BBQ for about 30 people

Sue Rocks

Hey All,

I am doing a BBQ for about 30 people soon and I am looking for a few suggestions as to what to cook. Is there anything other than the usual Burger and Hotdog combo that is easy and that wont cost a fortune to buy?

Also suggestions in terms of quick and tasty salads etc would be appreciated please.

Thanks :D

John_Mc

Home made coleslaw and potato salad are a must I think. Would be worthwhile making your own marinade using a recipe you find online, and then maybe doing chicken skewers and good quality sausages.

olaola

I have BBQs a good few times a year for that amount of people -

I usually do a selection of burgers - lamb, beef, veggie and chicken (normal & spiced) since it's 30 people, you don't want to get too bogged down doing complicated things, or things that will take too long to cook. You can do nice toppings, like red onion marmalade, guacamole - things to make them different. Check out a gourmet burger type menu to get ideas. And these all can be done in advance, which saves you hassle.

Schwenkbraten - marinated pork loin chops, this is if I see them going cheap (about a euro per chop). These are great and they go down well.

And then I'll do turkey/lamb kebabs too, which are bascially just the burger mixture moulded onto a stick. Serve with flatbreads, tzaziki and salad. You could make your own saussies for extra kudos! Chicken thighs cooked in the oven first and then finished on the BBQ are also good. You can get a can of hoi sin concentrate from the Chinese shops and marinate them for a few hours. Works out well.

Sides -
Corn on the cob (Aldi have them on special at the moment)
Green Salad
Potato Salad
Cous Cous & roasted veg salad
Pesto pasta salad
Noodle salad
Brrocolli & feta salad

olaola

Oh forgot to mention ribs, they're going cheap in Aldi & Lidl atm.

Sparks

Fajhitas, if you can find flank steak and marinade it (you grill it whole, then slice it up).

kylith

olaola wrote: »

Oh forgot to mention ribs, they're going cheap in Aldi & Lidl atm.

And they're bloody tasty too.

Grate some ginger and garlic, mix with oil and soy sauce to make a marinade for chicken.

Mix minced up black pudding into minced beef for really yummy burgers.

shinikins

Buy a whole rake of chicken breasts, squeeze some oranges over them and a good spoonful of honey and some ground pepper and marinade for a few hours or overnight in the fridge, BBQ and you will get the best chicken breasts ever! Meat is tender and juicy and the outside is smokey and sticky. We never have any left over when we BBQ!! Any left over marinade is lovely spooned onto the sausages when they're on the BBQ too. Its also nice with a dash of tabasco or sweet chili sauce mixed in, but not too much or it can be overpowering.

glanman

Chicken Breasts, slice each breast into 3 slivers
Marinade in:

1 part Olive Oil
1 part Soy Sauce
1 part Honey
Garlic
A little salt

for a few hours or overnight.

Delicious chicken!

Also try liver(calves or lamb), cheap, easy and surprisingly tasty, a talking point.

Minder

Pasta salad.
Take a couple of packets of fusilli pasta, cook, drain and rinse in cold water to stop it cooking any more.
Finely chop plenty of garlic, then fry in olive oil until golden.
Add more oil and a couple of handfuls of dry breadcrumbs.
Fry until the breadcrumbs are fragrant and golden.
Tip the pasta and the garlic breadcrumbs into a big serving bowl.
Cut some cherry tomatoes in half and fry in a little oil.
Get a few bunches of fresh herbs and chop - marjoram, basil, mint, parsley.
Mix the tomatoes and herbs through the pasta.
Season with salt & pepper and drizzle with a little more olive oil.

bryaner

It all sounds good, also try steak with some chimichurri well tasty.

Sue Rocks

wow thanks guys ... im starving now it all sounds fantastic. Will defo go with some sort of skewers and I like the ribs ideas... Keep the suggestions flowing in please :D

BaZmO*

Kebabs are great to do. Very easy and can be very economical..

I made a Jamie recipe the other day for a kinda Cajun style Pork Kebab.

His recipe called for 4 Pork Fillets laid parallel to each other and then skewered so you end up with a raft type shape. And then you just lay it on the the BBQ and keep brushing it with the marinating sauce. His timings were all over the place though. He said 15mins total cooking time but it took more like 40 mins, and I only used one Pork Fillet cut in half and skewered.

Can't remember the exact ingredients for the marinade but it contained.....Cumin, Fennel, Cloves, Smoked Paprika, Thyme, Garlic, Orange Zest, Orange Juice, Balsamic Vinegar, Ketchup, Garlic. Think that's it. (I think that's the lot?)

It was really really nice. I'll definitely make it again. And apart from the spices (which I had already) it's very economical to make.


Another one that's great to do and the OH's family do quite a lot (she's Lithuanian) is a pork kebab called Shashlik. It's made from a really cheap cut of pork from the neck. €5 would feed about 10 people. You can get the spices from any of the Polish/Lithuanian shops and you marinate the pieces of pork over night in the spices, mayonaise and loads of garlic. Seriously nice.

The Hill Billy

You can't beat ribs - they are very versatile.

In a large pot - simmer gently for 15/20 mins.
Remove & allow to dry. They are good to eat straight away, but can also be marinated any number of ways before you grill them.

Mix a couple of spoons of honey (or even marmalade) with soy sauce. You could also mix in Tabasco, chilli flakes, ginger, garlic, etc...

For an Indian flavour - marinate them with mango chutney or lime pickle & for a Chinese flavour - use hoi sin.

Swampy

Get loads of gambas prawns in the shells from the fish monger. Marinade in garlic and chilli amd oil. 2 mins each side max on the BBQ in their shells. yum.

Also get a few fillets of pork. slice in to strips. Marinade in Kikkoman Tereyaki (sp?) overnight. It will go a mad dark black colour. Stick them on skewers and bbq for a few mins. Amazing. I could eat bbq'd pork forever.

Swampy

bryaner wrote: »

It all sounds good, also try steak with some chimichurri well tasty.

Chimichurri is the sh1t. Love it.