Memorial Day, initially known as Decoration Day, honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military, with its origins tracing back to the American Civil War. Common Americans often commemorate Memorial Day with family gatherings, parades, and BBQ parties, symbolizing the start of the summer season and paying homage to fallen heroes with shared meals and outdoor festivities. If you are planning on hosting a backyard party or attending a potluck for the Memorial Day weekend, these easy yet creative ideas can help you make your celebration more appetizing.

Here are the 10 easy and creative ways to ump up your Memorial Day barbeque picnic.

1. BBQ Sliders Bar – Set up a station with mini burger buns, a variety of BBQ meats (pulled pork, shredded chicken, brisket), and an assortment of toppings like coleslaw, pickles, onions, and different sauces. Let guests build their own sliders.

2. BBQ Pizza – Use BBQ sauce as the base for homemade pizzas instead of tomato sauce. Top with shredded BBQ chicken or pork, caramelized onions, bell peppers, and cheese for a unique twist.

3. BBQ Tacos – Serve soft corn or flour tortillas or taco shells alongside BBQ meats, grilled veggies, and traditional taco toppings like salsa, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream for guests to create their own BBQ-inspired tacos.

4. BBQ Skewers – Thread chunks of BBQ-marinated meats (such as chicken or beef) along with veggies (like bell peppers, onions, and cherry tomatoes) onto skewers for a fun and portable BBQ option.

5. BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos – Layer tortilla chips with BBQ pulled pork, melted cheese, black beans, jalapenos, and diced tomatoes. Then serve with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream for dipping.

6. BBQ Meatballs – Make meatballs using a blend of ground beef and pork seasoned with BBQ sauce. This can be cooked in a crockpot for 2 hours if you want to save time. You can also bake the meatballs in the oven and sautée BBQ sauce in a pan. Serve them in sub rolls with additional BBQ sauce, melted cheese, and sautéed onions and peppers or serve it as is.

7. BBQ Quesadillas – Fill flour tortillas with BBQ chicken or pork, shredded cheese, caramelized onions, and cilantro. Then grill until the tortillas are crispy and the cheese is melted, then cut into wedges and serve with salsa and sour cream.

I know that most of us have BBQ recipes passed on and around the family for generations. But if you are an immigrant like myself and is looking for a fool-proof BBQ yet easy BBQ recipe, I am sharing mine below.

If you are pressed for time and need a quick BBQ recipe, I love mixing Hunt’s Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce with Hunt’s Original BBQ sauce (1:1). This balances the acidity and the flavors becomes well balanced and less tangy. If you like a sweeter BBQ, Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce is perfect. If like it sweeter, add a few tablespoons of honey. When using these bottled sauces, I like to add a generous amount of ground pepper for a more balanced flavor. If you want to find more recipe ideas for potlucks, check here.

Have a wonderful Memorial weekend! To all those who served and are still serving to keep America safe, thank you and God bless us all!