The Must-have Tips of BBQ Season ⋆ College Magazine

No matter where you are, odds are that the weather is getting warmer. Your fellow peers are going to break out the grill and coals and head outside to enjoy some food and sunny weather! But because you probably didn’t have an outdoor barbeque over the long winter, you might need some reminders in order to BBQ like an experienced frat bro! Here’s CM’s guide on how to run the cooking with all the fun and no fuss.

1) Checklist

A great outdoor barbecue is made of more than just a grill, fire and raw meat waiting to be cooked. You need the right equipment to make sure that you get the best tasting results! Too often someone forgets one measly thing and many end up hungrier than they would like. So, here are some basics for your checklist:

+ Grill and food, duh
+ Tongs and spatula, because you don’t want to use your hand on a grill
+ Fuel
+ Fire starter (a few sheets of newspaper will suffice!)
+ If you’re going to put some sauce on that meat, a brush
+ Fire extinguisher, just in case
+ Aluminum foil, garbage can, paper towels and cleaning materials

2) Location, Location, Location

What could be better than chilling outside, smelling sizzling meat and looking into the distance on a bright, sunny day? Unless your grill is stuck on the ground for whatever reason, bring it to an open space where there’s some nature! Try to make sure it’s not a boring place; grilling can take some time and standing in the same spot can be dull without good scenery to refresh your mind.

3) Safety

Remember when you were younger and your parents told you not to play with fires? You shouldn’t now either. Every year many people are hospitalized or even die from burn injuries. Fire might be easily extinguishable, but it is also easily spread. Make sure you use just the right amount of oil, put out the fire when you aren’t cooking, and make sure your (possibly beer-happy) friends don’t cause any ruckus near the grill! Also, keep the gas fluid away from the grill after pouring and lighting.

Safety is not just about the fire, either. After cooking, the grill remains scorching hot for a long while. Be careful of that too, or else you’ll end up with not-so-lovely red mark that will hurt a lot.

Finally, don’t overlook food safety. Make sure the meat has been stored well. The hotter the weather gets, the easier it spoils.

4) Extra fun!

A little speaker and an iPod with a good party playlist can’t hurt! Also, activities like frisbee and volleyball are crowd-pleasers at casual outdoor events like this. Try to come up with fun game ideas. Why not bring yourself back to middle school and play a little red rover to take a break from standing next to the grill? But not for too long…nobody likes a burned burger!