Strategies for Memorial Day BBQs

eat protein and salad and just enjoy the day

You have to learn to control yourself while eating the things that you love. It will get easier if you continue to eat those foods you love but just decide YOU WILL do it in moderation. Try to bring other things to fill up on like veggies or eat something before heading out. Also if you like beer I really like MGD 64 as my go to beer. I can have quite a few before they add up to much. Good luck!

1. Keep It Hot. Preheat your grill, otherwise food will stick. The Cook’s Illustrated Guide to Grilling and Barbecue says that when your gas or charcoal grill is ready to cook on, you will be able to hold your hand five inches above the grate for two seconds if the fire is “hot” and three to four seconds if the fire is “medium-hot.”

2. Grill Safely. The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association has put together a helpful list of tips for safe grilling. Good reminders among them: Don’t grill in an enclosed area; use baking soda to control a grease fire, not water; have a fire extinguisher, bucket of sand, or garden hose on hand; and be sure your grill is on stable ground before firing it up.

3. Have Everything Nearby. Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison, authors of The Big Book of Outdoor Cooking and Entertaining, say that you should have everything you’re going to need close at hand before you start cooking. “The chicken breast will burn by the time you run back into the kitchen to find those tongs,” they caution.

4. Keep It Clean. Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue! Bible, says that “last year’s food does not a good seasoning make for this year’s food.” John Atkins, the pitmaster for the Virginia-based BBQ Connection catering company, offers tips for cleaning your grill on his barbecue blog.

5. Grease Your Grates. Once your grill is clean, Judith Fertig, one of the BBQ Queens, two grilling and barbecue experts who have written 20 cookbooks between them, says to make sure you oil it before cooking. This helps to keep food from sticking, and makes it easier to clean up later.

6. Decide If You Need a Single-Level or Dual-Level Fire. A single-level fire heats the grill evenly, either with all the gas burners on the same setting, or with the charcoal equally spread out. This is good for cooking things fast, such as vegetables and fish. A dual-level fire (also called indirect grilling) has most, and sometimes all, of the charcoal banked to one side, or the burners on a gas grill adjusted to high on one side and the others turned off or set to low. “When you’re grilling bone-in chicken or steak, you’ll want to sear it first on the hot side,” explains Fertig, “then transfer to the cooler side, put the lid down, and finish cooking.”

7. Leave an Unheated Space on the Grill. Even if you’re cooking over a single-level fire, the Jamisons recommend leaving a small space unheated so that you have somewhere to move food if you have a flare-up or if something is cooking too fast.

8. Keep the Lid Up for Veggies. In her book The New Vegetarian Grill Andrea Chesman says that the lid traps moist heat and smoke, which makes vegetables lose their crunch and take on a “dull, sooty patina.” She advises lid-down cooking only for large, whole vegetables that benefit from a little steam, such as winter squashes or potatoes.

9. Sauce Later. The Cook’s Illustrated Guide to Grilling and Barbecue says that saucing too soon is a common mistake. If you brush on sauces at the beginning of cooking, chances are they will burn and taste awful by the time the food is done. Wait until the last few minutes to apply them and you’ll get a nice glaze instead of a black, charred mess.

10. Don’t Forget Food Safety. Check for proper doneness with an instant-read thermometer and use separate platters for cooked and raw foods. If you want to use a marinade as a sauce, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service says to either reserve some that hasn’t come in contact with raw foods, or to boil it first to destroy any bacteria. Check out this food safety fact sheet for more tips.

eat protein and salad and just enjoy the day

^^^^^This!

I plan on going for and run first thing in the morning to get my burn up so I can enjoy the day and some food!

Bring a fruit salad and eat that instead

I was thinking the same thing lol:)

Hi,
Does anyone have any good strategies for the upcoming long weekend? I do so good during the week, but when it comes to summer BBQs, I end up sitting in front of a bowl of chips and devouring it. Plus, I'll dring a gallon of sangria! I hate the fact that one weekend can un-do weeks of eating well. So....does anyone have any strategies that they use to curb their BBQ binges??

I say start with the gallon of sangria and then move to the BBQ meat and then if you are still hungry have some chips. Enjoy the weekend!

Grilled veggies are great also and easy to do

Change things up! Bring some shrimp on skewers to grill - I season mine with McCormicks Carribean Jerk seasoning and then drizzle with a touch of honey. Yum ! Fruit salad goes great with it and it's filling!

If you eat meat - stick with just meat and fresh veg / fruit. Avoid the pasta salads and mayo heavy stuff.

Go easy on the BBQ sauce.

Avoid the sweet treats - cakes, pies etc.

My strategy was going to be hibernating and pretending I didn't have friends, so I don't get sucked into the temptation... Clearly that's not gonna work. I just need to exercise some self control. I'm more worried about the amount of alcohol I will be drinking, than I am the food.

I need help too!!!

I have bbq's at my house so I decide whats on the menu. This year instead of regular hot sausages I will have chicken sausages. Whole wheat buns instead of white. Lots of grilled veggies. Turkey burgers (also regular ones for those who don't care). Crudite. Grilled chicken. Fresh fruit parfait. Big salad. NOMNOMNOM.

Eat this... Not that... :drinker:

We'll play games; football, basketball, chasing after the dogs.

I will have a few cocktails but maybe try out the Miller 64, crystal light cocktail, etc etc Lots of choices!!!! :blushing:

Enjoy and be safe. Make sure the propane is on before you try to light the grill. Make sure you cook meat through to kill any salmenella (sp*?). I plan to work out like a mad man in the morning, so I can pig out on whatever and not worry about this. Remember, you have to eat 3500 calories PLUS what your body is already burning, to gain a pound. Have fun everyone!

Home made turkey burgers, strawberry salad, grilled veggies and lots of ice water.. maybe a strawberry and almond milk smoothie.

I think it is all about your mentality about the festivities. Don't make food the focus of your day. Focus on all the other fun things that you can do on Memorial Day weekend instead. Things like volleyball, swimming, frisbee, ladder golf, throwing a football around, hiking, etc...

In other words, think like a kid! How many times do you see kids at a BBQ actually sitting down and pigging out? Usually the kids are so busy playing and enjoying the activities that they forget to eat and the parents have to make them eat.

If you make activities your main focus then food is just an after thought, something you have to do to keep up your energy.