McGuckin Hardware’s 71st Anniversary

Grilling for a Crowd and Spicy Ranch Grilled Potatoes

We recently spent a Saturday in Boulder celebrating McGuckin Hardware’s 71st anniversary the best way we know how: cooking outside and feeding a whole lot of people. For this year’s ThisJewCanQue demo, we created three BBQ bites featuring McGuckin’s line of sauces: smoked pulled pork sliders, grilled chicken tacos and Spicy Ranch grilled potatoes with bacon and scallions.

It was a big cook, even by our standards. By the end of the event, we had handed out more than 650 food boats, each containing all three samples. That worked out to nearly 2,000 individual bites, including about 36 pounds of chicken, 35 pounds of pulled pork and 25 pounds of potatoes.

Celebrating 71 Years of McGuckin Hardware in Boulder

If you have spent much time in Colorado, and especially around Boulder, there is a pretty good chance you know McGuckin Hardware. The store has been part of the Boulder community since 1955 and is one of those places where you can go in looking for one thing and somehow leave with supplies for three other projects.

We’ve had the opportunity to cook at McGuckin several times over the years, and these demos are always a lot of fun. There are longtime customers who remember us from previous events, people who want to talk about their grills and plenty of shoppers who simply follow the smell of BBQ through the parking lot.

For McGuckin’s 71st Anniversary Sale, we wanted a menu that was approachable but also showed off McGuckin’s sauces in several different ways. Instead of making three versions of traditional BBQ, we created three completely different bites and served all three to everyone who stopped by.

What We Served at the McGuckin Hardware Grilling Demo

When we plan a cooking demo, the food needs to taste great, but it also has to be practical. Everything needs to be easy to serve, easy to eat while standing and realistic to produce consistently for several hours.

We ended up calling our menu for the McGuckin Hardware grilling demo the BBQ Bite Trio: smoked pulled pork sliders with Buff Gold, Spicy Ranch grilled potatoes and chicken tacos.

Pulled Pork Sliders with McGuckin Buff Gold

First up were smoked pulled pork sliders. We smoked four pork butts overnight, pulled the meat and served it on small slider rolls with pickles and McGuckin Buff Gold sauce.

Pulled pork is one of our favorite things to serve when cooking for a crowd because it can be made ahead, holds well and reheats beautifully. We kept these sliders simple with pork, sauce and a pickle, which was really all they needed.

The Buff Gold gave the rich smoked pork a tangy finish, while the pickle added a little crunch and acidity. Keeping the sliders simple also made it possible for us to assemble hundreds of them quickly throughout the event.

Spicy Ranch Grilled Potatoes with Bacon and Scallions

The second bite was grilled red potatoes, and these ended up being one of the surprise favorites of the day. We quartered small red potatoes, seasoned them generously and cooked them until tender and browned before finishing them with McGuckin Spicy Ranch sauce, crispy bacon and fresh scallions.

We made about 25 pounds of potatoes for the McGuckin Hardware grilling demo and probably could have used even more. The Spicy Ranch was a great match for the crispy potatoes and bacon, adding a creamy, tangy finish with just a little heat.

I’m sharing the full recipe below because they’re also the easiest part of our demo menu to recreate at home. You definitely don’t need to start with 25 pounds!

Grilled Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw

Our third sample at the McGuckin Hardware grilling demo was a grilled chicken taco. We cooked approximately 36 pounds of chicken thighs seasoned up in McGuckin’s spicy taco sauce, chopped the meat and served it in small crispy tortilla pieces with cilantro slaw, lime vinaigrette and cotija cheese.

The chicken was a nice contrast to the pulled pork, with a little heat and lots of fresh flavor from the slaw and lime. Across all three samples, the McGuckin sauces worked in completely different ways, which was exactly what we hoped to show.

Behind the Scenes of Cooking Nearly 2,000 Samples

Cooking dinner for our family and cooking for hundreds of people require very different quantities, but the basic strategy is surprisingly similar: do as much work ahead of time as possible.

Friday was a big prep day at our house. We washed and cut potatoes, sliced scallions, cooked bacon, prepared toppings, marinated chicken and got four pork butts smoking. By Saturday morning, most of the real cooking was finished.

Our goal at our McGuckin Hardware grilling demo was to reheat and finish food in batches, assemble the samples and keep everything moving. It’s the same approach we’d recommend for a backyard party because nobody wants to spend the entire event doing prep while everyone else is eating.

Four Pork Butts and a Very Early Morning

The pork went onto the smoker at about 4 p.m. Friday and cooked overnight. By about 4 a.m. Saturday, all four pork butts had developed a great bark and were completely tender. They were ready for the McGuckin Hardware grilling demo, which started at 10am!

We rested the pork with all of those cooking juices before pulling and packing it for the trip to Boulder. At the event, we reheated it in batches and assembled sliders as we served them so the meat stayed hot and the rolls didn’t get soggy.

This is exactly why pork shoulder is such a great choice when you’re feeding a crowd. It holds beautifully, and finishing early isn’t a problem. I’d much rather have a pork shoulder finish three hours early than have a yard full of hungry people waiting for one that still isn’t tender.

Grilling 36 Pounds of Chicken for the McGuckin Hardware grilling demo

For the tacos, we chose boneless skinless chicken thighs because they have plenty of flavor and stay juicy when cooked ahead and reheated. We marinated and grilled the chicken Friday night, let it rest and chopped it into bite-sized pieces.

At McGuckin, we reheated the chicken in smaller batches and assembled the tacos with cilantro slaw, lime vinaigrette and cotija shortly before serving. The fresh toppings kept the tacos bright and crunchy and balanced the grilled chicken nicely.

For a normal family dinner, two pounds of chicken thighs is plenty. Seeing 36 pounds packed into catering trays was a pretty good reminder that this wasn’t a normal Friday night cook at our house.

The Surprise Favorite: Spicy Ranch Grilled Potatoes

The potatoes were probably the simplest item on our menu, but they were also one of the foods people commented on the most at our McGuckin Hardware grilling demo. We started with 25 pounds of small red potatoes, washed them, quartered them and tossed them with oil and plenty of seasoning.

Once cooked, we finished the potatoes with crispy bacon, scallions and McGuckin Spicy Ranch sauce. It’s a simple combination, but the creamy potatoes, browned edges, salty bacon and tangy Spicy Ranch work really well together.

Despite making 25 pounds, these were the one item we probably could have used more of. That’s usually a pretty good indication that a recipe deserves to be made again.

McGuckin Spicy Ranch Grilled Red Potatoes with Bacon and Scallions

Of everything we served at our McGuckin Hardware grilling demo, this is the recipe I especially wanted to share because it works just as well for a weeknight dinner as it did for hundreds of samples. We’re scaling things back from 25 pounds to a much more reasonable two pounds of red potatoes.

The recipe is simple: seasoned red potatoes cooked on the grill until tender and browned, then tossed while hot with crispy bacon, scallions and McGuckin Spicy Ranch sauce. The combination has a little bit of a loaded-potato feel, but the Spicy Ranch gives it some extra tang and heat.

Serve these alongside burgers, steak, grilled chicken or pulled pork. You could also put out a big bowl as an appetizer with toothpicks and let everyone help themselves.

Why Red Potatoes Work Well on the Grill

Small red potatoes hold their shape really well during cooking. Quartering them helps them cook faster and creates more exposed surface area for seasoning and browning.

That’s also a little bit of the science behind why these work so well. More exposed surface means more places for the oil and seasoning to stick and more opportunity for the potato to brown.

As an elementary STEM teacher, I make these connections all the time when I’m cooking. There is plenty of science happening on a grill, and in this case the experiment ends with potatoes covered in bacon and Spicy Ranch.

Ingredients for Spicy Ranch Grilled Potatoes

• 2 pounds small red potatoes
• 2 tbsp Garlic Junkie seasoning
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose BBQ seasoning
• 1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
• 3-4 scallions, thinly sliced
• McGuckin Spicy Ranch sauce, to taste

We use our Garlic Junkie Seasoning collaboration with Spiceology, because it brings exactly the right flavor balance to a base cook like this. For better results, we threw the seasoning in our coffee grinder for a quick buzz to make it finer and less likely to burn while roasting.

Step 1: Cut and Season the Potatoes

Wash the potatoes well because we’re leaving the skins on, then cut each small potato into quarters. If some are noticeably larger, cut those into smaller pieces so everything cooks at roughly the same rate.

Put the potatoes into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Add the Garlic Junkie seasoning and toss until every piece is evenly coated.

The pieces don’t need to be perfectly identical. Keeping them reasonably close in size simply helps everything finish cooking at about the same time.

Step 2: Spread Them Out

Arrange the seasoned potatoes on a large sheet pan in a single layer. For two pounds, one large pan should give you plenty of room.

Giving the potatoes some space is important. If they’re piled together, the moisture coming out of the potatoes gets trapped and they begin steaming instead of browning.

For our 25-pound batch, that meant using several sheet pans instead of trying to cram everything together. It’s a little more cleanup, but much better potatoes.

Step 3: Cook the Potatoes on the Grill

Preheat your pellet grill to about 400°F and put the sheet pan directly on the grill grates. Cook for approximately 35-45 minutes, stirring or turning the potatoes a couple of times.

Don’t worry too much about the exact cooking time. Check one of the larger pieces with a fork or small knife; it should slide easily into the center and the outside should have some good golden-brown color.

If the potatoes are tender but aren’t as browned as you’d like, increase the grill temperature to 425-450°F for the final few minutes. At that point the centers are already cooked, so you’re just working on getting a little more texture and color on the outside.

Step 4: Add Bacon, Scallions and Spicy Ranch

Transfer the hot potatoes into a large bowl or serving pan and add the cooked bacon and sliced scallions. Then drizzle with McGuckin Spicy Ranch sauce and toss everything together.

Start with less sauce than you think you need. You can always add another drizzle, but you don’t want to completely cover the potatoes and soften all of those browned edges.

The goal is to get some Spicy Ranch, bacon and scallion in every serving while still letting the grilled potatoes be the star. Serve them right away while everything is hot.

Why Spicy Ranch Works So Well with Grilled Potatoes

Crispy potatoes and ranch are already a pretty natural combination, and the McGuckin Spicy Ranch takes it one step further. It brings a creamy, tangy flavor with enough heat to make the potatoes interesting without overpowering everything else.

The bacon brings plenty of salty, smoky flavor, while the scallions add freshness and a little crunch. The combination reminds me a little bit of a loaded baked potato, but in a bite-sized version that’s easy to serve.

It’s also a good example of why we like using sauces as finishing ingredients. Rather than cooking the potatoes in the Spicy Ranch, we get them tender and browned first and add the sauce immediately before serving.

Making These Grilled Potatoes Ahead

These potatoes are especially good for entertaining because most of the work can happen ahead of time. We proved that on a pretty ridiculous scale for the McGuckin Hardware grilling demo.

We cooked approximately 25 pounds of potatoes at home, transferred them into large foil catering pans and packed them up with the rest of the food for the drive to Boulder. At the event, we reheated and finished them in batches.

If you’re not cooking volume like we did for our McGuckin Hardware grilling demo, at home you can use the same basic approach. Cook the potatoes until tender and lightly browned, then reheat them on a hot grill or griddle shortly before serving.

Wait to add the bacon, scallions and Spicy Ranch until the end. If you sauce the potatoes too early and let them sit, they’ll still taste great, but you’ll lose some of those crispy browned edges.

How Much Should You Make for a Crowd?

As a general guideline, plan on about one-third to one-half pound of raw potatoes per adult when serving these as a side dish. If you’re serving several other sides, stay toward the lower end; if potatoes are one of your main sides, make more.

Our portions at McGuckin were much smaller because every guest received all three samples. Twenty-five pounds stretched into hundreds of bites alongside the pulled pork and chicken.

And we still could have used more. Lesson learned: never underestimate potatoes covered in bacon and Spicy Ranch.

Tips for Cooking for a Crowd

The scale at McGuckin was much bigger than a normal backyard party, but most of what worked for us applies whether you’re feeding 650 people or 15 friends. The biggest thing is choosing food that holds well: pulled pork can stay hot for hours, chicken thighs stay juicy when reheated and potatoes can be cooked ahead and crisped again.

It also helps to prep components instead of finished dishes. We didn’t make hundreds of sliders ahead of time; we had hot pork, fresh rolls, pickles and sauce ready and assembled them as needed. We did the same with the tacos and potatoes.

Your grill can also become extra kitchen space when you’re entertaining. Use indirect heat to keep pans of meat warm, higher heat to crisp potatoes, and the grates to warm tortillas or toast rolls. We cook outside year-round here in Colorado, and having that extra cooking space makes feeding a crowd much easier.

Finally, save sauces like Spicy Ranch for the finishing step when the recipe allows it. You’ll have more control over the flavor and keep foods like these potatoes from sitting in sauce and getting soggy.

Loading Everything Up for Boulder

By Saturday morning, the hard cooking was finished, but we still had to get everything to McGuckin. Hot food went into insulated carriers while cold toppings were packed separately, along with serving trays, utensils, gloves, tablecloths, signage and hundreds of food boats. Being organized made our McGuckin Hardware grilling demo a success.

We arrived around 9 a.m. and got the booth set up for the anniversary crowd. From that point on, it was all about reheating food, assembling samples and keeping up with the steady stream of people.

Thankfully, all of that Friday prep paid off. Once service started, we could focus on keeping fresh samples moving and actually talking with the people who stopped by.

More Than 650 Food Boats and Nearly 2,000 Bites

By the end of the McGuckin Hardware grilling demo, we had handed out more than 650 food boats, with all three samples in every boat. That means we served nearly 2,000 individual bites during the demo.

In total, we served approximately 36 pounds of grilled chicken, 35 pounds of smoked pork shoulder and 25 pounds of potatoes. We also went through about 75 tortillas, eight packages of slider rolls and roughly a gallon of pickles.

We had a little chicken left at the end and could have used a few more potatoes, which is about as close as we could have hoped to get when estimating food for a crowd this size. More importantly, we heard great feedback about all three dishes and the McGuckin sauces throughout the day.

Our Favorite Part of Cooking at McGuckin

As much as we love cooking, one of the best things about these events is getting to actually talk with people. So much of ThisJewCanQue happens online through recipes, photos and videos, so it’s fun to spend a day talking about grilling face-to-face.

People tell us what they’re cooking at home, ask questions about their grills and share their own BBQ tips. We also see familiar faces who remember us from previous McGuckin demos, along with plenty of people who simply happened to walk by and discover someone was handing out food.

McGuckin has been part of Boulder since 1955, and there is a real community around the store. We’ve really enjoyed getting to be a small part of these events over the years.

More Ways to Use McGuckin Sauces

One of the things we wanted this menu for our McGuckin Hardware grilling demo to demonstrate was just how versatile a good sauce can be. Across the menu, we paired McGuckin’s sauces with traditional smoked pork, crispy potatoes and grilled chicken tacos.

Buff Gold was a great finish for the pulled pork sliders, while the Spicy Ranch gave the potatoes a completely different flavor. Instead of making the sauces an afterthought, we built each bite around how that particular sauce worked with the other ingredients. The taco sauce is just the right mix of spice and flavor. We loved it!

The same idea works at home. Use BBQ sauce as a glaze for grilled chicken, mix a flavorful sauce into a sandwich spread, drizzle Spicy Ranch over grilled vegetables or potatoes, or simply put a few sauces on the table and let everyone choose their own.

As a dad of twins, I’ve learned that sometimes giving kids a little control over dinner goes a long way. A meal they weren’t particularly interested in can suddenly become much more exciting when they’re allowed to pick their own sauce. I don’t need to understand the logic; I’ll take the win.

Recreate Our McGuckin BBQ Menu at Home

You definitely don’t need to cook nearly 100 pounds of food to recreate this menu. For a backyard party, smoke one pork shoulder, grill a couple pounds of chicken thighs and make one big batch of Spicy Ranch potatoes.

Set out slider rolls, tortillas, pickles, cilantro slaw, cotija, bacon, scallions, lime wedges and a few sauces and let everyone build their own plate. It’s especially good for feeding families because everyone can customize things without creating extra work for the cook.

That’s really the kind of food we like making most: straightforward recipes cooked outside and shared with family and friends.

Thanks for Having Us, McGuckin Hardware!

A huge thank you to the entire McGuckin Hardware team for inviting us to be part of the 71st anniversary celebration in Boulder. The team was welcoming and helpful throughout the event, and we always enjoy seeing so many longtime McGuckin customers when we cook there. Here are pizza highlights from a prior demo there, as well as one about when we cook up turkeys in advance of thanksgiving!

We started Friday with four pork butts, cases of chicken, 25 pounds of potatoes and a whole lot of prep. We ended Saturday having handed out more than 650 food boats and nearly 2,000 individual bites. Most importantly, we had a great time doing it.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our McGuckin Hardware grilling demo, tried the food, talked grilling with us and shared such great feedback about the McGuckin sauces. If you make these McGuckin Spicy Ranch grilled potatoes, tag @ThisJewCanQue so we can see what you’re cooking!