Are you engaged and now planning how to make your wedding day a lot more special? There are various places you can consider to host your event. Some people prefer beach weddings, garden weddings, or you can simply try to host your wedding at historic Texas churches.
Texas is known for its BBQ, and what could be perfect for a Texas-themed wedding reception than food that celebrates the flavors of the Lone Star State? From brisket to cowboy beans, these recipes will have your guests feeling right at home in the heart of Texas.
Why Choose to Have a Texas-Style BBQ Wedding Reception?
A Texas-style BBQ wedding reception is a wonderful choice for an outdoor, rustic-themed event. Barbecue ribs and brisket are best to serve at a BBQ-styled wedding because they both have deep smoky flavors that work wonderfully with the styles of food typically found in BBQ restaurants. You should also consider serving barbecue chicken or sausage as well. BBQ meats are typically served with sides of baked beans, potato salad, and coleslaw. However, if you want to add a unique twist to the traditional BBQ spread for wedding guests, then consider serving macaroni or cornbread instead of regular slaw.
Another great thing about having a BBQ wedding reception is that it is very affordable. You can easily feed a large crowd on a budget by serving up BBQ favorites like pulled pork, chicken, and ribs. And, if you’re looking forward to an outdoor wedding venue, many parks or gardens will offer BBQ pits that you can rent for your event.
How to Plan BBQ Wedding Reception Menus
If you are hosting a Texas-style BBQ wedding reception, it is important to plan your menu ahead of time. When planning menus for large events like weddings, be sure that you can afford all the ingredients and stay within your budget. You should consider how many people will attend the wedding so that you can estimate how much food you will need.
Once you have decided on the type of BBQ foods that you want to serve, it is time to create your shopping list. Be sure to get plenty of BBQ sauce, buns, meat, and side dishes. You can either buy these items pre-made or make them yourself. If you are making BBQ wedding reception food yourself, be sure to start cooking at least a day or two before the wedding so that everything is ready and waiting for your guests.
Food Ideas to Serve
In addition to BBQ meat options, have fun adding your own creative Texas-style touches to the BBQ wedding reception. For example, instead of serving regular BBQ sauce on the side (or having bottles at each table), you can make your own by combining ketchup, brown sugar, and cocoa powder heated over medium heat until it becomes thickened. You could serve this homemade BBQ sauce in small mason jars as a party favor for guests to take home.
For an additional BBQ-inspired wedding reception treat, consider serving BBQ pie in mini cast iron skillets instead of cake. There are many BBQ dessert recipes that use slices of banana or apple mixed with cinnamon and sugar inside a flaky biscuit-like crust to create the BBQ pies.
No matter what type of food you choose to serve at your Texas BBQ wedding reception, make sure that everything is cooked on site. This will give the food a fresh, homemade taste that will be appreciated by all of your guests.
- BBQ meats: ribs, brisket, chicken, sausage
- Sides: baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni salad, cornbread
- BBQ sauces: ketchup, brown sugar, cocoa powder
- Desserts: BBQ pies in mini cast iron skillets, banana or apple BBQ slices inside a biscuit crust.
- Everything is cooked on-site for freshness!
What BBQ Wedding Reception Drinks Should You Serve?
One of the most important factors of hosting any kind of party or event is making sure you have plenty of drinks on hand to keep your guests hydrated and happy. When it comes to BBQ wedding receptions, you have a few different drink options to choose from.
Serve soft drinks, fruit juices, or water alongside your BBQ spread for wedding guests. If you want to add a little bit of fun (and flavor) to your drinks menu, consider serving up some Texas-inspired cocktails like the BBQ Margarita or Cowboy Cooler. These drinks are simple to make and can be served in Mason jars or other rustic drinking vessels.
If you want to keep things simple, you can always serve beer and wine alongside your BBQ wedding reception food. Be sure to have a variety of both domestic and international beers on hand so that all your guests can enjoy a drink. BBQ and beer is such an amazing combination; you might want to consider adding it as part of the wedding reception food menu too!
Whatever BBQ foods you choose for your wedding reception, be sure to plan menus ahead of time and stick with foods that are easy to make. This will ensure that you can serve BBQ wedding reception food without hurting your bottom line.
Tips on Cooking Texas-Style BBQ Meats
During your wedding, you can simply hire someone to do the cooking for you. But you can give specific instructions to make sure your BBQ is deliciously cooked! When cooking BBQ meat for a wedding reception, you will want to keep the following tips in mind.
Brisket should be cooked slowly at about 300 degrees until it is fork-tender and has an internal temperature of 190-200 degrees Fahrenheit. Ribs can be seasoned with your favorite BBQ rub (typically salt, pepper, and spices) and then slow-cooked for about two hours. BBQ chicken can be cooked on the grill or in a smoker at 225 degrees Fahrenheit until it has an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Sausage should also be smoked or grilled slowly over indirect heat to cook thoroughly and reach an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit before being served.
The BBQ meats can all be cooked the day before and then kept warm until serving time. However, if you are keeping them on a buffet table for any length of time, I recommend that you keep a small chafing dish filled with hot water underneath to help keep everything moist.