Organising a barbeque is a great excuse to invite your loved ones over and enjoy quality time together over good food and cold drinks. A Sunday spent out in the open surrounded by friends and family is a Sunday well spent. To host the perfect barbeque party that will leave everyone impress and wanting to do it all over, here’s what you need to know.
Plan Out What You’re Going to Cook
Meat is the most important ingredient you need to get because that’s what barbeque is all about! Just imagine the taste of sausages grilled on medium heat for a longer period of time – perfection. But the list doesn’t end here. Also consider getting beef, lamb, pork or even chicken meat. You can make amazing home-made burgers with grilled vegetables on the side. You’ll also need plenty of cheese and burger buns that you’ll also grill because why not grill everything and make it even tastier and crispier?
Don’t forget about fresh salad. You can make something classic or an unusual salad that will sweep everybody off their feet. If you go for the classic option, you can’t go wrong with the Greek salad. All you need for it is tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, dried oregano, feta cheese and extra virgin olive oil. It’s super easy to make, and pairs really well with the grilled meat or burgers.
Then, if you’re up for an unusual salad, you can go for the chorizo potato salad. For this one, you’ll need potatoes, chorizo, soured cream, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, celery stalk and dill. It’s quite different but equally tasty. Look up some recipes and get creative!
What Is a Barbeque Party without Sauces and Seasoning?
The taste of the meat is even better if you previously marinade it with different sauces and seasoning. It’s best to do that the night before the party so that the meat has plenty of time to absorb all the flavours and juices. For chicken meat, you can try the Texas chicken scratch seasoning, which also goes well with vegetables. It’s a blend of paprika, garlic powder, thyme, black and white pepper, chilli powder, onion powder and salt.
Tough if you’re cooking meat, perhaps the best choice for flavouring is the Texas cattle call seasoning. It has the power to take the ordinary to the next level. Again, it’s best if you season the beef the night before grilling it for better taste. You can also add fresh herbs if you want to enhance the flavour. Chives, basil, coriander, parsley or a mix of herbs (parsley, oregano and garlic) are the perfect match for the beef and will create a food tasting experience as you’ve never had before.
The traditional barbeque sauce is part of the must-have barbecue accessories. You can’t organise a barbeque without it. The barbeque sauce and grilled meat (any type) are like yin and yang. The sweet-spicy flavour of the barbeque sauce pairs perfectly with the savoury-smoky taste of the grilled meat. The barbeque sauce is a mix of ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and honey (to add sweetness), Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, hot sauce and of course salt, black pepper and garlic.
And sure, you’ll need seasoning for the pork too. You can get Texas swine shaker seasoning, a blend of the perfect spices that will make your pork meat taste heavenly. The mix of smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, ground mustard and cayenne pepper is unmatched and will make you never want to use another spice again. Also try adding fresh sage, rosemary, thyme or coriander for better effect.
You can also serve the seasonings and the sauces on the table as a side dish so that people can add extra to their food if they want to.
Refreshing Drinks Are a Must
The drink most people think of first when a barbeque party is mentioned is beer. And yes beer goes really well with grilled meat but so does wine or a carefully mixed cocktail. Although many of your guests will choose beer no matter what you offer them, you can still make a cocktail or two for the rest.
When it comes to cocktails, something you can never go wrong with is gin and tonic. It’s the favourite drink of many and can I say how easy it is to make a gin and tonic cocktail? You just need a good bottle of gin to mix with tonic, ice cubes and lime and you’re ready to go. The bitter taste of this cocktail will go well with whatever you choose to prepare as a meal.
You can also prepare mojitos. You’ll need mint leaves, a little bit of sugar and lime juice for starters. You mix that and then add a shot of rum that you top with soda and that’s it. Simple and tasty.
If you go for the wine instead, you’ll want a bottle that will match the taste of the grilled meat. It won’t be easy to match every single dish with different wine types so it’s recommended to pick a bottle that will go great with everything that you end up preparing. That includes the traditional bottle of champagne, dry rose, Riesling or the good old Pinot Noir.
Don’t Forget to Clean Up Afterwards
After the fun part is over, you still need to clean everything up and leave it spotless for the next time you’re planning to use it. The barbeque will be quite greasy once you finish grilling on it. In order to make your cleaning job easy, you should first cover the grill with sine wet paper and leave it for some time (30 minutes at least). Then, you can start removing the dirt with dishwasher soap and a special grill brush made out of grit-infused nylon bristles that are strong enough to remove every bit of grease and dirt.
Grill brushes are quite handy bbq accessories that usually have a 360 degrees design which makes it easier for you to clean almost every corner of the grill. After you’re done with the cleaning, wipe everything with a clean cloth and cover the grill with a grill cover. Grill covers are accessories for bbq specially made to keep your grill protected from the harsh weather conditions all year-round. Grill covers are made from vinyl material with side straps so that you can easily put it on the grill and remove it when needed.
With proper care and maintenance and the right barbecue accessories, your grill will serve you for years to come.