Upgrading your grilling game is about more than just food, it’s about creating an outdoor living experience in which guests feel comfortable and relaxed—an atmosphere where lasting memories are made. Fortunately, transforming your backyard into a barbeque headquarters doesn’t have to be costly, difficult, or time-consuming.
“Small touches can help create an inviting atmosphere and encourage guests to be more engaged with their environment, whether you’re entertaining the whole neighborhood or simply your significant other,” said Stephen Schroeter, senior vice-president of sales, marketing and administration for gourmet grill-maker, Napoleon.
“What people truly remember and value the most are what they experienced and how they felt in the moment.”
Make even an average weeknight feel like something special with these five tips to upgrade your backyard grilling game.
1. Group grilling
Invite your guests to bring a raw protein, uncooked veggie or their favorite fruit. Combine the surprise ingredients and collaborate to create a unique main course. Invite your friends and family to be involved in the grilling process whether it be prepping, plating, or swapping favorite grill techniques.
2. Eating al fresco – after dark
Some grills offer interior lighting and lighted control knobs to make grilling delicious meals after dark safer and easier. Add even more light to your night with strings of globe lights, candles, or a flame table. Using light adds ambiance and ensures your guests will fully enjoy their delicious dinner after dusk.
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3. Unique tablescapes
The best Grill Masters deliver culinary creativity; designing an immersive grilling environment is no exception. Unique tablescapes are a great way to enhance the grilling experience. Food isn’t just about the flavor; it embraces all senses: sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.
Add a hint of nature to your environment by creating one-of-a-kind centerpieces with boughs from trees, ravishing flowers and fresh aromatic herbs. Cut your own rustic platters or charger plates using logs from felled trees for an earthy touch.
4. Scents of smell
Smell and taste work together. When we smell something delicious, the body stimulates a desire to eat and nourish. When smell is impaired, we eat and socialize less. Remember those homemade wood charger plates you set the table with? If they’re made from a great smoking wood – alder, mesquite, maple, oak – why not plank grill your meal to add a savory scent and unbeatable flavor? If they haven’t been completely charred when the food is ready, you can use those log rounds to serve the meal on, too.
Adding smoke to your barbecued food is a great way to activate the olfactory response. Even better, if you have a fruit tree on the property, grab your pocket knife and shave a branch or two to use in your grill’s integrated smoker tube, charcoal tray, or a homemade foil packet.
5. The ultimate upgrade
If you’re going to elevate your grilling, consider upgrading your grill. A grill made of high-quality stainless steel will not only look sharp, but its durability will keep it running for many summers to come. Shop around to find a superior grill that offers versatile features like infrared burners, dual-level searing plates, integrated smoker trays, and more.
Create an experience that makes your backyard barbeque the envy of the neighborhood. To find your next grill built for a true Grill Master, visit NapoleonGrills.com.
