Great Summer Fun
Yes, summer is now in full swing, and the barbeque grills are out and smoking.
Yet, some families are upset and frustrated because their family barbeque became a disaster ending with heated arguments and outright family brawls.
What happened to all the so-called family love? Uh-oh, it ran out of the backyard fast the moment Uncle Richard showed up, started drinking and talking about past stuff that made everyone angry! Damn!
Well, here are a few valuable tips and suggestions that can help you avoid such occurrences so you can have that enjoyable family BBQ that is safe and fun for everyone.
Step One - Plan to be safe and avoid the drama.
Safety should be your number one concern. But whether you want to admit this or not, Covid-19 is for real and is still going strong with the new, more contagious, and deadly Delta variant taking hold and infecting thousand daily.
Therefore, it is imperative to take the necessary safety precautions at your barbeque to ensure everyone's health. The very last thing you want is for Mom and Dad or Nana and Pop-pop to get sick and later hospitalized because they came to your barbeque event.
So, consider adherence to the CDC guidelines. Suggestion: limit the number of people to your house BBQ. Why? You do not want anyone to get sick!
Look, you can have Mom and Dad and your grandparents or siblings over and virtually interact or face time (use Duo, for example) with everyone else. You can explain that you did so for the safety of your parents and grandparents and if someone asks why state that you are adhering to the CDC guideline.
Besides, how do you know who is fully vaccinated? So, insist on family members and guests wearing makes when indoors. Also, buy a digital, hand-held thermometer and take the temperature of each guest as they arrive. Again, safety first.
This way, the elders are safe, and they can comfortably intact with other relatives virtually. Why you can even play the music they like because (trust me when I say this) nothing pleases a senior citizen more than listening to music from their youth. The old school jams they partied to and, yes, made love.
Not the songs or lyrics that have them wondering who is that or what are they singing? Do you want your mom or grandmother listening to Megan the Stallion's lyrics from the song "WAP"? I think not.
Remember, if it were not for old school jams like Heat Wave's "Always and Forever" or the late Teddy Pendergrass singing "Turn Off The Lights," your young ass would not be here today! So let Mom and Dad groove to the tunes they listened to when they fell in love.
Send out invitations well ahead of time to those you want to attend and make sure you get their confirmations. Also, when considering the number of people to invite, consider which family members may present a problem and prohibit alcohol at your family event.
Now I know that the above statement may cause an uproar for some, but everyone in the family knows Uncle Richard likes to drink. When he does, he becomes obnoxious, argumentative, and aggressive. Or your brother Rob, who is so political and contentious as well. So why give yourself a headache?
Uncle Rich and your brother Rob are clearly on the shortlist of relatives to contact virtually. While limiting or having no alcohol is an excellent idea because it will lessen the potential legal liability you can face if someone leaves your BBQ dunk and becomes involved in a car crash.
Ensure you have plenty of toiletries available (paper towels, soap, hand sanitizers, toilet tissue, etc.), and the access to the bathroom is free and clear of any toys or other items on the floor.
Nana and Pop-pop cannot get around as they used to, and you do not want them to trip and fall.
Next, have separate BBQs for family (including one for the youngsters) and friends.
Let the kids have their own separate, supervised barbeque party with a limited number of people invited.
Remember when you were a teenager? Most teenagers still want to party and have fun, so let them have supervised fun. But, of course, no drugs or alcohol are allowed.
They can laugh and joke, listen to the latest rock and hip-hop music, although not too loud, so you will not have to worry about offending or disturbing the neighbors.
You do not want the neighbors to call the police because of the loud noise, and police officers hate going to these calls.
Since most kids use social media, you should keep an eye out for uninvited guests showing up at your house.
Step-Two: How To Start Grilling
If having a BBQ is something new to you, then chances are you should expect to run into some problems.
Barbequing is like everything else; to become good at it, you must practice and learn from your and others' mistakes.
Since I am fond of charcoal grills, here are a few simple and practical suggestions that can help you become good at barbequing using this type of grill.
Most charcoal grills are easy to assemble if you read and follow the written instruction that comes with the unit.
After assembly, clean the grill, especially the cooking and charcoal grids. If the grill is new and you will use it for the first time, wash both grids with soap and water.
For a previously used grill, clean the cooking grid with soap and water using a grid brush to remove the grease and the nasty, burnt particles. Yuck!
After cleaning the grids, line the bottom of the grill with heavy-duty aluminum foil and then place the dried charcoal grid inside the grill and line it with heavy-duty aluminum foil as well. Doing this will make the clean-up easy.
Once the charcoal grid is lined with the foil, place newspaper or a brown paper bag on top of the foils and then pour an ample amount of lighter fluid onto the paper and add the charcoal.
Why do this? Charcoal is difficult, if not impossible, to light without lighter fluid. However, if you line the charcoal grid with paper, it is much easier to light, and you do not have to use a significant amount of lighter fluid to get started. Also, you can always add more liquid on top of the charcoal if you choose.
Cooking with lighter fluid does have a flaw since too much lighter fluid can cause your food to taste different from other grills. But on the flip side, you will get extremely frustrated if you do not use it to start a fire.
What type of charcoal should you use? An excellent question. The kind of charcoal to use is a personal preference. Some swear by the charcoal briquets that contain lighter fluid, while others prefer to use the original briquets. Still, others prefer wood chips.
One method is to use a mixture of wood chips and the original briquets. This mixture starts a fire quickly and heats the grid nicely to cook your meals.
Next, before you place the cooking grid onto the grill, spray the cooking area with a nonstick cooking spray to prevent your meat from sticking when you attempt to rotate or remove it from the grid, which will cause it to lose juices and dry out.
Also, when barbequing in a public area, such as a state park, it is highly recommended that you cover the cooking grid with aluminum foil and use the nonstick cooking spray before placing your meat onto the grill.
Another essential tip when using a charcoal grill: never put any meat on the cooking surface until the coals are completely gray. Why? Because the fluctuation in the temperature of the coals will also cause the food to dry out. When the coals are all gray, this indicates that the temperature is now level, and most of the lighter fluid has been burned off.
Meat preparation is another essential component of barbequing since it can prevent the spread of germs.
Do not try to cook frozen or partially frozen meat on a grill. Instead, thaw out the meat by sitting it out between 12 to 24 hours, or you can thaw it out in your microwave. If you decide to thaw the meat in the refrigerator, please make sure to set it out long enough to reach room temperature.
Once the meat is cooked, never put it on the same plate used when it was raw since this could potentially cause the spread of germs. Also, do not handle cooked meat with the same utensils used before the meat was cooked, and remember to wash your hands frequently.
You should avoid poking the meat while cooking since this will cause the juice to leak and dry out the meat. Additionally, opening the lid too often will cause the grill temperature to change. As such, the constant temperature change and increase airflow will also quickly dry out the meat.
Finally, if you wish to use your favorite barbeque sauce, wait if possible before putting it on the meat. If you place the sauce on too early, you will likely cause the meat to dry out or potentially burn.
By following these valuable suggestions, you will have a fun time and be seen as a seasoned BBQ pro.
Enjoy the rest of the summer. Play it safe and smart. Party on!