Food & shopping
A practical barbecue menu for eight people
Prepare burgers, corn, raw vegetables and fruit for eight adults. Use one shopping list and keep raw and cooked food separate.
The checklist
- Ground beef · 2 lb
- Salt · 1 US tsp + salt for corn water
- Ground black pepper · 1 US tsp
+ 35 more explained items
A barbecue for eight can centre on one published burger recipe and one published corn recipe. The Perfect Basic Burger is doubled from 4 to 8 patties, preserving its egg and breadcrumb binder. Sarah Raven’s corn recipe already serves 8. Buns, toppings, plain raw vegetables, fruit and drinking water are separate menu allocations. Ask about allergies and appetites before shopping.
The combined list keeps the source measurements: beef in lb, breadcrumbs in US cups and seasonings in US spoons. It does not invent gram conversions. Butter, chilli, garlic and thyme belong to the corn recipe; oil for the grill and salt for boiling water are needed as directed, without an invented measured allowance. Serve the cucumber, tomatoes and onion separately, without an invented salad dressing.
Prepare cold food indoors and keep raw patties chilled. Cook corn before burgers and use separate raw and cooked platters. Use the ground-beef temperature check as well as the cooking times. Check your grill manual, weather and local fire restrictions before lighting it.
Who this list is for
Eight adults with ordinary appetites, all eating beef, at a private outdoor barbecue with a refrigerator nearby. No children or vegetarian main courses are included in the base quantities. Check dietary needs before shopping and substitute portions deliberately.
Tips
Prepare the whole menu before lighting the grill
Arrange the burgers, corn and cold sides as separate jobs. Shape the patties indoors and keep them chilled until cooking. Set out clean plates and utensils for cooked food, with a separate place for raw meat. Confirm the grill has enough space for the planned batches before guests arrive.
Set the portions before you shop
The base menu allocates one burger and one corn cob to each adult, plus shared raw vegetables and fruit. Large appetites may need another planned portion; increase the whole burger component, including buns and toppings, rather than adding random packs of meat. For a group including children, ask the adults responsible what portions are appropriate. Keep the shopping quantities unchanged until you have counted who will eat each dish. Vegetarian substitutions replace meat portions and need their own labelled cooking instructions.
Use temperature as the meat check
FoodSafety.gov specifies 71°C for ground beef and 74°C for poultry. Check each burger in its centre with a clean food thermometer; approach from the side if the patty is thin. Cooking time varies with heat and thickness, so treat any timing as a planning estimate. A browned surface, clear juice or lack of pink is not the acceptance test. Follow stricter applicable label or official instructions, and do not serve an unchecked patty.
Separate the preparation and serving stations
Keep the raw-meat tray, board and utensils separate from the raw vegetables, buns and finished food. Hand the cooked burgers to a clean platter with clean utensils. Wash your hands and clean equipment after touching raw meat. Prepare the raw vegetables first so you do not need to switch repeatedly between raw beef and ready-to-eat vegetables. Keep condiment containers at the serving station where guests can help themselves without reaching across the grill.
Give the grill its own outdoor space
NFPA advises outdoor use for gas and charcoal grills, clearance from combustible surroundings, and continuous supervision. Follow the grill manual, site rules and current local fire restrictions; cancel the fire if any of these prevent use. Choose a stable position away from guests, overhead branches and serving traffic. Assign one adult to operate the grill and another to help serve. If children attend, agree a separate play space and active supervision before lighting.
Keep the meal small enough to serve promptly
Use a cooler or refrigerator for perishable food until it is needed, then bring out small batches. Set a serving time and tell the guests when the burgers will be ready. Corn can be shared while the main course finishes, but keep its clean serving dish away from raw beef. Clear the table and chill leftovers promptly rather than leaving them outside throughout the afternoon. The preparation schedule is a practical suggestion, not a guarantee about how fast your grill cooks.
The checklist
38 items, grouped like in the Cartdock app.
Print this page to tick items off on paper: the printout keeps only the checklist, with a box before every item.
Buy
Menu ingredients, combined
- Ground beef · 2 lb — Double the published 1 lb for 4 patties; do not silently convert to another meat weight.
- Salt · 1 US tsp + salt for corn water — Measured spoon goes into burgers; corn source also calls for salted boiling water.
- Ground black pepper · 1 US tsp — For the doubled burger recipe only.
- Oil for the grill grate — Lightly oil as the recipe and your grill manual allow; not a raw vegetables ingredient.
- Burger buns · 8 — One per diner; check wheat, sesame and other allergens.
- Cheese slices · 8 — One optional topping per burger; check dietary suitability.
- Tomatoes · 800 g — 200 g sliced burger topping and 600 g plain raw serving allocation.
- Cucumber · 400 g — Plain raw serving allocation; wash and slice.
- Red onion · 1 — Raw serving allocation; slice and offer separately.
- Corn cobs · 8 — One per diner; remove husks and silk before cooking.
- Butter · 100 g — Softened butter for Sarah Raven’s published corn recipe.
- Ketchup · 160 g — Serving allowance for the burgers; check the label.
- Seasonal fruit · 1 kg — Wash and serve as a simple shared dessert.
- Drinking water · 4 l — Starting table supply; adjust for weather and guests and provide refills.
- Large eggs · 2 — Burger binder; double the original recipe.
- Fine dry breadcrumbs · 1 US cup — For all eight burgers; keep the US measure.
- Red chilli · 1 — Deseed for the published corn butter.
- Garlic cloves · 2 — Chop for the corn butter.
- Fresh thyme, finely chopped · 2 tbsp — For the published corn butter.
Outdoor supplies
- Compatible grill fuel — Check what you already have and follow the appliance instructions.
- Soap and paper towels — Provide a handwashing point with clean running water.
Take along
Equipment to take outside
- Outdoor grill and its manual — Inspect, clean and operate according to the manufacturer.
- Food thermometer — Check operation before cooking and clean the probe between checks.
- Separate raw and cooked platters — Mark the raw tray and keep the clean serving platter separate.
- Separate cooking and serving utensils — Include long tongs, a spatula and a clean raw vegetables spoon.
- Boards, knife, bowls, saucepan and colander — Keep raw-beef equipment separate; use the saucepan and colander to boil and drain corn.
- Cooler with ice packs and lidded containers — Keep food cold and pack safe leftovers promptly.
- Plates, cups and cutlery · 8 sets — Set the eating table away from the grill and raw-food station.
To do
Several days beforeBefore shopping
- Confirm guests, diet and permission to grill — Count eight adult portions, ask about allergies, and check site and local fire restrictions.
Before lightingPrepare indoors
- Check the outdoor cooking area — Choose a stable clear site, inspect the grill, assign an operator and follow its manual.
- Arrange plain vegetables — Wash 600 g tomatoes and 400 g cucumber, slice 1 onion and serve separately. These are raw serving allocations without a dressing recipe. Cover and chill.
- Prepare the toppings and fruit — Wash and slice the remaining 200 g tomatoes. Wash the 1 kg fruit, arrange the cheese and ketchup, and keep perishables cold.
- Shape eight burgers — Whisk 2 eggs with 1 US tsp salt and 1 US tsp pepper; mix in 2 lb beef and 1 US cup fine dry breadcrumbs. Shape 8 patties about 3/4 inch thick. Cover and chill; wash raw-meat equipment.
At mealtimeCook and serve
- Cook the corn first — Finely chop 1 deseeded red chilli and 2 garlic cloves. Mix with 100 g softened butter and 2 tbsp finely chopped thyme; chill, form a roll, chill again and cut 8 discs. Boil 8 cobs in salted water for 5 minutes; cool in cold water and dry. Barbecue slowly for 15 minutes, turning; serve with butter discs.
- Grill burgers in manageable batches — Preheat to high heat and lightly oil the grate as your manual allows. The source suggests 6–8 minutes per side; check each centre reaches at least 71°C and continue if needed. Use a clean platter for cooked burgers.
- Assemble and serve eight burgers — Use clean utensils and platter. Fill 8 buns with the cooked patties, tomato, optional cheese and ketchup. Serve immediately with the raw vegetables, corn, fruit and water.
After eatingFinish safely
- Chill or discard leftover food — Track time outside refrigeration. Refrigerate safe leftovers in shallow containers; discard food beyond the official exposure limits.
- Close the cooking area — Follow the manual to shut down. Keep supervising hot equipment; let charcoal cool completely and dispose of cold coals in a metal container.
Questions and answers
How do I organise the food preparation?
Prepare cold sides indoors, then keep them covered and chilled until serving. Have raw and cooked platters ready before carrying food outside. Cook the corn before the burgers as described in the checklist, and check the meat with a thermometer before serving.
How can I make this vegetarian?
Use labelled vegetarian patties and their own pack directions. For a fully vegetarian group remove the entire beef-patty formula, including its eggs, breadcrumbs and measured seasoning; keep eight buns. For a mixed group, prepare fewer complete source batches or choose ready-made patties instead of dividing an egg by guesswork. Confirm cheese, corn butter and toppings suit guests; use separate clean equipment.
Can I prepare food the day before?
Wash produce, set out equipment and portion ingredients ahead, keeping perishables covered and refrigerated separately from raw meat. Slice the plain serving vegetables near mealtime. Follow use-by labels and thaw beef in the refrigerator. Do not partially cook burgers for finishing much later. The corn recipe’s butter can be mixed and chilled as directed before grilling.
What should I do with leftovers?
FoodSafety.gov limits perishable food outside refrigeration to 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C. Count preparation and serving time together. Put safe leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate promptly; discard food that exceeded the limit. Reheat cooked leftovers to 74°C. These limits are maximum exposure times, not a reason to leave food out until the last moment.
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