This summer I’ve decided to throw my husband a birthday party. His birthday is at the end of August and it seems a good way to not only celebrate the day but to also to say a final farewell to summer.
 My invitation list includes no one but me who is gluten intolerant, but as usual, everything served will, of course, be gluten-free.
To take advantage of the weather, I’ve decided to throw a traditional BBQ party complete with smoked pork butt and all the trimmings. Our guest list will number about 20 which is also why true BBQ cuisine is perfect; low temperature BBQ works best on inexpensive cuts of meat, so I can serve a lot of people without breaking the bank. The long cooking time and low temperature (180-300 degrees F) tenderizes the meat and produces a succulent, smoke flavored meal that is out of this world.
Since I find myself in the midst of planning a Backyard BBQ, I thought I’d share the menu so our readers could throw their own ‘goodbye’ party to summer. The following menu will serve quite a few people, but you can easily select a few items for a smaller gathering.
There are a few important tips to creating the perfect slow cooked BBQ. For complete instructions for barbecuing pork butt, ribs, chicken and salmon, visit our archived cooking class from August 2001: True BBQ.
Preparing the meal:
The day before:
- Make Spinach Artichoke dip up to bake step, refrigerate
- Make Summer Coleslaw, refrigerate
- Make and add rubs, (if using) to meat & poultry
- Make BBQ sauces, if using, refrigerate
- Calculate BBQ time for meat, poultry and salmon
(Approximately 2 hours)
The morning of:
- Remove meat & poultry from refrigerator and bring to room temperature
- Soak wood chips
- Prepare BBQ
- Place meats, chicken and salmon in BBQ at appropriate times
- Roast the peppers-remove the seeds, add garlic and cheese, refrigerate
- Prepare smoked salmon platter, refrigerate
- Make pasta salad, refrigerate
- Cut watermelon slices, refrigerate
- Make cobblers up to baking, refrigerate
(Approximately 3 hours)
All day:
- Check BBQ temperature and maintain 200-250 degrees
When guests arrive:
- Serve Smoked Salmon plate with gluten-free crackers (we like Blue Diamond Pecan)
- Bake Spinach Artichoke Dip- serve with chips (30 minutes)
- Broil and melt cheese in peppers, sprinkle with salt and serve
- (Approximately 45 minutes)
30 minutes before serving dinner:
- Baste meats and chicken with sauce
- Boil corn in husks (4-5 minutes)
When ready for dinner:
- Serve: Pasta salad
- Summer Coleslaw
- Corn on the Cob
- Watermelon slices
- Cut meat, chicken and salmon into serving portions
- BBQ Sauce
After dinner:
(Approximately 1 hour)
- Serve with vanilla ice cream
- Chef Yvonne
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