Potluck Menus: BBQ or Fondue
Southern Style Barbecue and Cheese Fondue to Serve Your Guests
Create Fun and Effective Menus for a BBQ Party or a Fondue Dinner
With the first two articles in this series on reinventing the concept of a potluck dinner discussing the “hows” and “whys” of potluck dinners, this article will focus on implementing some of the thematic dinner menus in a potluck scenario.
A favorite type of food for many Americans is the barbecue style found in some of our southern U.S. states. A Southern Style Barbecue can be brought together on the spur of the moment, and it’s even possible to use your local BBQ joint to supply a portion of the menu if needed.
Southern Style BBQ Potluck Meal
- Cornbread Squares or Muffins served with Butter and Honey
- BBQ Style Baked Beans (Simply heat canned beans or use your own homemade recipe. Stir in ¼ cup of barbecue sauce and continue to heat).
- BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches or BBQ Pulled Beef Sandwiches: Use your crock pot to slow cook a pork loin or beef roast on Low for 6 to 8 hours with a little bit of water in the bottom of the crock. As meat becomes cooked and tender, shred it with a couple of forks, and add enough barbecue sauce to totally surround the meat and allow it to clump together. Hold on Warm in the slow cooker for serving on potato buns or Kaiser rolls.
- Cole Slaw: prepared or homemade. Can be used as a side dish and also placed in the pulled sandwich for a great contrast to the tanginess of properly prepared pulled pork or beef.
- Brownies or Peach Cobbler or Cherry Pie served with Vanilla Ice Cream
- Added Side Item: a bowl of washed and chilled sweet green grapes will make a wonderful addition to this meal plan. The coolness of the grapes will be a welcome change from the heat of the barbecue, plus the fresh, green color will create a more visually appealing plate.
“The Melting Pot” Fondue Potluck Meal
While this style of entertaining may seem daunting to some, it is really an effective and relatively inexpensive way to host a smaller group of people. Plus, the set up is all done prior to the party, so you can really enjoy the experience!
Traditional Cheese Fondue
This is served with cubes of crusty French bread and wedges of Granny Smith apples (dipped in pineapple juice to inhibit browning). While delicious to eat, this fondue is simple to make.
- Slice 8 ounces Swiss or Emmenthal Cheese into long thin strips, and toss with 1 Tbsp. of flour.
- Rub the inside of a heavy saucepan with a cut clove of garlic, discard the garlic, and pour in 1 cup of dry white wine or 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth.
- Heat until tiny bubbles start to appear; add half of the cheese and stir until melted.
- Add remaining cheese and stir until melted and the mixture starts to thicken. Transfer fondue to a fondue pot at the table or to a crock pot set on Low.
This menu plan is continued in the next Potluck Dinner article.
