Breaking out the grill is a sure sign of summer. But there’s more to grilling than burgers and brats. Here are 10 recipes that will take your summer barbecue party to the next level. And lucky for you, you don’t have to be an expert cook to whip these eats together.
1. Homemade Lemonade
Stir up something delicious with a sweet and tangy lemonade recipe to keep guests cool and refreshed on a hot summer day. Whip together a simple syrup with two cups of sugar, two cups of water and ½ cup of fresh thyme, to add a new twist on classic lemonade. You’ll need the zest of two lemons, about two tablespoons, two cups of fresh-squeezed lemon juice and three cups of sparkling or mineral water. Visit the Just One Cookbook website for step-by-step instructions.
2. Watermelon Popsicles
Keep guests cool with a cold treat. Fresh, and easy-to-make, watermelon pops can keep your guests thirst quenched and sweet-tooth satisfied. This summer-friendly recipe calls for just two ingredients, three cups of seedless watermelon cubes and 1 ¾ cup of coconut water and yields 10 pops. Combine the two ingredients in a blender, pour into popsicle molds and freeze.
3. Fully Loaded Corn on the Cob
Take your corn on the cob to the next level with a fully-loaded corn on the cob recipe. The experts at Southern Living know a thing or two about summertime barbecues. And no summer celebration is complete without this charred dish. This recipe calls for eight ears of corn, extra virgin olive oil, garlic herb butter, sea salt and fresh ground pepper and takes about 35 mins to make from start-to-finish.
4. The Best Barbecue Beans
The sides are the true stars of the summer barbecue. Make sure that your sides shine with this barbecue beans recipe curated by Serious Eats. This slow-cooked dish takes from 16-18 hours to complete, but the first bite after they’re baked will be worth the wait. You’ll need beans, yellow onion, sliced bacon, jalapeno, green bell peppers, minced garlic, molasses, apple cider vinegar, yellow, mustard, honey, ketchup and a few more secret ingredients to put this stellar side together.
5. Perfect Potato Salad
Don’t let your baked beans steal the show, give your potato salad some of the fame and limelight, too. The Pioneer Woman perfect potato salad recipe will keep guests going back for seconds, again and again. Eggs, potatoes, mayonnaise, pickles and few herbs and spices come together to make this recipe.
6. Garlic Bread
You don’t have to be a master chef to bring this garlic bread recipe to life. Simple start with a loaf of French or Italian bread, butter, cloves, parsley and parmesan cheese. Preheat your oven to 350-degrees, pop your buttered and covered bread into the oven for 10 mins and you’ve got a snackable dish for your barbecue guests.
7. Easy BBQ Baby Back Pork Ribs
Your meat dish is the main attraction. Make sure it’s done right with an easy recipe like this one from Chowhound. The Chowhound recipe even gives you step-by-step guidance on how to prepare your own tasty barbecue sauce, too.
8. Grilled Chicken
A gracious host always offers more than one option. Give guests a choice when it comes to the protein on their plate by offering up a savory grilled chicken option along with your pork ribs. Delish has a variety of interesting recipes to choose from, ranging from Hawaiian chicken skewers to sticky grilled chicken.
9. Fresh fruit salad
Summer days call for cold eats. And a fresh, chilled fruit salad sure fits the bill. Get started with one of these fresh fruit salad recipes from Woman’s Day to kickoff the summer grilling season on a healthy foot.
10. No-Bake Mango Sorbet Pie
All good things must come to an end. Send your guests home with a full belly, and with a slice of no-bake mango sorbet pie for the ride home. Add mango sorbet, meringue cookies, vanilla sandwich cookies, butter, pistachios, edible flowers and almonds to your grocery list and you’ll be ready to whip together this cool, and beautiful, dessert.
