The warm weather is rolling in, the skies are blue and the picture-perfect great outdoors look fit for a banquet. It’s time to put the winter blues well behind you, drag out the barbecue and get your friends together for an afternoon of festivities, fun, and fine food. The first and most obvious order of the day is your barbecue, which will need to be cleaned up and made ready for action.

If you don’t have one already, you’re going to have to look for a grill that suits your needs. Whether your priority is size, fuel or portability, barbecue specialists like Barbeques Galore can determine the perfect grill for you – perhaps something from the new Ziegler & Brown range? Now that you’ve got the cooking equipment and utensils sorted, here are a few other tips to help you host the perfect summer barbecue.

Tips for hosting the perfect Summer barbecue

Look to the forecast

As beautiful as summer normally is, it can also be a bit volatile when it comes to changing weather conditions. Depending on where you are, the day can start bright and sunny, only to end with a menacing and violent summer storm. Before picking a date, check out the long term forecasts for an idea of the weather patterns on your preferred day. Admittedly, the sunshine won’t be guaranteed but at least you’ll have an idea and won’t be completely taken by surprise when the thunderheads roll in.

Hone the guest list

Most of us have friends from many different backgrounds and interests. Some will know each other and get on well; some will know each other but won’t be as close as buddies; others will not be familiar with your friends but mix well with strangers; and others still will be comfortable only with people they know. Carefully organise your guest list so you only have people of similar tastes and backgrounds to better help your fellow barbecue enthusiasts meet and mix. The best part of this strategy is it gives you an excuse to hold more barbecues for all your friends!

Simple and light food

You are not going to want to laden your guests with heavy food so they fall about like sand bags after they’ve eaten. The ideal barbecue is in the early to mid-afternoon. You want people to have a few drinks, eat and then socialise or even take part in a few sporting activities. Keep the food light and healthy, with chicken dishes and lean cuts of meat. Also have plenty of summer salads on hand.

Think beyond the food

If the plan is to feed your friends and send them on their way, the food is most likely the pinnacle of your barbecue. But if your intention is to host a wonderful afternoon that keeps your friends together for some fun and frivolity, you’re going to have to look beyond the food. What entertainment you provide will, of course, depend on the personalities of those who attend, but you might consider backyard games such as cricket or touch football. If you have a pool, use it for the afternoon’s activities.

The host of the perfect summer barbecue must be a Jack of all trades – part weather forecaster, part chef and part cruise director. It’s about making sure your guests are well fed and have a good time – this will ensure that everyone will want to return next time you send out invitations.

What other tips would you recommend for hosting the perfect Summer barbecue?

This is an S2 POST.

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I don’t know one person who doesn’t love to fire up the BBQ on a summers afternoon while watching the kids play in the blow up pool or while enjoying a few drinks with friends (the adults not the kids). We are big on barbecuing in our house and why wouldn’t you be? It’s faster to cook, there are less dishes and it gets everyone outside; so when I was emailed asking if I would like to review the Outdoor Chef – Leon I had to say yes! We used Leon for the first time on Christmas Day to glaze our ham and it did a great job. It heated up fast and maintained the temperature required without any effort. I love that you can use it to cook many things; it has a guide on the front of the bbq to let you know what setting and which way the cone should go for whatever food it is that you wish to cook. It comes with an open grill so unfortunately you can’t cook eggs or onion on it without purchasing a flat plate or putting a fry pan on the grill however it is great for cooking up a few snags, bacon or even thick pieces of steak.

The only thing I could fault with Leon was that when the wind blew the gas blew out but that could have been easily rectified by us moving the bbq to a better location out of the weather elements. This modern and stylish BBQ features an enamelled finish, single burner, hinged lid with a thermometer and has wheels for easy mobility. Leon is a great size in terms of how much space it takes up; this gas kettle bbq is small but packs a punch, is easy for one person to put it together in under an hour and as it is readily available at your local Bunnings for $299 it’s perfect for the upcoming Australia Day celebrations!

Disclaimer: I received the Outdoor Chef Leon to review for the purpose of this post. All opinions are my own. 

The post Summer time is BBQ time appeared first on All Mum Said.