How to host a perfect summer BBQ
It's holiday season, a great time to battle it out with your mates to find out who hosts the best summer barbie. Maybe one of your friends has the ultimate outdoor setup or even the best cocktail-making skills, but we all know a mouth-watering meal wins every time. Cookbook author Sarah Glover, who has partnered with Traeger Grills Australia, has revealed her top 10 tips guaranteed to impress your guests at your next BBQ.
1. Preparation
I’m a huge advocate for preparing wherever you can. Anything that means less stress on the day of your event is always a good idea! Whether that may mean preparing a menu and buying ingredients a few days before, setting the table early on, or slicing veggies before guests arrive - any preparation is good preparation.
2. Marinade, marinade, marinade
Spoiler alert; no one likes dry meat! However, this is easily avoided. You can actually marinade your meat up to 24 hours in advance (depending on how prepared you’re feeling), so in order to enhance that flavour - longer is better. My favourite marinade for my meat is Traeger’s ‘Que Sauce, which you can also just use as a sauce on the side.
3. Make sure your grill is stocked full of pellets and ready to be turned on
If you’re new to the grilling world, you may be surprised to hear that grease and oil actually can go bad over time. If your BBQ has been sitting untouched over winter, I recommend taking some time prior to clean down the grill and plates, re-grease them, and fill your barbeque full of new pellets to prepare for your upcoming summer dinner parties. Traeger offers a range of high-quality 100% pure hardwood pellets for every BBQ dish - my favourite are the Hickory Pellets, which produce a lovely strong, smokey flavour.
4. Preheat
You would never forget to preheat your oven if you were baking a cake, so treat your grill with the same care. Always make sure you preheat the grill so you are throwing on your food at a hot temp and it doesn't just sit there and soak, eventually ruining the flavour.
5. Don’t overcrowd your grill
A common mistake when catering for a crowd is throwing everything on the barbie at once. When you cram too much on your grill at once, what you’re doing is preventing airflow through the entire area, which can drop the temperature of your grill and your meat will cook unevenly. Spread out what you’re grilling to ensure it all stays delicious.
6. Leave your meat alone
I know the smell may be tempting and your stomach grumbling, but leave your meat alone. Too much prodding, poking and turning allows all of that mouth-watering flavour to seep out, and your meat won’t be cooked to its full potential. I like to close up my grill and let it do its job, keeping an eye on when to flip thanks to my Traeger’s WiFire technology which I can connect to my phone via BlueTooth. This means I can actually enjoy my event without letting the food burn out of sight.
7. Let your meat rest before serving
Before you dig in, I implore you to wait for around 5 to 10 minutes. Resting is crucial for your meat, and is the time when it continues to cook and soak back in all those juices that it let out while grilling. This step is the make or break of a flavoursome dish.
8. Sides
Avoid getting too preoccupied with the main event of your barbeque, and make sure you pay your side dishes some love! Baked potatoes, veggie skewers or a refreshing leafy salad are all great options for an afternoon in the backyard.
9. Drinks
The same goes here for your beverage options. While you’re grilling it’s always nice to have a cold one by your side, whether that be a summery fruity cocktail (I like Gin and Pineapple juice), or your favourite beer for a hot day. Don’t forget to cater for your sober friends with some non-alcoholic options too.
10. Set the mood
Finally, I believe a good meal tastes best in the right environment. Take an extra 10 minutes to string some fairy lights, curate the perfect playlist and throw a colourful tablecloth down before plating up. Trust me, it makes all the difference.
About Sarah Glover, Author of WILD: Adventure Cookbook and Ambassador for Traeger Grills Australia. The internationally renowned chef and explorer, has travelled the world in search of epic food and wild adventures. As a classically trained chef and pastry chef, Sarah brings skill to wood-fired cooking, scaling windswept cliffs and salty stretches of beach to create simple, uncomplicated and seriously tasty food.
