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.

Backyard BBQ Menu
(All the recipe below can be located in our Recipe Archives) Spinach & Artichoke Dip & chips Grilled or Roasted Stuffed Sweet Peppers Smoked Salmon Platter Pasta Salad with Corn Chipotle Dressing Summer Coleslaw Husk Boiled Corn  Fresh watermelon slices True BBQ Pork Butt Beer Can Chicken True BBQ Salmon Peach Cobbler Black & Blue Cobbler

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:

• Bake cobblers

(Approximately 1 hour)

• Serve with vanilla ice cream

- Chef Yvonne

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