It’s hot, and I don’t want to cook inside. So, let’s fire up that grill and get this party started. Our 10 Best Summer Cookout Recipes have you covered, with everything from grilled and smoked meats, BBQ sauce, potatoes, and cool cucumber salads. Strap on that apron and let’s get cooking.
- Smoked Baby Back Ribs (with BBQ Sauce recipe). ‘Low and slow’ is the key to my Smoked Baby Back Ribs recipe. Chunks of wood that have been soaked overnight and charcoal are the best for a deep, rich, smoky flavor. My BBQ sauce recipe is thick and vinegary with a kick of spice.
- Rosemary and Lemon Spatchcock Chicken. The technique of spatchcocking a chicken dramatically decreases the cooking time. Whether on the grill over indirect heat or in an oven at a cooking temperature of 425F, from the time you start preheating the oven, you can have my Rosemary and Lemon Spatchcock Chicken recipe prepped, roasted, rested and on the table, in around one hour.
- Cedar Plank Smoked Salmon (With Tartar Sauce Recipe). My Cedar Plank Salmon recipe is one of our favorite grilling recipes and definitely the healthiest thing we cook on the grill! It’s a quick, easy recipe that is beautiful and gets a lot of ooooh’s and ahhhh’s from your guests. The cedar planks infuse a really delicate smoked flavor into the salmon leaving it tender, flaky and juicy.
- How to Grill the Perfect Steak. Hot melted butter, fresh herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper, this is my favorite method for grilling a perfect steak every time. The tutorial is very easy and basically foolproof, a must-read for any steak lover.
- Mediterranean Salad. Quick and easy, with a bright, simple lemon vinaigrette. My Mediterranean Salad recipe is light, fresh, gorgeous, and healthy. And when it’s this hot outside, the cool and refreshing salad is a perfect accompaniment to all that grilled meat!
- Chimichurri Sauce with Grilled Steak. (With an Argentine Spice Rub) The Chimichurri Sauce recipe and Argentine Spice rub work with just about anything grilled. Beef, chicken, fish, shrimp, lobster, veggies, or potatoes, you really can’t go wrong. I grill some lemon wedges to add to the sauce and it is mind-blowingly good. Those charred lemon wedges also make a wickedly good Charred Lemon Whiskey Sour!
- Buttermilk Roast Chicken. Marinating a chicken overnight in buttermilk and spices is a very traditional method in the southern USA prior to frying. The buttermilk, salt, and other spices act as a brine to really infuse a tremendous amount of flavor into the chicken. Producing a very tender, juicy, and delicious roast chicken. This recipe is perfect for grilling using the ‘beer can’ method of cooking a whole chicken.
- Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin. Crispy Bacon surrounds a moist, tender, and juicy Pork Tenderloin. Gently smoked with pecan wood and simply seasoned with fresh thyme, salt, and pepper. Looks can be deceiving on this one, this is a really easy recipe that looks like a million bucks.
- Herbed New Potatoes in Foil. Buttery, and steaming hot, rosemary, thyme, and oregano, Herbed New Potatoes. tightly sealed in aluminum foil, with butter, red onions, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs then cooked directly over the hot coals for 45 minutes.
- Cucumber Salad. Cool as a cucumber and easy as your ABC’s. My Cucumber Salad recipe is cool and refreshing with a nice spicy bite from the vinegar, radishes, and red onions. This Cucumber Salad with radishes and red onions is as bright and pretty as it is delicious. It is perfect as a side salad with grilled chicken or fish, it’s quick and easy to make.
