Summer BBQ and Picnic Tips from the Experts
Summer Barbecue and Picnic Tips from the Experts
The summer season has finally arrived in all its glory and British Columbia’s barbecue and picnic seasons are now in full swing. And while just about anyone can pack a lunch or light a barbecue, if you want your outdoor event to shine like a vibrant Vancouver sunrise, there are a few tips and tricks that you can easily apply to elevate your al fresco food and beverage game to flavourful new heights
Since many of our tips can be readily applied to both a barbecue and a picnic, we’ll start with a few essentials for each experience before diving into the intricacies that will make your outdoor event uniquely your own.
Barbecue Basics
While some may turn to the grill as a culinary fail-safe, we firmly believe that barbecuing is not a time to pull one’s punches. If you would like your summer cookout to stand out from the crowd, we recommend going with big and bold summer flavour profiles.
A simple dry spice rub or smoky marinade mixture can go a long way toward imparting long-lasting flavours to almost any meaty main course. Simply coat the protein you intend to cook with a marinade or rub, pop it into the fridge the day before, and allow it to come to room temperature prior to cooking. If you’re working with a larger cut of meat, you can kick the concept of flavour infusion up a notch by using a syringe to inject your marinade directly into the meat.
Dry rubs can be made with as many or as few dry herbs and spices as you see fit, but as a general rule of thumb, beef is usually at its best when savoury, pork pairs well with sweeter rubs, and chicken goes with anything… well, almost anything! There’s no universal rule for making a dry rub and you don’t need to be a grillmaster to enhance summertime staples, so any combination of salt, pepper, onion, garlic, and paprika can usually do the trick.
A similar strategy can be applied to season seafood, but you can also impart additional flavour by cooking your seafood on various types of soaked wooden planks. Not only will your seafood absorb the smoky and woodsy aroma of the plank and grill, but since seafood is typically more delicate than other meats, you’ll also end up with a more flaky and buttery texture than if you were to cook it directly on the grill.
As with any cohesive meal plan, we recommend balancing out the bold flavours of your main offerings, and one of the least labour-intensive ways to do so is by making a seasonal salad. With a wide variety of ingredients now in peak season, you really can’t go wrong with the veggies you pick for your salad or the grill, but this Southwestern Kale Salad recipe from Savoury City founder Donna Wadsworth is an excellent place to start—especially since the spicy cilantro dressing can double as a delicious marinade!
Farm-to-table fare is almost always going to be higher quality than products purchased at a grocery store, so we suggest sourcing your meat and seafood from a local butcher or fishmonger. Make sure to give your grill a good cleaning before you fire it up, apply a light coating of peanut or avocado oil directly onto the grill to keep your food from sticking, and always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your meat.
Once you’ve settled on the specifics of your food and beverage menu and service style, the last step will be to set up the space where your BBQ will take place. One of the aspects of custom catering that we love most is helping our clients create memories by turning backyards into gorgeous outdoor dining experiences. By adding complementary elements like strategic lighting, rustic outdoor furniture, and a musical soundtrack to match the mood you want to set, you can easily transform your space from ordinary to extraordinary.
Picnic Prerequisites
Few settings are more suitable for making summer memories than a personalized picnic.
When choosing the ideal place for your picnic, we recommend seeking out a spot that offers some peace and privacy, but doesn’t sacrifice the scenic amenities Vancouver is famous for. A great way to find the perfect match for your picnic is to find culinary connections between what you love to eat and the potential venue itself; if you’re planning a seafood-centric picnic, look for a place along the water; if your picnic menu is hyper-seasonal, try finding a patch of space in a local park that is bursting with colourful plants and flowers.
Unlike a backyard BBQ where you will presumably have everything you need—and might forget—in close proximity, when it comes to picnics, planning is paramount. As such, you will want to leave no stone unturned. Picture your picnic as its own portable culinary entity and organize each step of your menu into starters, entrées, and desserts.
Handheld options are always a hit because they allow guests to enjoy their food on-the-go without fussing with utensils or worrying about making a mess. In addition to their portability, bite-sized snacks like sandwiches and wraps, fish tacos, pork belly buns, vegetarian salad rolls, and assorted kebabs can also be a great vessel to combine your favourite summertime flavours.
If you’re looking for a menu that is ideal when served at room temperature, consider an afternoon tea or charcuterie board, perfect for laid-back grazing or for lingering over a sunset. Both options can be made in advance, then assembled on-site, no barbecue required.
Last but certainly not least, always check the local weather forecast before you depart for your picnic and adjust accordingly. And since inclement weather is always a possibility—forecast or not—we advise bringing along a few extra blankets, an umbrella or two, and even some bug spray to ward off any pesky party crashers.
Killer Condiments
Now that we’ve gone through the BBQ and picnic essentials, it’s time to start adding the finishing touches to take your outdoor event to the next level.
One of the best ways to get people talking about your picnic or BBQ is to provide them with something they’ve never tasted before. Ketchup and yellow mustard can be found in almost every home kitchen, so instead of serving sauces your guests have eaten countless times, opt for artisanal products from local makers.
The same can be said for other often-overlooked accompaniments such as salsa, chutney, relish, salad dressings, preserves, and honey. Vancouver is home to some of the most talented artisans in the world and there is no shortage of unique pantry staples to choose from.
Crushable Cocktails
Neither the versatility nor the convenience of handheld options are exclusive to food. While both picnics and BBQs will offer a bit of flexibility in terms of how you distribute your liquid libations, you’ll want to do so in a way that won’t feel cumbersome to your guests.
Wine has always been a popular choice for picnics in particular, but instead of packing a bottle, a chiller, and shatterproof wine glasses, snag a six-pack of your favourite vineyard’s canned wine. Ready-to-drink beverages have exploded in popularity over the last few years, and as a result, the options for outdoor summer sipping are nearly endless.
Offering a few varieties of premixed canned cocktails can also be a fantastic way to go beyond the basic beer-only options of years past. In addition to an array of spirit-based bevvies, most local distilleries will also usually have a selection of creative canned zero-proof cocktails as well.
Finally, serving an additional homemade beverage can also be a great way to put a personal stamp of culinary creativity on your outdoor event. Easy-to-make serve-yourself beverages usually do best, so try mixing up a pitcher or two of sangria, mezcal margaritas, or mimosas. If you have the time and you’d like to go the extra mile for your guests, try your hands at this tasty Rosemary-Lemon Bourbon Sour!