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.

When you're preparing for an event, such as a summer barbecue, time is your friend. Take advantage of the time before your barbecue is scheduled to make sure that you have everything well-planned out. Start with a guest list and get invitations out right away, so that people have enough notice and time to respond. You'll also need to plan the menu for your event, make your grocery list, get decorations, and more. Make sure you prepare a to-do list for everything that needs to be done and when it should be completed by.

If you leave all of these tasks to the last minute, you're just asking for disaster. All of your guests could have other plans and not be available with such short notice, the grocery store could be sold out of one of the key ingredients, or you could run out of time to make sure your house is ready to entertain. Don't procrastinate. Once you decide to host a barbecue, start the planning process right away.

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.

One of the last things you want is for your guests to leave your barbecue still hungry. It is essential to make sure you have enough food to satisfy everyone. As a general rule, assume that all of your guests are going to eat about a pound of food in total – children will probably be closer to about half a pound. Consider the types of entrées and sides you'll be serving and how many people you'll have coming to help you decide what you'll need.

It is better to err on the side of caution and end up with extra food, rather than underestimating and not having enough for everyone. When in doubt, plan to double (or possibly, triple) your side dish recipes and pick up a few extra packs of hot dogs, or packages of ground beef for hamburgers.

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).

Before you get too far into planning your menu, check in with your guests. Ask about any allergies, food restrictions, or general preferences when it comes to eating.

Gathering this information will help make sure that you will be offering something that each guest will enjoy and actually be able to eat. If you fail to survey your guests, you could end up inadvertently leaving someone with very few options to eat. If this happens, both you and the guest are going to end up feeling bad, which could certainly put a damper on your event.

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.

One more important menu consideration to keep in mind: don't plan on anything that will melt or spoil too quickly. Remember, your cookout is going to be taking place outside during the summer. Summer temperatures can get pretty toasty, and you don't want to risk causing one of your entrées to spoil or melt.

Deviled eggs, for example, are one of the foods you should never serve at a cookout. Leaving their egg yolk and mayonnaise filling outside on a hot day is just asking for someone to get sick. Similarly, ice cream and chocolate desserts that are just going to melt and get messy are probably best saved for another day.

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.

Even if your barbecue party isn't scheduled until later in the afternoon or evening, you're going to find yourself busy the day of the event. There are always so many things to do when preparing to entertain, that no amount of time ever seems like enough. For this reason, you'll want to prepare as much as you can the day before the event.

Start by looking at the recipes you plan to make and decide which ones can safely be made a day ahead of time. These might include items like baked beans, salads, and desserts. You can also make your hamburger patties the night before — just make sure that you leave them wrapped and refrigerated once prepared. Some other tasks you can do to make sure you're ready for your barbecue include getting the plates, silverware, and cups ready to put outside, making sure the coolers are cleaned out, and cleaning up your house.

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.

When you have guests over, you want them to be comfortable. For this reason, one of the biggest mistakes you can make when hosting a summer barbecue is not having enough tables and chairs to accommodate all of your guests. 

You don't want to force any of your guests to eat standing up, do you? Getting a solid headcount a few days before the event can help you make sure you'll have enough seating. If you have more people coming than the number of chairs you have, it will leave you plenty of time to buy a few more chairs or ask one of your guests to bring some for you to borrow for the event.

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.

The foods you're planning to serve at your picnic should be kept at their ideal temperature. Not only is this important for food safety but also to ensure that everything tastes good. After all, who wants to eat a hot potato salad or a cold hamburger? 

Since you'll be outside for the cookout, you might need to use a little creative planning to help you achieve this goal. For cold foods, consider placing them in a bowl of ice or in a special container with a frozen bottom. Leaving these items inside the refrigerator until just before it is time to eat can also help.

Wrapping hot dogs, sausages, and hamburgers in aluminum foil (or covering their trays with foil) can help keep them hot. Insulated carriers can also help keep trays of hot food warm. If you have access to an electrical outlet, you can serve baked beans and similar items from a slow cooker to ensure that they stay warm.

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.

If you're serving lemonade, sangria, or anything out of a larger pitcher, you'll also need to make sure you have cups available for your guests to use. However, what you don't want to do is offer glass cups. 

Bringing glass outside is just asking for it to break. You don't want to threaten the safety of your guests with the potential for anyone to step on broken glass at your cookout. Opt for paper or plastic cups — including wine glasses. If you're planning on serving alcohol, choose beer cans over beer bottles and consider boxed wine or another glass-free way of serving it.

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.

While you don't have to go all-out, you also don't want to completely skip putting up any decorations for your barbecue. Consider adding a few balloons, decorative tablecloths, centerpieces, or hanging decorations to help make your outdoor space more fun and welcoming. 

If you're planning a barbecue around a holiday — such as Memorial Day or the Fourth of July, try looking for some patriotic decorations to help pull the theme together. If your barbecue is planned in honor of someone's birthday, look for a few birthday banners and balloons to create a more festive atmosphere.

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.

Just as you clean the inside of your home before entertaining guests, you'll want to make sure that your backyard is ready to host the friends and family members that will be coming to your cookout. 

Start by taking an assessment of the space and making a list of what you need to do. The necessary tasks may include mowing, picking up trash, cleaning up the flower beds, and putting away children's toys. Make sure everything on this list is done by the day before the event, if not earlier. You don't want to find yourself scrambling to prepare the space while you're also getting food ready.

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 warm weather of summer makes hanging outside with friends and family so enjoyable. However, sunburns and mosquitos are hazards that can ruin your summer party. 

Help keep your guests protected against getting sunburned by offering some sunscreen. Choose a few different SPF levels and formulations (such as spray-on options or lotion-based options) to help make sure everyone has the type they prefer. Similarly, also make bug spray available to keep your guests from getting eaten alive, especially if your party will be carrying on into the evening hours when more bugs will be out.

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.

Being afraid to ask for help is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when you're throwing a backyard barbecue. With all the planning and logistics of getting ready for the event, coupled with all the food prep and cooking on the day of the cookout, you're going to be taking on too much if you attempt to do everything by yourself. 

Reach out to friends or family members who will be attending. Chances are, they'll be more than willing to help you with planning, shopping for ingredients, coming a little early to help set up, and whatever else you need. Once guests start arriving, also don't be worried about asking people to help man the grill, grab sides from the refrigerator, or clean up. Your guests want you to be able to enjoy yourself, too. Frankly, after all of the hard work you've put into making your barbecue a success, you definitely deserve it.