Now that the cold of winter is a thing of the past and spring is marching along, you are likely starting to look forward to the start of summer. Longer days, warmer temperatures, and a break from school for the kids all mean that fun times lie ahead in the not-too-distant future.
One of the best ways to mark the start of summer with your friends and family is to throw a barbecue. Grilling up some amazing food, providing refreshing drinks, and some games as well can help to get everyone in the summertime spirit.
The good news is that you don’t have to be an expert grill master or party planner to throw an awesome barbecue. You just need to make sure that you cover a few key bases so that you can put together a fun yet laid-back event to kick off the start of summer.
If you are currently hoping to plan a barbecue to get summertime off to the best start for you and your friends, here are a few things to include in your plans.
Plan Some Low-Key Games
Even though people are going to come to socialize and enjoy some great food, you can help to make things even more fun by setting up a few backyard games for everyone. The beauty of a barbecue is that it doesn’t have to be a highly organized and planned event. To that point, choose some simple games that people can get involved in or not as they want.
Some great ideas to consider include horseshoes, giant Jenga, and cornhole. You can even order a set of Ohio State cornhole boards so that you can rep your alma mater at all of your summer barbecues this year.
Prep Your Food Ahead of Time
Once all of your friends and family arrive for your barbecue, you don’t want to spend all of your time in the kitchen working on the food. Rather, you want to be able to enjoy some time with everyone as well.
Because of this, it is a good idea to do as much food prep ahead of time as possible. You can marinate your meats and chop vegetables all before anyone arrives at your party. This way, all you will have to do is throw the food on the grill and serve it up when it is ready.
Double Check Your Fuel
There will probably always be a hot debate among grill enthusiasts about whether charcoal is the best choice of if gas is supreme. Wherever your opinions fall in this argument, you will need to make sure that you have plenty of your fuel of choice on hand prior to the start of your party.
The last thing that you want to have to happen is for you to have your grill all preheated and ready only to actually have used up the last of your fuel. In order to be safe, it is a good idea to stock up on either charcoal or gas the day before your barbecue.