Turkey burgers are the thing my kids asked me for more than anything else off the grill, which is how I learned that a backyard BBQ lives or dies on what you put next to the meat. So this is the whole cookout, all 42 of them: ribs that fall off the bone out of a slow cooker, pulled pork two ways, shrimp and sausage skewers that cook in four minutes, lamb burgers with whipped feta, grilled watermelon with feta and lime, and then the sides people actually go back for, Southern potato salad, Memphis slaw, pit style baked beans and street corn off the grill. Some are ten minutes of prep and a long wait. Some are assembled standing up while the coals come good. Perfect for a Fourth of July crowd, a Saturday with friends, a potluck you agreed to two weeks ago or one very good dinner for four!
Table of Contents
- 1. Pit Style BBQ Baked Beans
- 2. Seared Vegetable Salad With Giant Croutons
- 3. Grilled Watermelon Feta And Basil Salad
- 4. Spicy Shrimp And Sausage Skewers
- 5. Italian Tortellini Salad
- 6. Kale Summer Salad
- 7. Mini Caprese Skewers
- 8. Grilled Lobster Tails With Sriracha Butter
- 9. Best Southern Potato Salad
- 10. Memphis Style Creamy Coleslaw
- 11. Creamy Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms
- 12. Grilled Lamb Burgers With Whipped Feta And Cucumbers
- 13. Fall-Off-The-Bone Lazy BBQ Ribs
- 14. Greek Chicken Burgers
- 15. Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
- 16. BBQ Ranch Pasta Salad
- 17. Mexican Grilled Street Corn
- 18. Bang Bang Chicken Skewers
- 19. Mexican Street Corn Nachos
- 20. Fiesta Stuffed Mini Peppers
- 21. Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Tacos With Pineapple Slaw
- 22. Crock Pot BBQ Ribs
- 23. Seared Salmon Skewers With Garlic And Dijon
- 24. Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos With Chipotle Lime Cream
- 25. Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
- 26. Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers With Tzatziki Sauce
- 27. Grilled Ranch Chicken Skewers
- 28. BBQ Green Beans
- 29. Campfire Whiskey BBQ Chicken
- 30. Grilled Bacon Wrapped Chicken With Sweet Black Pepper And Rosemary
- 31. Cowboy Caviar
- 32. Spiced Sweet Potato And Bacon Skewers
- 33. Caprese Grilled Chicken With Balsamic Reduction
- 34. Easy Burger Onion Rings With Cheese
- 35. Smoked Street Corn Dip
- 36. Baked Garlic Parmesan Fries
- 37. Grilled Portobello Mushrooms With Spinach And Cheese
- 38. Smoky Barbecue Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers
- 39. Thai Coconut Pork Skewers
- 40. Pesto Grilled Shrimp
- 41. Easy Crack Burger
- 42. BBQ Onion Meatball Bombs
1. Pit Style BBQ Baked Beans
Start with the beans, because they need the oven and nothing else does. Two 28 ounce cans of Bush’s original get drained and then rebuilt with cooked ground beef, chopped onion, bell pepper, brown sugar, sweet BBQ sauce and a BBQ rub, which turns a canned side into the thing people ask about. Draining the cans matters. Skip it and you get sweet soup instead of beans.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
2. Seared Vegetable Salad With Giant Croutons
Bell peppers, eggplant, zucchini, red onion and cherry tomatoes all go on the grill, then get tossed in a sherry vinegar and Dijon dressing. The croutons are the reason to make it: bread torn into two inch chunks, oiled, seasoned and grilled until crisp outside and still chewy in the middle, then scattered over while they are hot. About 30 minutes, and the grill does the work.
Get the full tutorial at The Endless Meal.
3. Grilled Watermelon Feta And Basil Salad
Grilling watermelon sounds like a dare and it is not. Cut it into one inch slabs, brush lightly with oil, and grill two to three minutes a side until it is marked and warm, then cut off the rind and cube it. Six cups of melon, four ounces of cubed feta, fresh basil, lime and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Make it the day you serve it, it does not keep.
Get the full tutorial at Recipe Runner.
4. Spicy Shrimp And Sausage Skewers
Six ingredients total, and the whole thing grills in three to four minutes. Jumbo 16/20 shrimp get rubbed with Cajun seasoning, then each one wraps around a slice of andouille cut to the same thickness. Soak the wooden skewers 30 minutes first or they will catch. Swap the andouille for kielbasa if you are feeding people who do not want heat, and mix mayo, lemon juice and more Cajun for the dip.
Get the full tutorial at Iowa Girl Eats.
5. Italian Tortellini Salad
This is the one to make the night before. Tri-color refrigerated tortellini, halved grape tomatoes, sliced banana peppers, black olives, diced red onion and mini pepperoni, all tossed with Italian dressing and shredded Parmesan. It sits in the fridge and gets better, which is the entire argument for a make ahead pasta salad at a cookout. The banana peppers are what keep it from tasting like every other one.
Get the full tutorial at Delightful E Made.
6. Kale Summer Salad
Massage the dressing into the kale first and let it sit in the fridge while you chop the fruit. That step is what turns raw kale from a chore into something people finish. Strawberries, blackberries, peach, blueberries, raspberries, mango, dried cranberries, almonds and walnuts go in at the end. Apple cider vinegar, Dijon and honey make the dressing. It layers into mason jars if you are hauling it somewhere.
Get the full tutorial at The Balanced Berry.
7. Mini Caprese Skewers
Sixteen cherry tomatoes, sixteen mozzarella balls roughly the same size, sixteen basil leaves, six pieces per skewer. Lay them out on a platter and drizzle with olive oil and good balsamic, then salt and pepper the whole row at once rather than fussing over each one. It is the appetizer to hand someone while the grill comes up to heat, and it takes about as long as pouring a drink.
Get the full tutorial at Reluctant Entertainer.
8. Grilled Lobster Tails With Sriracha Butter
Two eight ounce tails, butterflied down the top shell and about halfway into the meat, then pressed open. The tip worth stealing: run a metal skewer down the length of each tail so it stays straight instead of curling on the grill. Four tablespoons of softened salted butter mashed with two tablespoons of sriracha, chives and lemon. If the tails are frozen, thaw them in a sealed bag under cold water.
Get the full tutorial at Fifteen Spatulas.
9. Best Southern Potato Salad
Six russets cut into thirds and boiled until fork tender, then cut smaller after they cook, which keeps them from breaking apart in the pot. The dressing is mayo, sweet relish and yellow mustard, mixed before anything goes in, with diced celery, six chopped hard boiled eggs, smoked paprika and a creole seasoning. Taste it before it chills, because cold dulls the salt every time.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
10. Memphis Style Creamy Coleslaw
Pour the dressing down the side of the bowl, not over the top of the cabbage, then toss. Do it that way and you can add more without ever drowning it, which is how slaw goes soupy. Mayo, buttermilk, apple cider vinegar and a spoon of sugar over green and red cabbage, julienned carrot, yellow onion, green onion and celery seed. Tangy enough to cut through ribs.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
11. Creamy Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms
Medium portobellos, around three to three and a half inches across, are the size this is written for, and larger ones just need longer in the oven. The filling is garlicky spinach loosened with sour cream, or cream cheese if you want it richer, then buried under parmesan and baked until the top bubbles. Good as a starter, good as a light lunch, and the mushrooms do the work of a bun.
Get the full tutorial at Slice of Kitchen Life.
12. Grilled Lamb Burgers With Whipped Feta And Cucumbers
Thirty minutes start to finish for six patties, grilled three to four minutes a side over medium high, with the buns toasted for one minute at the end. The whipped feta goes together in the food processor while the grill heats. Cucumber and caramelized onion on top. If lamb is a hard sell at your table, the same whipped feta rescues a plain beef burger.
Get the full tutorial at Joyful Healthy Eats.
13. Fall-Off-The-Bone Lazy BBQ Ribs
Four pounds of pork ribs, a quarter cup of BBQ rub, two cups of sauce and a tablespoon of flour, into the slow cooker. No smoker, no tending, no standing over charcoal for six hours. The flour is what thickens the sauce so it clings instead of pooling. Serve these with the slaw and the baked beans further up this list and the cookout is basically done.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
14. Greek Chicken Burgers
A pound and a half of ground chicken makes four to six patties, mixed with feta, oregano, spinach, lemon and chopped bell pepper. Dry the pepper well before it goes in or the mix turns wet and the patties will not hold. They are good hot off the grill and genuinely good cold the next day, which makes them one of the few burgers worth making for lunches.
Get the full tutorial at Laughing Spatula.
15. Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
Pork shoulder, a homemade BBQ sauce mixed from things already in the fridge, rubbed with seasoning and set to manual for 60 minutes with a natural release. Then the part most people skip: pull the bones and fat out and let the shredded meat sit in the sauce on warm another 30 minutes. It is juicier for it. Slider buns, coleslaw piled on top rather than served beside.
Get the full tutorial at A Night Owl Blog.
16. BBQ Ranch Pasta Salad
Honey BBQ ranch dressing and sour cream over pasta with black beans, corn, red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, diced chicken and shredded cheddar. The corn chips are the whole point and also the trap: stir them in as you serve, not before, or they go soft in the bowl. With the chicken in it this is a full meal rather than a side, which is useful when the grill is running behind.
Get the full tutorial at Spicy Southern Kitchen.
17. Mexican Grilled Street Corn
Grill the corn in the husks and do not panic at how black they get, because the kernels steam inside and come out tender. Then peel them back, and on go mayonnaise, parmesan, lime, chopped cilantro and Tajin or chili powder. Push a skewer into the end of each ear so people can hold it without wearing it. It is the cheapest side on this list and the one that disappears first.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
18. Bang Bang Chicken Skewers
Chicken thigh chunks, bell pepper and onion get coated in a marinade that already includes mayo and sweet chili sauce, which is why they stay juicy. Nine minutes under the broiler, turn, nine more, and they finish under a bang bang sauce of mayo, sweet chili, honey and sriracha. Thighs over breast here, they take the high heat without drying out.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
19. Mexican Street Corn Nachos
All the flavors of street corn, built on chips: four cups of grilled or charred corn with mayo, feta, cilantro, cayenne and lime, over a creamy Monterey Jack cheese sauce instead of shredded cheese melted in the oven. Twenty five minutes, serves eight. Cooked Mexican chorizo goes in if somebody at the table needs meat on everything.
Get the full tutorial at Closet Cooking.
20. Fiesta Stuffed Mini Peppers
Mini sweet peppers filled with cream cheese, shredded cheddar, lime juice, cilantro and garlic salt, whizzed in a food processor so the filling pipes in easily. On the table in under 30 minutes, low carb, and mild enough that kids eat them. They also work with vegan cream cheese and vegan shreds at the same quantities, which is rare enough to be worth saying.
Get the full tutorial at A Few Shortcuts.
21. Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Tacos With Pineapple Slaw
Three pounds of chicken breast under a sauce of pineapple juice, honey BBQ, soy, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and sriracha. The slaw is the part that makes it: purple and green cabbage, diced fresh pineapple, red onion and cilantro in coconut milk, lime and a little sriracha. That coconut lime dressing is why this does not taste like every other slow cooker chicken.
Get the full tutorial at Host The Toast.
22. Crock Pot BBQ Ribs
Ten minutes of prep and four hours on high. The detail that decides whether this works: stand the rack up on its edge against the wall of the crock pot rather than laying it flat, so the ribs do not sit stewing in their own juices. Rub both sides generously, drizzle sauce over both sides, and use whatever rack you like, spare, country style, baby back or beef.
Get the full tutorial at The Rising Spoon.
23. Seared Salmon Skewers With Garlic And Dijon
A pound and a half of salmon cut into one inch squares, threaded alternately with thin lemon slices folded in half. The real tip is to use two skewers side by side instead of one, so you can turn the whole thing on the grill without the fish spinning. Soak bamboo skewers an hour, grill at about 375F, and brush with the parsley, garlic, Dijon, oil and lemon marinade on both sides.
Get the full tutorial at Natasha's Kitchen.
24. Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos With Chipotle Lime Cream
Mahi mahi cut into inch and a half strips and rubbed with smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin and dried cilantro. Dried, not fresh, on purpose: fresh cilantro is too mild in a rub and it burns on the grate. The crema is Greek yogurt with chipotle, lime and smoked paprika, and it goes on with cabbage slaw and mashed avocado. Thirty minutes for all of it.
Get the full tutorial at Joyful Healthy Eats.
25. Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
A six to seven pound pork shoulder chuck roast on a bed of chopped onion, rubbed with salt, pepper and paprika, then a cup of chicken broth, a cup of BBQ sauce, liquid smoke, Worcestershire and pressed garlic. That tablespoon of liquid smoke is doing the job a smoker would, and it is the reason this tastes like it took all day instead of five minutes of prep.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
26. Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers With Tzatziki Sauce
A pound and a half of chicken breast in one inch cubes, marinated at least an hour in lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, oregano, parsley, cumin and coriander. Marinate in a freezer bag with the air pressed out so everything stays coated. The tzatziki uses shredded English cucumber rather than diced, which gives you sauce instead of chunks in yogurt.
Get the full tutorial at Recipe Runner.
27. Grilled Ranch Chicken Skewers
Chicken breast, bottled ranch, olive oil, fresh parsley and chives, salt and pepper. Twenty minutes of prep, twenty on the grill. The version worth trying: skip the bottled dressing and use dry ranch seasoning mix with olive oil instead, which gives you a thicker marinade that clings to the chicken rather than sliding off into the coals.
Get the full tutorial at The Crafty Blog Stalker.
28. BBQ Green Beans
Two cans of cut green beans, drained, in a casserole dish under a sauce you build in a skillet: chopped bacon cooked down with diced onion, most of the fat poured off, then ketchup, Worcestershire and brown sugar simmered two or three minutes. Fifteen minutes at 350F. Pouring off the bacon fat is the step that keeps it from being greasy, and it is easy to skip.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
29. Campfire Whiskey BBQ Chicken
The sauce is made at home and it is the point: ketchup, hot sauce, dark molasses, Dijon, whiskey, Worcestershire, cider vinegar and garlic, simmered covered for 45 minutes and kept in the fridge up to a week. The chicken, six legs and thighs, gets oiled and bagged up to two days ahead. Build the fire to medium, which means you can hold a hand five inches above the grate for five to seven seconds.
Get the full tutorial at Cooking With Janica.
30. Grilled Bacon Wrapped Chicken With Sweet Black Pepper And Rosemary
Four ingredients, and the marinade comes straight out of a bottle, so there is no whisking anything at seven in the morning. Chicken marinates at least an hour, gets wrapped in bacon with rosemary and goes on the grill. Start it before you leave for the day and it is ready when you are. The pepper brings heat, the bacon brings smoke, the rosemary ties it together.
Get the full tutorial at What The Fork.
31. Cowboy Caviar
Black-eyed peas, black beans, sweet corn, seeded and diced Roma tomatoes, red onion, a green and a red bell pepper, and a whole cup of chopped cilantro, dressed with olive oil, white wine vinegar, chili powder and sugar. The recipe itself says the sugar is a lot and to cut it or leave it out, so start with a tablespoon and taste. Make it ahead and chill it; it wants the time.
Get the full tutorial at Culinary Hill.
32. Spiced Sweet Potato And Bacon Skewers
Two pounds of sweet potato in inch and a half chunks, alternated with bacon slices cut in fourths and folded, on metal skewers over a rack set in a rimmed sheet at 375F. Leave a little gap between every piece so they cook evenly instead of steaming together. The coating is brown and white sugar with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne and red pepper flakes, so it lands sweet then warm.
Get the full tutorial at Home Cooking Memories.
33. Caprese Grilled Chicken With Balsamic Reduction
Grill marinated chicken breasts over direct heat at 400F for seven to eight minutes, flip, and take them off at temperature rather than by the clock. Thick slices of mozzarella, fresh basil and a thick slice of tomato go on top, then the homemade balsamic reduction. Thighs work if you prefer them. One large piece of chicken may want two basil leaves, not one.
Get the full tutorial at Add A Pinch.
34. Easy Burger Onion Rings With Cheese
A large onion cut into inch and a half rounds, separated into rings, with a ground beef and Colby jack mixture packed between a big ring and a smaller one pressed inside it. Bacon wrapped around the outside holds the whole thing together and toothpicks hold the bacon. Smoker at 250 to 275F for about an hour and a half, flipped halfway and brushed with barbecue sauce.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
35. Smoked Street Corn Dip
Two cans of fire roasted sweet corn, strained, into a base of cream cheese, cubed pepper jack, cotija, sour cream, garlic, a cup of chopped cilantro and Tajin. If you cannot find cotija, feta is the substitute the recipe names, and it works. It can be assembled ahead, which is the reason to pick it over a dip that has to be made and served the same hour.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
36. Baked Garlic Parmesan Fries
Russet potatoes get shaken in a gallon ziploc with olive oil, garlic, garlic powder and seasoned salt, baked at 425F for 30 minutes flipping halfway, then go back into the same bag with parmesan and parsley and get shaken again before a final bake. Using the bag twice is why every fry is coated and you are not stirring hot potatoes on a sheet pan. About 55 minutes, with a spicy aioli of mayo, garlic, lemon, Dijon and cayenne.
Get the full tutorial at Six Sisters' Stuff.
37. Grilled Portobello Mushrooms With Spinach And Cheese
Four large portobellos, about 35 minutes, and a grill or a grill pan is all the equipment involved. They serve as a side or as the vegetarian main, which is the practical reason to put them on the list: one tray covers the person at the cookout who does not eat meat without cooking a separate meal for them. Grilling adds a smoky layer that roasting never gets to.
Get the full tutorial at Rachel Cooks.
38. Smoky Barbecue Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers
Six main ingredients: chickpeas, sweet potatoes, barbecue sauce, chili powder, smoked paprika and coarse ground cornmeal. That cornmeal is not optional and not interchangeable with regular; the grit is what gives these a crisp exterior instead of the mush most veggie burgers turn into. Oil free, gluten free, baked rather than fried, and there is a five minute homemade barbecue sauce included.
Get the full tutorial at The Vegan 8.
39. Thai Coconut Pork Skewers
Two pounds of pork tenderloin in two inch cubes, marinated four hours to overnight in coconut milk, brown sugar, lime juice, garlic, sriracha and soy. Pour off half a cup of the marinade before the pork goes in and keep it for basting, because you cannot use the rest once raw meat has been in it. Served in romaine leaves with chopped peanuts and scallions.
Get the full tutorial at Honest Cooking.
40. Pesto Grilled Shrimp
A pound of peeled shrimp marinated in homemade pesto, basil, garlic, toasted pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil and lemon pulsed smooth, then two to three minutes a side over medium high. Twenty minutes in the marinade is enough and overnight is fine, so this is either the fastest thing on the grill or the one you set up the day before. Either way it is on and off in under six minutes.
Get the full tutorial at Closet Cooking.
41. Easy Crack Burger
The patties get seasoned with ranch seasoning, salt, pepper and garlic powder, but the thing that makes this a crack burger is the mixture that goes on afterward: sharp cheddar, Duke’s mayonnaise, crumbled bacon and more ranch seasoning, stirred together and spread on. Onions browned on the griddle, buns buttered and toasted. It is a griddle burger and better for it.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Joy.
42. BBQ Onion Meatball Bombs
Meatloaf mix with egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan and salt, packed inside one layer of onion with another pressed on top to seal it, then wrapped in three slices of bacon and held with toothpicks. Bake at 425F for about 40 minutes until they hit 165F inside, then sauce them and give them five more. Use the big outer layers of a medium to large onion; the small inner ones will not hold a meatball.
Get the full tutorial at Hugs and Cookies XOXO.
