So, what is your July 4th Menu Looking Like?

[CapeFearQ]

BBQ with the neighbors. I am making pulled pork and hot honey pork belly burnt ends and some southern slaw

[klflowers]

Me daughter and SIL are leaving for Hawaii Friday, so we had a going away party at his parents this past Friday. They made all the 4th foods - ribs, chicken, burgers, dogs and all the sides. I may do something different like beef ribs or a steak, but I am flying flying solo this year so nothing special.

[MarkN]

Kalbi (Korean Grilled Flanken-Style Short Ribs) with short-grain white rice, kimchi, and ssamjang. You know, the usual.

[SheilaAnn]

Ain’t mad at ya!

[jfmorris]

Well, my 4th plan is shaping up to be a bust with most of our kids and grandkids. Some are heading off to their in-laws, and others of my kids are being buttheads and fussing with their siblings. I got suggestions all over Friday/Saturday/Sunday from the kids, and I told them it was the 4th, annd they were welcome to come swim on other days, but I won’t be cooking 3 times.

And here I bought 10 pounds of chuck today for burgers.

We got invited to my sister in-laws but they are not good cooks, grill badly if they grill at all, and don’t have a pool. Kinda bummed at the moment, as is Yvonne. Might see if the in-laws or my parents want to come over here on the 4th instead of there.

[SheilaAnn]

If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one your with. I know you will make the best of it 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

[Kascon11]

I have been faced with a similar situation. I like cooking, so I cook and share with neighbors and freeze the rests for later. I am in my happy place cooking. It is still a party as long as you have a cold drink, chips and guacamole, and some smoked meat!

[Sdell]

Brisket, chicken, Smoked bean dip, smoked brie, fresh corn, slaw, and potato salad. My son volunteered me to be pitmaster for him and his friends, so we will have 13 twenty somethings at our house. They are all great kids, so it should be fun.

[Mosca]

I was at Sam’s, picking up some garbage bags, paper towels, etc., and they had 2-packs of full spares for $2.68/lb, plus $3 off per pack of 2, bringing them down to a very reasonable $2.38/lb (10 lb per pack avg weight). So it looks like I’ll do a rack of full spares, plus potato salad, baked beans, burgers, dogs.

[Kascon11]

Pork, Pork, Pork and chicken
1- Two Pork Butts Cuban style(overnight cook Friday to Saturday on Pit Boss Pellet)
2- Pork Ribs (Saturday cook on Pit Barrel)
3- Pork Belly (Friday morning/afternoon - Pit Boss Pellet)
4-Chick breast Cuban style (Saturday on Weber gasser)

Throw in some potato salad and baked beans and maybe a green salad.
I might grill up some hot links if I can find them in the freezer)

I wish everybody a wonderful Independence Day celebration filled with good food, good drink and good company!

[realdocBBQ]

Microwaved hot dogs, prolly. Or bologna sammich.

[Kascon11]

if you have an air fryer and just a couple of minutes more, I find the air fryer hot dog provides a better eating experience. However, any time and any way a hot dog is prepared, it is a good thing. Enjoy!

[bbq_esq]

It's looking to be over 100 here so it's either hot dogs or chinese food inside

[DaveD]

We got invited to some friends for the 4th. 10-12 people, they said, and I volunteered to bring some pulled pork from my stash to contribute to the sliders they were planning. Mind you, they've never had anything I've cooked. That turned into them asking me to smoke a brisket, which I politely deflected and countered with chuck roasts, since those are a much more manageable roll of the dice and better for pulling anyway. So I go with one of them to the store, they'll buy the meat. But the beef section, which was tiny, maybe ten feet long in a major grocery store, was wiped out. Nothing but ground beef and high-end steaks.

So we shift to pork butt, of which there are plenty. Then by that night, their guest count doubled, and they asked, could I smoke some more meat? So I did the butt yesterday, got another chuck (from a different store, and there were only four on that case too) for tomorrow, and I'll be bringing vac-sealed portions of pulled pork and pulled beef to reheat in the sous vide for service. They are planning on grilling four five-packs of sausages and cooking some kind of chicken.

My contribution all adds up to 5.5lb/2.5kg of pulled pork plus 2.5lb/1.1kg of pulled beef plus whatever I get out of the 2.5/1.1 chuckie I bought today, probably another 1.5lb/700g. Hey wait a minute... all of a sudden I'm the main man, how the heck did that happen?!

But in light of the weather, this will work out great. I'll just bring my SV rig with me, load up all the vac seals in the tub, and everything will be piping hot at the same time. SV reheat of smoked meat is so good.

[dubob]

Okay, I figured it out a couple days early. Went fishing with a buddy today and brought back some lovely kokanee (land-locked sockeye salmon). They will enjoy a leasurely stroll through my vertical smoker on Saturday. I just love making 'kokanee kandy'. Happy 4th y'all!

[Mosca]

Mrs Mosca just made a specific request that I DO NOT make anything other than burgers and dogs, potato salad, beans, and Caprese.

So ribs are out. But she didn’t make any requests of that nature for the 5th of July.

[dubob]

I picked up a 4-rib, 4-pound beef short rib package from a local butcher shop yesterday. That will get the smoke treatment tomorrow as well. 🥰

[jfmorris]

Well, apparently when Mother Nature becomes involved, plans must be flexible!

I had planned for a "pool day" and grilling and chilling by and in the pool, and prepped all week for that. It moved to Friday instead of today, due to family commitments with our kids and their inlaws. I was ready in my stars and strips swim suit even!

Unfortunately, while one set of grandkids got here about 1:30, at 3pm major wind rolled through, and there was lighting in the area, and the pool got full of debris quick. Then the rain opened up as I was cleaning the SNS Kamado, and had yet to remove the cover from the Camp Chef griddle. Then the POWER went out, and the temp in the house started climbing and climbing. Thankfully I had a battery powered Ryobi fan that helped some inside.

About 5pm, power returned, I called second daughter and my parents and told them we were on. But no one swam, and I shifted the cook to the Weber gas grill, as things were a mess by the pool, and I decided I had no time for charcoal. I also simplified, and only did 24 smash burgers, and 24 hot dogs, to feed about 12 people with leftovers.

On the plus side, I used the warming rack - something I've rarely had need for - due to batching the burgers 12 at a time...

[dubob]

Improvisation at its finest. Well done jfmorris. 👍

[Steve B]

Wasn’t planning on cooking today. Neighbor usually has a big bash. But for some reason, maybe the near 100* temps lately, they’re not having one.
So I grabbed a couple racks of Slt. Ribs for me and some chicken legs and thighs for the wife
Will have dueling Kettles going later.

[Richard Chrz]

Im thinking of doing these brat pockets again today..

[Richard Chrz]

DuckinBBQ that is a 63 percent hydration sourdough pizza dough.

[dubob]

OMG! How do I get to your house??? And I mean right now. 🥰

[barelfly]

Now that’s a 4th of July meal!