Help me plan my party...

MrsKatie

We are having a big BBQ for my H's birthday and just to celebrate summer in general in July.  I'm trying to put the menu together and am running into trouble.  And... since you all know your food I thought I'd ask for help!

We want to do something on the BBQ, but want to be able to actually talk to people during the party.  We will be feeding 50+ people including children.  I need some "sides" ideas too!  We'll have fruits and veggies, of course!  This will be the first time we have had a huge event at our house and we are looking to impress.

Please give me any and all ideas!!!!!  Thanks!!!

pinktulips

I would do pulled chicken or pork sandwiches. You can do the chicken/pork ahead of time, and then brown the buns with some cheese on the grill. For a side, you could do baked potatoes on the grill (they don't need babysitting) and then while you are toasting the buns, you could do a fancy grilled corn on the cob like this... https://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/2009/07/sweet-corn-with-cilantro-lime-butter.html

dawnies79

Holy moly, 50+ people! I've never had to cook for that many so I don't have much advice on actual recipes. We've done a BBQ for 20 or so and I felt like I missed the whole thing because I was constantly running around taking care of things....and that was a potluck. For sides of course salads are a great option because they can be made in large quantities. Have you looked into what Costco has? You may be able to find some sides or other ideas that might take the pressure off of having to cook the main dish and all the sides for that many people. I would also enlist the help of friends and family if they are willing to do some cooking for you. That way you can enjoy more time with your guests.

cwhip77

That's a lot of people to cook for during a party.  If you grill, you'll probably want to ask close family or friends if they can help cook.  Do you have enough grill space for that much food at the same time too?

I like the pulled pork idea... maybe do Southern type sides.  Pick up macaroni/potato salad and coleslaw already made.  A big pan of mac & cheese made ahead of time.

Another idea: for my father's birthday this year we did a chili dog bar.  That would be pretty easy to do on a big scale, I would probably grill up the hotdogs ahead of time then reheat them in big aluminum pans, and have a bunch of crockpots of different chilis (this would be great to ask for help with, especially if you know people who make good chili).  The kids can eat plain hot dogs if they don't like chili.  We had toppings like shredded cheese, diced onions, etc. and had simple sides like pasta salad and chips.   It's also a pretty cheap meal to do, Costco has big packs of hot dogs and buns for pretty cheap - feeding 50 people can be really expensive! 

itskacie

MrsKatie:

We are having a big BBQ for my H's birthday and just to celebrate summer in general in July.  I'm trying to put the menu together and am running into trouble.  And... since you all know your food I thought I'd ask for help!

We want to do something on the BBQ, but want to be able to actually talk to people during the party.  We will be feeding 50+ people including children.  I need some "sides" ideas too!  We'll have fruits and veggies, of course!  This will be the first time we have had a huge event at our house and we are looking to impress.

Please give me any and all ideas!!!!!  Thanks!!!

We had about that many at DD's 1st bday and we rented a BIG BBQ so we could cook a lot at once. My poor DH spent the whole time at the grill though!

Do you have access to a smoker? Can you slow cook a roast and do lots of pulled pork or something? Then just do corn or veggies quickly on the grill?