16. Bourbon and Peach Grilled Baby Back Ribs
Fall-off-the-bone ribs without babysitting a smoker all day? Yes, please. These baby back ribs get a brown sugar, smoked paprika and chili powder rub, then bake low at 300F under foil for three hours, so the oven does the heavy lifting. The grill only comes in at the end for a few minutes per side, mopped with a peach bourbon barbecue sauce that chars just enough to get sticky. They can be baked up to two days ahead (party hosts, take note), and peach juice or nectar stands in for the bourbon if you want them alcohol-free.
17. Grilled Pizza
Grilled pizza gets a smoky, crackly crust your oven can only dream about. Homemade dough is brushed with olive oil on both sides and laid straight on a grill preheated to medium high. Then you leave it alone until it puffs and turns matte. Flip it, load the grilled side with pesto, sauce, mozzarella and tomatoes, close the lid and let the cheese melt. Fair warning: the cheese won’t brown the way it does in an oven (nobody will care). Shape the dough a little bigger than you want the finished pizza, and check that it actually fits your grill first.
18. Grilled Flank Steaks with Corn & Radish Salad
Flank steak is the cookout cut that feeds a crowd without costing a fortune. Grill it hot and fast, let it rest, then slice it thin against the grain. A crunchy, colorful salad of sweet corn and sliced radishes goes alongside, so the whole meal feels fresh instead of heavy. Pile on the parsley. It’s a dinner that looks like you worked a lot harder than you did, which is the best kind.
19. Grilled Clams with Charred Jalapeno Basil Butter
Clams on the grill are pure fun, because they tell you when they’re done by popping open right there on the grates. Here they get spooned full of a butter made with charred jalapeno and basil, so every shell turns into a little pool of spicy, herby goodness. Serve them on newspaper with grilled bread for sopping up the juices. It’s a beach clambake feel without the beach, the sand or the fuss.
20. Grilled Strip Steak with Onion Sauce
A good strip steak needs very little help, but a rich onion sauce never hurts. The steak goes on a hot grill for a deep crust, then gets sliced to show off that rosy center and covered with a spoonful of soft, caramelized onions. It’s steakhouse comfort food from the backyard. Pair it with grilled potatoes or a simple salad, and maybe a cold drink, since the photo suggests a little something stronger.
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