With the barbecue restaurant and catering industry continuing to grow, the summertime staple is seeing its reach expand into all four seasons, according to 2017 consumer surveys. More and more people are turning to barbecue restaurants for event catering for birthday parties, wedding, dinner parties, or other events. Barbecue event catering is no longer a novelty, but a competitive business — and the best are rising to the top. Read on for a few tips on getting the most out of barbecue event catering:

event catering

The Meat Must Be a Cut Above the Rest

When choosing a barbecue food caterer for a bigger event, such as a wedding, you will likely invest more time in sampling their offerings. This is the opportunity to gauge the quality of the meat they use. Although a great barbecue is a sophisticated process with a number of important factors, nothing impacts the final product more than the quality of the meat. Choose a barbecue restaurant that offers the very best cuts of high-quality beef, pork, and poultry. And remember that the quality of the sauce can be impacted by the quality of the meats.

They Should Get Smoking Early

The beauty of barbecue is that it’s a process that uses slow smoking to cook and cure meat, permeating it with the smoky flavors of the woods used in the process. On many traditional barbecue grills, this process can take up to five hours. Be sure that the event catering service you use doesn’t rush the smoking process. It will be necessary for them to start preparing your food five or more hours before your event or dinner service time.

Make Sure They’re in Gear

After the quality of the meat and the nuance of smoking, the grilling equipment is the next most important. Better grills make for better barbecues. Ask for tours of the kitchens and facilities of the BBQ catering services you’re considering, and ask about their smokers, grills, and other equipment.

Work With Seasoned Professionals

Having the right gear is only half of the battle. A successful and experienced barbecue specialist will be experienced in keeping that gear in the best condition. There’s an art to seasoning cast iron cooking gear: if the event catering service you’re considering is great at that art, there’s a high likelihood that they will be great at the rest of the process as well.

Choosing the right barbecue caterer should be simple and unintimidating if you’re willing to do some research, know what to look for, ask the best questions, and, best of all, sample a lot of barbecue dishes. Look for barbecue services that offer the highest quality cuts of meat, that are ready to take their time smoking and preparing, and that use high-quality equipment!