A real German bbq, with German potato salad, German sausages and German desserts and other German recipes. Have a real German Grillfest in your own backyard. Who says backyard barbeque has to be hamburgers and hotdogs?
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Buying the stuff takes the most time - Otherwise - a few hours
Here's How:
- Decide how many people you are going to invite so you can plan how much food you need. This may sound very basic but if you want to have a real German barbeque or German grillfest - you don't want to be short on food - Germans are never short on food! This guide is based on 6 people - you can change it to meet your particular needs.
- Buy your food - you will want the following:
- 2 potatoes per person minimum.
- two sausages per person minimum.
- cabbage, onions, bacon, vinegar, and other ingredients as set out in our recipes.
- You can do American style hot dog buns but why not do it the German way, with small rolls for each sausage?
- Good German mustard is a must - find some!
- Buy some sauerkraut or make it - I suggest buying it.
- Buy your beer and soft drinks (a pony keg is a great idea).
- Decide what desserts you want to bake.
- The day before.
- Toss your sausage in a marinade of beer and honey if they are fresh. If they are smoked, you don't need to do anything.
- Make your potato salad.
- Make your cole slaw.
- Bake your cakes or desserts.
- The day of the Bbq, Picnic - Oktoberfest - whatever you are having...
- Set out your salads (German potato salad and German cole slaw) ).
- Tap your keg, put out your drinks in a cooler or tub with ice.
- Fire up your grill and put your sausages on.
- Call everyone to eat
- Relax and enjoy the party.
Tips:
- If you are having a fall bbq, why not try out one of the real Oktoberfest beers that you can buy in the US?
- Try this easy recipe for a Black Forest Torte. Otherwise, my favorite choice (because I cannot bake a cake to save my life) - the local bakery!
- Germans rarely use paper plates unless it is for a piece of cake - You don't have to be that authentic - but try to get quality paper plates so that the plates don't bend in half when you load them with food.
- Think about serving ""Alsterwasser" - You can use any beer for this - it is a combination of lemon-lime soda and beer - a favorite in Germany in the summer and in a lot of Kneipe(n) across Germany. It's a great drink for people that are not big beer fans (like Mom perhaps).
- This is very important - German sausages are not hot dogs!!! Buy Bratwurst, Weisswurst or Thuringer - You can find these in almost any grocery store - if you have a German deli in the neighborhood, go there but please, please, please no American weiners.