How to host a barbecue—the food basics

buying meat — prep — equipment — sauces

1. how much meat to buy for your party:

It can be tricky to know how much meat to buy for your party. A good rule of thumb is to buy 1/2 of a pound per guest. This accounts for a few big appetite guests, and for any shrinking during cooking. Even If you're having several meat options, you can max out at ¾ pound per person total meat weight.

2. enjoy your party more by doing early food prep!

cut a store items early on, so you can focus more time on spending with your guests!

Get food prep out of the way early: Getting some tasks done a day early can make a huge of difference. Roast fresh vegetables and nuts for a salad—do it the day before—they'll be ready to throw together right from the fridge.

If you're doing baked beans or potato salad, do it all a day ahead. This way you can leave tasks like cutting fruit, grilling meat till last minute, where the quality will be affected.

3. Get the right equipment:

Two essentials for equipment. There are all sorts of grilling tools that are fun but not necessary. But the thing everyone needs is a good instant-read thermometer. You’ll pay $20 for entry level, or $80 for a top of the line thermapen like I have here, either way it's money well spent. Learn your target temperatures, and you can avoid over or undercooking the most important parts of your meal. If its getting too blacked, have an oven ready to finish it off Finally, get a box of disposable gloves for handling raw meat. It’s a lot safer for contamination and a huge time saver.

4. Spend time on the sauce:

Its often overlooked, but it's the most important. One or two easy, but tasty sauces can really make the meal. Two of our favorites here at Beehive Catering are made from pantry staples—a quick whole grain honey mustard and a spicy chipotle mayo. They bring brats or burgers to a whole other level, and can be done way in advance. For those recipes, look at our instagram @beehive.catering.