Great American Barbecue: All You Need for A Perfect BBQ
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE SEE OUR FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY FOR DETAILS.
Welcome to the Great American Barbecue, a virtual potluck where we have everything you need from drinks to dessert for the perfect backyard party or picnic.
The summer grilling season may be winding down, but there’s still room for you to host one more backyard bash for your family and friends. Today, we’re helping you throw the Great American Barbecue, where we’ve thought of everything you need from drinks to dessert for the perfect BBQ.
As you plan your parties, let us help! Get your Summer Barbecue Planner so you can stay organized and you won’t forget a single thing.
The Great American Barbecue is a virtual potluck hosted by 13 fabulous bloggers to bring you wonderful picnic recipes and ideas. We’ve taken all the work out of planning the Great American Barbecue for you and your friends including drinks, appetizers, meats to grill, side dishes and desserts. Each blogger brought a different recipe or idea as their “dish to pass”. We even included an easy DIY utensil caddy and a fun outdoor activity for the kids.
Refreshing Drinks to Welcome Your Guests
Whether your guests arrive from across town, out of town or from the house next door, the first thing a good host always does is offer them a cool, refreshing beverage.
Make Ahead Frozen Lemon Berry Slush {adult and kid versions}
Brought to you by:
Get more great ideas like this when you follow her on:
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest
Brought to you by:
Get more great ideas like this when you follow her on:
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram
Get the Party Started with Appetizers
With a beverage in hand, your guests will need something to munch on while the main dish is cooking on the grill.
Bruschetta with Whipped Feta and Grilled Crostini
Brought to you by:
Dana from This Silly Girl’s Life
Get more great ideas like this when you follow her on:
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram
Brought to you by:
Get more great ideas like this when you follow her on:
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram
The Main Event – Fresh from the Grill
What would a barbecue be if you didn’t have meat to throw on the grill? For the Great American Barbecue, we’ve got two fabulous options for you!
Brought to you by:
Angela from Handmade in the Heartland
Get more great ideas like this when you follow her on:
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram
Chipotle Lime Chicken Skewers with Avocado Ranch
Brought to you by:
Get more great ideas like this when you follow her on:
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram
Perfect Potluck Side Dishes
A barbecue always needs a few great side dishes to accompany the main meal. We’ve got pasta, potatoes and a green salad all ready for the making!
Bought to you by:
Carrie from Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®
Get more great ideas like this when you follow us on:
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest
Brought to you by:
Britni from Play. Party. Plan.
Get more great ideas like this when you follow her on:
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram
Brought to you by:
Shauna from The Best Blog Recipes
Get more great ideas like this when you follow her on:
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram
Delicious Crowd-Pleasing Desserts
How many of you head straight for the dessert table when you get to a barbecue? With desserts like these, it’s easy to see why.
Oreo White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brought to you by:
Ashlyn from Belle of the Kitchen
Get more great ideas like this when you follow her on:
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram
Brought to you by:
Get more great ideas like this when you follow her on:
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram
Serving Your Guests in Style
Once you’ve got the food prepared and set up along your buffet, you’ll need to make the silverware easily accessible for your guests. Here’s an easy way to do that with something you already have on hand!
Upcycled Utensil Caddy (As of March 2019, this website is no longer available.)
Brought to you by:
Katie from View from the Fridge
A Fun Activity for the Kids
No detail has been spared as we planned the perfect barbecue for you. We even have a fun game for the kids that’s easy to make!
Brought to you by:
Courtney from Crafts by Courtney
Get more great ideas like this when you follow her on:
Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest
While you’re here, be sure to check out these other summer barbecue recipes on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® –
I make a killer coleslaw! I love to make it for the family!
Ooooh! I bet your whole family looks forward to your coleslaw when you come to the summer potluck, Cheryl.
The best dish to bring to a bbq is my famous califlower salad. The best thing to make on the grill is pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon and brushed with maple syrup.
Cauliflower salad sounds delicious, Cathy! Thanks for sharing.
i just like simple things like potato salad and coleslaw
They are tried and true, aren’t they, Lesley? I think it’s almost expected you’d find those two at a barbecue or summer picnic.
I make these spicy chicken tortilla roll-ups, which are stuffed with spicy shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese and scallions. They are amazing!
Your chicken tortilla roll-ups DO sound amazing, Stacey! I bet they’re a big hit with your friends!
I love Potato and Macronie salad and BBQ chicken!!
Thanks for the give-away!! Hope I win!!
Potato and macaroni salad are some of our favorites too, Jamie! Did you see we brought an Easy Macaroni Salad as our “dish to pass” for the barbecue?
Cesar Salad
Great choice, James!
My favorite dish to bring to a barbecue is baked beans.
Oooh! I like baked beans too, Raina – especially when they have nice crispy bacon on top.
My favorite food is grilled corn on the cob!
That sounds delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever tried it on a grill, only boiled!
Ahhhh! You have got to try it! Pull the shucks back, remove the silk, rub butter over the entire corn, season with your favorite seasoning (I like salt, pepper and paprika), pull the shucks back over the corn, tie the shucks closed if needed (most of the time this is not necessary). Place on the grill first. It should be done by the time everything else is done. Google grilling corn on the cob, Im sure there are plenty of recipes out there.
Thanks for sharing the instructions for how to do it. We’ve been loving all the fresh corn from my Dad’s garden this week. We’ll have to try it grilled one of these days. It sounds delicious.
My favorite is grilled spicy chicken.
Hi Benny! Great to hear from you! Grilled spicy chicken sounds great. Do you just do chicken breasts or other chicken parts too?
I do drumsticks or chicken breasts.
Grilled hotdogs with mustard and ketchup.
My two boys would totally pick this as their favorite summer barbecue dish too, Natasha!
I love grilled kebabs.
You know, I love kebabs too, but I never think to make them. Great idea!
so many things come to mind..but, I get asked to bring my scratch over 100 year old family recipe of southern baked beans and potato salad the most.
You can trace back your family’s recipe for southern baked beans over 100 years? Wow! What a special tradition, Vickie!
Thanks..all my old timey recipes are that old! My granny was born in 1910. She taught me to cook..she didn’t have my mom until in her 40’s..therefore, I got to know and love her..and all her 11 brothers and sisters all great Georgia/Florida cooks. 🙂
I do feel blessed! 🙂
What a neat legacy, Vickie! I have a few family recipes that have been passed down to me too – but how special you got to learn the recipes right from her. 🙂
I love to bring some yummy coleslaw and watermelon
What great classics for a summer potluck, Beth! Thanks for sharing.
I love bringing a fancy desert because that way it doesn’t stay at my house!
Great idea, Amy! Then you get to enjoy the dessert without having to worry about consuming the leftovers. Perfect!
hamburgers
We just grilled hamburgers last night, Kim! Great choice.
I always bring the desserts and a side dish
Quinoa salad!
Has to be ribs..what can compare?
True, Richard! Very true. Did you see the great recipe for Fall Off the Bone BBQ Ribs from Handmade in the Heartland that’s part of this Great American Barbecue?
Spinach-artichoke dip and Kings Hawaiian bread.
Yum! Love spinach artichoke dip, Janis!
I bring the cake pops, the cobbler and the rolls.
I always hope it will be my mother who brings the potato salad. 🙂
You bring cake pops! Wow. I always think they look amazing. Are they difficult to make?
They are not difficult to make as much as they are very labor intensive. You definitely need to plan a block of a few hours (after your cake is completely cooled) to work on them.
Hmmm… with two little guys at home, extra time isn’t available these days, but I really ought to give it a try when they’re a little older. Thanks for sharing, Tammi!
My favorite activity to bring is of course cards! Love to play a game of cards.
So fun, Destiny! Do you have a favorite card game you like to play? My family always seems to play euchre when we’re together.
Well, UNO is our all time favorite card game to play. Like that’s our go to card game, and I like to think I’m the best at the game. Lol, but when it comes to a regular deck of cards we like to play games like speed and slam. I’m not too good when it comes to more advanced games when playing cards. But we also do board games such as monopoly, life, clue, last chance, etc etc. Basically pretty much anything that’s fun and entertaining for everyone we’ll play it.
I bet your family gatherings are a blast, Destiny! We love UNO too. Thanks for sharing.
I usually bring some wine and a cake. Thanks!
I like the way you think, Marta – wine AND dessert! Perfect!
I love bringing Mini Strawberry Shortcakes!
How fun, Shannon! Are they easy to transport?
I usually bring the separate ingredients: whipped topping, strawberry (already sugared) and shortcake, and let everyone put them together themselves so they are fresh! They’re always a pretty big hit!
Ahhh… so that’s the secret! GREAT idea to bring it all separately and then assemble on site.
I make a wicked German Potato Salad!
Isn’t it great to have a specialty? I’m bringing my easy macaroni salad to a neighborhood pig roast this weekend.
I usually bring the desserts. For a BBQ, I would probably make a Death by Chocolate Poke Cake.
Death by Chocolate Poke Cake! That sounds amazing, Heather B.
that would be all out water gun battle activity!
Oh boy! I bet you have quite the fun at your backyard barbecues. Everyone better bring dry clothes along with their dish to pass!
My favorite dish to bring to a backyard BBQ is a tropical fruit salad with citrus-mint vinaigrette. Light & refreshing!
That sounds so summer-y, Angela! Thanks for sharing.
Carrie,
We have an awesome corn hole game my son made. So I would think that would be fun for many ages. How are you? I love the concept of this giveaway and blog post. Let me know when you are doing it again. I would love to bring something to the party.
Have a Creative Day,
Karen Marie
Dragonfly & Lily Pads
Hi Karen, I’m so glad you came by for the barbecue. I don’t have any immediate plans to organize another one, but we recently started accepting guest posts on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®. If you’ve got a great “dish to pass” with big bright pictures you’d like to share with our readers, we’d love to have you. Thanks, Carrie
Love this! I would be happy to go to a bbq with all these yummy foods! This is such an awesome roundup! We usually bring ribs or an appetizer.
You usually bring ribs? Remind me to invite you next time we host a barbecue! 😉 Thanks for stopping by, Michelle. It’s great to see you over here at Kenarry.