American Barbecuing!
No matter if it is the 4th of July, or just another day in the summer, chances are someone in your area is barbecuing.
Barbecuing has become a standard American tradition for families. The reason why is clear - not only does the food that comes from barbecuing have a taste that is unmatched by other cooking methods, but barbecuing presents a reason for families to gather together.
So how do you go about planning the perfect all-american barbecue? Read on...
The Barbecue Secrets Group
The Barbecue Secrets group is about learning more, cooking better, being better prepared, impressing friends, wowing family, and having more fun at your Barbecue parties!-
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Barbecue Secrets Are you barbecue mad? Do you drag your family into your backyard for a bbq every chance you get? Do you try and impress your neighbours with your bbq cooking skills? Then welcome to the Barbecue Secrets Gro...
Planning A Barbecue
First, no barbecue would be complete without guests and proper outdoors weather.Plan ahead of time, checking with your potential guests for scheduling conflicts and issues. Finding a date and time that is suitable for everyone should not be to hard as long as you everyone enough advanced notice.
Be sure to check the weather for that time of year in advance. If you live in a climate that cannot be predicted, then you may want to have a backup plan just incase unusual weather comes. You cannot predict things like rain and thunderstorms ahead of time, but you can make sure that you hold you barbecue during the time of year that will be pleasant to your guests.
A barbecue in cold weather may hold more negative memories of trying to keep warm rather then good memories of family and friends.
Flamin' BBQ Pictures From Flickr
Flickr is home to millions and millions of photos, and here are some really interesting BBQ photos!
Food, Food, and more Food!
Barbequing has been around everv since the early cavemen figured out that food tasted great after being cooked on an open fire.Perhaps one of the main memories attached to a family barbecue is the food. Barbequing opens a whole array of types of foods and possible menus. The type of foods you serve should largely depend on your crowd, and the event in which you are celebrating.
With the wide range of possibilities, you are sure to find at least a few items that will please everyone in your party.
Some Flamin' Barbecue Equipment!
Weber 18600 3-Piece Stainless-Steel Barbecue Tool Set
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Preparing the food
Make sure that you prepare ahead for your barbecue. If you plan on cooking meat, 12 to 24 hours before you plan on beginning the party you will need to thaw, prepare, and marinate the meat you will be cooking.Once you have the meat stored away, soaking up the marinate, then you must start thinking about what types of side dishes you will be having. If you want a completely tradition barbecue, you may want to stick with traditional side dishes also.
Traditional barbecue sides include potatoes and potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw. Your traditional condiment bar should include pickles, relish, and onions.
These foods are typically severed at barbecues because they are easy to prepare and store until the event happens.
You may want to cook other items, but any barbecue menu is complete with just the items listed above.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
But these books written by Steven Raichlen are essential if you're serious about impressing your friends and family with tasty meals that will make them close their eyes and say 'MMmmmmmm...! I can't believe it tastes this good!
How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques
If you're only planning on buying one of these books, buy this one!
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Amazon Price: $16.42 (as of 12/02/2008)
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Barbecue! Bible : Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters, and Glazes
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Amazon Price: $10.36 (as of 12/02/2008)
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BBQ USA: 425 Fiery Recipes from All Across America
To see more barbecue books and barbecue recipe books on amazon click one of the books and look at the full selection.
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Amazon Price: $14.93 (as of 12/02/2008)
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A themed barbecue?
A themed barbecue may present more opportunities to hold a festive event.With a themed event, you can splurge on the atmosphere and decorations. Matching tablecloths, napkins, and plates can be found at any local store.
You can also match your décor to the party. For example, a luau could simply be creative colored utensils, leis, and Tiki torches, all of which are extremely cheap. You can even reuse the Tiki torches later!
Some Flamin' Barbecue Equipment!
Weber 741001 22 1/2-Inch One-Touch Silver Kettle Grill, Black
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Amazon Price: $84.70 (as of 12/02/2008)
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Setting up
Your party area should be set up before guest arrive.It only takes a few minutes to get everything ready, but the reaction you get from your arriving guests may make you feel like you were preparing and decorating all day.
Depending on the situation, you may or may not want to have the food already cooking on the grill. The smell will surely be inviting if you start cooking ahead!
Enjoy!
Lisa Ruining The Barbeque!
Do your Barbeques run any smoother?!
Flamin' BBQ Pictures From Flickr
Flickr is home to millions and millions of photos, and here are some really interesting BBQ photos!
BBQ Secrets Revealed
(I recommend Randy's book, but his free tips newsletter is brilliant too!)
Randy Pryor is a retired kentucky restaurant owner, and he reveals his Top 7 Amazing Barbecue Tips for free.Just scroll past his message, to about one third of the way down the page, to a big yellow box titled 'Free BBQ Tips'.
You can ignore the letter he's written there, but it is a letter about his book, which is a VERY good resource. The tips are still free whether you buy his book or not (but you really should check it out because it's amazing).
Barbecue Secrets Revealed - click here for the website
Scroll past Randy's letter to about a 3rd of the way down and look for the yellow box titled 'FREE BBQ Tips!'
Other Barbecue Pages Made By Me:
Looking for more BBQ information?Check out these other BBQ pages made by me!
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Barbeque Maintenance Tips
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When buying your barbeque grill, think of it more as an investment instead of as just another item for your backyard. You should expect this item to become a central part of your outdoor activities for many many years to come! But like any other inve...
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Share your expertise and experience with other readers and claim this section of the page as your own:
RentMyGarden wrote...
It's all about the fire... for good BBQ. Invest in a quality bag of charcoal. Don't buy or use cheap charcoal to BBQ. How can you tell it's cheap if you didn't buy it? If the charcoal crumbles and breaks easliy when you shake the bag... it's cheap charcoal. It will be messy and it won't burn right. The biggest reason you don't want to use cheap charcoal-- it will ruin the joy and fun of BBQing.
Posted May 22, 2008
Jasch wrote...
Great lens, Skills. I fire up the grill just about every night! Can one become addicted to BBQ? If so, I am!!
Posted August 02, 2007
billfrederick wrote...
Great lens ... I love the idea of a themed barbecue! I'll have to give it a try before the end of summer.
Posted July 23, 2007
