As with most people who live in this northern climate, summer time is where it’s at.  Warm temperatures create back yard parties and BBQ’s.  However there is a dilemma when it comes to having these back yard BBQ’s, how does one host a BBQ and still manage to entertain.  Here are a few tips to help you along your way to make your backyard BBQ party a smash that includes you cooking and entertaining.   

1.      Make the food simple. As fun as it is to make fancy food that requires you to “babysit”, there are simple foods out there that will not require you to sit and concentrate on what your food is doing.  For example, cooking a burger is simple.  They are all cooked the same and require minimal babysitting.  Steak and fish require constant attention and requests. 

2.      Keep Liquid refreshment handy.  Have a cooler close to you will all your beverages.  At most backyard parties, people want their glasses full.  By having a cooler full of ready-made beverages at your fingertips lets you assist your guests while still staying close to the grill.

3.      Have plenty of seating close by for your guests.  Your guests will want to sit at some point in the evening and by having them close to you they can still visit and they can relax, which is the point of hosting a backyard BBQ for your friends. 

4.      Mind your smoke.  While your friends are sitting by you, ensure you are controlling your flame and not having any BBQ flare-ups.  These flare-ups are common with chicken, so you may want to boil it first to remove some of the fat that causes flare-ups.  This can be embarrassing, ruin your food and make your guests wander away from you.

5.      Go with what you know.  When entertaining try to stick with things you know how to cook.  If you are trying something new and it does not work out, someone is ordering pizza.  So if you are good at burgers, stick to burgers and not the Cantonese Roast Duck with a side of Bok Choy (unless you know how to cook that…and if you do, good for you.  Please teach me)

These are just a few of my tips for grilling while also being the host. I would love if you would share your tips with me! 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.