Barbequeing on a budget

[TheThan]

So my birthday is coming up and I’ve decided to hold a barbeque. Well it’s more a grilling event than a proper barbeque (yes there’s a difference) for me and my friends. But I’ve got a shoestring budget to work with so I’m looking for good ideas for stuff to barbeque that’s not terribly expensive (as meat’s ridiculous enough as it is).

These are my ideas thus far:
Food I'm sure I can afford

Burgers- pretty typical grilling fair
Hot dogs or Bratwurst- also pretty typical grilling fair
corn on the cob- very good grilled, not sure if I can find any this time of year though
kabobs- I’m thinking skewered beef, mushrooms, bell peppers, sweet onions
hot wings – I have a craving for some grilled spicy hot wings.
chicken- probably legs or thighs


food I'm considering but probably can't afford

tri-tip- a go to grilling favorite
baby back ribs- I want my baby back, baby back, baby back ribs!
T-bone steak- I’m considering splurging on a T-bone for myself, my friends be damned!


other barbeque style food

coleslaw
potato salad- secret family recipe, no you can't have it.
chips/dip and snacks
drinks- mostly soft drinks

I’ve got between 9 and 25 people depending on who says they'll make it and who brings family. Now I’ve already mentioned to everyone I’m inviting that they should pitch in and bring something to grill, which hopefully works out. Food that’s a bit child friendly would be nice (that means not too difficult or too messy for children under five). I don’t think there’s any special diets to worry about also my friends tend to favor meat.

[sktarq]

Portabello Mushrooms- They grill up very nice and if you have any vegetarian friends. They will be happy.

"Baked" potato-tinfoil and into the coals-

Asparagus-grill until soft- put in a container with a couple nobs of butter (add salt if unsalted butter) a touch of garlic and lightly toss until butter has melted-serve

Whitefish-get a big pack from Smart and final and make sure you have a fish slice. Try to avoid ones that have the bone in. Pac Cod works nice with a tartar sauce or even just lemon

And/or Catfish-also grills rather well


Also-baked beans-nothing fancy really needed here but makes a good complement to many of the flavors most commonly associated with the kind of event you describe.

[Taet]

Marshmallows on sticks for the kids! :smallbiggrin:

Burger beef got expensive. The tri tip may be close enough to that when it is on special. But there are no good meat sale holidays coming up. Bad time of year for it. :smallsigh:

Shrimp can cost less than fish right now. Try Safeway on Fridays.

[Crow]

Get a package of linguica sausage, some corn tortillas, and some honey mustard.

Grill them up and slice them diagonally in 1/4 inch slices. Heat up some tortillas on the grill. You should be able to serve them two slices to a tortilla if you make nice long diagonal slices. Top with some honey mustard.

Inexpensive for how many it serves and delicious.

[TheThan]

Something I forgot to mention is that I believe we have access to only gas grills. So I can’t bury anything in coals, that means no potatoes or whole sweet onions (which are awesome btw). It’s not going to be at my place (room issues, a couple of other issues too); otherwise those options would be available.

Oooh grilled asparagus is awesome.

Baked beans is another great idea. We have a great recipe for them somewhere

I’m not so sure how many people like fish, I’m not much of a fan myself, I guess I have to be in the right mood for it.
I’m looking at pre-packaged burger patties; they’re a bit cheaper than buying the ground beef and making my own patties. Naturally they’re not quite as tasty as fresh ground beef patties But I’m going to have to make compromises here.

The linguica sausage, and corn tortillias is an interesting option, I’ve never tried linguica sausage before.

[Winter_Wolf]

Pineapple cut crosswise, leave the core in otherwise it might just fall apart on the grill.
Eggplant/Aubergine (the fatty ones, not the long thin ones): thick slice it crosswise, brine it, dry it, grill it. Alternatively lengthwise and scoop it out then mix the innards with some browned ground meat and grill it on tinfoil or something. I've only tried it that way baked, so it may not work on a grill, but I'd try it if my grill actually worked.
Bell peppers do well on a grill. I'm partial to reds, but all of them are fine. Roast 'em whole.
Can you get chicken hearts? Kebab 'em, some cumin and a spicy pepper powder or paprika for flavor. Unless you're a fan of gizzards and livers, it's imperative that you get just hearts. I think we get ours from the frozen section at the Asian market, but if you're on good terms with butchers, ask 'em.
Pork loin. 'Round here I got an untrimmed 6+ pound piece of meat that was perhaps too lean, but if you can explain to your butcher/the butcher at the supermarket what you want, you can probably get hooked up with one of the fattier looking ones so you don't turn the meat into hockey pucks.

[Crow]

I’m looking at pre-packaged burger patties; they’re a bit cheaper than buying the ground beef and making my own patties. Naturally they’re not quite as tasty as fresh ground beef patties But I’m going to have to make compromises here.

There is an easy way to fix up your ****burger patties that doesn't cost a whole lot. Just remember 3-2-1.

Get 3 lbs of prepackaged burger patties, 2 jalapenós, and 1 onion.

Thaw the patties until they are (obviously) completely thawed.
Chop up the jalapenos and onion into fine cubes 1/8in or smaller for the jalapeno, or use the fine holes on a cheese grater.

Mix the jalapeno and onion evenly into the hamburger meat, and form them into patties. You then have a nice cheap burger with good flavor and a little kick.

[Jeff the Green]

I think the key to good, cheap barbecue is the seasonings and sauces. Do you have a barbecue sauce you really like? If not, look/ask around for recipes. I'm partial to pomegranate molasses barbecue sauce for chicken or pulled pork, which has really nice sweet and tangy notes. (And you can use the left over pomegranate molasses for a pork loin.)

Be sure to season the patties before putting them on the grill. At a minimum salt and pepper, but garlic powder and onion powder too if possible.

Do you have any fire breathers coming? Because you can grill hot peppers along with bell peppers.

Beefsteak tomatoes are good grilled. Sprinkle with shiitake powder for umami overload.

[TheThan]

I’ve thought about kebabing a pineapple.
And we will have some good seasoning so I’m not too worried about how the food tastes. I just have to decide on what I want to cool.
I’ve done bell peppers many times before, I can’t believe I’ve forgotten about them. thanks
I don’t think I can get chicken hearts.

[(Un)Inspired]

This thread is making my mouth water.

I'd love to say artichoke; they're righteous when halved and grilled but they can be expensive as hell.

[TheThan]

Well after some considerations I think I’ve pretty much settled on what I’m going to get.

I’m planning on the following hamburgers with fixings and potato salad and possibly baked beans and spicy chicken wings depending on how much I end up spending and burgers and the potato salad.

this seems to be able to feed a good amount of people for the cheapest dollar amount.

[Knaight]

Another option is kebabs. Get a nice marinade set up, get some select meat and vegetables, marinade for at least 24 hours, and then make with the stabbing. The vegetables involved can be pretty cheap, and a well made kebab hot off the grill is all sorts of delicious. Some fruit can work on kebabs too, and by some fruit I mean pineapple, and maybe some other stuff.

[TheThan]

Another option is kebabs. Get a nice marinade set up, get some select meat and vegetables, marinade for at least 24 hours, and then make with the stabbing. The vegetables involved can be pretty cheap, and a well made kebab hot off the grill is all sorts of delicious. Some fruit can work on kebabs too, and by some fruit I mean pineapple, and maybe some other stuff.

Kebabs are another option that i haven't dropped, really all this depends on what i find at the grocery store when i go.

[TheThan]

So I’m heading to the grocery store tomorrow to pick up barbequing stuff.
My current plan is this:
Hamburgers
Spicy chicken wings
Potato salad
Baked beans

The chicken and the burgers meat should cost the most. Everything else should be fine.
I found myself a good seasoning mixture for burgers, as well as a buffalo hot wing sauce recipe. So they should come out very good. I’ll keep you posted on what I actually buy, and how the BBQ turns out. I’m holding it Sunday.

[(Un)Inspired]

Take pictures of the food and post them after your party.

[TheThan]

Ok so I went to the store today and picked up stuff for Sunday (that’s the day we’re holding it)

I decided on burgers, it seemed to feed to most for the least. I got a twelve pack of frozen “gourmet” burgers, I’m going to thaw them out and season them before I start grilling that should kick them up a notch.

I also got stuff for potato salad and some baked beans.
All and all I was within my limited budget. That should feed at least 12 people a single burger, some potato salad and baked beans. Not terrible, I could have done worse.
I did consider everyone's advice, i would have liked some other options, I will keep everyone's suggestions in mind should I be in a position to do another barbeque.

Hopefully others will bring more food, I’ve said to them multiple times to help pitch in on that front. Anyway I'm committed to this now, there's no going back.

[TheThan]

Ok so the barbeque went over great.
We chit chatted, played some games and ate great food.
Including me, I only had seven people show. Some of the people I had expected on being there (because they lived there) chose to go elsewhere so we would have room. I appreciate that but it wasn’t necessary. Someone brought extra burgers but that was sort of not needed, still it was nice.

The burgers turned out ok. The premade frozen (I did thaw them out first) burgers really needed some seasoning, and I don’t think I applied quite enough of the seasoning mix I made. But they were edible if not the best I’ve ever had. The potato salad turned out great and the beans were fine.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the event and I think it went over well. Hopefully next time we’ll have more of a budget to do more.

i was totally going to snap a photo on my tablet of the empty plate of burgers but I unfortunately forgot to. So I'm sorry for not having any pics.