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.

Op i admire your calm responses on here. Some of the attitudes are totally batshit and i suspect are just trolling you for a response.

your gathering sounds just lovely and your menu sounds delicious. i hope you have a great bbq in your newly finished garden! Your friends are lucky to be invited by such a caring hostess!

Lol @OhFeyreDarling. Yup. HOT DOGS

Not to mention the previous comment about cooking hot dogs the day before, keeping them in the fridge and recooking them on the barbeque. That's grim!

Hot dogs are fine if it's just for the kids. Grab a hot dog kit from IKEA and have it as a back up for any kids. I agree it's naff to serve cheap frankfurters to adults. Not a fan of burgers either because the taste is always ruined by cheap supermarket buns, cheap lettuce and sauce in bottles.

A grown-up barbeque doesn't need any sort of hotdogs or burgers, or even bread to be honest. High quality sausages, pork chops, steak, grilled veggies, oven potatoes, a giant salad and home made sauces. The problem is that supermarket bread tends to be cheap and dry and drags down the entire meal, unless you get a fresh sourdough baguette from the bakers or something. Corn on the cob and potatoes tend to be much better carb-based sides.

Wagyu steak on the grill, served in slices with homemade chimichurri. Teriyaki shrimp skewers with asian inspired cole slaw. In laws regularly host big groups and they always do a giant grill platter with lots of veg and homemade sauces. Not a single supermarket UPF bun in sight.

I am genuinely asking - how do you 'accidentally' invite an additional 10 people and not know after already inviting 10 people?

If you microwave the sausages for a couple of minutes before putting them on the bbq, they will be cooked through. 🙂

I wouldnt be impressed if I was invited for a bbq and someone boiled up a pan of hotdogs 🤣 christ I'm not a fussy eater but I'm also not 5. Just have other foods like pasta, potato salad, dips, crisps etc etc, you can cheat and go to costco and get some big platters etc so you don't have to make everthing from scratch if you arent very good at cooking. A bbq isn't a sit a down affair where everything is ready at the same time, you cook in batches and put them on the table with the other bits of food, food, sauces etc and people help themselves. This is how our bbqs and any other big bbq I have ever been to has worked. You aren't all sat in a circle waiting for 20 burgers to cook, there's other food to eat there.

Buy some good quality card/paper plates that are sturdy on lap when eating salad and cutting sausage. Ask two friends to cook BBQ. Have oven on low to keep cooked meat warm.
Salads in fridge..
Big tubs, ice, drinks. Ask friends to help putting salads out on to tables.

.

Don’t do burgers and sausages. Do a pork shoulder / butterflied lamb / pork char Sui / chicken tikka kebabs / a few whole beer can chickens / something Greek - usually pork or if you’re brave and know everyone likes it, fish.

halloumi always works for veggies.

Pick a main and the sides to go with that. So much less faff.

Were you on this thread last night under a different name?

Not for a barbecue, no.

Exactly.

I didn’t keep count of who I was asking. I only added them up last night.

That menu sounds lovely but I know at least some of my guests would feel thoroughly cheated if the burgers and sausages weren’t available.

Wow, this thread is hilarious!! I've never seen so many 'don't worry love one of the men will do it for you' responses! Eek! @Theresip you've been really polite in your determined refusal to delegate cooking on fire to the nearest man 😁 well done you. Keep it up.

I was originally going to say that just about every BBQ I've ever been to has been in a similar vein: not quite enough chairs, loads of people standing and drinking and eating. It's just how BBQs are I thought? That's normal in my circle and always a lot of fun.

Think Mediterranean style and you won't go wrong - lots of salads and veg skewers, dips and breads (all prepared in advance) some big meat thing cooked in advance (pulled pork or lamb shoulder or whatnot) and then you have space on the grill to finish off sausages and burgers or whatever. It will be fine, and I like your style! Where is your husband indeed 😂

We had a bbq with 25 people a few weeks ago OP, I made potato salad, leafy salad, coleslaw and pasta salad the day before. On the day it went into large plastic catering trays with lids to keep any flies out and a bit spoon for each one and then pincers for the leafy salad.

Kebabs, corn on the cob, sweet potatoes etc were all prepared the night before. On the day everything was cooked or partially cooked and then put on the bbq. Anything partially cooked went on the bbq straight away.

If you don’t have anything to keep foodwarm you can use your slow cooker for that. We have a hot plate for camping so I used that to keep some water trays hot, then the metal foot tray container things were placed on that.

Bread buns were all pre-sliced by me and in a sealed tub.

We had disposable plates, bowls and cups as its easier.

Buy a meat thermometer if you are worried about things being cooked through.

This thread is funny- and I didn't get to see the controversial stuff before it was deleted. 2 small comments:

1. After a number of failed attempts, I do not accept that halloumi cooks well on a bbq. It instantly burns to shite and sticks horribly to the grill.
2. If you're using skewers, rem to soak them in water in advance.

Have fun OP. And pop up a photo of the finished food!

This thread is wild - the amount of people saying the answer to her concerns about timing and size of the garden is… let a man do it? 😂😂😂😂
It’ll be fine OP, pre cook as much as possible and have a great time!

I missed the deleted messages...

However, people are posting suggestions because you are posting in a lather about how you will ever manage the sausages etc on the bbq.

It is apparently beyond the pale to point out that (in every bbq I have ever attended over the course of a long life) men like to step in and sort the cooking of meat on the bbq. Of course, on MN, one's Nigel is too much of a milksop to do such a thing, and copious numbers of posters seem to feel it is antifeminist or retrograde to point out that usually men will want to step up and take over, whether you want them to or not.

I bought one of those buffet servers in b and m for £30. It’s a life saver. You can cook all the meat at once and serve it buffet style

Actually the last bbq I went to the grill was run all afternoon by a young woman. Mind you, she was Australian so it was practically in her DNA.🙂

Thank you! I feel a lot more relaxed knowing that people won’t all be expecting table space and will be happy to walk about mingling.

It also seems to be upsetting a lot of people that some men, including those who are attending this barbecue, do not want to take over barbecuing.

It is so very odd.

chicken is a bit difficult on a bbq 🍗( we tend to pre cook it and finish off on the bbq ) so I’d think about doing hot dog type sausages, halloumi, maybe things on skewers because they cook very quickly .
definitely have substantial salads , bread , chips and dips .
i appreciate nice soft drinks too , once went to a bbq and there was only orange squash for the non drinkers .
Plates and cutlery too. Do you have enough or do you need to get disposable ?