On a sunny day do you crave the aroma of a smoky barbecue? it’s a surefire way to bring smiles to the faces of your friends and family when you serve the best BBQ foods for a crowd.
Whether you’re throwing a backyard bash, celebrating a special occasion, or simply enjoying a weekend cookout, you want to have a delicious selection of BBQ dishes that are perfect for feeding a crowd.
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Make your next barbecue sensational with these easy BBQ food ideas. Confidently serve your guests pork shoulder, ribs, chicken, BBQ sides, and a no cook dessert.
BBQ Party Menu Ideas
Every part of the country has it’s own version of barbecue. In Texas, it’s smoked brisket and sausage. In the Carolinas, it’s pork with a vinegar sauce. Memphis has dry rub ribs and in California the Tri Top is king. When putting together our favorites for this list of the best grill recipes, it was hard to narrow it down because we LOVE it all!
Some of the recipes are international. There’s Korean beef version/recipe for barbecue food called Bulgogi. Not what you traditionally think of as BBQ, but oh so good. So the answer to this question, “What Food to Have at A Barbecue?” is simple. Bring what you like and others will enjoy it too!
Easy BBQ Ideas for a Crowd
Backyard BBQs create an easy and relaxed atmosphere. When hosting a summer cookout with a larger group, keep your menu easy and relaxed as well.
Main Dishes for a Backyard Barbecue
I like to have a few different options for the main entree when cooking barbecue for a crowd. This could be pork, chicken, or beef. Regardless of the type of meat, pack it with flavor before grilling it.
- Chicken: Make kabobs with vegetables, chicken wings, or grilled chicken breasts
- Beef: Hamburgers, kofta, steak
- Pork: Chops, hot dogs, brats
- Seafood: Shrimp or fresh-caught fish
- Vegetables: (yes, vegetarians love a backyard bbq, too!) Portobello mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, grilled corn on the cob
Favorite Side Dishes for a Summer Cookout
I choose several side dishes. They are both warm and cold as well as a mix of sweet, spicy, and savory.
Balance cheaper barbecue dishes with more expensive ones when feeding a large crowd. Choose plenty of fruits, vegetables, and other salads to fill your guests’ tummies.
Summer barbecues are full of family memories and nostalgia. Provide a selection of those tried-and-true side dishes such as baked beans, grandma’s potato salad recipe, and pasta salad. Then experiment with a few different or more complex side dishes as well.
Drinks and Condiments for the Best Backyard Barbecue
Add fresh squeezed lemonade and sun tea for easy and affordable BBQ party refreshments. Keep condiments where guests can easily access them. I like to have these on hand:
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- BBQ sauce
- Sriracha
- Salsa
- Olive Oil
- Salt, Pepper
- Mayo
Make Your Easy BBQ Party Affordable
Feeding a large group of people adds up quickly, but there are some easy ways to make it better for your budget.
Up above, I suggested using lemonade and sun tea for refreshments. Individual serving sizes of soda or juice get expensive. Use larger liter bottles to save money. If anyone drinks alcohol, ask them to BYOB.
Borrow serving dishes if you don’t host events regularly. Larger platters and trays are useful when you need them but go unused a large part of the year. Ask friends and neighbors if you can borrow theirs rather than buying new items.
Another way to save money at your barbecue is to keep the decorations simple. A simple strand of lights and maybe a few balloons or other accents are all you need. Most people will be focused on the food and good conversations.
If your barbecue is casual, ask your guests to bring a dish to share. Assign the dishes in categories such as salads, desserts, sides, bread, etc. to make sure you have enough of each item.
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Essential Food For Barbecue
For your next barbecue or backyard cookout, we have the best bbq recipes here for you. These are out favorites that are real crowd pleasers. There's everything from ribs and beans to skirt steak and grilled chicken. Then there are classic and not so traditional sides and ending with a no cook dessert.
Ribs so tender the meat just falls off the bone. This recipe is starts the ribs off in a slow cooker with beans at the bottom. Adding your favorite BBQ sauce and you'll end up with finger licking good ribs and beans. You can finish the ribs under teh broiler or on the grill for carmelized ribs that everyone can't get enough of.
Add Korean flavor to your next bbq. This is a tasty marinated beef that is perfect cooked on the grill. Serve it up with lettuce wraps and kimchi.
Growing up in southern California, backyard cookouts called for grilled Carne Asada. This is a family favorite recipe marinated in citrus and beer. Perfect for tacos, burritos, nachos, salads, etc.
Barbecue in North Carolina means pork with a spicy vinegar sauce. After living there for 4 years, I crave this every now and again. Cook up the pork for the first night and serve these sliders the second. These make a great party food too!
You haven't lived unti you'll tried these grilled pork chops and cinnamon peaches. Fire up the grill and get ready!
Never worry about serving dry grilled chicken ever again. The secret is in this yougurt marinade that ensures you get juicy, moist chicken EVERY time. Add your favorite veggies to the skwers and it's one stick cooking!
In the central coast of California, tri-tip is the only what's for dinner! See what you've been missing.
This Grilled Flank Steak with Blistered Tomatoes and Basil Vinaigrette is a real crowd pleasure. It's easy to create, beautiful plated, and absolutely delicious.
Grilling skewers like this are super easy. Create garlicy shrimp and serve up something delicious.
You can't have a barbecue with potato salad. Here's our classic potato salad with mayo.
Bacon goodness is what's in this potato salad. Serve up this hot potato salad with brats or burgers.
This potato salad is anything but ordinary in the states. The name says Russian, but it actually comes via Italy.
Now that you've seen the potato salad, let's get to the slaws. This is our version of Rudy's BBQ slaw with cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots.
Apples and red cabbage add crunch to this slaw. It's fantastic with grilled chicken.
Forget the veggie platter and create this Broccoli salad. It's got crunch and is oh so good.
One more broccoli salad for you. This one is Keto friendly and packed with goodness like chickpeas, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
The last side salad I'll give you in this one. It's shaved Brussels sprouts and pomegranates with a orange dressing.
Whole chicken cooked on the grill. This dry rub seals in the flavor and cooking over a beer creates moist chicken everyone enjoys.
A simple and easy dessert or snack. It's a great way to enjoy sweet summer fruit.
Perfectly grilled chicken with Greek flavors. Serve it on its own, inside pita, or over rice.
After a day fishing, throw blackened catfish on the for a quick and easy meal. This recipe has a herbed butter that goes so well with the blackened spice that can be used on other types of fish, chicken, and pork.
How Much Meat Per Person for a Large Barbecue Party
Generally, plan on ½ to ¾ pound of meat per person when serving a variety of meats at a barbecue. Use a variety of expensive and cheaper options to keep your costs down.
How to Estimate BBQ Sauce and Condiments for a Crowd
Estimate about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of sauce or marinade per person and adjust as needed. It is better to have too many condiments available than not enough, in my opinion.
Want more? Find more BBQ Side Dishes and Backyard Games here.
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This article is a BBQ lover’s dream! I’m drooling over the different regional styles. I’ve always been Team Texas brisket, but that Korean Bulgogi sounds amazing. What’s your go-to main for a backyard cookout?