Whether you are celebrating an engagement, birthday, graduation, or just taking advantage of the season’s warm weather, a cookout is the perfect choice for a summer party. From formal outdoor fetes to casual barbecues, hosting an awesome summer cookout is a matter of creative planning, detailed preparation and thoughtful consideration. Follow these five tips to host a cookout your guests will remember all summer long.

1. Prepare Your Party Space

Just as you wouldn’t have friends over to a house party without doing the dishes or vacuuming the rugs, take care to clean and organize your garden or patio before you host a cookout. Mow the lawn, wash down the pavement and stairs, weed flower beds and clean the grill and furniture. Be sure to store tools and toys for safety and neatness. If hosting the cookout at a public space, arrive early to make sure that the picnic tables are clean and the is area is free of broken glass and trash. Bring a broom and plenty of trash bags to clean up before and after the party.

2. Plan the Perfect Menu

Decide what type of food you will serve at your cookout. You can choose to provide all the meat and main courses while your guests bring side dishes or drinks. Choose a theme, such as Mexican food, and assign a side dish, dessert or appetizer to each guest. Another option is a “grill your own” gathering where each guest brings their own meat to grill while you provide everything else. The fun and delicious options are many, but the important thing is to inform your guests ahead of time so that you don’t end up with fifteen versions of potato salad. It is also important to consider dietary restrictions and preferences. Provide a few gluten-free, nut-free and vegan options to ensure that everyone will enjoy the meal.

3. Pay Attention to Ambiance

Even the most informal summer cookout will be more enjoyable if a little thought goes into the party atmosphere. Arrange tables and chairs into conversation areas. Create food and drink stations at different locations around the yard so that your guests don’t all crowd around one area. Use small chalkboards or colorful note cards to label unfamiliar dishes or to designate non-alcoholic drinks and items containing nuts. String lights in the trees and along fences for a little sparkle in the evening, and use citronella candles for atmosphere as well as to repel bugs. Don’t forget the music!

4. Consider Your Guests’ Comfort

Make the cookout enjoyable for all your guests by taking everyone’s comfort needs into consideration. Be sure to provide plenty of areas of shade and comfortable seating. Parents will appreciate a “kids’ table,” complete with water-squirting toys, sidewalk chalk, bubbles and crafts. Designate a table for first aid supplies, sunscreen and hand sanitizer. Toilets should be clean and easily accessible to everyone.

5. Don’t Forget “Plan B”

Unfortunately, you can’t always count on summer weather for a summer cookout. If you’re prepared with a back-up plan a little foul weather might slow the party down, but shouldn’t stop it altogether. Be prepared to quickly cover and store food and supplies in the event of a surprise rain shower. Make sure you have access to a sheltered spot where the festivities can continue until the sun comes out again.

Shawn Evans writes for ER UK (www.equityrelease.net – click here to visit) covering a wide range of retirement and household topics.

BBQ

Top 10 Must-Have BBQ Foods

With March throwing out some stunning weather and summer just over the horizon, you can’t be blamed for dusting off your BBQ early and stocking up your freezer with tempting meats.

But when it comes to hosting a BBQ, what foods do you feel are a must-have to making your BBQ a success? Below I have outlined my top 10, which I think you’ll agree with:

1. Beef burgers – the staple food of any BBQ, beef burgers are incredibly easy to put together plus offer you the opportunity to experiment with your fillings.

For instance, once you’ve grilled your burger, why not finish it off by adding a slab of cheese, tomato or salsa? Alternatively your can try mustard, BBQ sauce, chillies or whatever other sauce you can think of.

2. Salad – you cannot complete a burger without a little salad. Good foods to have are: tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce. Alternatively you can whip up a potato salad using coleslaw to make a tasty side.

3. Sausages/hot dogs – with so many types of sausages to choose from – pork, pork and leek, pork and apple, Cumberland and tomato, every one of them can offer you a different experience.

4. Chicken – now if you’re not a fan of red meats, chicken breasts and chicken legs can offer you an appetising alternative. Just remember to cook these all the way through as you don’t want guests leaving with food poisoning.

5. Corn on the cob – quickly grilled before being smothered in butter, these make a crunchy addition to your BBQ.

6. Steak – you might think steaks are only good for Sunday lunches, but cooked on a BBQ, they make a fab alternative to a beef burger.

7. Chips – you might not have to cook these on your BBQ, but chips really help to finish your meal, plus come in handy for cleaning up sauce drippings.

8. Ribs – if you don’t mind getting messy, then I recommend marinating these in spices, before throwing them on your BBQ.

9. Fillings – no burger is complete without some fillings. Now your preferences may be different to mine, and the lettuce and tomato from your salad may be enough. But if you’re looking for a little something extra you can try fried onions, peppers, pineapple, bacon or sliced courgettes.

10. Baked beans – you may think I’m mad for adding these to the top 10 but personally I think baked beans add the finishing touches to a BBQ as you can use them as a filling, dip your burger in them or simply have them as a side.

Like I said at the beginning, you may not agree with all of these, but I’m pretty sure most of these are on your shopping list whenever you plan to throw a BBQ.

And if they are not, why not give them a try and see what your guests and family have to say about your quality BBQ meat, great accompaniments, drinks and entertainment.

Gas Grills

Barbequing Tips

People take a lot of pride in their barbecue routine, and they love to show it off. For true barbecue master’s, the fun doesn’t come from enjoying their own food. It’s more about putting a smile on their guest’s face while impressing them at the same time. Barbecue kings are more than happy to stand by their grill and feed everyone before they take a bite themselves. There is also a bit of healthy competition that keeps barbecue going as outdoor cooks constantly try to outdo each other. It results in wonderful experimentation and calculated risks that result in absolutely delicious food. In order to be a true barbecue master, you have to combine ingenuity along with traditional know-how in order to produce the best results. Here are five elements you should keep in mind so that your barbecue food will stand above everyone else’s.

Get the Best BBQ You Can Afford – let’s face it, a good barbecue is expensive. You can go for cheaper options but they are not always the best value in the overall scheme of things. Saving money on a cheaper grill could actually end up costing you more when you have to get repaired or replaced it completely. It’s far better to start off with a bang and save up enough money for a quality gas grill. Find something that combines power with the overall cooking space to give you ultimate performance. It’s not always easy to come up with a big budget on a high ticket item, but in most cases it will end up paying for itself over time.

Use the Freshest Ingredients – how many times do you show up to a barbecue only to find out they are serving frozen burgers? Unfortunately, this seems to be happening more often than ever, as a lazy trend in barbecue is growing. It’s far too easy these days to go down to your grocery store and pick up a bag of pre-flavored chicken wings. Some of them are even cooked already and only require warming on the grill. While it might be faster to use these elements, you’re really not getting your guests a true barbecue experience in any way. Make sure to use fresh ingredients at every turn and never settle for anything less than the best.

Slow Cooking – direct grilling gets a lot of attention in the barbecue world, and you can cook wonderful things like charbroiled steak and salmon. But if you happen to have a more modern grill, don’t forget it can effectively be turned into an outdoor oven. In many cases, you’ll get an effect better than your kitchen oven because of the added bonus of smoky flavor. Slow cooking requires a different skill set and you definitely have to be patient. You have to marinade your meat and then allow it to slow cook in your barbecue for several hours. You have to plan out your day so that you can constantly monitor your meat, but it’s always worth it in the end when you are rewarded with a perfectly roasted chicken, rack of ribs, or a scrumptious brisket.

Side Dishes – it’s not just about what comes off your gas grills!  Hearty side dishes are just as important in giving your guests and overall experience. They are a perfect way to balance out the pallet in addition to offering healthier choices as well. Side dishes ranging from coleslaw or potato salad will always be popular favorites. You can also add elements from other types of cuisines, and don’t be afraid to explore multicultural dishes as well. Side dishes are the best way to compliment everything cooked on your grill, and a full barbecue meal wouldn’t be complete without them.

Your Own BBQ Sauce – every true barbecue master has their own recipe for a secret barbecue sauce. It’s something that you hold dear to your heart and won’t share under any circumstances. You could rely on generic barbecue sauce quite easily, but the taste is never the same. And remember, it’s actually quite easy to prepare a barbecue sauce recipe even if you’ve never done it before. In many cases, you can with one up in under half an hour, and you’ll have a great sauce that will add another dimension to your home grilling.

This article comes to us from gasgrillsandbbq.com  where you can find more details on the best barbecue equipment for your home.