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With Memorial day right around the corner, we’ve got BBQs on our mind and want to share some great tips on how to get ready for the crowd. Here’s to smokey air and full bellies, from our homes to yours.
Invites
If you’re hosting, you can probably relate to this…you send out a group text, something like this:
And then you wait…crickets…. 😒Come on people, how hard is it to respond!
This has happened to us plenty of times. The truth is, a group text just seems to give people an excuse to not answer right away (or at all.)
Tip #1: Patty’s tip to get a response right away
- Send out texts to couples or individuals, not a group. The group text, while efficient, doesn’t convey any urgency. People also start hearing from random people, and can get annoyed.
- Give some specifics so they know what to expect but don’t have to include every detail (helps eliminate the back and forth)
- Give them a deadline to reply. Doesn’t matter if it’s a fake deadline, but this helps you plan.
This is generic enough so it’s a copy and paste, but personal enough to get a quick response.
Prep the Scene
We love being outdoors, but those mosquitos can kill the mood real quick. Iris likes to create a barrier all the way around her party area with citronella candles, including putting plenty the ground. This helps keep the primary people area free from bugs. But her real secret weapon is to spay a homemade repellent on the grass. She sprays this on the patio furniture, grass, and anywhere she wants to keep the bugs away. And this recipe comes from Louisiana, so you know it’s legit! Those bugs in the Bayou don’t mess around.
Tip #2: Iris’ Mosquito repellent recipe
Mix equal parts of a dark beer, epson salt and mouth wash. Be sure to shake it until the salt dissolves. Spray it a day before the BBQ and don’t water the grass the day of the BBQ, you don’t want to wash away the spray.
Music
When asking guys what makes a BBQ great, they are most likely to say the food (no surprise there.) But next on the list is great music! For a great BBQ, you can’t go wrong with something a little more mellow, like Pandora stations “Frankie Beverly and Maze” for some urban classics, or “Art Laboe Radio” for some oldies (don’t judge!)
But for something that will get the whole fam bobbing their heads and saying, ‘that’s my jam!’, check this out…
Tip #3: Patty’s husband Richard’s 90’s and 2000’s Flashback Mix
Note: This might have a few explicit lyrics, so if there are little ones around, you may want to preview it first. But you’ll find a great mix of R&B, hip hop, and old house music from from our favorite era. Go on, press play!
Food
While the host will typically make (or order) a main dish, we’re also big fans of potlucks. Why? Primarily because when someone volunteers to bring something, it makes them feel more connected with the experience. Folks might stress a little about what to bring, but the fact is, people enjoy sharing their favorite dishes and hearing you ooh and ahh over what they bring. And while we don’t have an official stat on this, once someone says they are bringing a certain dish, they are more likely to show up rather than cancel at the last minute.
For main dishes, Patty and her family like to make carne asada or chicken asada. Iris and her family like to make ribs…here’s Iris’ tip to make delicious ribs without BBQ sauce.
Tip #4: Iris’ no-sauce, no-burn ribs
When preparing your meat, particularly ribs and chicken, keep the seasoning slightly generous and only use a few key ingredients: seasoning salt, black pepper and paprika. To seal in the flavor baste it throughout the cooking time, usually two to three times with a bit of sautéed garlic in butter and olive oil plus vinegar. Cooking your meat this way does not require adding BBQ sauce because it is flavored to perfection.
Drinks
Iris might be the better cook of the bunch, but Patty is the better bartender. She’s not buying cucumber and jalapeno for the salsa, that’s for her favorite spicy margarita! For BBQs you don’t have to get fancy with drinks, and you can’t go wrong with beer and wine. There are so many more options for beer now, you can experiment with lots of different options sold at Costco or Total Wine. Just don’t go too crazy with the unique stuff or you’ll have a ton leftover and people leaving to do a beer run for the traditional brands.
You do want to make sure you have enough ice and ice chests or buckets to hold the beer, since that’s the number one item people will likely bring to your gathering. To make your beer extra delicious, you must try this recipe…
Tip #5: Patty’s Michelada Station Recipe
- 12 Limes to make 2 cups of lime juice (Or buy bottled lime juice)
- Tajin
- Mexican hot sauce – my favs are a blend of Chalula & Tapatio
- Clamato
- Soy Sauce (some people prefer Maggi sauce instead, I don’t like it)
- Worcestershise sauce
- 12 pack of Mexican beer – my favs are Pacifico or XX Lager
- Ice
Find the remaining recipe instructions here:
Fun extras
There might be a mix of young at old at your BBQ, and you’ll wish you had some things to entertain any little ones who attend, especially if you don’t have little ones yourself. You might want to stroll the $1-$5 aisle at Target for some things like paddle boards, play-doh, puzzles, coloring books, or chalk to keep the kids occupied. Of course, there’s always that cool item that your neighbor has…
Bonus Tip: Borrow or rent a few extra things
Patty’s family always puts out a corn hole game for big parties, and sometimes adds a TV projector for an outdoor movie once the sun goes down. Her neighbors have a giant jenga. Iris has a popcorn machine. Another friend has a bubble machine and a giant tic tac toe that will be sure to entertain kids of all ages. Wouldn’t it be great to borrow or rent some of these items just for the big day?
Besides fun extras, we all have practical things that we could use for the big BBQ. Iris has extra ice chests and cake stands she doesn’t use all the time. Patty has extra tables, chairs, canopies, galvanized buckets and a kegerator.
This is what we hope to bring to Festively. All the things you might want or need to complete your party, right next door. Until the site is done, feel free to reach out to a friend or neighbor, we’re sure they’d be happy to help! Just be sure to invite them the the BBQ!
