What Food To Bring To A Memorial Day Party? 5 Best Ideas

The United States Armed Forces defend and fight for the American dream. We honor those men through Memorial Day.

It is a tradition to celebrate through parades and barbecues with friends and family. But if you don’t know what food to bring to a Memorial Day party, here are some excellent suggestions on what dishes to prepare.

1. Beef Kebabs

Kebabs came from Turkey. Turkish soldiers would skewer chunks of meat on their swords and grill them in an open fire. The meat is usually from wild animals that were hunted down for the soldiers' survival.

How to Make

1. Before Memorial Day comes, marinade your beef cubes in olive oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, and ground black pepper in a Ziploc bag. The longer you marinate the meat, the better.
2. Pierce your meat with a metal skewer. Add onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms to your skewer. Continue to make this pattern. 
3. Grill them for 8-10 minutes. If you’re not using a metal skewer, soak your barbeque sticks in water 30 minutes prior. This will prevent the wood from burning.

2. Grilled Hamburgers

Memorial Day won’t be complete without tasty backyard burgers. Making your hamburgers at home and bringing them to a Memorial Day party is an excellent way to control your portion size and avoid fatty and oversized servings.

How to Make

1. Add lean meat, salt, pepper, egg, garlic, bread crumbs, and Worcestershire sauce in a mixing bowl. Mix it and form it into patties.
2. Grill the patties and toast the buns.
3. Assemble your burger by smearing mayonnaise on the bun. Set your lettuce, tomato, patty, and red onions. You can spice things up by caramelizing your onions on a grilling plate.

3. Cheesy Potato Tots

If hamburgers and kebabs are too mainstream for you, you can bring cheesy potato tots to a Memorial Day party instead. The history of tater tots is the equivalent of human practicality. It started when a frozen food company wanted to save on cause when they had abundant leftover cut-up potatoes.

How to Make

1. Cut up the potatoes and soak them in a pot of cold water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. 
2. Let your potatoes cool, and grate them into a large bowl. Mix flour and cheese into the potatoes, and add seasoning.
3. Using a spoon, scoop up the potato mixture and form it into small balls. Arrange your tots in your baking pan, and brush some melted butter on each.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. 
5. Prepare some cheese or salsa dip to serve.

4. Fried Pickles

This popular festival treat originated in Atkins, Arkansas, USA. Arkansas is home to five military installations: the Little Rock Air Force Base, the Pine Bluff Arsenal, Camp Robinson, Ebbing Air National Guard Base, and the Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center.

How to Make

1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and water. 
2. Dip the pickles in the batter, and shake to get rid of the excess. 
3. In another bowl, cover the pickle in Panko crumbs.
4. Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the pickles. Take them out once they’re golden brown, and place them on a plate lined with paper towels.
5. Pair it with some ranch dressing or any kind of dip you like.

5. Pulled Pork Sandwiches

You can bet there’s pulled pork in any barbeque. This dish is savory, easy to make and go great with an ice cold soft drink. However, making pulled pork sandwiches will take some intense prepping, so make sure to prepare this dish ahead of your family or friend’s Memorial Day party.

How to Make

1. In a roasting pan, pour chicken stock and add onions and garlic. 
2. Season your pork shoulder with some Cajun seasoning, salt, and sugar.
3. Place the pork gently on the roasting pan and cook for 6-8 hours.
4. To make your coleslaw, you’ll need to combine your ingredients in a large bowl. Add the red and green cabbages, shredded carrots, red onions, and season it with mayonnaise, cider vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper.
5. Assemble your pulled pork sandwich, starting with the bottom of your toasted bun, pulled pork, barbecue sauce, coleslaw, and top with another toasted bun.

Conclusion

Raise your flag to freedom this memorial day! Remember to take this time to honor the fallen soldiers who fought for your country by having a moment of silence around 3 pm. You can also tune in to events like the Memorial Day concert or the Memorial Day parade.

We highly recommend that you try the pulled pork sandwiches. They take time to prep, but you’ll get a tasty dish just in time for Memorial Day if you do them right. They go great with sodas, beer, or sweet juice.

Do you have any plans for Memorial Day, like seeing former battlefields or taking part in the Memorial service? Or visiting a Veteran’s home or even a Veteran’s cemetery? Share your thoughts in the comments.