A couple of months ago, my
fiancée Justin shared why he loves grilling so much. Today he’s
back to share his tips for being a good host while manning the
grill.
Living in Las Vegas and grilling outdoors in the summer go
together like peanut butter and jelly{fish}. You’d think the nutty,
smooth and satisfying flavors of the peanut butter would even out
and accentuate the taste of the jellyfish, but you’d be wrong. It
just stings. However, I find myself hosting parties that require I
man the grill and entertain my friends and family a few times every
month. I willingly accept that duty since I have an unhealthy
obsession with all things meat, {well, most things meat but
that seems like a tangent we should avoid for now} and I find
it’s really not that bad if you can find a way to bring the party
to you. Here are a few tips:
1. Bring the party outside.
Grilling outside by yourself while you gaze longingly through a
window at your air conditioned guests is a recipe for a bad time.
It always puts me in a bad mood, and I end up over cooking most of
the food in a mad rush to cool down. To avoid that, I provide
plenty of shade outside for me and my guests and bring all the
appetizers outside with me. Nothing attracts guests like food
{chances are that’s the main reason they decided to come over in
the first place}. If possible, stage the main event of the party
outside before dinner as well, such as swimming or turning the
sprinklers on for the kids to run through.
2. Trick them.
Now remember this is Las Vegas we’re talking about, so you may
need to be a little cunning. My go to move is to offer to
show a few people the work I’ve done to my backyard. I’m always
doing little things outside in my normal upkeep, so I just talk
those up a bit. For instance, “I need to go throw the burgers on
the grill, let me get your opinion on how I trimmed this hedge.”
The last part of that is the real key that separates the pros and
the amateurs, always ask for their opinion, people love that. In
the end it’s a little underhanded but they’re getting free food and
get to see some real hedge artistry.
3. Pants.
Just remember that they are always optional. Let’s be honest,
it’s hot outside and nothing says party like no pants. {This is an
advanced option, if done incorrectly it could lead to everyone
leaving, and lawsuits}. Use at your own discretion.
4. Other people.
The more you perfect the steps above, the easier amassing
everyone outside with you becomes. Although not quite as
effective as the “no pants” tip, nothing draws people like more
people. Even though you’re only discussing why you turned your
hedge into a square and not a rectangle, if enough people come over
pretty soon everyone will want to know what all the fuss is
about.
5. Be a good host.
I know that seems a bit obvious, but it deserves to be
mentioned. The only reason people came over was to be with you and
your family, and if you invited them you must like them too. {If
you didn’t invite them refer to step 3}. Just relax and have a good
time. It’s a party full of friends, family, and fresh grilled food,
what’s not to like? {Other than pants.}
How do you entertain people while you’re
grilling? One of my lucky readers who answers
below will win a $25 Sears Gift Card!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of
Sears. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.
