your table with ornamental paperweights to keep the table cloth from flying off.
Have a separate recycling bin from the trash bin and keep them both away from food and the guests so that the bugs that they attract are nowhere near the main event. However, make sure they are still in decent walking distance from the party so that your guests do not leave trash and cans everywhere for you to clean up later. Label your bins as to which one is trash and which one is recycling. Use only throw away utensils and plates for easy clean-up.
Remember the concept that simple is always better. Set up your food in a buffet style, under an awning if at all possible, so that people can come up as they please to eat without worrying about taking up any more room.
Keep all of the food assembled together in stations, i.e. have the buns with the meat and the condiments nearby. Don’t put all of the brat toppings in the middle of the assembly line with the actual bratwurst at the beginning.
A great tip is to make label cards for your food so people know what is what. You can specify if there are any allergies on the card, like milk or peanuts. Another option is to label if the meat is well done or rare.
Arrange all condiments in little decorative bowls with spoons for a fancier feel to your party. This will also make for less mess with people shaking the mustard bottles and whatnot. Add an assortment of mustards, mayos, cheeses, crumbled bacon, guacamole, jalapenos, pickles, onions, sauerkraut, relish, peppers, tomatoes, hot sauce…etc. Avoid setting out food too early and pack it away as soon as you finish. You can always leave out little appetizers, or bring out hors d’oeuvres later in the evening if you are worried about your guests being hungry again.
Dessert is a must for BBQ parties as well. Place those at the end of the assembly line or on its own separate table. A cool idea for dessert is to set up a sundae bar for when the sun sets. Put an ice cream container in a tub filled with ice surrounding it with an ice cream scoop set on top of the open container. Have all the different toppings and cookies laid out next to it.
4. Have extra of everything. Nothing ruins a party quite like running out of an essential. So you want to make sure you have enough food for your guests to enjoy themselves with. It is always a gamble on how much food is enough, because you never want to have leftovers for the next two weeks. But it is always better to have too much, than not enough and leave your guests to be hungry.
5. Have small appetizers ready to nibble on as the guests arrive. It is never a good combo to serve a lot of liquor on empty stomachs. You don’t need to lay out a huge display, just a bowl of pretzels or some tortilla pinwheels would work fine.
6. While cooking you want to make sure that you aren’t poking or flipping your meat too much. Try to go with one to two flips max when grilling. The more that you move the meat around on the grill the more that the juice runs out of it, leaving you with drier, tasteless food.
Another tip is to wait until the end to add the sauces. If you are doing ribs or wings, and want to add a barbecue sauce, wait until the last five minutes that they are on the grill to slather them up, otherwise the sauce will burn, leaving you with a bitter taste in your mouth.
Also while cooking for guests, and yourself, make sure that you cook everything properly. It is always better to undercook something than to overcook it, because you can always throw it back on the grill to finish up the cooking process. But you can’t go back and undercook something once it is burnt.
And finally you want to make sure that you leave enough time to let your meat rest. Let smaller items rest off of the grill for at least five minutes before cutting into and serving them, larger foods for about ten minutes, and roasts and full birds up to fifteen minutes to get the proper tastes.
7. Something fun to try is some new twists on classic recipes. Try a ranch seasoned corn on the cob, or do an apple coleslaw. Instead of just cut up watermelon slices, add a strawberry/orange glaze and mix in other fruit. Another fun food menu to try is a variety of grilled pizzas instead of the usual chicken and potatoes.
Here are some recipes to make your day a smash hit. Everyone will be begging you to host another party. Follow these helpful suggestions and you’ll want to follow their wishes. Just remember above all else, your event is supposed to be fun, so keep it casual. Don’t fret over the small stuff and enjoy yourself.
Lemon-Mint Sparkling Prosecco
* 1 bottle cold Prosecco
* 1/2 c. cold lemon vodka
* 1/4 c. chopped fresh mint leaves
* Lemon sorbert
* Lemon twists
* Fresh mint sprigs
-Stir Prosecco, vodka, and mint leaves together in a pitcher. Place scoop of sorbert in each glass and top with mixture from pitcher. Garnish with mint sprig and lemon twist.
Deviled Eggs with Smoked Trout
* 12 large eggs
* 1/2 c. mayonnaise
* Large tbsp. Dijon Mustard
* 1/4 c. diced onion
* 4 finely diced cornichons
* 3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill
* Sprigs of dill
* 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, each
* 1/2 tsp paprika
* 1/2 c. shredded smoked trout
* Hot sauce to taste, optional
-Put eggs in a sauce pan and cover with an inch of water. Bring to boil for one minute. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for twenty minutes. Drain well, and place into a bowl. Fill bowl with cold water and let sit for five minutes and drain. Peel eggs and cut in half length-wise. Lay the whites out on a platter and put yokes in a bowl with mayo, mustard, and onion and mix until smooth. Fold in cornichons and chopped dill and season with salt and pepper. Divide mixture up among the egg whites. Cover and refrigerate for half an hour. Just before serving sprinkle with paprika and add small piece of trout. Drizzle with hot sauce and garnish with dill sprig.
Tropical Fruit Sangria
* 1 bottle cold Sauvignon Blanc
* 3/4 c. mango rum
* 1/2 c. simple syrup
* 1 c. passion fruit nectar
* Mint leaves, orange slices, lemon slices
Combine everything in a pitcher
except mint leaves.. Refrigerate for at least two hours . Add mint leaves roughly five to ten minutes before serving to guests.
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