Communion and Garden Party BBQ: Menu, Tips and Rubs

Start with Guests, Space and Capacity

List adults, children, food preferences and allergies. Then assess how much can cook at once, who will help and how much space you have to keep ingredients and prepared dishes chilled. Another BBQ or larger smoker can help, but a fixed guest count does not automatically determine the appliance you need.

Keep raw and cooked food separate, with dedicated dishes and utensils. For a vegetarian menu, choose suitable cheese and ingredients too: halloumi contains milk, and whether a cheese is vegetarian depends partly on the rennet used.

How Much Meat per Person?

First work out how many main dishes you will serve. Do not add a full portion of chicken, ribs and pulled pork for every guest. At a mixed buffet, divide the overall amount across dishes and allow for sides, children and appetite.

The earlier examples of 200–250 g chicken, 350–400 g spare ribs or 180–200 g pulled pork are not interchangeable weights: bone, cooking loss and raw versus cooked weight matter. State explicitly what you mean on your shopping list. Supplementary sausages are not the same as an extra full main meal either.

For calculations, use the meat-per-person guide and the advice on BBQ for large groups. Choose one calculation basis and scale it to your actual menu.

A Varied Party Menu

• Prepare ahead: pulled pork with Memphis rub, for example. Plan rapid cooling, chilled storage and thorough reheating in advance too.
• Longer BBQ cooking: spare ribs with your chosen rub. Follow the recipe; do not routinely start just two hours before guests arrive.
• From the grill: chicken thighs with Korean rub, for example. Thickness, bone and heat determine cooking; ‘ready in 25 minutes’ is not a guarantee of doneness. For chicken, measure at least 74°C in the thickest part of each relevant piece, avoiding bone.
• Vegetarian choice: vegetables, corn and suitable halloumi if desired, with separate clean tongs and an appropriate work area.
• For children or guests who prefer little heat: offer a separate lightly seasoned dish. Do not rely only on a rub’s name; ask about preferences.

Choosing Rubs without Blanket Mildness Guarantees

Memphis offers a sweet-smoky direction but also contains cayenne. Tex-Mex includes Kashmiri chilli and cayenne. Toscana Fire combines fennel seed, smoked paprika, allspice and cayenne among its ingredients. Jamaican Jerk includes allspice, thyme, cloves and Scotch Bonnet. Do not automatically call a blend mild, suitable for all children or ‘not extreme’ for every diner. Quantity and accompaniments matter.

All rubs mentioned contain salt. Memphis, Toscana Fire, Jamaican Jerk and Korean rub contain brown sugar. Memphis and Toscana Fire contain mustard; Korean rub contains sesame. Check current labels and all sauce and side-dish ingredients too. Keep allergen information visible and prevent cross-contact; a flavour label alone is not enough.

Explore the BBQ pack overview or the Starter Pack guide. More ingredient information is in the allergen overview.

A Practical Timeline

• Ahead of time: confirm guest numbers, menu and allergies. Check equipment, fuel, thermometers, fridge space and hot-holding arrangements.
• The day before: prepare only dishes you can cool and store safely using a suitable method. Seasoning early is optional; keep raw meat covered and chilled within its use-by date.
• On the day: work backwards from serving time using each recipe, allowing for variation. Overnight cooking is not compulsory and needs suitable equipment and supervision.
• Before serving: reheat previously cooked dishes thoroughly until steaming hot and stir where possible. If needed, divide thick pieces into smaller portions for even reheating.
• During the party: use small serving dishes and replenish with freshly chilled or reliably hot portions. Measure the food’s own temperature where needed.

Use charcoal and gas BBQs only outdoors in a suitable safe place, following the appliance instructions. Do not turn an enclosed space or tent into an improvised BBQ kitchen.

Keeping Side Dishes Chilled and Hot Food Hot

Coleslaw, potato salad and hummus cannot stand indefinitely at room temperature. Keep perishable food at around 4°C, take out small amounts and use a suitable chilled buffet arrangement if needed. Keep sauces and salads out of the sun. Discard perishable food left unchilled for more than two hours; extra care is needed in very hot conditions.

Keep hot dishes genuinely hot: measure at least 60°C in the food itself when holding them hot. An appliance setting or a lid on a dish does not prove this. Raw products must not share dishes or utensils with cooked food.

See the BBQ side-dish overview for combinations. Check milk in cheese or creamy sauces, egg or mustard in some mayonnaises, and sesame in tahini, among other ingredients. Follow the recipe or label of the variant you choose.

Leftovers and Reheating

Do not automatically keep everything that has spent a long time on the buffet. Cool leftovers from appropriately stored dishes quickly in small portions and shallow containers. Refrigerate within two hours of cooking or the end of hot holding. Keep covered at 4°C and use within two days, or freeze suitable portions promptly.

Reheat only the amount needed thoroughly until steaming hot. Stir where possible. Do not keep reheated leftovers for another reheating cycle. Preparing ahead does not automatically make food tastier or safer; cooling and heating must be right.

Sources: Voedingscentrum: safe barbecuing and Voedingscentrum: handling party meals and leftovers safely.