Great American Barbecue: All You Need for A Perfect BBQ

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Welcome to the Great American Barbecue, a virtual potluck where we have everything you need from drinks to dessert for the perfect backyard party or picnic.

The summer grilling season may be winding down, but there’s still room for you to host one more backyard bash for your family and friends. Today, we’re helping you throw the Great American Barbecue, where we’ve thought of everything you need from drinks to dessert for the perfect BBQ. 

The Great American Barbecue - Everything You Need from Drinks to Dessert for the Perfect BBQ

The Great American Barbecue is a virtual potluck hosted by 13 fabulous bloggers to bring you wonderful picnic recipes and ideas. We’ve taken all the work out of planning the Great American Barbecue for you and your friends including drinks, appetizers, meats to grill, side dishes and desserts. Each blogger brought a different recipe or idea as their “dish to pass”. We even included an easy DIY utensil caddy and a fun outdoor activity for the kids. 

Refreshing Drinks to Welcome Your Guests

Whether your guests arrive from across town, out of town or from the house next door, the first thing a good host always does is offer them a cool, refreshing beverage.

Make Ahead Lemon Berry Slush - One Krieger Chick
Make Ahead Frozen Lemon Berry Slush {adult and kid versions}

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Ariean from One Krieger Chick

Ariean from One Krieger Chick

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Fresh Fruit Ice Cubes - Oh My! Creative

Fresh Fruit Ice Cubes

Brought to you by:

Susan from Oh My! Creative

Susan from Oh My! Creative

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Get the Party Started with Appetizers

With a beverage in hand, your guests will need something to munch on while the main dish is cooking on the grill.

Bruschetta with Whipped Feta and Grilled Crostini - This Silly Girl's Life

Bruschetta with Whipped Feta and Grilled Crostini

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Dana from This Silly Girl's Life

Dana from This Silly Girl’s Life

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Rosemary Parmesan Focaccia - The Grant Life

Rosemary Parmesan Focaccia

Brought to you by:

Kelley from The Grant Life

Kelley from The Grant Life

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The Main Event – Fresh from the Grill

What would a barbecue be if you didn’t have meat to throw on the grill? For the Great American Barbecue, we’ve got two fabulous options for you!

Fall Off the Bone BBQ Ribs - Handmade in the Heartland

Fall Off the Bone BBQ Ribs

Brought to you by:

Angela from Handmade in the Heartland

Angela from Handmade in the Heartland

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Chipotle Lime Chicken Skewers with Avocado Ranch - Color Me Meg

Chipotle Lime Chicken Skewers with Avocado Ranch

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Meg from Color Me Meg

Meg from Color Me Meg

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Perfect Potluck Side Dishes

A barbecue always needs a few great side dishes to accompany the main meal. We’ve got pasta, potatoes and a green salad all ready for the making!

Easy Macaroni Salad: Classic Summer Potluck Recipe - Kenarry.com

Easy Macaroni Salad

Bought to you by:

Carrie from Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®

Carrie from Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®

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Best Strawberry Spinach Salad from Play. Party. Pin.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

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Britni from Play. Party. Pin.

Britni from Play. Party. Plan.

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Grilled Twice Baked Potatoes from The Best Blog Recipes

Grilled Twice Baked Potatoes

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Shauna from The Best Blog Recipes

Shauna from The Best Blog Recipes

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Delicious Crowd-Pleasing Desserts

How many of you head straight for the dessert table when you get to a barbecue? With desserts like these, it’s easy to see why.

Oreo White Chocolate Chip Cookies from Belle of the Kitchen

Oreo White Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Ashlyn from Belle of the Kitchen

Ashlyn from Belle of the Kitchen

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Strawberry Lemonade Bars from Made to Be a Momma

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

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Katie from Made to Be a Momma

Katie from Made to Be a Momma

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Serving Your Guests in Style

Once you’ve got the food prepared and set up along your buffet, you’ll need to make the silverware easily accessible for your guests. Here’s an easy way to do that with something you already have on hand!

Upcycled Utensil Caddy from View from the Fridge

Upcycled Utensil Caddy (As of March 2019, this website is no longer available.) 

Brought to you by:

Katie from View from the Fridge

Katie from View from the Fridge

A Fun Activity for the Kids

No detail has been spared as we planned the perfect barbecue for you. We even have a fun game for the kids that’s easy to make!

Tin Can Toss Game from Crafts by Courtney

DIY Kids Tin Can Toss Game

Brought to you by:

Courtney from Crafts by Courtney

Courtney from Crafts by Courtney

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While you’re here, be sure to check out these other summer barbecue recipes on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® – 

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68 Comments

  1. The best dish to bring to a bbq is my famous califlower salad. The best thing to make on the grill is pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon and brushed with maple syrup.

  2. I make these spicy chicken tortilla roll-ups, which are stuffed with spicy shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese and scallions. They are amazing!

    1. Potato and macaroni salad are some of our favorites too, Jamie! Did you see we brought an Easy Macaroni Salad as our “dish to pass” for the barbecue?

      1. Ahhhh! You have got to try it! Pull the shucks back, remove the silk, rub butter over the entire corn, season with your favorite seasoning (I like salt, pepper and paprika), pull the shucks back over the corn, tie the shucks closed if needed (most of the time this is not necessary). Place on the grill first. It should be done by the time everything else is done. Google grilling corn on the cob, Im sure there are plenty of recipes out there.

        1. Thanks for sharing the instructions for how to do it. We’ve been loving all the fresh corn from my Dad’s garden this week. We’ll have to try it grilled one of these days. It sounds delicious.

  3. so many things come to mind..but, I get asked to bring my scratch over 100 year old family recipe of southern baked beans and potato salad the most.

      1. Thanks..all my old timey recipes are that old! My granny was born in 1910. She taught me to cook..she didn’t have my mom until in her 40’s..therefore, I got to know and love her..and all her 11 brothers and sisters all great Georgia/Florida cooks. 🙂

        1. What a neat legacy, Vickie! I have a few family recipes that have been passed down to me too – but how special you got to learn the recipes right from her. 🙂

    1. True, Richard! Very true. Did you see the great recipe for Fall Off the Bone BBQ Ribs from Handmade in the Heartland that’s part of this Great American Barbecue?

  4. I bring the cake pops, the cobbler and the rolls.

    I always hope it will be my mother who brings the potato salad. 🙂

      1. They are not difficult to make as much as they are very labor intensive. You definitely need to plan a block of a few hours (after your cake is completely cooled) to work on them.

        1. Hmmm… with two little guys at home, extra time isn’t available these days, but I really ought to give it a try when they’re a little older. Thanks for sharing, Tammi!

      1. Well, UNO is our all time favorite card game to play. Like that’s our go to card game, and I like to think I’m the best at the game. Lol, but when it comes to a regular deck of cards we like to play games like speed and slam. I’m not too good when it comes to more advanced games when playing cards. But we also do board games such as monopoly, life, clue, last chance, etc etc. Basically pretty much anything that’s fun and entertaining for everyone we’ll play it.

      1. I usually bring the separate ingredients: whipped topping, strawberry (already sugared) and shortcake, and let everyone put them together themselves so they are fresh! They’re always a pretty big hit!

  5. My favorite dish to bring to a backyard BBQ is a tropical fruit salad with citrus-mint vinaigrette. Light & refreshing!

  6. Carrie,
    We have an awesome corn hole game my son made. So I would think that would be fun for many ages. How are you? I love the concept of this giveaway and blog post. Let me know when you are doing it again. I would love to bring something to the party.
    Have a Creative Day,
    Karen Marie
    Dragonfly & Lily Pads

    1. Hi Karen, I’m so glad you came by for the barbecue. I don’t have any immediate plans to organize another one, but we recently started accepting guest posts on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry®. If you’ve got a great “dish to pass” with big bright pictures you’d like to share with our readers, we’d love to have you. Thanks, Carrie

    1. You usually bring ribs? Remind me to invite you next time we host a barbecue! 😉 Thanks for stopping by, Michelle. It’s great to see you over here at Kenarry.

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