Countdown to our 4th Annual BBQ!

This coming Saturday will mark our 4th Annual BBQ at our apartment in Brooklyn. It started as a simple apartment warming party, but people had fun and asked if I was doing one the following summer. Three years later, here we are! (Yes, my math is correct because are first BBQ was in "year zero"...think about it.)

Our plan of attack for the day has changed over the years, and by this time around I feel like a seasoned veteran to the extent that I'm actually going to try some more involved fare for my guests.

The first year was actually pseudo potluck - I assigned people what to bring (hot dogs, buns, plates, veggies, etc.). While this way ended up pretty cheap for our pockets, all of the prep work had to be done as people showed up with their items. Everyone had a great time but it was too chaotic for my blood. The second year we did everything ourselves and asked guests to donate cash to the cause (we've typically made about 50% of our money back and we are fine with that). I was able to chop and husk to my hearts content either the night before or the morning of and it worked out pretty well. It's a late afternoon to late night affair with guests coming throughout that time span so the grill stays on for hours.

By the third year, I was getting more comfortable with what people would eat, and decided to add a feature to the mix - BACON. And the bacon wrapped hot dogs were born (ok, we probably weren't the first to think of this but damn, we were proud of ourselves). I learned pretty quickly that cooking bacon on a grill can be slightly dangerous (um, have you ever seen a bacon grease fire? It's a little scary for a few minutes). Feeding 40+ friends their bacon fix can get a little scary as well - but it's also so much fun. Also, have I mentioned that every single year our bbq falls on the HOTTEST day of the summer for NYC? So a fire isn't exactly what we need when it's already that hot out.

This year I'll definitely be getting more creative than ever before. I test drove this hot dog marinade this past weekend, and I'm planning on making some pulled pork sliders in the crock pot the day before. I'm also going to attempt these S'mores bars if I can time everything right.  I generally don't decorate too much, aside from the bright table clothes and plates I mentioned in this post, but I'm thinking I can handle these paper stars.  We will see how the week goes and what I actually get done.