Who’s craving the unofficial start of the summer? Every excuse for an outdoor gathering or barbecue is a great one in our books, but Memorial Day might be our favorite. You can welcome all your favorite people into your beautiful backyard, fire up your grill or smoker and enjoy the finally-glorious weather.
How to make this year’s Memorial Day party even more extraordinary? Try these ideas:
Curate your décor.
As always, it’s the little details that matter most when decorating for a party. For instance, when choosing a tablescape or floral centerpiece for an outdoor get-together, consider adding seasonal fruit in addition to flowers for an added layer of interest. Consider skewering strawberries or peaches and tucking them among the blooms. Or you can fill the bottom of a glass vase an array of lemons and limes and top it with flowers to really add that summer feel.
Consider a theme.
They’re not just for children’s parties. Adding a theme to any gathering can add a perfect touch of whimsy, or serve as an icebreaker if you’re gathering people who might not know each other well. It can be as simple as centering the menu around your favorite international cuisine—who says no to sangria and Spanish tapas on a hot day?—or asking your guests to wear a particular color or pattern.
Carefully select sips.
Good, cold beer is essential to any outdoor get-together, and you can go beyond the big brands and household names. Look toward local breweries for truly special brews and sips (and keep an eye out for impressive IPAs, a specialty for many small craft breweries). Don’t stop at beer—you can also serve wine at a barbecue, and both Riesling and Gruner Veltliner pair beautifully with grilled chicken and pork.
Expand your menu.
Burgers and dogs are crowd-pleasers, but you can do more than please the crowd—you can impress them. Go beyond the ordinary with your side selection and try out grilled fruit (brush down watermelon with a mixture of honey and lime and then serve sprinkled with cilantro, or dip halved peaches in brown sugar and cinnamon and watch everything get caramelized), or grill thin slices of zucchini topped with pesto.
For your main course? We recommend these two Thai-inspired options for a sweet-spicy balance that will have your guests lining up for seconds:
THAI GRILLED PORK
Yields 6 servings
INGREDIENTS
Pork
- 2 lbs. pork neck, cut into wide slabs about ½-inch thick
- 1 Tbs. brown sugar
- 2 Tbs. oyster sauce
- 1 Tbs. fish sauce
- 2 Tbs. whiskey, brandy, or rum (optional)
Jaew dipping sauce
- ¼ cup thinly sliced shallots
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- ⅓ cup fish sauce
- juice of one lime
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- 1 Tbs. of toasted rice powder
- 1 Tbs. of dried red pepper flakes
DIRECTIONS
Jaew dipping sauce
Mix everything together in a bowl.
Adjust the taste with more fish sauce, lime juice, or sugar, if necessary. The sauce should be predominantly sour and salty.
For the pork
Mix everything together in a mixing bowl, cover, and refrigerate for anywhere between 2 to 6 hours. Grill. Slice. Serve with Jaew sauce.
THAI GRILLED CHICKEN
Yields 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
Chicken
- 8 pieces chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp. grated ginger
- 5 sprigs cilantro leaves
- 2 Tbs. soy sauce
- 1 Tbs. fish sauce
- 1 Tbs. sugar
- ½ tsp. ground white pepper
- 1½ Tbs. Thai red curry paste
- 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
Sweet Thai chill sauce
- 3 Tbs. chili paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup rice wine vinegar
- ⅔ cup white sugar
- ⅔ cup water
- 1 tsp. salt
- 4 tsp. cornstarch
- handful of chopped cilantro
DIRECTIONS
Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a food processor and pulse until you get a smooth paste.
Toss the marinade with the chicken and set aside for up to an hour.
Prepare your grill for indirect heat. Place a drip pan under the chicken. Grill, skin side up, for about 10 minutes. Turn the chicken and continue to grill another 5 minutes. Keep the grill lid down for this step.
Working with two or three pieces at a time, place the chicken over direct heat and grill to crisp and color the skin. The lid stays up the whole time. It will flare up, so be ready to move it out of the way.
Repeat until all the chicken is colored up. Return the chicken to indirect heat, cover again and cook until an instant read thermometer registers 160 for white meat and 170 for dark meat. Allow the chicken to rest briefly and serve with sweet Thai chili sauce.
Putting together an impressive MDW spread? Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram @njhomemag in all your best moments.