Anonymous wrote:"How big is your BBQ?"

I don't know. Haven't purchased one yet.

In that case, you should cater. If you can afford it. We did something like that once. Huge party at our place. But we hired a chef/bbqer.
He did not show up and DH ended up grilling and it was not fun for him, me, or the guests. It is not your party anymore yo are just a server and a cook at that point.
Ten people, sure, 50 no.

You can cook a ton of hotdogs in a crockpot, and then you only have to grill some burgers. The hotdogs can be kept warm the whole time.

https://www.themagicalslowcooker.com/slow-cooker-hot-dogs/

Grill marinated boneless chicken and burgers 1/2 hours before gusts arrive.
Put it in the oven at warm temperature.
Start grilling mixed vegetables when gusts arrive.

In addition to the grilled you’ll need someone who has the responsibility of helping the griller with various things, going back and forth to the house for things you didn’t know you needed, etc. griller will not enjoy the party,

Hot dogs with a bushel of crabs on the side.

I just want to give a shout out to my 8 years younger brother who did this for us at my kid’s first birthday party. I had no idea how much work it would be and he was so calm and collected and the food was so good. If I had known how much work it was I never would have suggested it - I agree to try this first with much smaller group and cater this one.

Do two big crock pots, one of pulled pork and one of pulled chicken. Then, burgers and hot dogs on the grill. A few veggie burgers just in case.

For this amount of people, you also need substantial sides.

What are some good side dishes for this?

You could do a brat tub—grill some Wisconsin-style brats and then as soon as they’re ready place them into a big tub of simmering beer, onions, and butter (you would need a separate big pot to keep it at a simmer over heat, such as on a side burner or portable induction burner). That way you can get ahead of demand and people can take their brats from the tub and build their own sandwiches with buns when they are ready. If you do this ahead of time, you can then supplement with hot dogs or burgers as needed.

I would not even attempt this. Cater this party. Then buy a grill, practice for your own family, practice for 5-10 guests, and then throw a BBQ for 50. It’s more work than it looks to grill esp if you don’t do it regularly and have never done it for a large crowd on the particular grill you’d be using.

If I were doing this I would smoke a couple of pork butts. All done in advance, no fuss, plenty of meat.


If you want to grill you could sous vide everything in advance so it just needs to be seared on the grill.

Or, just do very easy thing slike marinated chicken breast, sausages, and burgers.

Anonymous wrote:Don’t do this, OP. You will end up with lots of cold hamburgers and overcooked hotdogs and your griller will not have ANY fun at this event. They will be hot and frustrated and pissed off. Cater it or get BBQ as suggested by other PPs.

Inaugurate your grill at a later date with fewer guests.

Seriously. Unless you're cooking large cuts of meat, which take hours and aren't done on propane grills, you'll be spending the entire time cooking non-stop and still have problems. 50 people is not a 1 person 1 propane grill operation.

Just ask Kang and Kodos:

https://youtu.be/SxI7B758XBQ

Burgers and hot dogs. With a ton of sides that you can set out without cooking - if people fill up on potato salad and corn muffins, you won't need to grill as many dogs.

Don't try to feed everyone at the same time. Set all of the sides out. As burgers and hot dogs come off the grill, load them into a foil tray. Plan on spending a couple hours at the grill, encourage people to eat whenever.

Get a backup gas tank for the grill.

Accept offers for people to bring a side or dessert.

And try to remember to talk to your guests and have fun!

"How big is your BBQ?"

I don't know. Haven't purchased one yet.