The grill is THE go-to place to cook when it comes to warmer weather.
Maybe it is the instinct to just be outside and enjoy the sun while it is there.
Maybe it is simply too hot to get any cooking done in there.
Or maybe you fancy yourself as something of a grilling connoisseur and like to show those skills off from time to time.
Whatever the reason, grilling just feels a little different from other types of cooking.
It’s a little more social, it’s a little more energetic.
And, of course, it is a little heavier on the meat too!
There are so many great grilling recipes that you can find out there, that it is often very difficult to pick out just a few for the grilling cookout (see also ‘33 Perfect Cookout Recipes‘) that you are planning for.
If that’s the case, then you may need a few ideas to take the burden of cooking creatively off your shoulders a little.
This is why we’ve created this incredible recipe list for you!
Inside this guide, you will find a wide variety of different meat preparations and seasoning methods that you can use for yourself.
Some are simple changes to an old staple, and some are wildly different from anything you have tried yourself.
What they all have in common, however, is that they will make for the best grill-out that you’ve ever tasted!
1. Lemongrass Beef Skewers
Starting off our list with a recipe using a type of meat that is arguably the king of the grill, beef, we have a delicious lemongrass beef skewer recipe for you here.
Marinaded in a wealth of incredible ingredients, from sugar to ginger, to soy sauce and chili, as well as salt, of course, the flavors that are packed into this beef recipe are simply divine, with an amazing balance of both savory and sweet flavors packed into it.
And when the beef is cooked just right, it is a beautifully soft texture that almost melts from the skewer and into your mouth.
For cooking tips, make sure that you give the beef plenty of time to marinate in this sauce mixture, 30 minutes at least. After that, it is a simple process of throwing it on the grill.
If you’re looking for a slice of centerpiece meat to cook for your next grill out, this is absolutely one that you need to try!
2. Grilled Spicy Miso Portobello Mushroom Burgers
The grill isn’t just a place for meat lovers, of course. As you’ll see through this list, there are plenty of ways for vegetarians and vegans to also enjoy.
Heck, even meat lovers will love this portobello mushroom (see also ‘23 Amazing Ways To Cook Portobello Mushrooms!‘) burger recipe!
Portobello mushrooms, with their soft texture when cooked and ability to hold on to tons of flavors when basted right, are a great vegan substitute for burger patties on your grill.
Plus, with their cup-like shape, there are tons of space for you to stuff them with tons of extras, from cheeses to vegetables, and even meat if you still want some meaty goodness.
Get this recipe started on your barbecue, and you won’t be disappointed!
3. Grilled Chicken Breast
Chicken is a much-loved meat that can be cooked in a thousand different ways on a grill.
This recipe, along with a few others on this list, will show you just what this humble little meat can taste like when given the right love and attention beforehand.
4. Grilled Veggie Skewers
Like we said, there is plenty for veggie lovers to like about a good grill out!
Whilst many avid barbecue-goers do love the occasional pepper on a good meat skewer, this recipe makes vegetables the main attraction of a barbecue, and in an incredibly delicious way, if we may add!
Alongside your classic bell peppers, the red onions here also add just a little heat to give your mouth the variety that it craves in a good veggie barbecue.
5. Chimichurri Poblano Turkey Burger
Mexican flavors are right at home in most grill recipes, and this turkey burger recipe is proof of it.
Turkey by itself doesn’t tend to have too much flavor, whether it is minced or cooked whole.
However, what it is incredibly good at is absorbing the flavors of ingredients around it, and that’s what this recipe does.
Cooked and packed with scallions jalapeños, cilantro and garlic, this is a burger that you’re going to feel on its way into your belly!
6. Coconut Lime Grilled Chicken Thigh
As we said, there is plenty of ways to get chicken just right for your grill.
Like turkey, chicken is a kind of meat that is great at absorbing flavors from vegetables, seasonings, and fruits alike, which is probably why it is used in so many cuisines.
This recipe adds the citrus flavor of lime to its marinade to make it a chicken recipe that pops in your mouth as soon as your lips touch it.
7. Easy Grilled Steak
Who doesn’t love a good grilled steak? Arguably, a grill out is not complete without at least a little of this classic cut of beef slapped onto a hot grill.
However, many new chefs are intimidated by how quickly they can go from raw to rare, to well-done, and even cooked.
With such a small window for getting their preferred slice of steak, many often choose not to do it in the first place.
This recipe doesn’t just help you with making a great marinade, but also gives you plenty of instruction on when to and how to cook it too!
8. Bison Burgers With Smoky Mayo
Next to a good steak, beef burgers are another stale that every non-vegan grill worth their money should have over their heat.
And with this particular burger recipe using bison meat, you don’t just have a burger that tastes great, but you have one that is packed to the top with healthy nutrients, plus a lower fat content too.
If you love burgers but are also trying to watch what they eat, then start watching these bison burgers cook on your grill, and have the best of both worlds!
9. Chimichurri Chicken
For this chicken recipe, there is also a very healthy dose of Argentinian influence in here, for that extra punch of heat that many people love in their chicken breast or thighs.
Healthy, because of the extra herbs and vegetable flavors in here!
Packed with a bunch of extra herbs and spices for seasoning, and dosed with a great chimichurri sauce to boot, this is a chicken recipe that is as cooling and refreshing to your mouth as it is delicious.
10. Beef Kofta Kebabs
For a little Mediterranean flavor on your grill, you should absolutely try this classic Greek kebab recipe.
The tzatziki it makes is to die for!
11. Easy Grilled Salmon
With all this talk of great meat, mushroom, and veggie recipes in this list, how have we not already covered a fish recipe?!
Fortunately, this grilled salmon recipe scratches that tasty itch, and does it superbly!
Salmon tend to be much lower in fat than many types of meat, especially a well-marbled beef steak, whilst also being packed with tons of healthy minerals and nutrients, such as omega-3.
Plus, the way that a cut of salmon steak simply falls about when cooked right is unlike any meat we know, and only helps it stand out further for us!
12. Thai Turkey Burgers With Asian Slaw
Turkeys are a great bird to make burger patties out of, it seems. Especially when paired with incredible flavors to boot!
When thrown together with a little sriracha and ribboned cucumber in its Asian-inspired slaw, this is a burger with flavor, and crunch to boot!
13. Cajun Chicken
Whilst chicken takes flavors from all cuisines exceptionally well, it’s often with Cajun cuisine (see also ‘28 Easy Cajun Recipes That Will Transport You Straight To Lousiana‘) that we often see some of the most popular dishes.
This particular recipe pan-fried the chicken in a delicious marinade to create a dish that has just enough heat to get you to pay attention to this chicken.
And whilst you’re tasting all those flavors, that’s all you’’ be able to do!
14. Grilled Mushroom Burgers
Just as turkey is a great patty to make burgers with, large and wide mushroom varieties and cultivars are also great substitute burgers for those who either want some different flavors in their burger buns or who are dropping meat from their diet.
Packed with tones of extra vegetables and flavors for texture, this is a recipe you need to try for yourself.
15. Grilled Peruvian Chicken
When you pair this grilled chicken with a good Peruvian green sauce (see also ‘Aji Amarillo Paste – The 5 Best Alternatives That You Can Try Now!‘) and avocado salad, you have a grilled chicken recipe that balances flavor and your diet wonderfully.
Perfect for those who love the flavors of South America.
16. Grilled Fish Tacos
Back at it again with Latin American flavor, this time we’re skipping the chicken and going straight for the fish in this amazing taco recipe!
Combining the already deliciously grilled white fish with anything might seem like a mistake at first.
But when it is paired with good mango salsa and just a little cream to top it off, you’ll be wondering how you ever cooked white fish without this recipe before!
17. Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Skewers
Skewers are always a popular choice for grill-outs if some of the earlier entries in our list didn’t already show you.
There’s just something about the novelty of picking food straight from the skewer that appeals to everyone.
It is an experience that is only made better with this chicken and pineapple recipe.
We’ve already talked about at length how chicken is great for absorbing flavors, so it only seems logical to pair it with a sweet and vibrant fruit like pineapple. The results speak for themselves!
18. Grilled Chicken Shawarma
Whether it is served whole on its own, or a skewer, this shawarma recipe will be a favorite for anyone who loves the taste and flavors of Middle Eastern Cuisine.
Serve it with a little pitta bread and tzatziki, and you’ll be good to go!
19. Honey Garlic Salmon
What could be added to salmon to make it any better?
Well, honey is certainly a good start, that’s for sure!
This is a recipe that isn’t just delicious to make, but is also incredibly quick to cook, barely taking 20 minutes to go from raw to on your plate!
20. Grilled Shrimp Skewers
We’ve mentioned a few fish recipes (see also ‘Swai Fish Recipes: 14 Of The Best‘) on this list by now, and some of you may have noticed a disappointing lack of prawns or shrimp.
So, time to rectify this mistake, with this amazing grilled shrimp recipe!
We don’t want to throw around any lazy Australian stereotypes in this list.
But you can see why ‘throw another shrimp on the barbie’ became such an iconic line!
21. Japanese Farm-Style Teriyaki
Teriyaki s a delicious glazing sauce that is used in all kinds of Japanese recipes.
However, it is probably best known to many barbecue-goers as an excellent grilling marinade!
This is a great way to add some flavor to that chicken thigh or breast that you’ve had no idea what to do with so far, and turn it into the star of your grill out!
22. Greek Chicken Kabobs
Kabobs (see also ‘25 + Delicious Kabob Skewer Recipes‘) aren’t just a trademark dish of the Middle East.
Thanks to its proximity to many different countries in the region, it is a popular part of Greek cuisine as well!
Don’t believe us? Just check this recipe out for yourself to see just how well Greek and Middle Eastern food go together!
23. Grilled Banana
Who would’ve thought that even desserts can be prepared on the grill?
But this recipe shows that not only can some fruits survive grilling, but they can even be enhanced by it!
Take the time to enhance them with the seasonings that this recipe suggests, and you’ll see what we mean!
24. Grilled Lemongrass Chicken
Lemongrass is such a great method of seasoning and flavoring meat, that we thought we’d show you another amazing version, this time using chicken instead!
25. Teriyaki Salmon
Do you remember that teriyaki sauce that we mentioned before? How is it great for grilling with chicken?
Well, if you follow this recipe right, you’ll also have an incredible teriyaki salmon to cook up too!
26. Grilled Eggplant Salad
Time for our final grilled veggie recipe on this list.
Eggplant is a vegetable that softens up very nicely when placed under or over a grill.
Add that to the right salad, as this recipe does, and you’ll be swimming in flavors in no time!
27. Grilled Chipotle Chicken
How have we not mentioned chipotle seasoning on this list?
Well, probably because we were saving it for this spot in our guide!
If you love the flavors of Mexico, you know what to do by this point. Click the link to find out more!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Exactly Is Grilling?
Grilling is a method of food booking and preparation where food of some kind is applied to a heated surface that cooks the food in dry heat, either from above, below, or on the side of the food item and grilling surface.
Food usually needs to be turned if there is only one side where heat is being applied, and can leave a slightly charred surface in the pattern of the grilling surface, giving grilled food its distinct look.
Grilling food can take very little time, although many cooks who know how to prepare food with this method know that cooking food too quickly can result in your food being too crisp or even burnt.
Many chefs opt to cook their grilled foods slightly slower, to keep some of the moisture and flavor locked into the food.
Why Is Grilling Done Outside?
Although grill outs are a popular feature of many American gardens in the summer, it is also very possible to grill food in an ordinary kitchen, usually with some kind of grilling tool that many ovens come pre-packaged with.
However, one issue that many people run into when grilling is that too much heat for too long can great quite a large amount of smoke.
Whilst this is not an issue in small quantities, outside of a little coughing or sore throat, it can be quite dangerous to inhale too much smoke produced by grilling.
Not only that, but the large amounts of smoke may also trigger your fire alarms to activate, which can be incredibly frustrating and distressing to deal with, especially if you know that you have your grill under control.
For these reasons, many people often choose to prepare grilled food outside, especially on barbecue grills that allow them to regulate the temperature of their flame and/or heat.
What Rules Should I Keep In Mind When Grilling Outside?
Generally speaking, you should try and keep your cooking grill away from any objects made of wood (not including any wood you are using to fuel the grill), and make sure that you keep your barbecue grill at least a few feet away from your home or building, at least 5 or 6 feet.
Grill flames can sometimes briefly expand when they come into contact with fat, and can be quite surprising.
For your safety, make sure that you try to keep your head and face from being directly above the heat for this reason, as well as using metal or wooden tongues to move your food.
You can easily burn yourself from the heat of a hot grill, so be careful.
Final Thoughts
Now that you have all these ideas, we can’t wait to see what flavors you come up with yourself!
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