Barbecues are a great way to get together with your friends and family. Everyone is looking for something to do as they escape from the rising temperatures. With the right layout, activities, and environment, you can accomplish just that. But where do you get started? If you love hosting barbecues, here’s the ultimate checklist for hosting a summer barbecue.
Create a space that is conducive to summer fun.
Without the right environment and atmosphere, keeping people engaged and happy to be at your barbecue can be a difficult feat. The first thing to cross off of your list for your summer barbecue is to make sure that your space is summer-ready. This means making any necessary repairs or replacements to your outdoor kitchen area, cleaning out your pool so that it’s safe for your guests and their children to swim in, and preparing any activities that you and your guests may want to play to keep yourselves occupied before or after the main courses have come out. You should also focus on setting up a playlist for your barbecue that will play in the background. With all of these setting elements in place, you’re ready to host an awesome barbecue!
Come up with an exciting list of refreshments for your guests.
Part of throwing a great summer barbecue means having plenty of awesome refreshments on hand. However, this is only possible if you have plenty of ice for your blender or to put it straight into your cups. Consider investing in a product like a home ice maker. A great countertop ice maker will produce perfect cubes of ice in a matter of minutes and hold over a pound of ice ready for use by you and your guests. This way, you don’t have to go to the store to buy pounds of ice next time you want to host a gathering.
Once you’ve got the ice and all of the drinkware, start your shopping list with some of your non-alcoholic drink options. For non-drinkers or children, you should have some essentials like iced tea, lemonade, and fruit punch. For the adult crowd, you can stock up on a mix of items like hard seltzers and wine coolers and offer your own homemade drinks like margaritas and alcoholic slushies. If you still have plenty of space in your fridge, freezer, or cooler, you can also throw in some refreshing snacks like ice cream or frozen yogurt to really keep your guests cool and comfortable.
Produce a barbecue menu that everyone can enjoy.
Barbecues are traditionally centered around meat, but some of your guests may be vegan or vegetarian. In cases like these, look not only for staples like burgers or ribs but other barbecue meals like salads or sandwiches. In today’s world, you can easily find condiments like plant based mayo that will satisfy these parties as well. Perfect as an ingredient for potato salad or as a standalone product that can be used for a dip, plant-based mayonnaise uses ingredients like rapeseed oil, garlic powder, white vinegar, and buttermilk flavoring to get the perfect consistency and flavor. Even if it’s your first time barbecuing for a diverse crowd of people, you can definitely find recipes that appeal to everyone.
Having a summer barbecue is work, but planning is the most essential component to any great event. If you want to get your friends and family over to enjoy some good food as they get away from the sun and out of the house, use the checklist above to cover all of your bases for throwing the perfect summer barbecue.
