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

588 replies

Theresip · 02/08/2026 19:56

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 posts:
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Theresip · 03/08/2026 19:17

SourdoughSally · 03/08/2026 19:06

This really has turned into a "return the cheque" thread (for anyone who remembers that!).

Why don't you get a man to do it for you OP? 😂

That’s a good idea. Surprised no one has mentioned it.

OP posts:
Theresip · 03/08/2026 19:18

Campervanadventures · 03/08/2026 19:16

Light the bbq and while you wait for the coals to go white and the bbq is ready to cook on par cook the burgers and sausages in the oven so they just need browning off on the bbq. But you need to be super organised with coleslaw, potato salad etc ready the day before and in the fridge plus fresh salad already washed and prepared, burger buns buttered etc everything possible already done ie glasses out, cutlery/napkins prepared. You will be golden and everyone will have a good time. Watch the kiddos for taking burgers etc, having one bite and then casting aside for another. That way you soon run out of food

Thank you. No kids coming thankfully.

OP posts:
Pliudev · 03/08/2026 19:19

Theresip · 02/08/2026 20:53

Because I am hosting and would find it very odd to allow a guest to cook the food. I am confident that these are not the type of men who would want to take over the barbecue anyway though.

Ooh you never know OP. Once Catalan and Breton males were so passionately fighting over my barbecue that the skin on a leg of lamb burnt to a crisp ( it tasted good though, still pink and juicy inside). I second or third the pulled pork idea. Just leave it to cook in the oven and bring it out as a big surprise. Everyone will enjoy doing their own pulling and adding condiments. A big bowl of fruit salad or strawberries would be nice to finish (or you could get friends to bring cakes).

Interested in this thread?

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Vodkamartini3olives · 03/08/2026 19:24

Longleggedgiraffe · 03/08/2026 19:10

Sorry, but not not dogs for a BBQ. It's not really BBQ food.

WTF!! Since when are hot dogs not BBQ food. My family run a RV park/ campsite probably walk passed 100 BBQ a day and there are hotdogs on every single one. Those crazy bastards all doing it wrong🌭

Maomee · 03/08/2026 19:31

Do sausages first as you can fit more on serve with snacks then burgers after so people aren't waiting too long..you'll be fine..if doing any chicken is recommend doing it in the oven as it saves space and is safer as you can be more confident it's cooked through

Lovesacake · 03/08/2026 20:01

When I was in your shoes Op I cheated and hired a bbq man to do the food, it was amazing he brought his own bbq and all the food as well as salads, condiments, plates, napkins - everything you could need. It was stress free and the food was delicious. Didn’t cost that much more than buying it all myself and was worth the extra expense for the quality and ease of it.

Ahhhwhattodo · 03/08/2026 20:10

Get a load of precooked things, things that don’t need cooking or things you can make in advance and just put them out - quiche, dips, breads, breadsticks, tortilla chips, salad, cheese, crackers, pasta salads

Stick all burger buns etc on the side with the sauces

Do you have a slow cooker? If so, cook all your sausages in the oven and keep them warm in there

Stick a load of chicken legs in the oven and just finish them off for a few minutes on the BBQ

Likaom · 03/08/2026 20:19

Cook a batch of premarinaded chicken drumsticks in the oven. My mum does this, even just honey and soy glazed they’re always a winner! Precook everything else too and just sizzle a few burger for effect! Hope you’ve got plenty of paper plates, plastic glasses and napkins, then you can just chuck it all in a bin bag at the end. Maybe have a few coolers full of drinks and plenty of ice so they can help themselves to drinks.

FlamingoQueen · 03/08/2026 20:22

Do a pulled pork in the oven. Slow roast it and marinate it throughout the day. Get some burger baps for this - homemade coleslaw.
Then put some burgers and sausages on the bbq - if they burn its not the end of the world.

Theresip · 03/08/2026 20:28

Lovesacake · 03/08/2026 20:01

When I was in your shoes Op I cheated and hired a bbq man to do the food, it was amazing he brought his own bbq and all the food as well as salads, condiments, plates, napkins - everything you could need. It was stress free and the food was delicious. Didn’t cost that much more than buying it all myself and was worth the extra expense for the quality and ease of it.

I would love to do this for a special occasion some time!

OP posts:
YourAquaLion · 03/08/2026 21:00

Can you ask a friend to bring another BBQ round and have 2 on the go? And some people really like being King/Queen off the BBq with a beer in hand so maybe one of your friends will take over while you chat to people? Good luck!

yeahwhatev · 03/08/2026 21:02

As others have said cook sausages in the oven and fry up burgers before people arrive and put them on platters with foil over the top. Also in my opinion the thing that makes a good bbq is lots of lovely salads and dips which you can also do in advance. Then you’ve dealt with the panic about not having enough food. You can still cook a few on the bbq and depending on timings maybe even transfer the pre-cooked sausages and burgers to the bbq to keep warm and give a charcoal flavour but honestly I don’t think it’s necessary. Most importantly you’re relaxed and having fun, topping up people’s drinks etc. On chairs and tables people understand you won’t have a garden set for 20!! So can either eat standing up or have some extra chairs/side tables dotted around.

cocoromo · 03/08/2026 21:25

Theresip · 02/08/2026 21:00

Thank you - what do you do for the big kebabs?

some diced chicken (or lamb) plus peppers and onions on skewers:)

Northernlassie1974 · 03/08/2026 22:01

Don’t do a bbq. Or only do it for a limited item that’s easy to cook eg thin burgers. I do an oven cooked Greek chick thigh tht you can shred and then do tatziki, flat breads, Greek salad, all prepare ahead and setup so everyone helps them selves. Some burger rolls, cheese, sliced tomato and onion and sauce. All help themselves and just put Burgers on bbq x

HumbleHun · 03/08/2026 23:48

Hadalifeonce · 02/08/2026 19:58

Ask people to bring their own chair, cook the sausages in the oven and finish them off on the BBQ

Please do not do this OP.

Weeeeeeeeeee · 04/08/2026 01:00

Theresip · 02/08/2026 19:56

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.

Fear not. 20 is fine. My husband and I BBQ'd for 70 people a couple of years ago (to celebrate our little garden being done) and it was great fun. Prep is the key!

Also, congratulations on the garden ☺️

Plastic baskets that hold paper plates work really well. Get some paper napkins and then stack them the day before. Similarly, plastic cutlery is a no brainer. Also, have bins / bin liners to hand. Put all the plates and cutlery somewhere together.

Nibbles set out in bowls around the place - crisps, nuts, whatever - helps to stagger people's hunger and let's face it, everyone loves to snack, especially if they're drinking.

Food-wise... Have a table / area with condiments (tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, mustard, mayo, gherkins... Whatever else is in a bottle / jar and might go on hot dogs / burgers), burger buns, hot dog rolls, cheese squares, lettuce, onion etc largely set up in advance.

Somewhere else (but not too far away) have your sides. Ones I find that work well (because you can make them ahead of time and they're inexpensive):

  • homemade coleslaw (a cabbage, carrot, red onion - slice it all up in advance then refrigerate - add the mayo and mustard / Worcestershire sauce / whatever just before you serve it)
  • pesto pasta with cherry tomatoes and pine nuts
  • rocket and parmesan salad (grated parmesan onto rocket, sprinkle on some salt, drizzle olive oil over just before serving)
  • homemade wedges with either mixed green herbs, garlic granules, salt and pepper or cajun mix

I'm not sure if you're also putting on drinks for people but, if you are, keep it simple. We've found boxes of Corona, bottles of Prosecco, bottles of French red all tend to go down before other stuff. You could buy in a crate of coke cans and a crate of lemonade cans for the non-drinkers. Depending what else you're offering, it might be a good idea to have ice in, too.

When it comes to cooking, you'll be fine getting your sausages and burgers on the BBQ - do a few of each at a time and people will come in drips and drabs because they'll have the other "stations" to go to. Have someone on hand to run between the BBQ and the kitchen with the raw meat and clean plates to put the cooked stuff on (if it ever makes it that far). Alternatively, find a keen BBQ-er and give them the reins whilst you sort the rest of the stuff. Very sexist to say it (I know but stereotypes come from somewhere), men tend to love to BBQ together and can stand, chat and turn meat with a surprising amount of competency... The fact it's a charcoal BBQ will only serve to ignite their manly senses! You might find they're asking to get involved... We usually end up with a man huddle around the BBQ!

The main thing is to enjoy it. People will be having fun chatting, admiring your garden, enjoying a drink and eating whenever food is served. BBQs are relaxed events so it's hard to get it wrong. Just get those charcoals going early enough that they're the right temperature at the right time. If you're really concerned, you could buy a couple of disposable BBQs to chuck on top of your BBQ once the coals are done (so you basically use your BBQ to rest the disposable ones on).

Hope that helps ☺️

Mumwithbaggage · 04/08/2026 01:56

We buy charcoal in bags ready to light for parties - much much quicker to
light and use. They take less than 20 mins to heat up! 3 bags for £5 in B and M or Tesco do them. We had a bbq for about 35 people and used 2 or 3 of the little bags. I'd also recommend a meat thermometer - dd had one at uni and I use it all the time now!! V cheap I imagine.https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=food+thermometer+probe+digital&crid=2TS234ZDYU660&sprefix=food+ther%2Caps%2C171&ref=nb_sb_ss_mvt-t11-ranker_3_9

This kind of thing.

As others said, lots of green salad, potato salad and coleslaw plus bread. Keep it simple. I chop up all my salad bits before but keep spare in bags in the fridge,

Plenty of ice.

Most important, enjoy! And if people offer to help say yes please and give them a very specific task!

Amazon.co.uk: Food Thermometer Probe Digital

Amazon.co.uk: food thermometer probe digital

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?crid=2TS234ZDYU660&k=food%20thermometer%20probe%20digital&ref=nb_sb_ss_mvt-t11-ranker_3_9&sprefix=food%20ther%2Caps%2C171&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum--chat-5561958-i-have-seriously-overstretched-with-a-barbecue-and-i-am-panicking

3tablets · 04/08/2026 05:26

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

MNTouristhere · 04/08/2026 07:33

In my experience not everyone arrives at once so doing 2 rounds of bbq will be fine. As others said, people don’t expect to be seated round a table and have plenty of nibbles and dips people can helol themselves to. Ding forget to enjoy!

Butterflyarms · 04/08/2026 07:41

CountBoscoTheSecondsWife · 03/08/2026 10:07

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!

Oh you have to wrap halloumi in foil and leave it for ages to go soft in the foil. It's delish.

ImogenBrocklehurst · 04/08/2026 09:10

Longleggedgiraffe · 03/08/2026 19:10

Sorry, but not not dogs for a BBQ. It's not really BBQ food.

Ignore this: barbecued hot dogs are bloody lovely.

wishingonastar101 · 04/08/2026 09:16

Buy 3 flexi tubs from Amazon - massive buckets. Fill with ice. One with prosecco. One with beer. One with water and soft drinks. Anyone wants anything else - they bring it.

cook before hand -
potato wedges
rice and peas
Mac n cheese

Prep -
salad

Serve -
baguettes

Do jerk chicken on the bbq / bavette steak / ribs.

Ask people to bring pudding like cheesecake or melons.

Hayfield123 · 04/08/2026 09:53

Don’t panic everyone just wants a nice time. Nobody will be judging you. Plenty of salad, potatoes, bread etc. It will turn out fine.

ScottBakula · 04/08/2026 10:27

RocketLollyPolly · 02/08/2026 20:39

Not everyone has a husband…

Yep , nor do they need one to cope with a bbq .