38 Grilling Recipes for an All-Star Barbecue

Creole Burgers
Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

When the weather starts to warm up, our favorite spot to be is behind the grill. Cooking for a crowd can be stressful, but grilling allows for a more casual and interactive approach to the dinner party. Plus, it's a pretty quick way to get food on the table. You can socialize while you cook and recruit help from friends or family. Focused on developing big flavor rather than achieving perfection, grilling is an art all its own. We've rounded up some of our best grilling recipes to help you master the barbecue this season.

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, from summertime barbecues to fall tailgates, these quick and easy grilling recipes are guaranteed to impress your guests. You can build a whole meal from the grill. Start with a simple appetizer like Spring Onion Grilled Pizzas, move into a main course of Beer Can Chicken or Grilled Steak, pair with a side like classic Corn on the Cob, and finish with Grilled Peach Cobbler for dessert. With plenty of recipes to choose from, there are endless combinations. Use these recipes as a guide, but feel free to get creative with your flavor combinations and create your own specialties.

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Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings

Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen

Recipe: Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings

You need just a handful of ingredients to add plenty of zing to grilled wings.

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Spring Onion Grilled Pizza

Spring Onion Grilled Pizza
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

Recipe: Spring Onion Grilled Pizza

Ready for an unforgettable pizza night? Skip delivery and fire up the grill instead. We love the light and bright toppings in this recipe, but feel free to swap in any of your favorites.

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Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Tangy Honey Barbecue Sauce

Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Tangy Honey Barbecue Sauce
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Tangy Honey Barbecue Sauce

This grilled chicken sandwich recipe is topped with a homemade honey barbecue sauce that is easy to make and will become your go-to recipe when grilling.

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Easy Grilled Salmon

Easy Grilled Salmon
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Recipe: Easy Grilled Salmon

Buy the freshest fish you can find for a light and easy dinner that comes together in just 15 minutes.

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Grilled Okra-and-Pepper Skewers with Dijon Dipping Sauce

Grilled Okra-and-Pepper Skewers with Dijon Dipping Sauce
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Grilled Okra-and-Pepper Skewers with Dijon Dipping Sauce

Grilling okra whole reduces sliminess and imbues the pods with a gentle smokiness that is entirely irresistible.

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Rigatoni With Grilled Veggies and Mozzarella

Rigatoni with Grilled Veggies and Mozzarella
Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Recipe: Rigatoni With Grilled Veggies and Mozzarella

Even pasta dishes can benefit from using the grill. Grilled eggplant and tomatoes give this vegetarian dish a layer of smoky flavor.

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Grilled Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Grilled Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner

Recipe: Grilled Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Healthy in a hurry is possible with this 20-minute lettuce wrap recipe.

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Grilled Grouper

Grilled Grouper
Photographer and Prop stylist: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray

Recipe: Grilled Grouper

Enjoy restaurant-quality fish without leaving home with this simple yet delicious recipe.

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Turkey Cheeseburgers With Grilled Vidalia Onion Rings

Turkey Cheeseburgers with Grilled Vidalia Onion Rings
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Turkey Cheeseburgers With Grilled Vidalia Onion Rings

This recipe is here to prove that turkey burgers can be just as flavorful as the original.

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Spicy Grilled Chicken Breasts

Spicy Grilled Chicken Breasts
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Spicy Grilled Chicken Breasts

One classic grilled chicken recipe, three sauces to make each time different.

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Easy Grilled Aspargus

Easy Grilled Asparagus
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Recipe: Easy Grilled Asparagus

When preparing your main dish on the grill, this recipe allows you to cook your side dish without turning on the oven. Plus, it's ready in just 20 minutes.

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Grilled Pork-and-Peach Salad With Honey-Mustard Dressing

Grilled Pork-and-Peach Salad with Honey-Mustard Dressing
Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Recipe: Grilled Pork-and-Peach Salad With Honey-Mustard Dressing

From the pork to the peaches to the baguette, every part of this fresh salad is prepared on the grill.

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Southern-Style Grilled Cobb Salad

Southern-Style Grilled Cobb Salad
Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Recipe: Southern-Style Grilled Cobb Salad

We're taking the salad prep for this Cobb salad to the grill. You'll toss the chicken, bacon, okra, and corn all on the grill for plenty of flavor.

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Grilled Cajun Shrimp Kabobs with Sausage

Grilled Cajun Shrimp Kabobs with Sausage
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Grilled Cajun Shrimp Kabobs with Sausage

Kabobs are an easy way to pack lots of flavors onto one easy-grilling vehicle. We love loading our shrimp up with Cajun seasoning for a real Southern barbecue.

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Grilled Sweet Pepper Salad With Ricotta And Summer Herbs

Grilled Sweet Pepper Salad With Ricotta And Summer Herbs
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Grilled Sweet Pepper Salad With Ricotta And Summer Herbs

Steaming the peppers after grilling is an important step to help infuse them with the smoky flavor and help the skins peel off easily.

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Lamb Burgers With Feta and Dijonnaise

Lamb Burgers with Feta and Dijonnaise
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Lamb Burgers With Feta and Dijonnaise

Swap beef for lamb on your next burger night for a fresh take on the classic grilled dish.

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Grilled Sweet Potato Fries

Grilled Sweet Potato Fries
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Grilled Sweet Potato Fries

Sweet potatoes are one of our favorite versatile starches, and they can be served year-round with different seasonal twists. For the summer, we love tossing these Sweet Potato Fries on the grill.

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Spicy Grilled Corn Salad

Spicy Grilled Corn Salad
Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell; Food Styling: Toni Brogan

Recipe: Spicy Grilled Corn Salad​​​​​​

Turn your grilled corn into an elegant, spoon-able side by cutting it off the cob and tossing it with diced red onion, jalapeño, and cilantro.

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Grilled Green Tomatoes with Jalapeño-Honey Vinaigrette

Grilled Green Tomatoes with Jalapeño-Honey Vinaigrette
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Grilled Green Tomatoes with Jalapeño-Honey Vinaigrette

Frying isn't the only thing you can do with green tomatoes. This grilled tomato salad will be a go-to summer feature.

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Dry-Brined Beer-Can Chickens

Beer Can Chicken
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Dry-Brined Beer-Can Chickens

This recipe combines two of our favorite things: chicken and beer. Inserting a half-filled beer can into the chicken's cavity before grilling helps keep the bird moist and adds a warm, subtle stout flavor.

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Grilled Baby Eggplant Parmesan

Grilled Baby Eggplant Parmesan
Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Anna Hampton

Recipe: Grilled Baby Eggplant Parmesan

Looking for a spin on BBQ night? Try grilled eggplant Parmesan for a meal that won't disappoint your crowd.

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Grilled Okra-and-Tomato Salad

Grilled Okra-and-Tomato Salad
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Recipe: Grilled Okra-and-Tomato Salad

There are plenty of ways (and reasons) to eat barely dressed okra and tomatoes in the summer, but if you have the grill going, toss a few pods and wedges on it. The smoky flavor the few minutes on a grill imparts in these summertime jewels is irresistible. And with a very simple garlic-anchovie dressing, you elevate these humble foods to a feature-worthy presentation.

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Smashed Bacon Cheeseburgers

Homemade Onion Dip
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Smashed Bacon Cheeseburgers

Before you get fancy on the grill, it's important to perfect the classics. Use this Bacon Cheeseburger Recipe as a base to start exploring fun flavor combinations on your burgers.

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Foil-Pack Clams with White Wine and Herbs

Foil-Pack Clams with White Wine and Herbs
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Foil-Pack Clams with White Wine and Herbs

If you haven't tried grilled clams, it's time to assemble the foil pack and get to work. This summertime favorite uses white wine, fresh parsley, and plenty of butter to put a spin on a seafood classic.

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BBQ-Glazed Cedar-Plank Slamon

Charred Potato-Okra Salad
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: BBQ-Glazed Cedar-Plank Salmon

Grilling salmon atop a cedar plank helps develop the fish's flavor without creating an overwhelming smoky taste.

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Grilled Creole Chicken and Okra

Grilled Creole Chicken and Okra
Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Grilled Creole Chicken and Okra

This recipe guides you in creating a grilled Creole feast, complete with skewers of chicken, sausage, bell pepper, and okra. Naturally, it's all coated in Cajun seasoning.

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Shrimp-Okra-and-Sausage Kebabs

Shrimp-Okra-and-Sausage Kebabs
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Tina Stamos

Recipe: Shrimp-Okra-and-Sausage Kebabs

From the crispy shrimp to the beautifully charred okra, these kebabs combine all our favorite Southern summer flavors in one. A squeeze of fresh lemon adds brightness to this well-balanced dish.

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Grilled Clambake Foil Packets with Herb Butter

Grilled Clambake Foil Packets with Herb Butter
Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Anna Hampton

Recipe: Grilled Clambake Foil Packets with Herb Butter

With shrimp, sausage, corn, potatoes, and clams, this abundant Grilled Clambake offers a little bit of everything. The dish isn't complete without a generous douse of herb butter.

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Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak

Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak
Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Cast-Iron Cowboy Steak

This thick, bone-in steak will be the centerpiece of your barbecue. Cooking in a cast iron skillet on the grill helps the steak gain even exposure to heat and a perfect crust.

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Top-Shelf Chicken Under a Brick

Top-Shelf Chicken Under a Brick
Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Top-Shelf Chicken Under a Brick

Cooking the chicken "under a brick," a technique that involves pushing the chicken flat against the hot grill, will cut your cooking time in half.

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Brined Grilled Chicken with Dipping Sauces

Buttermilk-Parmesan Ranch Sauce
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Brined Grilled Chicken with Dipping Sauces

Brining your chicken before grilling is a great way to develop flavor without fussing over a thick marinade. Pair with your pick of fiery sweet dipping sauce, buttermilk-parmesan ranch dressing, or creamy honey mustard. Or try all three.

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Grilled Chicken and Corn with Charred Scallion-Lime Butter

Grilled Chicken and Corn with Charred Scallion-Lime Butter
Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry

Recipe: Grilled Chicken and Corn with Charred Scallion-Lime Butter

The key to getting the perfect grill marks on the corn in this recipe is to soak the corn in water for 30 minutes before grilling. Right before placing on the grill, make sure to shake off any excess water.

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Grilled Curried Chicken Thighs with Charred-Vegetable Rice

Curried Chicken Thighs with Charred-Vegetable Rice
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Grilled Curried Chicken Thighs with Charred-Vegetable Rice

Sprinkle curry seasoning on chicken thighs right before you grill them. Make sure the grill doesn't get too hot while they're cooking so that the skin doesn't burn before the inside is ready.

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Greek Grilled Chicken Pita

Greek Grilled Chicken Pita
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Greek Grilled Chicken Pita

Let chicken breasts chill overnight in a marinade of olive oil, garlic, lemon, salt, and pepper before throwing them on the grill.

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Grilled Vegetables with Chickpeas, Feta, and Couscous

Grilled Vegetable Foil Packets with Chickpeas, Feta, and Couscous
Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry

Recipe: Grilled Vegetables with Chickpeas, Feta, and Couscous

Use a foil pocket to trap aromatic flavor in while grilling these veggies and grains.

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Grilled Peach Cobbler

Grilled Peach Cobbler
Greg DuPree

Recipe: Grilled Peach Cobbler

Why fuss over a delicate dessert when the grill's fired up? Grilling this Peach Cobbler brings a smoky flavor to the classic Southern dessert.

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Classic Grilled Corn on the Cob

Classic Grilled Corn on the Cob
Hector Manuel Sanchez; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Recipe: Classic Grilled Corn on the Cob

No barbecue is complete without grilled corn on the cob. Be sure to read our recipe twists for ways to elevate and spice your grilled corn.

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Creole Burger

Creole Burgers
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Creole Burger

Give your usual backyard burgers a company-worthy upgrade with bold creole flavors. Our Test Kitchen recommends using ground chuck for this recipe—the high fat content makes for one juicy and tasty bite.

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