Celebrating the summer over a barbecue with your friends and family has become a ritual for many households. It is a gathering many look forward to in order to mingle and have some good food. Similarly, if you are sharpening your knives and getting ready to fire up your grill for barbecue season, you might come across a couple of inconveniences that could hold your party back from perfection. Here is a compiled list of ways to prepare for the perfect BBQ season.

1. Clean the Grill

Whether the grill you are using is an heirloom of the family or if it is brand new, you will have to thoroughly clean it before using it. Grills deal with high temperatures, so it is easy for the interior of the grill to face paint damage, form rust, and still could have remnants of last year’s barbecue.

That is why just running it under soap and water is not enough. If it is not cleaned properly, it will not only get in the way of the flavour, but it will also be a possible health hazard.

A good way to get rid of all the dirt build-up is by scrubbing the interior with a dry brush or scrub. Make sure you are using the appropriate scrub for the type of grill you are using.

2. Inspect the Grill

Regardless of whether you chose a grill of high quality, it is still possible for it to show wear and tear. Parts of the grill might start crumbling, rusting, and can even show gaping holes in the metal. You may think of saving a couple of bucks and pretend like you never saw it, but it can be a huge threat to your safety. Replace the parts which show a lot of damage; they should not be neglected or used. If you find that quite a number of parts are damaged or simply faulty, then it would be probably be more cost (and time) effective to buy a new grill. Picking up a new grill will also mean you don’t need to spend hours scrubbing down an older one, checking out a Napoleon Grills Premier store online would be the best place to start shopping for a new one, as they’ll have options to cater for every budget and need.

3. Check the Gas Tank

In the hurry of cleaning and inspecting your grill, it might skip your mind to even check the gas tank, yet forgetting to check the gas tank could be the mistake that costs you the most.

Gas leaks are extremely dangerous. Even if you try to reason that you will be grilling in an open area with a very small gas leak, it can still cause explosions.

A good way to do a gas check is by making a solution of water and soap and lathering the valve with the liquid. If you see bubbles forming in the solution, it means that there is a gas leak in the tank.

4. Test Out the Grill

What better way to know if something is working other than testing it out? You could technically have inspected every component of the grill, but something could still show up after firing it up.

After all, it would be a tragedy after inviting so many people just to find out your grill does not even work.

5. Preparing the Food

Imagine this: you have invited all your friends and family to a barbecue party, and everyone is very excited about it. However, on the day of the barbecue, people leave your party before tasting anything from the grill because you had not prepared any food in advance.

Just because it is a barbecue party where food is prepared on the spot, it does not mean that you should not prepare the sides or bring out the dips and sauces.

Prepare and finish all of the extra work in advance so that you can have a fun time at the party instead of slaving away at the grill the entire time and also so that your guests do not starve while waiting for the grilled items.

6. Plan According to the Weather

The most infuriating scenario would be if a downpour started after all your meticulous planning. As barbecues are essentially an outdoor event, you need to plan according to the weather forecast. Make sure you plan for a rain date as well, if possible.

7. Food Hygiene

The magic of barbecues is being able to see your food being prepared right in front of you. However, that also means you must be extra mindful of staying clean and how you cook. It could be pretty embarrassing if someone refused to eat your food because they thought it was not being dealt with hygienically.

You should also have proper knowledge of how to handle meat. Make sure you take the measures to ensure that it is cooked evenly, which means thawing it entirely before cooking and making sure that the coal is evenly heated throughout.

Prepare your utensils beforehand, keeping one to handle raw meat with and another for cooked meat. This will prevent the cross-contamination of food. Also, wear gloves while cooking the meat.

8. Entertainment

Without entertainment, are your guests expected to just eat, talk, and leave? If you want to add flavour to your barbecue season, consider some good music for your guests to be able to talk over and a few party games.

This will boost the mood of your party, and it will help your guests loosen up, making your get-together a lot more fun than just having grilled food.

9. What are You Going to Serve?

We might survive off of instant food from our pantries or low-effort recipes, but that will not be good enough if you want your barbecue to be a hit. This is also a great opportunity for you to try your hand out in the culinary arts.

However, you cannot expect to make great food if you look up recipes on the day of the big event. You should start your research at least a week beforehand so you can test them out and see if you can pull them off before potentially disappointing a lot of people.

Furthermore, many intricate recipes require a lot of preparation which might need to be started the night before. Be proactive with your menu.

Final Thoughts

Barbecues are a great way to reconnect with friends and family over a plate of good, homemade food that warms the heart. By using these steps, you will be able to pull off a successful event.