The Muffin Tin Hack That Makes Prepping For A Barbecue Stress-Free

An outdoor barbecue on a sunny afternoon brings a smile to the faces of guests as they load up their plates with all sorts of summer fare, but without some helpful hacks to assist the cook in the preparation of things, it can be stressful for the cook. Though your graceful, calm nature might fool your attendees, a lot of time goes into making sure you have all the accompaniments for a BBQ set out that make for a spectacular cookout. 

The list of fixings and sides that need to be arranged for easy accessibility can seem endless, but you save some time and anxiety doing some of the work beforehand with a muffin tin hack. One example of this is demonstrated by TikTok creator @athomewithshannon in a video that had people in the comment section praising the poster for such a simple, time-saving solution.

@athomewithshannon

BEST HACK for BACKYARD BBQ💡great to prep night before! Tips from Mom of 4! #momhack #bbqhack #partyhack #hacks #tiktokpartner #learnontiktok

♬ original sound – Shannon Doherty

There really isn't much to this trick. Just as shown in the video, all you need to do is fill up the muffin tray with as many toppings and condiments as you and your guests will want and place a utensil with your fixings. This crafty hack makes the whole ordeal of barbecuing less messy in the long run as the muffin tin is stable with its low center of gravity, taking away the opportunity for spilling mishaps, which are altogether too common at barbecues.

A cleaner cookout is a stress-free cookout, and with the muffin tray hack, you don't have to worry about cleaning up errant spills while you're enjoying your food with good company. However, once the night is over, you still have to scrub out all the empty dishes and containers that once housed all your barbecue accommodations. A simple way to make this less time-consuming is to line your tray with grease-proof paper muffin cups. If you line all the sections of your tin with these little time savers, all you need to do once the event concludes is throw them away and (maybe) remove any grime that may have landed on the top of the tray as guests were digging in.

The beauty of the muffin tin barbecue hack is not only does it make for a cleaner cookout, but it can be set up the night before, saving you time to focus on more important things when it's time to fire up the grill. The fixings need to be kept cold as long as possible before you put them out, so you'll want to wrap your filled tray with plastic film and refrigerate it if you plan on assembling it the night before. With the extra time you have saved yourself, you might want to get creative with any extra muffin tins you have lying around.

While using the muffin tin hack for condiments can be a game-changer for a hassle-free barbecue, these trays can also be used to whip up some crowd-pleasing snacks and appetizers that will fit right in with your event. If you want to make your cookout a little more Southern, mini corn muffins with a peppery cheese filling can spice things up a bit. Or maybe you want to set out some summer tomato and ricotta tartlets in a muffin tray and impress your guests with your culinary skills.

With all the heavy, savory foods served at a typical barbecue, you don't want to forget about putting out something sweet to balance the palate. You can use muffin tins to make a create-your-own-sundae bar with all the sprinkles, cherries, nuts, and anything else that would complement a sundae. These ingredients will need to be kept cold while left out on a hot day, so you might want to consider using an ice tray hack with large aluminum pans to set your muffin tins on top of.

Utilizing a versatile muffin tin in various ways will save you time and make the hassle of cleaning up after your cookout as easy as possible, just the same as grilling hacks come in handy while cooking the heroes of your barbecue. Work smarter, not harder, as they say.