Free Printable BBQ Planner

The sun’s out and the grill is calling! And what could be more fun than having your friends and family over for a BBQ? Okay, some preparations are involved, but it’s so much easier when you’re organized. This free printable BBQ planner will help you nail down every detail and avoid those forehead-slapping ‘oops’ moments!

My wife Ginny is usually the organizer of the house, and while I don’t share her passion for printable planners, I feel obligated to make an exception when it comes to planning a BBQ.

Running out of coals halfway through or forgetting to buy cheese are memories I’m not fond of. But hey, here’s the good news: no such blunders have happened since I started using this free printable BBQ planner.

It has 4 essential sheets: a menu planner, a shopping list, a guest list, and a prep schedule. It’s everything you need to organize a cookout without breaking a sweat.

Let’s take a peek!

BBQ Menu Planner

Menu planning is awesome and not just for a BBQ, but for any get-together. This one has the following categories:

• Starters
• Mains
• Desserts
• Sides & Salads
• Drinks
• Special Diets (for guests with allergies or dietary needs)

As much as I love grilled and smoked foods, I try to refrain myself from adding too many dishes to the list. A solid variety is nice, but don’t forget to also consider how many people will be attending.

Food waste is no fun!

BBQ Guest List

As we discussed above, how many people are coming matters a lot for setting up everything. The BBQ guest list sheet takes care of this problem and even more. It has columns for each guest’s:

• Name
• RSVP
• Bringing (for potluck-style BBQs)
• Dietary Notes (to keep track of any allergies or special food requirements)

Make sure to let everyone know about the gathering at least 2 weeks before. Of course, this is not a wedding, so you don’t need to tell them a year ahead, but people still need to plan their time.

After all, there are more chances of them attending if you tell them ahead. Also, it will help you have a finalized guest list (with hopefully, very little surprises) 3-4 days before the cookout.

You need this time to prep it without stress. I always like to make ahead and prep ahead as much as possible. The day of the BBQ should be relaxing for the host too, not just the guests.

BBQ Shopping List

Once you have the menu set and the guest list is finalized, you will know the ingredients and how much of them you need. Next, it’s time for the grocery run!

Well, you’ll first need to fill the BBQ shopping list, but this small effort is so worth it. Not only will you come back home with every item on the list, but it will also help you shop a lot faster.

The shopping list includes the following categories:

• Produce
• Meats
• Dairy
• Dry Goods
• Frozen
• Drinks
• Other

BBQ Prep Schedule

Once you have all the details, ingredients, and equipment, you can enter the prep phase. I absolutely love using this BBQ prep schedule sheet and I always try to split the work between at least 2 days.

On the day of the BBQ, I only do the final cooking for the dishes that need to be served fresh. There is no need to try and get everything done in a single day. In fact, it can be stressful and tiring, so why not avoid it?

Here’s what’s included on this sheet:

• Schedule (running from 6 AM to 9 PM so you can plan out when to tackle different tasks)
• To Dos
• Notes

This is super simple, and just as effective!

🖨️ Grab It Now

• Enter your name and email in the box below and hit the “Send Me The Guide” button.
• We’ll email you the download link for the free printable BBQ planner.
• Open it, click the link, and save the PDF file to your device.
• Enjoy your new BBQ planning sheets!

More Free Printables For A Perfectly Organized BBQ

Now, you might think that BBQ planner has you covered, and it mostly does! But over the years, I added a few extra printables to my grilling arsenal that make everything go smoother.

First off, this free printable grilling chicken temperature chart with cooking time and temp info for all the chicken cuts. Look, I’ve been grilling chicken all my life, and I STILL find this chart so useful! In fact, I have it laminated because I always keep it around the grill while I’m cooking and it would get serious oil stains way too fast.

It’s great to ensure your chicken is juicy and perfectly cooked every single time. No more poultry pitfalls!

Then, I also use this more inclusive grilling time and temperature chart, with grilling time, temperature, and food internal temp for beef, poultry, pork, seafood, and the most common veggies for grilling.

Just in case my memory fails me, this sheet is there as a reference. This also helps a lot with planning that prep schedule!

And finally, I like to experiment with smoking wood and various blends. This free printable smoking wood chart is where I start all of my smoky flavored adventures.

With all of this prep, I like to make sure I’m putting something impressive on the table, and I want it to taste just as good. Raise your hand if you’re like me. (Or drop me a message in the comments section!).