Tips For Spending Less During BBQ

Tip #1: Use cheap meat cuts 

You don’t need to break the bank on ribeye steak or beef tenderloin to have a black backyard BBQ. The truth is, there are lots of less-known cuts of meat that can do the job correctly as chuck steak, sirloin, and more. For example, you can ask your butcher to give you sirloin flap or chick roast or even go for inexpensive and more tasteful chicken thighs for the breast. 

All you need is some little seasoning and some marinating, and no one will notice that you are operating on a budget. 

Tip #2: Dress your hamburgers up 

This is another area where you don’t need to overspend during your grilling. If you need to dress up your burgers, stuff them cheese, add a fried egg as a topping, cover the patties with BBQ sauce or glaze them with blackening zest. You can also sharpen your grilling creativity by experimenting with different kinds of seasoning and dressings. 

Tip #3: Experiment with your sauces 

Get creative with your sauces by turning many carrots lying around in your kitchen into a restaurant-grade side by serving them with a great sauce. Prepare a sauce that you can sprinkle, such as BBQ sauce or chimichurri, or one that you can dip into, such as creamy cilantro sauce. These sauces will take your meal to another level without costing you much.

Tip #4: Avoid meat

Protein is perhaps the most expensive part of BBQ. Therefore, if you are looking to operate on a budget, go meatless and assemble a vegetarian grill. BBQ sweet potato, thick-cut cauliflower, or even eggplant steaks and serve with zucchini, grilled tomatoes, and peppers. To make sure no one misses the meat, serve your dish with a good, flavorful dipping sauce. 

Tip #5: Filling appetizers 

Consider filling yet delicious appetizers such as grilled cheesy garlic bread, chips, guacamole, hot corn and cheese dip, pepperoni, and bread. This will help drive your overall BBQ cost down since these dishes are relatively inexpensive but delicious.

Tip #6: Get a budget grill or smoker

You don’t need to spend the big bucks on your equipment. You can find good electric smokers under $200 and even excellent pellet smokers on a budget. Granted this al depends on what you are after and how many people you need to cook for at the weekend, but following those links will help you find a bargain and save some money.