Do you want to go above and beyond at your next cookout? Throwing the ultimate cookout may seem like a difficult task, but with the proper food and entertainment, you’ll have yourself a party that your friends and family will never forget.
Food
When you think of a cookout, what comes to mind? If you didn’t think hamburgers and hot dogs, you haven’t been attending the proper cookouts. These incredibly simple dishes can be made by anyone with the knowledge of a grill, which means that you must take the extra step to make sure your dishes don’t taste like any regular cookout.
Hamburgers
The best way to create the hamburger above all hamburgers is to know your spices and expand your condiments. Don’t get us wrong, you can’t beat a classic hamburger with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion, but there are plenty of options out there that will take your burger to the next level.
- Starting with the bun, you should provide guests with options. Some of our favorites include brioche, sesame seed, gluten free, potato rolls, and the classic buns. If you want to really shake things up, you can use Hawaiian rolls, ciabatta rolls, English muffins, and pretzel rolls.
- Now on to the meat. The classic red meat burger is a must at every cookout, but in this day and age, there are many people who prefer a variety of different burger options. To ensure that all your guests are happy, consider these alternatives: Turkey burgers, black bean burgers, chickpea burgers, salmon burgers, and veggie burgers.
- When it comes to toppings, you can never go wrong with lettuce, cheese, pickles, tomatoes, and onions. If you want to offer your guests with a burger they’ll never forget, then consider taking the toppings to the next level. Chili, jalapenos, mushrooms, caramelized onions, avocado, and bacon are just a few options that could transform your burger game.
- As for condiments, ketchup, mustard, ranch, and mayo do just fine, but just like with the toppings, there is room for improvement. Some condiments that can leave your guests satisfied include guacamole, barbeque sauce, spicy mayo, spicy mustard, A1 sauce, and even truffle butter.
- Seasoning can play a big role in the taste of your burger. One thing that unifies burgers is that regardless of the spices you use, you never want to use too much seasoning. A little salt and pepper on each side of the patty will do just fine. You’re always free to use whatever seasoning you may want, but just be sure to keep it light so the rest of your gourmet toppings can shine.
Hot Dogs
You would have to try hard to mess up a hot dog. The best way to serve a hot dog that will leave you guests’ mouths watering is to use eccentric toppings and grill it to perfection.
- When it comes to hot dog buns, you’re not going to find a lot of variety, which means that most buns are going to taste the same. Don’t stress too much about these—whatever your grocery provides will be great. Split top buns are often a bit softer than the traditional buns you’re used to.
- Let’s talk meat. You can buy the usual pork or beef dogs, or you can go above and beyond with Italian sausage, chorizo, red hots, and more.
- Toppings for hot dogs get a little more creative than with burgers. We recommend slaw, onions, jalapenos, chili, mac and cheese, pickles, and a variety of vegetables.
- For condiments, the best options available are going to be ketchup, mustard, relish, and barbeque sauce.
The goal with cooking up the perfect burgers and hot dogs isn’t to create the most unique dish possible, but to have enough options available so everyone enjoys their individualized food.
Entertainment
Keeping your guests entertained is just as important as making sure they are well fed. Depending on the location of your cookout, some people may have better entertainment options, such as those with a pool. Regardless, there are a wide variety of lawn games that you can play to keep the guests entertained at the cookout. Here are some of our favorites.
Cornhole
Depending on where you were born, you may call this game “Bags”, but down south we call it cornhole. The game requires minimal athleticism but does bode well for players who have good depth perception & precision.
Spike Ball
Spike ball is sweeping the nation and is becoming very popular on college campuses. This game requires four players, two on each team, to spike a ball at a net in the hopes that your opponent cannot return the ball to the net. If you haven’t heard of spike ball, imagine volleyball, but the net is on the ground.
KanJam
KanJam involves a frisbee, four players, and two bins with slits in them. The goal of this game is to throw the frisbee towards your can, and your teammate deflects the frisbee into one of the openings in the can to rack up points.
Dine at Carolina Ale House Today
If you don’t feel like being behind the grill for your whole cookout, consider catering from Carolina Ale House. Every single burger is hand formed and scratch made to order. We have a number of delicious varieties on the original, too so if you are looking to get some burger inspiration, swing on by Carolina Ale House today to try any of our numerous burger options.
We are open until 2:00 am every morning and would love to be a part of your next epic cookout. Give us a call with any questions about our menu and we will happily get your order placed.