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How To Throw The Ultimate World Cup Barbecue This Summer

It’s June and the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ is well underway. Which team will win? Who knows! What we do know is that its summer and that means barbecues. As if you need an excuse, the World Cup is a great reason to invite over some friends, enjoy some sticky, delicious ribs and wash them down with cold beer. For those out of the loop, the soccer World Cup is organized by FIFA and one country’s team will be crowned the best in the world. Barbecue is universal and every country has their own version of barbecued meat. This is a great reason to theme your barbecue around the World Cup. Here is your five-step guide to throwing the ultimate World Cup-themed barbecue this summer. 

Step #1. Go All-Out With Decorations

Ideally, you want to buy bunting with the flags of various countries around the world. Clean your back yard and hang up the bunting. You may want to wrap mini paper flags around cocktail sticks and use these to signal which countries each dish came from. If possible, ask your guests to bring their favourite soccer shirts. If you have a wide-screen TV in your backyard, watching a game while you eat is the ultimate way to enjoy the occasion. 

Step #2. Hit The Spot With German Hotdogs

The 2014 FIFA World Cup is being held in Brazil. Germany has an extremely strong team and many pundits are saying they could even end up in the final. Rustling up a German-themed barbecue dish is a smart move. To create the ultimate German-style hot dogs, buy the best quality all-beef hotdogs you can find. Choose dogs with a natural casing and grill them to perfection over a low-heat grill. Germany is famous for its ‘curry dogs’ and these are easier to make than you’d think. The Germans simply mix curry powder with tomato sauce to give their hot dogs the famous heat. You could either mix up some curried sauce as a side or go all out and smother the cooked dogs with ketchup. Germans liberally shake curry powder over the top of their dogs but the presentation is up to you. 

Step #3. Learn How To Make Brazilian Picanha

The host nation Brazil may not be tipped to win this year’s event but they do have home field advantage and are likely to progress to the quarter finals. Rump, or Picanha, as the Brazilians call it is proper Brazilian barbecue. Unless you know what you’re doing, you are likely to end up with three very dry lumps of steak on a stick. Start by trimming the rump steak and divide it into three large chunks. Skewer these onto a large metal skewer, sprinkle with some coarse grain salt and lay this over a barbecue. Preferably use a grill with a rotating system – you can rent these from a firm offering BBQ catering if you don’t own one. To serve Picanha is quite unusual – you actually carve off wafer thin pieces from the rump steak. This must be slow-cooked over a low heat until thoroughly cooked through to get the authentic Brazilian flavour. 

Step #4. Order In Some Portuguese Beer

Portugal is hotly tipped to do well in this year’s World Cup. For a truly eclectic meal, order some Portuguese beer. The most widely known beer is called ‘Super Bock’. This isn’t a bock but a standard larger containing 5.2 percent alcohol by volume. It tastes great and is the most popular domestic beer in Portugal. A speciality liquor store is bound to help you get hold of some. 

Step #5. Set Yourself Up Like A Pro

Why not order a professional-grade barbecue grill? Many catering companies offer these as rentals to help you pull off an award winning gathering. 

Conclusion

This five step guide should help you host the perfect World Cup inspired barbecue this year. Enjoy the soccer and happy cooking!