Grill Maestro

Rachelle, a PR rep for the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, sent me some information this past week that included a PDF on grilling etiquette, as gleaned from a national poll of Americans conducted by the HPBA. Apparently, 49% of grillers say it’s acceptable to bring your own sauce (that doesn’t necessarily mean that 51% say it’s not acceptable) but I always thought bringing your own sauce would be an affront to the flavor skills of your host. Then again, grillers are generally a relaxed lot so even if it were an insult, most would probably shrug it off anyway.

What should you bring if you’re invited to a BBQ? My number one rule is ask because the host might be coordinating with all the guests so you don’t end up with eight tubs of potato salad (which I find dreadful anyway, I like pasta salad though). If they don’t tell you anything, bring some beverages or a side, leave the meat up to the host (this is in line with HPBA’s results).

Lastly, the survey says that guests shouldn’t touch the grill (unless there’s some sort of emergency), which probably jives with what most people know anyway. Don’t touch another person’s stuff without permission!