Editors of Adams Media - The 50 Best Grilling Recipes. Tasty, Fresh, and Easy to Make!

Avon, Massachusetts

Grilling is more than just throwing a few hot dogs and burgers on the backyard barbecue. With these simple recipes, you can create a multi-course meal over an open flame. Here youll find everything from appetizers (). Of course there are recipes here for burgers and ribs, but youll also explore smoky pizzas, decadent lobster flamb, and even grilled fruit.

Whether youre using your grill to cook a family weeknight supper, a neighborhood block party, or an elegant dinner party, youll find all you need here. The 50 Best Grilling Recipes will open your eyes to creative versions of barbecue favorites and new tastes and savory snacks, opening up your senses to a magic that can be found only in cooking outdoors.

Cook your way through these fifty recipes and you, your guests, and your family will be oohing and aahing all year round. So get smoking with the most flavorful cooking this side of paradise!

Why settle for a plain burger when you can make this? Its such a decadent treat to have rich cheese ooze out of every bite, you may end up redefining your idea of a cheeseburger.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pounds lean ground beef

4 ounces blue cheese

1 large red pepper, roasted and peeled

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 teaspoons fresh or 2 teaspoons dried oregano

1. Form the ground beef into 8 thin patties. Chop the roasted pepper and crumble the cheese.

2. Four patties will serve as the bottoms and 4 will be the tops of the stuffed burgers. Divide the cheese among the 4 bottom patties. Put the red peppers on top of the cheese. Sprinkle patties with pepper and oregano. Place a plain patty on top of each of the 4 filled ones. Press to close, making sure that none of the filling is going to leak out.

3. Heat grill to medium and brown burgers. Then turn to low to make sure that the cheese melts and the peppers are hot.

The Birth of the Burger

The concept of hamburger came to the United States in the mid-1800s on an ocean liner called Amerika. It took passengers from Germany to New York. The cook ground Hamburg beef, a smoked, salted, and dried beef that traveled well. Thus, the hamburger was born. Its as American as apple pie almost!

When you take the effort to combine such good cuts of ground beef youll want to also make sure you cook it to the temperature that allows the meat to remain juicy. Add spices such as garlic powder and red pepper flakes to your taste.

Serves 4

Ingredients

pound ground sirloin

pound ground chuck steak (not overly lean)

pound ground round

1 tablespoon of your favorite steak sauce or Worcestershire sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 slices tomato and/or sweet onion for garnish

Catsup, mustard, and pickle relish to taste

1. Mix the three types of ground meat together, tossing lightly with steak sauce, salt, and pepper. Dont be heavy handed here.

2. Preheat grill to medium-high.

3. Form burgers without too much patting and squeezing; this keeps them juicy.

4. Grill burgers over medium heat until they are nicely browned on the outside and pink on the inside, about 5 minutes per side. Timing depends on how thick the burgers are and how done you like them. Dont press the juice out with a spatula while cooking unless you like dry burgers.

5. Serve on hamburger buns, hard rolls, Portuguese rolls, or Tuscan bread with the toppings of your choice. Garnish with tomatoes and sweet onions.

Succulent duck made into a burger? You bet! Ask your butcher to grind the meat for you and get ready for a burger that goes way beyond your typical grill fare.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pounds skinless, boneless duck breast

2 apples

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon prepared Dijon-style mustard

teaspoon cinnamon

teaspoon nutmeg

teaspoon ground cloves

teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried sage leaves, crumbled

2 slices bacon or pancetta, minced

1. Place the duck in a bowl; add salt and pepper. Halve the apples and core them; set aside.

2. In a saut pan, melt the butter and add the mustard, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, garlic, and sage. Saut over low heat for 4 minutes.

3. Add to the duck meat and mix gently and well.

4. Set grill to medium.

5. Form patties and place the minced bacon or pancetta on a piece of waxed paper. Turn the patties in the minced bacon or pancetta so that a bit sticks to each side. Grill until medium, about 6 minutes per side.

6. While cooking the duck breast, place the apples on the grill cut-side down. Grill for 3 minutes.

7. Serve with cranberry relish, canned pie cherries, or caramelized onions.

The spiciness of the kielbasa combines perfectly with the sweetness of the apples in this dish that captures the quintessential flavors of fall.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound kielbasa cut in 4" pieces

1 quart canned or jarred baked beans

2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks

teaspoon ground cloves

teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

1. Preheat grill, then place the kielbasa over medium heat for 10 minutes, browning on all sides.

2. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a large flameproof pan. Add the kielbasa to the bean mixture and cover with foil.

3. Bake over indirect heat on the grill for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Marinating the sausage in beer ahead of time allows the flavors to meld before you char the meat on the grill. This dish tastes great when you uses authentic German sausages and goes well with sauerkraut, potatoes, or beets.

Serves 16

Ingredients

16 of your favorite sausages

1 bottles or cans of rich beer, not light

1. Prick the sausages with a fork. Open the beer and pour into a large pot. Let the beer defoam for about 10 minutes.

2. Add the sausages, then bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

3. Turn off the stove and let the sausages cool in the beer. Grill and serve.

A Belgian Tradition

Cooking with beer is a Belgian tradition. Belgium has more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than France, and part of the reason may be from their highly developed system of cuisine la bire.

A fun variation on plain old hot dogs, this method incorporates mashed potatoes (the ultimate comfort food) and melted cheese. Its a crowd pleaser!