It’s barbecue season, and you know what that means: Sunshine, green grass, delicious food, and a heck of a lot of stress if you plan to have a crowd over. Cookouts are always a great idea at first – you think of the music blasting from the speaker, the laughter spreading across the garden, the charred steaks, creamy potato salad, and perfectly crunchy corn on the cob. But you never think of the rigid cooking schedule needed to make that vision happen.
We asked renowned pitmaster, TV personality, and owner and founder of B’tween Sandwich Co. Michelle Wallace for her best advice. Per Wallace, the first thing you need to do is try and determine exactly when you want people to begin eating. “My tip for hosting an outdoor barbecue is to work backwards to determine when to start firing up the grill/smoker,” says chef Wallace. “Start by deciding what time you want to serve dinner — when will guests take their first bites and when will the main course be ready?”
Charcoal grills can take up to 30 minutes to preheat but gas grills will be ready in about half the time. So, if you want to serve your guests at 6pm and your cooking ribeyes, which take about 10 minutes, start up your grill by at least 5pm to ensure enough time for preheating and cooking — don’t forget that you need to rest a lot of grilled meats for the best flavor, so that needs to be accounted for, too.
Plan your menu ahead of time
Plans and checklists are your friend. Chef Wallace says that the next step after figuring out what time you want people to eat is establishing the menu, and getting familiar with the individual recipe times as bite-sized blocks of a greater plan.
“Plan your menu and figure out how long each dish will take to cook,” says Wallace. “Once you know these details, you can confidently set the right time to fire up the pits,” she says.
You need to think about each item, not just the meat, to make sure you’re organized. Anything that needs to be marinated should be highlighted, and you can make sauces and shape patties in advance. Fruits, veggies, and anything with avocado, like crave-worthy guacamole, shouldn’t be left out for too long after cutting to avoid browning.
If you’re making more than one type of meat, write down how long each takes to cook and what time you need to start cooking it at. Make a note or set a timer if it’s something you’ll be walking away from, like a slow-cooked smoked brisket, so you don’t forget about it, and don’t underestimate how long it takes vegetables to cook. The main thing is to give yourself more time then less, and try to enjoy the atmosphere when you can!
