If you're hosting a barbecue party for a large crowd and have decided to do the cooking yourself, it's important to pay careful attention to the recipes you choose. Pick a recipe with too many intricate details and specialized ingredients, and you could end up spending a small fortune and hunching over the grill for hours. These two barbecue recipes are great for large parties because they contain only simple, relatively low-cost ingredients. They're also easy to scale up or down to meet your needs.
South Carolina Barbecue Chicken Thighs
In South Carolina, mustard-based barbecue sauce is king. This recipe makes gobs of delicious sauce, so your guests can dip their chicken to their hearts' content. Chicken thighs are a good choice for this dish since they stay moist on the grill and are usually less expensive than chicken breasts.
This recipe makes enough for about 20 people. If you're having an even larger barbecue party, it's easy to double or triple. Leave the skin on the thighs -- it gives them flavor and keeps them moist.
Ingredients:
- 10 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 3/4 cup yellow mustard
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Directions:
Combine the mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, 2 teaspoon salt, molasses, cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire. Stir well, and set aside.
Season the chicken thighs with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place them on a medium-hot grill with the meatier side facing down. Grill for 20 minutes, and then turn the thighs over. Grill for another 15 minutes. Take the temperature of the chicken. It should be at 165 degrees F. If it has not reached this temperature, continue grilling until it does.
Brush the chicken with the mustard sauce, and then turn it over again. Grill for 5 minutes, and then brush and flip the chicken a second time. After grilling for a final 5 minutes, remove the chicken from the grill and place it in a large pan. Cover the pan with foil, and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with the additional sauce on the side for dipping.
Sticky Molasses Country-Style Pork Ribs
Country-style ribs are meatier than spare ribs, and they also cook faster. They're an affordable cut of meat, but they're incredibly delicious when slathered in a sticky, molasses and tomato-based barbecue sauce. This recipe, again, makes enough for 20 people, but it can easily be doubled or tripled.
Ingredients:
- 10 pounds country-style pork ribs
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
Directions:
In a pan on the stove top, combine the ketchup, tomato sauce, molasses, brown sugar, garlic, and vinegar. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and then set it aside.
Sprinkle the ribs with the paprika, onion powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Place them in a grill-safe metal pan, and cover it with aluminum foil. Place the pan on a medium-hot grill, and grill for 40 minutes.
Remove the grill pan from the grill. Transfer the ribs directly to the grill grates. Discard the juices in the pan. Grill the ribs for 20 minutes, and then turn them over and grill them for another 20 minutes. Brush the ribs with sauce, grill for 5 minutes, and then brush them again and grill for another 5 minutes.
Remove the ribs from the grill, and give them a final coat of sauce before serving.
Either of these barbecue recipes are sure to make your guests smile and lick their lips. Cooking for a crowd can be a big endeavor. If you do not have large enough pans or a large enough grill, consider hiring a BBQ catering company to do the cooking for you.
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