What’s your favorite part about the summertime?
Some people love all the time they’re able to spend at the beach. Others enjoy being able to break out all their great summer outfits. There are literally dozens of great reasons to love every aspect of the summer.
But one of the best parts of all are the BBQ parties that people throw once it’s warm outside. There is nothing quite like chowing down on some delicious food while soaking up some sun in the backyard.
Are you planning on hosting at least one BBQ party this summer? You should make sure that you’re able to put together the perfect party by keeping a few key BBQ tips in mind.
Whether you’re throwing a birthday BBQ party or a backyard barbecue just because, you can do it by taking the right steps. Here are the tips you’ll need to put to good use during your party.
Start by Making Sure Your Grill Is All Ready to Go
It’s going to be awfully hard for you to plan a great BBQ party if you don’t have a fully functioning grill in your backyard all ready to go. You should invest in a great grill that is big enough to fit a whole lot of food on it.
If you decide to go with a propane grill, you should also make sure that you have the correct propane tank for your home. It should be able to supply you with all the propane you’ll need to keep your grill fired up throughout the duration of your BBQ party.
You might want to put your grill through a quick trial run on the night before your barbecue party. This will ensure that it’s 100% ready when your party starts.
Buy Up a Bunch of Food to Put on Your Grill
What’s going to be on the menu during your BBQ party? That’s one of the most important questions that you should ask yourself before you extend even a single invitation to your party.
There are so many things that you can throw on the grill to feed everyone who shows up for your party. Some of the best BBQ foods include:
- Hamburgers
- Hot dogs
- Chicken breasts
- Spare ribs
- Steaks
- Sausages
Your goal when hosting a BBQ party should be to send everyone home full and happy. To do this, you’ll need plenty of options for them to eat when they’re at your home for a backyard barbecue.
Don’t Forget to Get Your Hands on a Bunch of Great Sides, Too!
All of the food that you throw onto your grill during your BBQ party will be more than enough to fill people up. But you shouldn’t forget to pair your main BBQ meats with lots of sides for people to enjoy.
There are certain staples, like potato salad, baked beans, and corn on the cob, that are a must at any barbecue party. But if you’re going to throw a BBQ party, why not go all out by including some less common sides as well?
How about making some unique BBQ recipes like a grilled peach and mozzarella salad, too? These types of sides will really take your entire party to the next level.
Fill Up Coolers With Everything From Ice-Cold Beers to Refreshing Bottles of Water
People are going to want to do more than just chow down on great food at your BBQ party. They’re also going to want to throw back drinks to keep themselves cool out in the summer heat.
You should strategically position coolers throughout your backyard space and fill them with an assortment of drinks. This will make it simple for people to grab whatever they want to drink while they’re in attendance at your party.
For the adults, you should get things like beer, wine, hard seltzer, and other offerings containing alcohol. For everyone else, you should pick up things like soda, juice, bottled water, and more.
And while you’re at it, you’re also going to need ice—lots and lots of ice. Throw it into each and every cooler so that all your drinks stay cold for your guests.
Grab Disposable Plates, Cups, Bowls, Utensils, and More
Are you really going to feel like doing a bunch of dishes at the end of your BBQ party? Not likely! You’re going to be too tired to spend an hour or two washing dishes inside your house at the conclusion of your party.
With this in mind, you should provide people with plates, cups, bowls, and eating utensils that are disposable. This will help you avoid having to wash dishes later on when your party comes to an end.
Just make sure that you have lots of trash cans set up in your backyard so that people can throw everything out when they’re done using it. Otherwise, your backyard might look like a mess once people start to leave.
Set Up Plenty of Backyard Barbecue Games
People are going to spend most of their time at your BBQ party eating and drinking (and then eating and drinking some more!). They won’t need you to keep them entertained at all times.
But if you want to throw a memorable backyard barbecue, it’s going to be essential for you to set up backyard barbecue games for everyone to play. Spread them out so that people are able to move around and play games as they please without distracting others.
Here are several backyard barbecue games that you need to have set up at your party:
- Cornhole
- Horseshoes
- Kan Jam
- Ladder Toss
- Jumbo Jenga
- Pong Golf
- Lawn Darts
You might even want to go as far as to set up a volleyball court or a kickball field. These things will put your party over the top in no time at all.
Turn On Some Music to Get Your Party Going
Playing music at a BBQ party used to be a chore for people. They had to lug all their stereo equipment outside, set up tapes and/or CDs to play, and put someone in charge of keeping the party going.
But in this day and age, it’s so simple to turn up the tunes at a barbecue party. Music streaming services like Spotify allow you to create entire playlists so that all you’ll have to do is press play on your smartphone to add music to your party. Before creating the perfect BBQ playlist, make sure you’re up-to-date with the latest music releases. Upbeat Geek provide monthly music roundups so you never miss a beat!
The only thing you might want to do ahead of time is go through your playlist to make sure it has the right songs on it. Some good songs to play during a BBQ party are:
- “Party,” by Beyonce, feat. Andre 3000
- “Party in the USA,” by Miley Cyrus
- “Summer Girls,” by LFO
- “Summertime,” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince
Try to cater your playlist to the crowd that is going to be at your party. That might mean playing censored versions of some of the songs that you play if kids are going to be around.
Send Everyone Home With Food at the End of the Party
As your party starts to come to a close, you’re going to realize something. You’re going to notice that you still have so much food left over!
Instead of throwing all that food away and wasting it, you should encourage everyone to grab another plate and make a plate for the road. You should also tell them to grab a drink on the way out if they want one.
By doing this, you’ll make it significantly easier for you to clean up after everyone leaves. There won’t be so much extra food and drinks lying around in your backyard.
But more importantly, you’ll make sure that everyone eats and drinks enough. It’ll keep them coming back again next time for more and make your party a complete success.
Plan the Perfect BBQ Party This Summer
Over the course of the last few months, people have been trapped inside their homes at almost all times due to the coronavirus. They’re just waiting to get out there in the world to celebrate life again.
Help them do it by putting together plans for the perfect BBQ party. You can help them get outside and have a great time with their family and friends when you invite them into your backyard for some good food.
Use all the BBQ tips that we’ve tossed out here to build your BBQ party from scratch. From finding the right grill for your party and making sure there’s propane hooked up to it to putting out games for everyone to play at your party, there are a bunch of steps you’ll have to take prior to your party.
By taking them, you’ll ensure your party is every bit as perfect as you want it to be. You’ll also set the right tone for the rest of the summer when your party is a huge hit.
Read the other articles on our blog for more tips on throwing great parties.