23 Mistakes To Avoid When Hosting A Summer Barbecue

Summer is that time when you get to enjoy the gorgeous weather by the pool, at the beach, or in your own backyard while hosting a barbecue with friends and family. Hosting a summer cookout offers the perfect opportunity to show off your grilling skills, wow your guests with incredible entrées, sides, and desserts, and, most importantly, bring people together for a memorable time enjoying each other's company.

Before you fire up that grill, you'll want to take a few steps. There are several potential mistakes that you could make when hosting your summer barbecue. These mistakes could jeopardize the success of your event, how your food tastes, and how guests feel about their overall experience at your cookout. Read on so you can avoid a catastrophe and pull off your barbecue without a hitch.

One of the best things about hosting a backyard cookout is that nearly all of the mess is contained outside. Don't sabotage yourself by creating a mound of dishes that will need to be washed after the barbecue. Instead, choose paper plates and plastic silverware. They can simply be tossed after the event, minimizing the work you'll need to do after your guests leave.

Similarly, consider purchasing a few plastic tablecloths to cover the serving tables and anywhere guests will be sitting. This way, if there are any messes after everyone is done eating, you can just bunch up the tablecloth and be good to go.

Beyond making sure that you have enough food to fill up each of your guests, you also want to make sure that your menu offers enough variety to make everyone happy. All of your guests will have different preferences, foods they really like, and other items that they don't want anything to do with at your cookout. 

When planning your menu, you want to make sure that you have a good mix of barbecue sides and entrées to accommodate these different preferences. You know your guests best, but try to offer at least two or three main dish options (think hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage, chicken or beef kabobs, etc.) and four or more side dishes and appetizers (fruit salad, vegetable platter, coleslaw, baked beans, chips, grilled corn, etc.). Don't forget to also plan for different beverage options — both non-alcoholic and alcoholic (if you want to serve alcohol).

While you want to make sure you offer some variety with different options to suit the taste and dietary preferences of your guests, you also don't want to make the menu too complicated that you'll never be able to pull off. 

Remember, you're hosting a backyard barbecue, not a five-course gourmet meal. Plan for foods that you can easily prepare in bulk (such as salads) or those that you will be able to prepare ahead of time. Avoid anything that will need to be individually styled and served, such as personal strawberry shortcakes. Items like this will be too tedious to make and just aren't necessary for a cookout.

Are you planning to serve grilled chicken or chicken kabobs at your backyard barbecue? If so, there is one key step you won't want to skip before you actually throw the chicken on the grill: marinating it. Marinating chicken can give it a better flavor and keep it from getting dried out. You'll also notice that marinated meats are typically more tender and juicy than their non-marinated counterparts.

The marinade you use is up to you, you'll just want to pick one that you and your guests will enjoy. Some favorite options for grilled chicken include teriyaki, Greek, and Jamaican jerk, just to name a few.

Avoiding mistakes that could threaten the health or safety of your guests is, of course, very important. We already pointed out the importance of staying away from side dishes that could spoil, but there are other tips you'll want to pay close attention to as well. 

First, make sure you keep up with regular hand-washing when preparing and cooking meals for your guests. There are just too many opportunities for cross-contamination if you don't keep your hands clean. To avoid spreading bacteria from raw meat when grilling, set up a hand-washing and sanitation spot near your grill.

Another way that you can spread bacteria from raw meat is by using the same utensils or serving dishes for both raw and cooked meat. Always get a clean plate for the cooked items, and switch to a clean flipper or pair of tongs to remove cooked foods from the grill.

Another potential disaster related to space would be not having enough room to lay out all of the food you're serving. In addition to tables for seating, you also need to make sure that you'll have enough table space to hold each of the main dishes and sides that you're planning to offer. Again, some pre-planning can help you make sure that you don't run into any issues with this. Make a list of all of the items you plan on serving, what serving pieces you'll be using, and how large each serving piece is.

Use this information to determine how large of a table will be needed to hold everything and whether you'll need more than one table. Taking the time to list out everything you'll serve and what you'll be serving it in can also help you avoid the potential issue of running out of serving pieces. You'll have enough time to pick up or borrow some extra bowls or trays from friends if needed.

Just as you need a way to keep cold food cold, you also want to make sure that the drinks you're offering remain cold and ready for your guests to enjoy. A warm soda, water, or alcoholic beverage is not going to taste good, especially on a hot summer day. A cooler or large bucket filled with ice will be needed for this task. If you don't have a cooler, consider investing in one, or borrowing one from someone before the event.

Refrigerate the drinks the day before your cookout is scheduled, so they'll start to cool. Then, shortly before your guests are scheduled to arrive, move the beverages to coolers and add ice. For optimal cooling, you'll want the ice to take up about twice as much of the space in the cooler, so make sure you buy enough to keep your drinks cold. Having some extra bags of ice in the cooler to replenish the cooler if the ice melts is also a good idea.

You can't forget to serve dessert at your cookouts this summer. If you want to make the event memorable and ensure that each of your guests enjoys themselves, then ending the meal with a sweet treat is always a good idea. 

There are several different desserts that can be a good addition to your barbecue party. When deciding what you want to serve, just remember to keep the external temperature in mind. Avoid picking something that is going to melt and get too messy. A few good dessert ideas that will go well with a barbecue include pineapple upside-down cake, brownies, and peach cobbler.

If the weather is anything, it is unreliable. One summer day is hot and sunny, and the next is cold and rainy. When you're planning a barbecue weeks in advance, you can't know for certain how the weather will turn out. You don't want to hold your cookout on a day that is rainy or cold, so you'll want to make sure to plan for a rain date. 

This way, you and your guests will already have another date set, in the event the weather doesn't cooperate. Moreover, you won't be scrambling at the last minute to find a new date that will work for everyone, or trying to cram everyone inside and completely revise your plans for the party.

If you want to make sure your guests enjoy themselves, then having some games and activities planned and ready is essential. Classics like cornhole, badminton, and horseshoes are always a safe bet for a backyard barbecue. You could also consider options such as giant Jenga, croquet, and Twister. If your party will be going past dark, then a glow-in-the-dark ring toss is always a fun idea. 

Setting up a photo booth station is another great way to keep your guests entertained and having a good time. Don't forget to pick up a few props and hats to leave at the photo booth, too.

The one downside of offering more than enough food (which we recommend) is that you'll likely end up with a lot of leftovers — potentially more than you'll be able to eat before they go bad. 

Sending some food home with your guests can prevent food waste and leave them with an extra meal or two to make the coming week easier. However, you'll need to make sure that you're ready with enough containers to send things home with people. Rather than giving away your good set, purchase a few packs of takeout containers from the grocery store. This way, you won't need to worry about tracking down the pieces you use on a regular basis.