As a single guy, I can’t buy a lot at Costco. I walk past the massive bags of chips and 7 lb cans of baked beans and marvel at the beauty of buying in bulk. That said, I’d walk into traffic if I ended up with an industrial-size box of frozen hamburgers and had to finish them all myself. It’s just not possible—unless, that is, you throw a banging party with your spoils! Memorial Day is coming up, so even single people can enjoy putting together a Costco haul for their Memorial Day BBQ. And hell, if you have to finish off that bucket of baked beans on your own after the party, at least your pals made a dent in them. Here’s what to buy at Costco for a Memorial Day BBQ.
Trident Seafoods Alaska Smoked Salmon BurgersYou’re going to get some beef burgers for your BBQ—that’s a given. But I think it’s worth having another option so your granola friend has a “healthier” option and doesn’t spend the party yapping your ear off about what she learned from GOOP about why beef is bad for you. That’s where these salmon burgers come in. They’re packed with protein and Omega 3s, and they’re gluten free, too. Take that, GOOP! Even your non-health-conscious friends can load one of these up with lots of tartar sauce and have a good time.
Kirkland Signature Smoked Pulled PorkI live in Los Angeles. I barely have enough outdoor space for a little charcoal grill (linked so you can see how puny it is). Where the hell would I fit a smoker?! Mercifully, Costco’s got my back with this simple heat-and-serve alternative to meat that was slowly smoked at home. That said, people don’t have to know you didn’t spend eight hours smoking a pork butt in a Big Green Egg. Ditch the container and pass it off as your own so you don’t lose that precious grill master cred on Memorial Day.
Tillamook Medium Cheddar CheeseCheese can serve a lot of purposes at a BBQ. You can put it on a burger, cut it up and make a charcuterie board with it, hand it out to the little kids who are running around your backyard while their parents get blasted on cold ones. The possibilities are endless! And if by some miracle you have a few slices left over, you’ve got some fridge cheese awaiting you when you sneak into the kitchen at midnight for a snack. There were a few options at Costco, but you really can’t go wrong with Tillamook cheddar (it’s one of our faves).
Read the full ranking of the best cheddar cheese
Bush’s Original Baked BeansHere we have the aforementioned 7 lb (and 5 oz) can of baked beans! I enjoy baked beans, I truly do. It’s hard to have a BBQ without them. I wish these came in smaller cans but it’s Costco—what can ya do? Crack open the can, heat up a pot for your guests, and put together little gift bags of baked beans for everyone to take some leftovers home (because there absolutely will be plenty to go around).
Read the full ranking of the best baked beans
Doritos Spicy Sweet ChiliThe gargantuan bags of chips at Costco are impractical in many ways. If you’re buying these for a small household, surely they’ll get stale before you get to the end of the bag—no human was created to eat 30 servings of chips on their own. And yet I’m utterly obsessed. I stare longingly every time I walk down the chip aisle. Waiting for the day I can buy them with purpose. And today’s the day! This big ol’ bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos was made to share at a Memorial Day BBQ. “Umami” will be the world on everyone’s lips at your cookout.
Read the full ranking of the best Doritos flavors
Kirkland Signature Beef Dinner FranksI’m a Costco hot dog purist, so I typically choose to boil their Beef Dinner Franks for authenticity. But, given the occasion, you have our permission to throw these on the grill. And you should. Because they’re damn good. They’re big, beefy, and filling. If you’re shopping at Costco and you’re picking up hot dogs for the Memorial Day festivities, you better be grabbing Kirkland Signature.
Read the full ranking of the best hot dogs
Modelo Chelada Variety PackBeer at a BBQ is a must. I don’t make the rules, I just accept them. If you’re stocking up for your party, you’ll probably grab a light beer, or an IPA if you know the real beer freaks are gonna be there. I can’t in good conscience recommend either because, a.) That’s boring and, b.) I have gotten this far in a Costco listicle without recommending a variety pack. Major faux pas around here. Let’s fix that with Modelo’s Chelada variety pack. You get some great summer-themed flavors that’ll be perfect to usher in the new season.
Read the full ranking of the best canned micheladas
Outshine Fruit BarsBetween the sun beating down on everyone and your fiery grill skills heating up the backyard, a cool option for dessert is a must. Cool down the crowd with one of our favorite popsicles on the market, Outshine Fruit Bars. These popsicles are extremely fruit forward and taste incredibly refreshing, and if that wasn’t enticing enough, by picking them up at Costco you get bigger bars with more flavors than the regular box (four flavors versus three flavors—ooooo, ahhh, the crowd goes wild for those mango bars).
Read the full ranking of the best popsicles
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