Planning a Barbeque
Invitatio
ns
A great resource for planning parties is
party411.com This website offers the following creative suggestions for inviting friends and family to your barbeque:
· Send each guest a piece of Tupperware with the details of the barbecue shindig inside. Invite each family to make their favorite side dish or dessert (to be placed in the Tupperware) to compliment your culinary creations. (The guests keep the Tupperware as a favor).
· Invite your friends by hand-delivering specially made "barbecue bibs" entailing all of the party information. Roll the bibs and tie them with red and white ribbon for a festive look.
· Hand-deliver barbecue sauces to your potential guests. There are so many different sauces to choose from that you can probably send everyone a different one. Create a label with party details and stick it around the bottle. Hand deliver or send.
Food
First, you must decide if you are going to personally furnish all the food or if you w
ould lik
e to have your guests contribute. You can ask each guest to bring something such as salad, side dishes, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, dinner rolls, chips or a beverage. This will ease your burden and the amount of food you have to prepare yourself. Once you know approximately how many people will be attending and what they will be bringing, you can go shopping for the additional food. Typically, the host provides the meats, condiments and paper products (plates, napkins, silverware, and cups). To play it safe, you may want to also prepare a few side dishes in case your guests come unprepared.
Music
To ensure a good time, provide some fun, up-beat music to get the party going. Music will help contribute to the energy of the event and make the barbeque much more lively.
Activities 
You should have a few activities to entertain your guests, especially if there are children at your barbeque. For adults, some fun games are volleyball, croquet, horseshoes or a game of cards. Children might enjoy water balloons, hula-hoops, bubbles, a ball to kick around, hide-and-go-seek, tag or relay races.
Enjoy
Don’t wait until the last minute to plan. If all the arrangements have been made you should have a very fun and successful day. Don’t panic if the weather is bad. Move the crowd inside and bring the grill into the garage to cook. Most importantly, don’t forget to relax and enjoy! 
Heating
Pile coals two or three pieces deep; they are ready when they have a red glow and two-thirds are covered in ash. Spread them in a single layer, leaving an area free of coals to create indirect heat.
Cooking
Just before starting to grill, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; using tongs, rub it over the grates (to prevent food from sticking). Place food on the grill; move to the coal-free area if it's charring too fast or to keep cooked food warm. Use tongs (not a fork) to move meat and avoid piercing it, causing the juices to run out.
Cleaning
It's much easier to clean a grill when it's still warm (but after it has cooled a bit), so try to do it after each use. Scrape the grates with a wire grill brush, then wipe them with an oiled paper towel.
Safety
Position the grill at least 10 feet away from anything that could catch fire. Remove excess fat and marinade from food to reduce flare-ups; if they occur, close the lid and vents to extinguish the flames. Wait 24 hours to dispose of ash.
Grilling Tips
Direct vs. Indirect Heat
Direct cooking is similar to broiling and employs high heat over a short period, while indirect is similar to roasting slowly with moderate heat.
Direct
cooking is perfect for small or thin pieces of food such as vegetables, kebabs, fish, burgers, steaks, and sausages. The lid may be left open or closed -- it won't affect the result. For charcoal: Spread hot, ashy coals evenly across the lower grill grate. For gas: Preheat the grill by setting the burners on high for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to medium for cooking.
Indirect
is ideal for larger cuts or portions of meat, such as roasts or whole chickens or turkeys. Keep the grill lid closed except when you're basting or taking the food's temperature. For charcoal: Arrange coals around a drip pan. Center food over pan. Open vents. Replenish coals every hour. For gas: With a three- or four-burner grill, light only the outside burners and cook food in the center.
Ribs
Grill seasoned ribs, bone-side down, over indirect heat using a drip-pan filled halfway with water. Top coals with 1 cup soaked and drained wood chips; cover grill to maintain a temperature of 275 to 325 degrees. Cook until meat is tender, basting ribs with sauce 15 minutes before removing from grill. Let stand 10 minutes before carving.
Chicken Pieces
First sear over direct medium-high heat and then grill over indirect medium heat. To keep meat moist, leave the skin on or, before cooking, brine skinless chicken for 4 to 8 hours in the refrigerator in a mixture of 1/2 cup coarse salt, 8 cups water, and the herbs of your choice. Pat dry before grilling. Cooking times: Split breasts require 30 to 35 minutes total, legs 18 to 22, thighs 15 to 20, and wings 11 to 13.
Steak
Bring the meat to room temperature, season well with salt and pepper, and then grill. Let meat sit for about 10 minutes before slicing, to redistribute the juices.
Veggies
Roast whole peppers on direct high heat, turning them as sides blacken. Peel off charred skin, slice into strips, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cut zucchini into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on direct medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Asparagus can be prepped in the same manner, but cook for 5 minutes total. 
Fish To cook a whole fish on a grill, stuff with herbs and lemon slices and place in a fish basket or on a wood plank (if you don't have either, lightly oil fish so it won't stick). Grill over direct medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes per side, turning once. More cooking times per side: Tuna steaks take 3 to 4 minutes, swordfish steaks 6 to 7, and salmon steaks 7 to 8.
Hamburgers
Use sirloin or chuck -- both have a high fat content, which gives a burger its succulence. Season with salt and pepper. Then grill over direct medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.
Hot Dogs
You can't mess these up: Grill on direct medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally.
Healthy Insect Repellent
Deet (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) is the most effective and long-lasting insect-repellent ingredient available on the market, but it can have cardiovascular effects. Take care not to overuse products containing deet. Pediatricians recommend not applying it on infants, as it has been linked to seizures. Use deet in situations where mosquitoes are a health hazard, such as when West Nile Virus is a concern. Alternatives Physical barriers (clothing, netting) are a nontoxic first defense against insects. Some people swear by lemon thyme -- crush it to bring out the oils, then rub it on your skin. According to the Centers for Disease Control, o
il of lemon eucalyptus can provide protection that is similar to low concentrations of deet. There are also health-food-store insect-repellent brands. As with all botanicals, be mindful of allergic reactions: Do a "sniff" and skin test at home before heading out for your hike. If natural methods aren't keeping bugs at bay, stick to insect repellents that contain no more than 30 percent deet. According to Gina Solomon of the NRDC, higher-concentration products will not work any better -- they'll only be more toxic. When reapplying sunscreen, don't automatically slather on more deet; follow the manufacturer's recommendation instead.
We hope these tips help you to have a safe and healthy holiday next week. Tuck them away for future keeping, and for more tips go to Marthastewart.com.
-Paige
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