Summer Lovin’ Having a Splash! BBQ Season Commences Here is Our Favorite Things On & Off The Grill

The Suttle Home (Lifestyle)
Written By Desaree Suttle

This summer is all about black accents! It is summer lovin’ while you take splash in the pool. It is Summer time and BBQ Season! The best season for family gatherings, pool parties and an ice cold beverage. I have been living in AZ for 10 + years and for the last 8 we have not had a pool at home. Last year when we decided to move the house HAD to have a pool! My husband now uses it daily to cool down after a long day in the sun on roofs & attic’s. He takes a dip to wind down after a long day. From daily use to hosting parties we gathered all of our top picks for a Summer lovin’ BBQ Season!

BBQ is more then food. It is a gathering of friends, family, neighbors to break bread and enjoy the fruits of our labor. When you BBQ you need lots of food, ice cold beverages & places to sit. I can dream of Brisket, pulled pork, ribs, burnt ends, steaks, corn on the cob and potatoes salad. Right now I am in a dark accent phase. I love the depth and also great for the clean up! Here are some of our top picks for outside living.

Charred or just A little Dark

Retro Cooler | Garden Chairs | Black Concrete Pots | Plate set

Picking some of the must haves for out side I could gather 100’s of options because there is just so much. I really love and enjoy hosting people at our house. We did a BBQ for my sons Birthday and had 75 People in our house. Hosting is a ton of work! Tons of food and prep work, Shopping and decorating.

We have an elevated cooler that is just like the black one above! Ours is a vintage piece gave to me from my step dad, but MAN I LOVE IT. It holds Ice Really well and is so much easier to access when not on the ground. Also doubles as a great place to put your towels or other things by the pool when not use for ice & beverages. These chairs are sooo great for a Baja Shelf & won’t rust! New pots & plates are a fun way to make the BBQ look even more great then it tastes.

Kitchen BBQ Essentials

Traeger Pellet Smoker | PItBoss Pellet Smoker | Barrel Charcoal Smoker | Master Built Vertical Smoker | Blue Charcoal Grill/Smoker | Gold Chip Clips | Bear Claws | Food Covers | Meter smart Thermometer | Grill Bags

Now BBQ is no joke. There are differences of opinions of KC BBQ, Taxes BBQ, Caroline BBQ & Memphis BBQ of which is the best. There is a long running battle between these types of BBQ. I personally love good food so I don’t have a preference necessary. More importantly then type of BBQ, I have been immersed in a ‘smoker culture’ the last 7 years. My Step dad is AMAZING at Smoking meat. Sundays were for BBQ and the lake for many years. But I have to tell you people who aren’t Professional at Barbecue still have their preferences of types of Smokers.

Just like I have them on my appliances this is no difference. Above I pulled the normal selection of smokers in different price categories but also how they smoke. Pellet smokers are nice because they have a reservoir that holds the pellets used to smoke and releases them as needed. If you’re smoking a brisket for 12 + hours it can be tedious to check to make sure your standard wood smoker has wood chips in side. Not to my taste buds can I tell if it is pellet smoked or wood chip smoked but I’m sure there is a difference to the conesuor.

By Popularity Traeger & Pit Boss are well known great products and have both pellet and wood options. They are pricey……. But Good quality and upkeep can make it worth the money spent. They can last a long time! The next two options are not “Brand Names” but have good reviews, less expensive and do the same things essentially. Smoking meats is an art form! It is difficult and a long process these would be great starter smokers. I have seen a lot of people want to learn and give up after they find out it can take 18+ hours for a desired meat. If you just spent 800+ on a smoker you don’t want to use……it burns a little bit. Plus having a cheaper one to start & buying nicer one down the road give you opportunity to have double the amount of space to cook! I think it is a win win. The last smoker is also not cheap but I know is a favorite type of Egg shaped smoker for the KC BBQ. It could be worth a try. But if you are looking for something that will make more meat at once the first 4 options are the best.

Dinner is Served

Coupe Stemware | Large Serving Bowls | Hexclad Knives | BBQ Tongs

Once you slaved over the smoker/grill for hours and hours and your meat is resting ( resting is essential is smoking meat!) Something I love about BBQ is obviously to eat it but Presenting food that you know tastes amazing. It is always nice to beautifully present the food just as amazing as it tastes. From Craft Cocktail glasses for our Adult beverages, beautiful serving bowels and picking up and carving the meat here is our favorite tried and true suggestions. You will never regret a good set of tongs when you BBQ/ grill anything! Next A set of Knives is a must! From prep to finish you need a good knife to cute meat, veggies, and side before & after cooking. Sharp & good knife makes everything better to cook. Grab your self a pair of cotton gloves for the local hardware store and some Black Latex gloves! This will cover your cotton gloves and help with handling the meat while cutting. You will thank me later !

A beautiful bowl or plate can make everything look delicious! I think a good vintage style coupe glass pulls a bar and beverage area together! Although mine are actually vintage the one I pick above and in our Bar Must Haves blogs Coming out can give you inexpensive selections of Crystal Cocktail Glasses. Variety and understanding the types of glass pair with the types of drinks. who would have thought that would matter… but it does.

Dig In’

Gold Serving Spoons | Wood Spatulas | Gold Flatware | JA Henckels

From the second the food starts being put on the table to what you use to serve and eat is a presentation. Good food will be good without fancy flatware and crystal dishes. That doesn’t mean that you can’t take pride in presentation for your dinner. Even wanting the serving utensils that you use to also be beautiful at a hosted dinner is not a bad thing. The Gold Serving spoons, Wood spatulas and Gold flatware are beautiful options for show stoppers at a dinner party. ( plus the flatware is dishwasher safe!!! Making clean up a breeze) I really didn't know how much a good steak knife was important, until I was using a cheap crappy unsharp knife. A good set of steak knives doesn’t have to be expensive! BUT it does need to be able to be sharpened & last. We have a set of knives I do like but every now and again I find them literally broken in half at the handle in the sink. I find a one solid piece with non wooden handle to be the best option for our family. Also even if it says dish washer safe, I wouldn’t wash the knife in the dishwasher… it can rust the blade and no one wants rusty knives!

BBQ’s, pools and Four legged friends go hand in hand! From frisbee, fetch and swimming you can keep your dogs safe during the BBQ season. Our dog recently had tumors removed because of sun exposure on his belly/private area. Sun burn can happen to your pets! So we bough sunscreen for dogs! it is an easy application to keep my dog on the move and healthy during the summer season. They also love the pool! instead of having them in the big pool. We have being buying plastic kiddy pools for years. for them to plop down after they run around. They get beat up and replacement yearly. We recently found a pop up flexible & collapsable pool that is easy to store into a small place. This also helps with draining and removing water with out warping the pool. Here in AZ it HOT in the summer, which may be an under statement. It is VERY HOT in the summer. We found a cooling mat that helps them cool down quicker when over heated, or just to lay on to keep cool. I see this a lot and it breaks my heart. If it isn’t obviously your need dog shoes for their paws. concrete & blacktop can and WILL burn their pads off. Rule is if you wouldn’t walk on it cause it is hot, it is too hot for the dogs. Keeping them safe with booties, sunscreen , cooling mat and portable water bottle dish for the Ice cold water. They sure will be happy and enjoy the BBQ while stealing your kids hot dogs.

Furry Four- Legged Friends

Sun Screen | Collapsible pool | Water Bottle Dish | Cooling Mat | Dog Booties

This year my poor little Pittie was dagnosised with skin cancer. It is so sad that I didn’t think of the fact they can get suburnt or get cancer. he is white and brindle and LOVES a good sun bath moment. He had surgery 2 weeks ago to remove most of the small cancer cells and is getting laser removal for the rest. Sunscreen for his white areas from now one. You can’t tell me he isn’t the cutest!

 

Looking to see more of our favorites, must have lists and renovation projects? Check out our lates blogs and projects below! & Follow us on Social Media!

Desaree Suttle
Previous

The Suttle Home : If I Knew Then What I Know Now
Next

Spring Outdoor Must Haves