When the weather allows, one of the average Dutch person's favourite pastimes is without doubt a big, leisurely barbecue in the back garden. People often pull out the whole bag of tricks for it and start preparing early for a fantastic evening. Hosting a barbecue goes perfectly with one of our made-to-measure outdoor kitchens.
But what should you pay most attention to so that your barbecue goes as smoothly as possible? To help you on your way to organising a fun culinary experience, we've put together a few pointers!
1. Choose high-quality meat
95% of the time, a barbecue really is all about a tasty piece of meat on the grill. Of course, the go-tos are a nice sausage, burger, skewer and so on. Still, you can show off your grilling skills much better if you choose meat that doesn't just come from the supermarket. Supermarket meat is often a lot wetter and isn't always reared for the best flavour or tenderness. Sadly, the motto there is often 'quantity over quality'.
Local butcher
One good way to get a tasty, high-quality piece of meat at a fair price is to go to a butcher. You can often find good butchers at your local market, or recognise them by the 'Keurslager' quality mark, for example. If you ask around in your area, you'll often hear people mention the same name. The combination of a good piece of meat and a good place to cook, such as a Douglas fir outdoor kitchen, means you can prepare delicious meat.
The farm
Another option is to visit a farm in your area. Local farmers often have a small shop where they sell meat and/or dairy products. You'll often find extremely good deals there, because you're effectively bypassing all the middlemen between consumer and producer. That way you get the freshest meat at a great price!
2. Marinate and/or season your meat
The biggest part of a successful barbecue really lies in the preparation. Of course, you can season a lovely piece of meat on the spot with a good rub, for example, but if you put your meat in a tasty marinade a few hours (or a day) beforehand, you can make it the star of your barbecue!
The earlier you start marinating, the more your meat will absorb the flavour of the marinade. It's also always fun to experiment with your marinade and spice mix; that way you really make the meat your own!
3. Make sure you have a variety of dishes
If you really want to impress your guests, you'll of course want to show that you're not a one-trick pony; in other words, that you can do more than just grill a burger or a skewer. Luckily, we know you've got much more up your sleeve than just flipping something on the grill now and then! Making different dishes is really easy with an outdoor kitchen with gas burners.
Offer choices
People always appreciate having a few options, or at least a bit of variety in the food! That's why we always like to serve 2 or 3 different main courses. Think (as mentioned earlier) of a nice piece of meat (or two!), some fish and/or chicken, and of course some grilled vegetables. That way you can be sure there's always a suitable option for your guests and you keep everyone happy.
Of course, it's also important to serve a few side dishes! The well-known potato salad, some baguette, a few (home-made) sauces and a generous salad will make sure your guests don't starve while you're still busy putting together your culinary masterpiece(s)! That way people can relax and enjoy the ambience, catch up and enjoy the weather, while you carry on barbecuing and hosting the party undisturbed.
Experiment to your heart's content
As a final tip under this heading, we just want to encourage you to try something new! Look up some creative and fun recipes online (we have a few on our blog).
By now, many people are fairly familiar with the standard barbecue routine. It's still very tasty, of course, but it's not something people will still be talking about a month later. That's why we want to motivate as many people as possible to step outside their comfort zone and really go for it with their barbecues!
A good example of what you could do (and what many people forget) is to make dessert on the barbecue too! Think of a lovely piece of grilled pineapple with a scoop of ice cream and a sprinkling of cinnamon, or grilled fruit skewers with honey and cinnamon!
4. A barbecue sounds like music to your ears
A barbecue without music can quickly get a bit awkward when nobody has anything to say for a moment... That's why it's always a good idea to make a fun, upbeat playlist to fill the whole evening with your (and your guests') favourite tunes!
In our experience, tropical tracks always go down well, such as a salsa or bachata playlist! Classic Dutch pub sing-alongs by André Hazes and Jan Smit are often a hit too! As you can imagine, music is far too personal for us to tell you what belongs on the list. It's entirely subjective and something you can decide best! All we can say is: take a good look at your guest list and the kind of atmosphere you want to create.
A barbecue is all about preparation
We touched on this point earlier, but we really need to go into it a bit more! The preparation of a barbecue determines how smoothly and stress-free it will go. A few things you can take care of before your guests start arriving are:
- Marinating your meat in good time
- Chilling the drinks
- Making your side dishes in advance
- Cleaning the barbecue beforehand
- Getting the seating/dining area ready to welcome guests
- Working out the planning and timing in advance
That last point in particular can be quite important! It would be a shame if your dishes weren't ready at the same time. That could mean a couple of things: either you have to keep grilling while your guests are already tucking in, or some dishes have gone cold by the time you finally have the rest ready.
All in all, good preparation gives you more time and peace of mind to focus on what really matters: having a good time with your friends and/or family. That's ultimately the reason you organise evenings like this. With good preparation you give yourself less stress about sorting everything out at the last minute, and you can take your time to have a chat, pour a drink or put some music on without having to worry about the food! With the right outdoor kitchen with a kamado, you'll always be well prepared for the cooking, at any rate.
5. Food isn't everything (bonus tip)
As you've read, there are loads of options and areas you can pay attention to in order to make your barbecue evening unforgettable, one for the books. One thing we do still need to mention is that the most important part of a successful barbecue isn't the meat, the preparation, the music or how experimental you are.
The most important part of an unforgettable evening is the company you're with and want to share this memory with. Because barbecuing goes further than simply eating together. A barbecue can last a few hours, and that time can feel either very long or very short, depending on the people you surround yourself with.
You create the best atmosphere with the right people
Even if you buy the cheapest meat, which tastes like a shoe sole, burn all the food and end up having to order pizza for everyone anyway, with the right people around you you'll still laugh it off, and you'll be able to laugh about it again every time afterwards!
If you'd like to create more moments and memories like these, you could always consider having a beautiful outdoor kitchen installed in your garden! It instantly invites you to cook in the open air more often and invite your friends and/or family round for a lovely dinner in your back garden.
If you'd like to know more about all the possibilities for your outdoor kitchen, feel free to contact us and speak to one of our experts! We'll be happy to help you make your dreams come true!