Key Points
- Summer is the perfect time of year to host outdoor cookouts and barbecue parties to celebrate holidays and major life events.
- Preparation for a backyard barbecue includes picking the menu, setting up outdoor kitchen equipment, and choosing the perfect outdoor furniture for your lounge, including tables, chairs, and decorations.
- For the food, be sure to consider appetizers, side dishes, entrees, and the drinks to serve. Let the guests bring the sweets to share this time!
I won’t lie, summer BBQ parties are my favorite part of the season, and that’s only in part due to the sticky, sweet, and savory menu. My dad is the kind of grill master who makes every cookout an event to remember. When my parents would host, guests only had to show up with a cooler of their drinks and maybe a single side dish. But for my mom? The week leading up to any summer event is a series of never-ending preparations.
First was the initial clean. We’d scrub outdoor furniture, cut the grass, and powerwash the patio and siding, transforming the backyard into an oasis. After she decided on a summer party theme, sometimes as simple as BBQ or summer, she’d spend hours finding the right decorations, disposable serving dishes, and picking a cohesive menu to make sure her celebration went off without a hitch. We’d shop for ingredients, prep the fruit and veg, and marinate the meat in the days leading up to the event. All of this effort would culminate in a summer BBQ party so good that we still hear friends and family sharing stories about it today.
I’m here to share the wealth! Here are some of the BBQ tips and tricks I picked up from my parents’ parties to level up your hosting game before your next cookout.
The Best Time to Host a BBQ Party
The best time to host a barbecue is anytime the weather permits an outdoor party! If you ever have a covered patio or outdoor lounge area, that’s any time; for those exposed to the elements while grilling, just be sure to steer clear of handling metal equipment during electrical storms. As long as you’re staying safe, you can light up the grill anytime. It’s why we have additional recipe collections like our cooking wild game for the holidays article! But summer is a special time for BBQ with many meaningful reasons to celebrate, whether they be holidays or other special occasions, such as:
- Memorial Day
- Graduation
- Birthdays
- Family Reunions
- 4th of July
- Labor Day
- Summer Solstice
Pro tip: BBQ isn’t reserved for daytime gatherings! Wind down after a day in the pool or start off a late-night get-together with a summer barbecue party for a fun mix-up that’ll leave your guests smiling and satisfied.
How to Set Up a Backyard BBQ Party
I mentioned my mom always started with cleaning. This was a rough task with how old our outdoor furniture was (in fact, it was decades older than I was at the time). Luckily for you, Buck USA outdoor tables and chairs streamline this process! They’re built from non-porous lumber that leaves cleaning as simple as soapy water and a little elbow grease. The stainless steel construction of Blaze’s outdoor kitchen equipment is just as simple to maintain over time. You can find a deeper dive into the best outdoor furniture and kitchen equipment for your next backyard cookout in our Backyard BBQ Setup guide.
Note from the editor: I suggest paper products for napkins, table liners, and dishware for a sustainable way to avoid broken glass, plastic plate disc golf, angry neighbors, and extra cleanup.
What to Serve at a BBQ Cookout
For BBQ food ideas that won’t fall flat, look no further! We’ve compiled a list of our favorite summertime barbecue recipes that range from fast and easy dish ideas to low-and-slow-cooked headliners that are sure to leave an impression. While your backyard cookout doesn’t rely solely on the barbecue, these BBQ recipes are a slam dunk that will level up your hosting game well before the starting buzzer.
BBQ Appetizer Ideas
The perfect twist on a classic grab-and-go BBQ food is this recipe for delectable Korean bulgogi skewers. The sweet and spicy flavor of Korean barbecue is a great way to start any summer party or end any late-night gathering. You can even evolve this summertime bite into a staple by serving the skewers over a bed of rice with some quick-pickled carrots and daikon!
Planning the menu for the Fourth of July can lead to a lot of same-day stress, especially with the amount of multitasking it requires. With this beef brisket bruschetta recipe, you can save yourself some time. Prepare the brisket early in the week for this recipe that will knock the socks off your friends and family. This recipe calls for Kansas City flavor like the baked beans we mention in the next section, so double up that sauce recipe and save yourself even more time!
BBQ Side Dish Ideas
For a sweet, savory, and tangy side dish that pairs well with any barbecue, these KC-style smoked baked beans are a must-have. The prep is as easy as combining the ingredients in an oven-safe dish, and the set-it-and-forget-it hour cook time lets you focus on the other pieces of the menu while they bake! You can even kick it up a notch by adding in some of the drippings and fragments of the main course beef brisket to tie it all together!
Barbecue is a southern staple, so it’s no surprise that collard greens with smoked turkey found their way to our summertime BBQ side dish recipes! Similar to the baked beans, this is a side dish that’s a breeze to work on while you’re handling the entree. You can even save time by making the stock the day before! Our pro tip here is to pair this with the smoked turkey leg recipe we have later in this article for a one-two punch of turkey flavor that’ll have your guests napping happily in the afternoon sun.
Cookout Drinks Ideas
A hot summer day calls for a refreshing drink like a frozen peach lemonade. This is the perfect partner for your next backyard barbecue to pair alongside some sweet peach iced tea or Arnold Palmers for a tart, sweet, and refreshing break from the heat. For an adult twist, blend in a bit of your favorite clear or spiced liquor.
Adults and kids alike will love this iced fruit punch with limeade in place of lemonade that’s as sweet as the first day of summer vacation. Keep some club soda or cans of ginger ale nearby to top off the mix for that light, bubbly finish that takes the edge off the tart citrus flavor. For those over 21, a splash or two of spiced rum makes this punch a knockout!
Give your next summer BBQ party a tropical twist with a virgin (or spiked) frozen piña colada! Cut up and freeze your pineapple ahead of time to make mixing up a frozen treat during your summer solstice celebration as easy as blending the ingredients, pouring into your preferred festive glass, and serving with your preferred garnishes!
The Best BBQ Recipes
For vinegar BBQ sauce lovers, this Carolina-style pulled pork is the cream of the crop! With the sweetness of brown sugar, spice supplied by red pepper flakes, and the tangy, sour bite of apple cider vinegar—the staple of this style of BBQ—these pork butts will be tear-apart tender and dangerously delicious. Stack some high on rolls for pulled pork sandwiches for your Labor Day party, for bark that’s worth every bite.
If you’ve ever tried the turkey legs at your local Renaissance Fair or Six Flags, you know that a smoked turkey leg is the staple of summer trips and special events. While this recipe may call for a bit more pomp and precision than many, the mouth-watering juices that a marinade injector will have dripping off your chin at first bite are sure to satisfy even the most primal carnivorous urges. Choose your favorite wood chips and fall in love with the smoky aroma in an instant.
Father’s Day is fast approaching, and these finger-lickin’ good St. Louis BBQ ribs are sure to impress even the pickiest patriarchs. From the brand that makes the charcoal of my childhood, Kingsford, comes a recipe that will change your rib preferences for life. Once you’ve dined on the succulence of STL spare ribs, you’ll never go babyback again. For a hint of extra smoke and spice, add some woodchips in a water bath to trap in moisture during the cooking process!
When you want a pièce de résistance that’ll shock and awe the guests at your next luau, these pork cheek barbacoa tacos are the way to go! Once they’re cooled, these cheeks will be so soft that you can shred them with your fingers. With easily the most intensive preparation of the recipes we have in this article, calling for you to smoke, confit, and slow cook overnight, the tender bite of these pork cheek tacos is well worth the extra effort.
Host the Perfect BBQ with IWAE
Planning the perfect backyard BBQ menu for your next summer cookout is vital, but deciding what to serve at your barbecue is only one part of the equation. You need the right grill and grill accessories to handle the hearty meats to smoke for the family reunion. Stainless steel outdoor cabinets and storage help keep the party going outside in the summer sun while avoiding rust during inclement weather. For backyard BBQ party decorating ideas, outdoor seating, patio or outdoor dining tables, and more, reach out to our customer service experts. They’ll help you find the perfect combination of outdoor kitchen equipment and lounge furniture to make your next summertime bash a blowout!
