How to take your BBQ to the next level
A BBQ is more than just cooking meats. In order to really own the grill, having a number of side dishes or desserts you can cook really elevates your BBQ! A few of my favorites and some tips are below to help you elevate your BBQ to the next level!
Side Dishes
- The staple of side dishes at every great bbq are baked beans. There is no perfect science to getting the best baked beans, but I am also biased when some of the BBQ meat you are cooking makes it way into the beans. Taking some brisket or pork scraps into the pot, or cooking some fresh bacon, is always going to get my stamp of approval! Check out my favorite family baked bean recipe! You can always cook these on your grill, if you choose, especially when using a foil pan to cook.
- Potato Salad is another staple. While making this on a grill is a bit of a challenge, you can always boil some water to cook the potatoes on your grill. This would be a crowd pleaser and really helps if you are doing a BBQ away from your home kitchen! This is also a great dish to prepare ahead of time before the BBQ starts.
- Grilled veggies can also be a big winner at a BBQ. This can mean grilled onions, peppers, and mushrooms for a steak, grilled asparagus, or any of your favorite veggies! Quick and easy, and can help make that meal a bit healthier!
Tips
- Timing is everything. Figuring out when all components of the meal will be fully cooked can be difficult. Timing the meats, sides, and people arriving to happen around the same time can make or break the BBQ. A few ways to help with this are to pre-make any cold side dishes, have the meat get done early and let it rest, or even plan to eat in stages if you don’t have the grill space to cook everything at once!
- Don’t Forget Dessert. I might be biased on this one, but a dessert is essential to a BBQ. It could be cookies or something like a cobbler from the grill, but no matter what you decide, this will always be a huge favorite at a BBQ. This is also something that can be delegated to someone else really easily if you choose.
