What to make for 20 person BBQ

[rougechaotic]

We're having a housewarming BBQ for about 20 people and I'm wondering what we should make... we have a mix of vegetarian and meat eating friends, and I don't want to be slaving away in the kitchen for ages! I've not catered for this many people as we normally do smaller gatherings of around 6-8 people. I'd love some ideas from people used to dealing with food for big groups!

I did a gathering for 15 a few weeks ago.

I kept it super simple;burgers and hot dogs;pre made coleslaw coz I'm lazy,pot of new potatoes with some butter and herbs sprinkled in and a assortment of samosas,spring rolls and pakora's (all veggie)from my local Indian sweet Mart with a couple of scattered bowls of crisps to nibble on.

Put out buns/rolls and sauces (don't forget the obligatory American cheese slices) next to the bbq for people to help themselves to and get the hubby to man the grill.

Stick the rest of the food on a table and let your guests serve themselves.Don't forget disposable cutlery and plates to save on washing up.

Most kids eat burgers/sausages but might be wo

*worth having a cheese n Tom pizza or chicken nuggets in the freezer to Chuck in the oven just in case.

The only things I really make from scratch for big BBQs like this are a potato salad and one other salad type dish like a Greek salad or something. Otherwise it’s pre-made all the way. Burgers, hot dogs, veggie versions for the non meat eaters, corn on the cobs, loads of bread, crisps and dips plus a few bags of salad leaf. That’s usually enough variety. Maybe halloumi if you’re feeling fancy. Just make sure you get sufficient quantities for 20!

Lamb on a spit.

Keep it really simple and have everything apart from meat ready in advance.

Burgers and sausages - both meat and vegetarian. Cooked on separate parts of BBQ or would do the veg stuff in the oven.

3 big salads - one green, one potato salad and coleslaw. Cook big pot of corn on cob if you like as well.

Put out salads, corn and rolls with Ketchup, Mayo etc so everyone can help themselves.
Use paper plates to save washing up.

Put drinks in a big tub with ice and have everyone help themselves/add their drinks to the collection.

I would probably do three puddings or ask folk to bring them - pavlova or Eton mess, fruit salad and something chocolate as well.

I would do crisps, nuts and dips to get started. Then some charcuterie with crusty bread.

Then sausages, burgers, chicken (mini fillets are good) and I occasionally do steak. Loads of salads, more crusty bread or garlic bread, chips and pesto potatoes. For veggies, halloumi skewers and may be portobello mushrooms stuffed with something. Our butcher often does good chicken skewers too so sometimes those.

Dessert is a magnum. I find these the easiest. I’ve done desserts with cream which half of ends up at the back of the fridge before being thrown out so we go with magnums. No wastage if anyone doesn’t want one. They just sit in the freezer. Sometimes I will do mini cupcakes or a wee chocolate bite size treat.

I missed corn on the cob.

thank you! This is all really helpful! I'm thinking:

• crisps & nuts
• cheese platter with fruits, chutney, crispbreads
• sausages (including meat free which I'll do inside)
• burgers
• halloumi
• sliced cheese
• buns
• corn on cob
• Greek-style salad
• potato salad
• DIY eton mess for dessert? (although magnums does sound a lot easier and less wasteful so that's probably what I'll end up doing)

Am definitely going to get paper plates and some disposable cutlery, and thank you for the reminder that we need a drinks tub for ice!

DP has just updated me that we are now expecting 30 guests. Help!

I have no idea how he thinks he can cook for 30 people on our BBQ!

You can do 30, it takes a bit of planning but I do these numbers and that’s why I spread the food out starting with crisps, dips etc and then move onto charcuterie. That means no one is hanging around waiting for the BBQ side of it. We do have a 6 burner BBQ which has a large cooking space. I hate to say it but a BBQ seems to attract the men who all of a sudden think they are Gordon Ramsay! That leaves me to sort the salads and sides which doesn’t take too long.

DH made large cous cous salad with roasted veg, chopped up mint, pomegranate seeds, burgers, sausages, chicken kebabs, home made pizzas, homemade tiramisu. Lots of buckets with ice for drinks. We all had a great time. Enjoy.

Corn on the cob cooked in the husks so no need to put anything on them. They are delicious and cheaper than pre prepared.
A pavlova and a cheesecake and fresh fruit.
I make a coleslaw and a couscous salad using flavoured couscous and feta cheese.
Potato salad with new potatoes
Burgers kebabs and sausages with rolls for the kids.

When catering for lots of people I find burgers and sausages hard because it's lots of standing at the bbq. Last time I did a whole chicken which I finished on the bbq. Pulled pork slow cooked the day before and reheated on bbq and some sausages to keep the kids happy. Sides I did coleslaw, potato salad and a normal salad which were all prepared the day before. Garlic break and crisps and dips for picking.

@randomusernam this is what I'm worried about - but DP is determined to cook burgers and sausages on the BBQ (new toy!) for 30 people... I'm predicting it's going to be a lot more stressful than he thinks it will be! He's even suggested finishing off the corn on cob on BBQ - how he thinks it will all fit I have no idea!!

Plan your fridge so that everything that needs to be cold can be cold. If it can’t be done, find a plan b. You do not want to be remembered for the wrong reason.

You are right, unless you have a supersized bbq it's not going to all fit. I guess the options are to just eat as it's cooked but I always find this a bit funny because you don't feel like you've had a meal or start it in the oven? Or maybe keep it warm in the oven? Wrap the corn on cob in tin foil with some butter and stick them in the oven. He can always just pop them on for a minute to give them the bbq look. Although I prefer them not bbqed. I find it dries them out. If you have a coal bbq, don't forget it you will need to top up the coals for that much cooking. Which will lower the heat of the bbq while you wait for them to burn through a bit. Maybe see if he is willing to do just burgers or sausages?

Can you half cook in the oven/ air fryer and finish on bbq?

Keep it really simple. You want to enjoy yourself rather than slaving away.

For that number I'd do sausages and burgers in the oven and just finish them on the BBQ. Then veggie burgers/halloumi/corn on the cob done separately whilst the meat is on the BBQ.

Easy salads pre prepared that can just be brought out of the fridge. I normally do coleslaws, potato salad and either cous cous or a big platter of cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls and torn basil leaves which is ridiculously simple but goes down well.

Sauces, rolls, cheese slices all on the table and paper plates so people can help themselves and less washing up. Crisps/dips/olives/nuts for people to nibble on as things are cooking.

Big cool box filled with ice for drinks and totally agree with magnums for dessert. Occasionally we toast marshmallows on the BBQ for dessert but for 30 people I genuinely would just buy the ice creams. No waste that way!

For 30 I would do a spit tbh. How many of the 30 are vegetarian?

Cooking for 30 is quite stressful, especially if you have just an average size bbq.

I would hire someone in to do the spit though (our butcher does it and supplies all the gear), then your dh could do the halloumi/veggie stuff on his new bbq, so it is then getting used and not mixed.

Then the mains are sorted and you can then just do the sides.

Pasta salad always goes down well. (i do avo and prawn one, always a hit)
Potato bake / or
Baby potatoes in garlic and herb butter (less faff than a potato salad)
Greek salad
Garlic bread (or if there are any Saffers here, what is Roosterbrood called in UK?)
Tomato relish (easy to make using tinned tomatoes)

https://wandercapetown.com/recipe/roosterkoek/

Here is the bread recipe I referred to upthread. These are really so delicious. If you can buy ready made dough, that works just as well.

At all the bbq's I've been to recently the haloumi has been really popular with both meat eater and veggies, so do lots.

If you are sticking to burgers and hotdogs (no problem with that) provide the bits to jazz them up so they are really good burgers and hotdogs! Caramelised onions, shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced gherkins, thinly sliced red onion, mustard, ketchup, mayo, relish, bbq sauce, a couple of different varieties of cheese, I'd do a blue cheese and a cheddar. I sometimes also do a tray of crispy streaky bacon in oven (can be done in advance) to add to burgers, it always goes!

I would vote to do only burgers and a veggie option on the bbq. Then have out the buns, cheese, onions, lettuce for the burgers plus pre prepared salads, sausage rolls, etc. Then provide pudding- cake, ice cream, Eton mess, brownies or whatever. Before the burgers out our breadsticks, olives, crisps. Everyone gets nibbles, large burger with salad and bits and pudding - really no one will go away hungry!! Change it to ' we're doing a burger party' instead of 'we're doing a bbq'. Just simplify things and frees up cooking space on the bbq.