Must Have Grilling and Entertaining Accessories

When warm weather arrives, there is nothing we like to do more than entertain at home.  It's taken a lot of time and sweat to get the backyard to where it is today.  Now that it is "all together," it makes the perfect stage for days and nights together with friends.

Last weekend was no exception.

Our general M.O. for parties is to supply the protein and beer while guests bring a side.  By protein, I mean BBQ, and by BBQ I mean a multi-grill meal.  I have no problem burning a vacation day when I know it means I get to "grill-sit" all day.  In fact, just the prospect makes me down right giddy.

So, the protein?  Brisket, pulled pork, and chickens.

I almost always go with the holy trinity of meat, so I'm certain to please everyone's palate.  I also double up where possible, as this is a great opportunity for vacuum sealing and freezing leftovers.  

In terms of grilling real estate, fitting two chickens on the Weber Grill Center is easy.  Fitting one brisket on the Saffire is a cinch, and fitting two boston roasts on the 26 inch Weber is a piece of…pork.  

Since my largest smoker is the Saffire, I adapt the kettles for smoking.  Smoking on the 22 inch Performer is like riding a bike, but when moving to the 26, it is important to allow a lot more cook time.  More space and more meat equal more fuel and more time.  I came up a little short, so it's a lesson I need to remind myself from time to time...

The hardest part about getting the meat off all at one time, was "un-shafting" the chickens.

One chicken is easy.  Two are tricky.

Which brings me to my first must have accessory: Weber Barbecue Gloves.  For years I've used a pair of structural fire fighting gloves when dealing with anything hot around the grills.  No more.  The Weber gloves are now my go to accessory to keep the skin on my hands.  They have enough dexterity to allow me to actually use my fingers while protecting my fingers. I love them.

With all of the meat off and rested, it was time to cut.

Ease of serving is a necessity and when entertaining outdoors, nothing looks better and works better than chafing dishes.  Now while I would love to drop several hundred bucks on chafing dishes I could use at a Mother's Day Brunch, we are talking outdoor BBQ.  A great cost effective alternative are these disposable pans and stands.

For down and dirty outside serving, they work great and for $40 are incredibly cost effective.

Another easy addition to outdoor serving is squeeze bottles.

A variety of sauces are a must and since almost all of these are homemade, you need to supply your own bottle.  

I've covered food, now on to the beer.

I have two backyard "water coolers."  The first is a converted Weber Kettle.

Now while I realize not everyone has a spare 26 inch kettle bottom laying around, if you do, it makes an excellent beer cooler.  By sealing the bottom vents and using a cork for the hole where the ash catcher shaft sits, you have a water proof kettle with a drain port.  Add in a bottle opener attached on a chain and you have a portable Weber beer transportation device.  

Although the kettle works great for bottled and can beverages, what about our draft beer?  That's where the outdoor beer dispensing station comes in.

The beers above include my Mystery Black (where I lost the grain bill), Drew's awesome witbier, Tropical Storm Nikki (named for his wife), and a 1/6 barrel of Samuel Adams Summer Ale, which true to form, we floated in one evening.

I've previously documented the process of how to build your own here and here.  Sure, you could fill a feed trough with ice and bottled beer, but it's a lot more fun, and cost effective, to mount taps and pour your own.

Although the top is still a work in progress, the guts work great, especially if you already have your own draft system.  Quick disconnects on the gas lines make it easy to move CO2 from inside to out.

With the food and beer out of the way, the last piece is ambience.  Two of my favorite backyard additions are our Sun Sail and our overhead lights.

Both figure prominently in this picture from a few weeks back.

The sun sail looks better than an umbrella and depending on the construct of your backyard, has endless possibilities for mounting.  

The lights offer the best backyard lighting.  If need be, I can light up the backyard with enough light to ward off a prison break.  However, creating noontime lighting conditions at night isn't exactly relaxing.  Years ago we messed around with Christmas lights, but I was never satisfied with their quality or light output.  

These lights come from Amazon and when used with low 14 watt bulbs, they create just the right amount of night time illumination.  The sockets are all weather, so I am anticipating a long life of great nights with them.

Here's to your next backyard get together.  I hope these ideas help!