It’s that time of year again and preparations for the Great Aussie BBQ kicks in, as we start getting ready for September footy finals time!
So how do we sustain ourselves through this grueling time of the year, leading up to the grand finals? Food cooked on the BBQ of course!
A great deal of thought needs to be given to the tone of a BBQ.
The key to entertaining a crowd or even just a couple of the lads is preparation. The more you do before everyone arrives the better, from setting up to chopping up. Anything that is possible to do before people arrive will give you more time to relax and enjoy the action yourself.
Paper plates and plastic cutlery are your best friends. Have a few strategic tables placed around so people can rest their drinks or plates while they are eating, talking, drinking, gesticulating, cheering, etc.
If people will be standing up serve something that is not too messy that can essentially be eaten with one hand.
Try not to serve too many chips and nibbles beforehand. Guests tend to fill up on these. Make the succulent food off the BBQ the star of the day. The trick is to start serving early. Don’t wait until you feel hungry, start cooking and getting some food handed around and then you’ll see how hungry people really are. You can gauge when and what to start serving from there.
If you’re serving salads, have them chopped and in the fridge ready to serve or if you're cooking veggies have them prepared.
Have the plates and cutlery strategically placed so people can grab and go, alongside the pepper and salt, gravy, condiments, salad servers and serviettes.
Depending on the tone and crowd your expecting, pizzas in the Weber bbq are a very easy solution. Prepare a selection of toppings, like a smorgasbord and allow people to make their own pizza. This will save your time and effort and it’s a great way for everyone to choose exactly what they want. The Weber can take several pizzas at a time, so make sure you’ve got the right Weber accessories to help.
Another example of the chef spending minimal time at the hotplate is a roast with veggies especially if it is slow cooked meat. You can get it on early in the morning with the vegetables, lay out some salads and it will look like you’ve gone to a great deal of trouble – and you have, just before everyone arrived.
If you want to show off your expert Weber bbq skills you can go all out for breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. You can even whip up some great meals from the selection of Weber recipes. The only problem you may have is getting your guests to leave at the end of the day with all that delicious food in their bellies.
Timetable suggestions:
As the crowd heads home, you can settle in for the night and know that you were part of an ongoing tradition.........the Great Aussie BBQ!
