I have seriously overstretched with a barbecue and I am panicking.

[Theresip]

I decided to have a barbecue next weekend because I’ve got my garden looking the way I want it and I do enjoy hosting. I’ve been inviting people for the last couple of weeks or so. I thought I’d invited around 10 people but I haven’t. I’ve invited almost 20. I’ve only just counted them up and now I am seriously panicking.

I’m not a particularly good cook, never mind on a barbecue. How on earth can I do 20 burgers and sausages and time it so people aren’t sitting starving? It’s a charcoal barbecue so putting more charcoal on after one batch would mean some people waiting another 40 minutes whilst the coals cook and I cook again?? What can I do?

And also, my garden isn’t tiny, but it’s not particularly big. I have a garden sofa and stools that could fit around six people near the kitchen door, and then on the upper decking I’ve got a high dining table that would seat another six. I do have additional small stools but they’re too little for the high table and it would be very squashed round the other table because it’s right in front of the kitchen where everyone will be getting their drinks.

Any advice gratefully received. I have never hosted for this number.

The replies here are really something else...

OP to answer your question about cooking before they arrive, I'd probably cook the gammon the day before or overnight - shred it, put it in a tin foil tray and then put it out with baguettes inbetween the burgers/sausages.

I'd pre make skewers but not pre cook them.

I'd avoid halloumi on a BBQ it's never ended well for me but I too, am not a great cook in certain situations.

Oh, corn, lots and lots of corn, you can buy ready to eat ones or just boil loads the day before and reheat that on the BBQ too.

What time are guests due? I wouldn't set yourself up for too much oven cooking in the morning as you'll probably wanna use that time to tidy / breathe.

And I don't eat burgers, but it would be criminal to throw a bbq and not have burgers and hot dogs idk what people are thinking with that comment.

And again, I think you'll find you will naturally get some helpers through out the day, and it doesn't really matter what gender they are if they are willing to grab stuff from inside, sort salad, flip a burger.

Also, can I come? I don't like Jan from HR either.

Yes, but he's not invited.

I have never been to a bbq where the men -host and/or invitees - didn't man the grill. It's a stereotype for a reason.

exactly

especially when the host is all on her own, clearly frazzled and inexperienced and dashing from kitchen to bbq and back again

Just don’t barbecue anything. Cooking in front of people will leave you boiling hot, stressed and frazzled, plus you’ll be running backwards and forwards to the kitchen anyway. Pre-cook all of it, as PPs have said, and use the BBQ as a food warmer to serve your guests from.

Lots of bread, salads etc, all of which can be pre-prepped. Don’t stress too much about seats. Some people don’t mind standing up, and not everyone will eat at exactly the same time.

How much have you budgeted for all this @Theresip ?

Op if your doing baked potatoes but frozen ones you can heat up in the microwave wave

I’ve not read every post, so apologies in advance if already covered! From what I have read, seems you have plenty of good advice on drinks and food.

on logistics though - I’d try and have two (or even three) broad arrival times. Get the ones that will value comfort and their own chair in first,
then those that are likely to be happier ‘floating’ in a bit later. That way you don’t have 20
people arriving all at once, and those that need a bit more structure are settled and the more free-flowing ones can buzz around (and hopefully help you out with drinks / taking food, plates, condiments etc. out)

Good luck, hope you have a lovely time.

is there no one amongst these 18 people that you could ask to help? One in charge of drinks, another (usually a man tbh) as chief burger flipper?

in your situation I’d be treating the bbq as a token gesture. Prepare as much as you can the day before - tons of potatoes salad and pasta salad. Precook sausages and chicken legs in oven then just warm them up in the oven on the day, maybe a slow cooker with pulled pork, and then just the burgers on the bbq, hopefully done by someone else :)

I enjoy hosting to see my friends and have a good time with them. Bit sad you do it to show off.

I think you've misread my post I think you said you are hosting to show off your garden.

This thread is exhausting me just thinking about it.

I'd just quietly leave the country.

I've woken up this morning and I'm still laughing about serving people hotdogs on a barbecue how grim?

Who knew a thread about barbecue logistics could get so controversial?

Genuine question… what is your budget for all the meat and this bbq? Are you providing booze too?

I don’t have one really.

Yes, many times, as I’ve already said.

@Smallitch

have your tendency towards ASD?

Nope, nosiness

So you are experienced?

Really? As in, money is no object?

Start early and put some in the oven to keep warm. I usually make sure barbeque bits are properly cooked through by putting in the oven for a while anyway. Blackened on the outside and raw in the middle is not good.

My friend who is a BBQ pro, only has a small outside table but a large one inside.

Everything is laid out on the big table inside and people go and help themselves then go back to their chairs.

She’s not worried about shoes inside though.

Also we are all women, sometimes men come but they don’t help, she does the cooking and we ask if there’s anything we can help with which may be things like taking the cooked meat and laying it on the big table.

When we arrive, she already has lots of condiments, food and drinks laid out and we then put our contributions on it too.

I think she’s experienced using her own BBQ but not with hosting, especially to such a large group.

Put the food like salad etc inside, keeps the flys off it and stops it getting warm, and people collect meat straight off the bbq, that'll free up another table for people to sit round

Remind me to never start a thread about having a BBQ, there's been some batshit comments.

Imagine if OP had started a thread 'I'm having about 20 people round for tea and I'm panicking, would I be ok to rope someone into the kitchen to help me?' She'd be labelled a right CF, but cos it's a BBQ she's now controlling for not getting her guests to help. Sorry an 'alpha male' ffs

Now we've got someone waking up the next day and thinking about OPs BBQ and why she's cooking hotdogs (heaven forbid)

This place gets madder by the day, anyway I'm sure you're gathering will be a success OP, lots of decent suggestions on here. Just don't stress it