Catering BBQ

[littlebilliie]

Just wondered if anyone has ever done a big barbecue and managed to keep everyone fed and going over the day. thinking of doing a summary event and it’s whether or not we get someone to cater it ideally not we do it ourselves.

Thinking of a a summer event with upwards of 30

I would never do a bbq for that many because you would spend so much time cooking you would have no time to socialise and i love to socialise.

I have done a massive shoulder of pork before - slow cooked for a day and then finished on BBQ

you could also do similar with brisket - beef

or those fancy BBQ egg things if slow cook as well

the big work is all the salads and sides - get people to make and bring one each

Doable with good timing and organization planing skills and some hard work

BYOB and a proper plate helps too.

And a big oven and/or heat hold boxes
And a large fridge space is a must from the day before
And a non-human and not-you-human dishwasher😉

Then its planning a menu you can mostly pre-prep the night before.

Having holding nibbles for 1-2 hours to allow chats

Then the main in batches
self-service for the cold sides.
Meats are all cooked on the day ( held until there are at least 30 servings available other wise you are cooking all day )
So good size of BBQ and knowing your oven helps.

Keep them hanging round for sweet nibbles.

But it can be easier to buy in the service

I thinking of buying in someone to do Greek food chicken or halumi flat breads plus order pizza later if people still hungry

My brother does this every year for around 40 -50 people and it's always a great afternoon/evening. He does it for my nephew and neices birthday, so a huge age range.

It's very no frills and simple. Just burgers and hotdogs, and a bowl of basic salad (cucumber, lettuce and tomato). He has a big gas bbq ans just whacks them on that and then puts them out on a table with the rolls, sauces and cheese slices and fried onions (which they do earlier in frying pan and then just finish off as food is ready) for people to help themselves. There's only one veggie - our dad - and he doesn't care if his veggie burgers and sausages are cooked alongside the meat ones, otherwise they'd probably be done under the grill.

He's standing by the bbq for a long time, but most of the males seem to congregate there anyway wirh a beer so he's still socialising.

Paper plates to avoid washing up after.

It's an afternoon we all look forward to every year!

Yes my DH is South African so very fond of Braais / BBQ

A couple of meats go down well;

Chicken wings with seasoning (Cape and Herb is amazing, but from any supermarket https://www.capeherb.co.uk) Basically like Nando’s! (A good starter, can do loads and no plates needed)

Lamb chops with salt, pepper and lemon (bit more glam)

Pork Rashers or steaks, or sausages and burgers.

Veggies also work like Aubergine, Butternut Squash, Peppers and Courgettes (again with cape and herb seasoning) Just throw them on!

Side salads could be Feta, Red wine vinegar etc, Potato salad, Garlic bread (delicious on a BBQ can put slices of cheese inbetween for kids- I like that though 😂) Could do Cous Cous, lots of ideas… I would outsource all the sides and salads and ask everyone to bring something, this can make the meal really good. We have a friend who makes Ukrainian salad which I LOVE)

If your feeling adventurous you could try fish or prawns and pineapple on kebabs, with lemon butter sauce, once prawns are peeled not too difficult to make. Think because there are so many people though this might be too much effort.

Like any form of entertaining for a large group, if you want to do a BBQ to this level, you need to consider whether you have the facilities to manage it and if you don't, then yes, get someone in.

We host/co-host/attend events like this fairly frequently (like a PP _ South African here and it's fairly common)

First thing though - unless you're planning wedding-style dancing and partying until dawn with the requirement of a second meal, I would only plan for one meal, but a substantial one. Lots of snacks/nibbles. Then the main food. Then plenty of desserts. Then leave leftovers out wth bread etc for people to help themselves from as they like. Whether you're catering the main yourself or getting it brought in, think pates, charcuterie, crisps and dips, olives etc to have out and ready for people on arrival.

Then in terms of self catered or catered - it depends on what you can manage. If catering, lamb or pork ont he spit is a great choice, you can normally get good sides catered as well, they do a lot of the tidying up and it's all very easy and painless.

If doing it yourself, you need a decent sized BBQ. This is not goign to work if you've just got a small coal BBQ. You need a big one and one that you (or whoever is in charge of this part of things) can use effectively. Gas, obviously, is a lot easier when cooking for a crowd.

We quite often do a huge pile of sausages to start for the children (and anyone who is ravenous), then cook the rest of the food (which the children can also eat) on an ongoing basis. Chicken thighs/drumsticks are great in that you can do a huge batch slow cooked in the oven then finish quickly on the BBQ. Similarly ribs or chicken wings. Lamb chops, marinated, are fab - choose thinner ones that cook faster.

I love things like kebabs etc but quite frankly, preparing for 30 is a pain so a compromise is to get your local supermarket or butcher to do that for you.

Salads and sides when self catering - consider what space you hvae to store them. I'm inclined to 2-3 large salads - a green salad, a potato or couscous salad and a tomato salad usually. And lots of bread. I often buy par-baked ciabattas/baguettes because you can do them in the oven, they're fresh and if you need more you slap more in the oven.

Again, thing about the logistics of tidying up. 30 people means a lot of plates etc. Do you have space for that? Do you need to use paper plates to manage it better?

Oh, and dependin gon the event and the people - get people to help. We would usually have guests bring a salad or a dessert or something. So we're still doing th ebulk, but it takes away that one additional task and everyone brings whatever it is they are known for - their famous cheesecake, their amazing potato bake, their fabulous tomato salad or whatever.

Love your knowledge 😊

@AbigfanofDogs thanks! . It's somethign Ii've come to realise - catering and hosting, especially for larger groups, is a skill in itself. It can be gained, but it does take work and effort and thought. I hvae friends who know they can't do it, so don't. That's fine. But I've been to too many events of this sort hosted by people who don't have a clue and it's all a bit of a disaster. sideeyes SIL

Haha yes I do agree with you literally all my in laws can cook up a storm for as few or many people as needed, it’s incredible. I on the other hand as a Brit am relegated to the sides and washing up 😂 (sorry about the SIL)