Big is Better at the Homegate Party
We all know that when it comes to Best Kegerators and Gear for Your Homegate Party – Big is Better in 2018. The Homegate Party is catching on in many areas for a few reasons with people who preferred to tailgate party joining in and doubling up: terrible east coast and southern weather, kegerators, expense of reserving a parking space for the day, restrictions on what you can use and the limit on how much you can fit in your vehicle. These days, sports fans want kegerators. These are fabulous ways to have your beer and drink it too, and at small cost. While there’s nothing quite like actually being there for the tailgate party scene, if you prefer to homegate party, you can set it up so well that you can make it a memorable (read *fun*) day from start to finish. Maybe by the pool … But mostly, this post is a general wrap about stuff that is way too big to be classed as portable. Such as kegerators. We will add to it as we check out more and more useful products. And yes, there’s NOTHING like the atmosphere of an all-in tailgate party. But homegating is a viable and manageable alternative – or do both. As well, we would love to hear about your experiences with the Homegate Party scene!
Weber Summit 7470001 by the pool for Homegating
Essentially, the gear is similar. However, you can be sure that nobody is going to stop you from setting up a smoker, a whizz-bang grill and pizza oven and blast the world with the loudest speakers money can buy. After all, you’re in your own backyard or man cave. Scale is 9/10ths of the law – you can have Really Big Stuff at a homegate party.
Let’s start with the centerpiece of all tailgate parties or homegate parties – the grill.
As, for most homegating, the grill can be either built in, gargantuan and therefore, too big to take to parking lots, not portable or just dependent on charcoal or woodfire for fuel (which is banned in many lots), we are going straight to the grills that are the stuff dreams are made of.
The Weber Summit 7470001 670 Gas Grill for your homegate party
Even Weber calls this the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ and ‘The Top of the Line’. High praise and a lot of positive reviews on many sites. I have not had the privilege of test-running one of these, but there’s always hope. I have to be content with fondling them when spotted at Orchard, Lowe’s or Home Depot.
Weber Summit 747 pack shot !
Here is the grill I fantasize over. It has a whopping 769 inch cooking surface. OMG, those steaks!
Summit with masses of homegate party food
This particular Weber BBQ grill has the number 747 in it – seems to be the jet class of BBQs in every way. Note that the one pictured is a natural gas model requiring plumbing of a gas line to where you want to use it (by the pool man-cave or outdoor kitchen) but there are many versions that run on propane. I love the natural gas version of this Weber for home.
It features
6 Snap-jet individual ignition controls – 6 large burners.
Sear Station
Side burner
A smoker burner and smoker box
Built in thermometer
Built in cart and a space for your tank if the propane model. Accessories shelf.
Rear mounted infra-red rotisserie burner
Cast aluminum construction of all cook boxes – this features cooking grates, burner tubes, Flavorizer Bars, and the grease management system. Angled just right, the Flavorizer bars catch drippings that smoke and sizzle, adding flavor to your food. Any drippings not vaporized by the Flavorizer bars follow the slope of their unique angle and are funneled away from the burner tubes, down into the grease management system. No more carcinogenic flare-ups that give the meat a smell of kerosene.
There are many design aspects of this amazing grill that are exclusive to the Weber company. It will last a lifetime and create homegate party memories. Mostly, you in a Chef hat!
Weber Summit with Rotisserie
10 foot flexible hose included
Built in lighting illuminating the cooking surface.
Weber Summit with night lights
It is worth reading the feedback on selling sites as it is so positive. People say this is the best investment they have ever made for outdoor cooking. A Kegerator is the ideal companion.Read our article on Kegerators here.
Note that Made in America (Illinois) Weber Summit does require some assembly as it is only partially built in the box. But it is easy stuff and you and your buds can knock the chore over in no time. You have to factor in the extreme weight of the grill and all its components. When you have it delivered, lay it all out on the floor of your garage and check that everything is in the box. Try to put it in assembly order. (This is an Ikea hint!) And speaking of hints, Ms. Rawhide says ‘Just don’t break out the beer till it’s time to raise a celebratory brewski and christen the monster. Never drink and assemble.’
The Smoker
OK, so you CAN just use the Weber Summit for your smoking as well, but I believe it is sheer luxury to maintain a separate machine for each purpose.
The Bradley Smoker 33.5″ model
For starters, this is an electric smoker. That’s different! But this is a large model.
Bradley Electric Smoker 33.5″ gives you more time for drinking
You could also look at a wood-fired smoker but hear me out first … an electric smoker takes the chore out of feeding the moster with logs or charcoal. That can easily consume the day and really, it’s all about the sport, the beer, the games, the beer, your friends, the beer and the food …and the beer. Not the slaving over a hot smoker. The Bradley Original Smoker makes home smoking a doddle (as they say in the UK). With an automatic wood feeder system and consistent, accurate temperature control, you achieve the perfect smoke without the argument with the machine. The automatic wood bisquette feeder system enables clean, continuous smoke for up to eight hours without re-fueling. That’s enough time to drain the kegerator, no?
The interior is easily-cleaned stainless steel
Interior of the Bradley Smoker
The controls are at the side which makes them very accessible. The Bradley site has lots of valuable hints and specifications.
We reviewed a full range of smokers and a few other accessories here.
There’s a lot of info and we do keep it updated as much as possible. Let us know about any broken links or products that have had problems and we will follow it up straight away. Some suppliers remove products or have issues with supply and don’t let us know.
Games for The Homegate Party
Giant Yard Pong – a Massive version of Beer Pong
Giant Yard Pong
Why settle for a normal sized Red Solo cup for a game of beer pong when you can have a set of these buckets? They are fun for the backyard game and wow, check out the expressions on the faces of your friends when you fill one with beer! So you can get an idea of scale, here’s a photo of a whole set and how easy it is to transport it.
Yard Pong in carry bag
This is the classic game of beer pong only with a massive set up. The buckets are sturdy and the balls float so it’s OK to take this to the beach or play around the pool. Whether you drink that bucket of beer is up to you …
Giant Stacking Tower Drinking Game for Your Homegate Party
Giant Stacking Game with Drinking Instructions
Here is that block stacking game with a twist. Each of the 60 pieces of this stacking tower/tumbling game has a drinking instruction on it. It has a nifty carry bag so in theory, you CAN take this with you, but it is so large (up to 4 feet depending on whether you start it on an additional crate or not) that it really plays better at home. Note that this is not Jenga nor affiliated in any way with that original game. But it is made of nice lumber and no splinters.
10 x 10 AB Canopy with Wheeled Carry Bag
Large Canopy
Even for Homegating you may need some additional shelter or shade. This range of canopies has umpteen colors to match your team and is easy to put up and take away. In other words, you can transform your yard into a parking lot-style haven using this very practical splash of color to decorate and show your team spirit. It also has its own leg weights so that the wind will not be a problem. Start with this, a grill and a kegerator and work your way out with all the accessories you need to throw the best tailgate party ever but at home!
Ion Audio Job Rocker Bluetooth Speaker
Ion Audio Job Rocker Bluetooth Speaker
Get a great audio speaker! This Ion Audio Job Rocker Bluetooth Speaker ticks all boxes for a tailgate party at home. Great sound, it streams all your great sporty music via bluetooth including your streaming services. It also has radio in FM & AM. Lots of outputs, and a 12V input jack so that you can charge this from your car. It also has 2 power outlets for powering lights or gadgets, charging your phone. Plus the battery will see you through for plenty of hours. The orange color means it won’t get lost amongst your party gear and hey, you can also use it on site at work so it’s a tax deduction. Sort of.
Football Serving Tray – disposable.
Football Serving Tray
I love these disposable tailgate party trays. Ms. Rawhide bought some of these last year and filled them with snacks and goodies. They are a perfect centerpiece. They are made of food-safe 400 gsm cardboard which is strong enough to hold any dry foods. Don’t fill them with dips – put a foil or plastic packet inside it or do as Ms. Rawhide does and use a Ziploc bag.
What do you like to do at your Homegate Party? Let us know via the comments section and we will add them. We will continue to update this article as we find specific products to recommend.
Happy Tailgate (Homegate) Partying!
Rawhide.
