The Right Way To Prepare BBQ Meats In Advance For A Party

Being in charge of the barbecue at a party is a big responsibility — depending on the crowd, you potentially have quite a few mouths to feed. However, while impressing everyone at the barbecue with Bobbly Flay-level skills is fun, nobody would blame you for preparing food ahead of time if you've got lots of people coming. The question is: Can you cook up the meat ahead of time without it getting cold or stale?

To find out, Chowhound spoke exclusively with Bob Bennett, the head chef of Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor, Michigan, about better strategies for barbecue prep work before a big event. According to Bennett, it can help a huge amount to cook your food two to three hours in advance and then keep it warm, if that's possible in whatever your situation may be. "Depending on how long you finish cooking it prior to the event should dictate your process," he says. "If it's just a couple hours, holding it warm is perfectly acceptable." To do that, Bennett notes you don't need anything fancier than an easily manageable slow cooker: "Crock pots are probably the best way to keep bbq warm outside of eating straight from the pit. I think this works well because they do such a nice job of maintaining a consistent and low temperature." Plus, the countertop appliance is easy to use for much more than just keeping meat warm.

Depending on the slow cooker you've got (if you've got one), such as Crock-Pot's 8-quart programmable model, then it very likely has a pre-built setting to perform exactly the grilling hack that Bob Bennett describes for reheating barbecued meat. For example, Crock-Pots like this 8-quart programmable model come with a "warm" button, which should only be used for already cooked meat; the company also recommends not using the mode for more than four hours. If food's left for too long, it could drop into potentially unsafe temperatures at which germs could more easily grow. Certain side dishes which don't include any meat could also keep warm in a double boiler at low heat. It's worth checking whether your oven has a "warm" setting as well, because some do and it's useful for situations like this.

What if barbecuing meat two to three hours in advance isn't an option for you? In that case, Bennett suggests cooking in advance when you can, and then using an oven to reheat your meat once it's time for the event: "I think the best way is in an oven at a low temperature around 275 to 300 degrees. I like this way as it almost mimics the temperature and process of cooking it originally." Alternatively, while it is the fastest method, reheating meat in the microwave is likely to dry your food out and may not heat all of it evenly, so do so at your own risk.