Any cheap BBQ ideas?

Question

I'm throwing a beach BBQ and my budget is tight. I'm entertaining about 15-20 people. Any ideas?

Answer 1

use plastic food, you can buy the little tykes stuff at TRU

seriously, buy a board game/card game.

i threw a BBQ last night and brought a game called 'Apples to Apples'

best game for BBQs

Answer 2

ask the people who are coming to bring food and drinks. Thats a pretty cheap wayy.

Answer 3

I wouldnt trust the cheapest thing (ya know if it's too cheap there might be something wrong with it) i think the cheapest place to buy food is wal-mart or food lion. Or ask people to bring some food. To like entertain the ppls just put on a football game (or baseball, whatever sport y'all watch) or maybe music. Or even a board game (if theres kids there you dont want them to keep going up to theyre parents and saying "im bored, can we leave?".

Answer 4

You can have them make their own kabobs. This is fun and much cheaper than some of those other things. Cut up all kinds of veggies and marinate in italian dressing with a little kosher salt and pepper. Then have shrimp since this you can buy frozen in a large package for reasonable and tofu.

Have your guests bring sides or you can get all kinds of salads at the deli for reasonable. Also pasta salads go far and are reasonable.  

Answer 5

that sounds like so much fun.  where i live we aren't allowed to have fires on the beach.  i have bbq's all the time.  here are some of the things that i do that i think are pretty inexpensive.  

chicken thighs

      you can marinate them over night before the bbq or put sauce on them when they near the end of the cook time.  

hamburgers

       they are cheap and everyone loves them just make sure that you have all the fixins like lettuce tomato pickles relish and cheese.

whole chicken

     you can give it a spice rub and then stick a beer can in the hole at the bottom and cook it standing up on the grill it will keep the chicken moist and give it great flavor

grilled veggies

          try eggplants squash green yellow red peppers mushrooms

marinate them over night in italian dressing and use a pizza pan, the kind with holes on the bottom and just put the pan right on the grill rack.

grilled potatoes

      i got this idea from a show on tv and when i tried it everyone loved it.  cut the potatoes into slices that are about 1/3 of an inch thick and season them with whatever you want.  i like salt and pepper, olive oil, a little bit of chopped rosemary and just a tiny bit of crushed red pepper.  only keep them on the heat for about one to one and a half minutes per side.  

Pasta  Salad

     boil some pasta and coat it in italian dressing and cut some pepperoni, green peppers, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and put that in there.  this is sooooo cheap and everyone loves it

Potato Salad

     peel potatoes chop into uniform bite sized peices and boil.  while they are boiling mix mayo mustard relish ( drain as much of the fluid as you can first) and just a little bit of vinegar when the potatoes are done let them cool and then put the mayo mixture on the cool potatoes.

Baked Beans

     I like bushs baked beans.  put them in a glass casserole and bake them in the oven but you could use metal pan and put it on the grill if you want it warm but make it at home first because it will be better that way.  put the beans in the casserole and mix in chopped green peppers, chopped onions, bbq sauce, vinegar and a little bit of mustard.  cover the top with bacon and bake it until the bacon on top is crispy.  i also cook the rest of the pound of bacon in a frying pan until it is really crispy and then i crumble it and put it into the beans.

also you can ask everyone that is coming to bring a dish.  desserts and sides work best and you provide the main course

hope this helps.

Answer 6

Visit your local Costco or Sam's Club to get large quantities for less money!  Keep your menu simple:

1.  Grilled hamburgers, polish sausages, chicken

2.  Gourmet potato and pasta salads

3.  Fruit salad

4.  Coleslaw

5.  Rolls, chips, dips

6.  Baked beans with bacon and brown sugar

7.  Sliced tomatos, lettuce, cheeses, pickles and olives for garnishes

8.  Cookies, brownies, cupcakes

9.  Ice chests.  Have everyone bring their own drinks and a snack to share with others.

Answer 7

Cook chicken  or hamburgers and hot dogs.  Ask the other quests to bring a side dish and drinks.  You can furnish the meats.

Answer 8

beer pong but keep it safe!

Answer 9

spam with bbq sauce

Answer 10

Order from Omaha Steaks. You get tons of food at a great deal. Burgers, franks, beef brisket, sides, etc. All good. Or go to a Costco/Sam's Club type place and buy in bulk.  

Answer 11

Yes, get an inexpensive cut of meat and cook it slowly.  Baste often.  It'll come out tasting wonderful without costing you too terribly much.  Have hotdogs available, too.  They're inexpensive and will help fill folks up, especially if they're ready a few minutes before the other meat.  

If you're in SoCal, Vons is having a good deal on steaks this week at $2.- per pound.  Try those if you're in the area.  Smart and Final has hotdogs cheap, too.

Answer 12

I like to use chicken leg quarters, It's the leg and thigh connected together. They are very inexpensive and look like a substantial piece of meat on your plate. I boil mine in 2 cups of apple cider vinegar with 1 stick of butter for a few mins. and then finish on the grill. They are delicious and people always ask for the recipe, You can parboil them the night before and keep in the fridge in the vinegar/butter mixture. If you like you can make a little more of the mix and baste while grilling.Enjoy!

Answer 13

Marinate and grill teriyaki chicken legs and thighs, grilled pineapple slices, and rice.Plan on about 1/2 pound of chicken per person to make sure there is plenty.