Grill season is back, and I don’t know about you, but this is my favorite stretch of cooking all year. Burgers on the grill, sides in the cooler, somebody asking when the food’s gonna be ready.
This round-up has the recipes I keep coming back to for backyard cookouts: the grilled mains worth firing things up for, the burgers and dogs that get demolished first, and the sides that hold the whole spread together.
Whether it’s Memorial Day weekend, July 4th, or just a Saturday afternoon, you can build the whole cookout from this list.
Fire Up the Grill
This is the heart of the cookout. Big, smoky, charred protein, simple seasonings, nothing fussy. A few of these are the most popular grilling recipes on the site, and there’s a reason. They work.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
If you haven’t grilled a pork tenderloin yet, start here. Brown sugar and garlic rub, hot grill, juicy with crisp edges in 25 minutes.
Grilled Chicken Legs
Cheap, forgiving, and they come off the grill with crispy skin and juicy meat. We cook to 185°F internal for that fall-off-the-bone texture.
Grilled Pork Chops
Thick-cut pork chops with a brown sugar rub, grilled until caramelized outside and juicy inside. Done in 15 minutes, feeds a family on a weeknight.
Grilled BBQ Chicken Wings
Wings on the grill hit different than baked or fried. Crispy skin from the heat, smoky char, and BBQ sauce that doesn’t taste the same anywhere else.
Grilled Shrimp
Five minutes on the grill and you’re done. Shrimp is the move when you want a main that cooks fast and reads as a little fancier without extra work.
Grilled Chicken Kabobs
Chicken, peppers, onion, and zucchini on a stick. Customizable, looks great coming off the grill, and the marinade does most of the flavor work.
Chimichurri Skirt Steak
One of the best cuts for the grill. Cooks fast, takes the chimichurri marinade beautifully, and slices into tender strips when you cut against the grain.
Chicken Marinade
The move that takes grilled chicken from fine to actually good. A few pantry ingredients, 4 hours minimum, overnight is better. Works on any cut.
✦ Marinate a big batch of chicken on Sunday and grill it throughout the week. Cookout flavor on a random Tuesday.
Burgers, Dogs, and Sausage
You can’t have a cookout without burgers and dogs, full stop. This section covers the classic grilled options plus a couple of indoor methods for when you want a burger and the grill isn’t an option. The sausage and peppers rounds it out for anyone who wants something that smells like an Italian street fair.
Air Fryer Burgers
The grill is the default, but you don’t always want to fire it up for two burgers. Juicy patty, melty cheese, ready in 12 minutes.
Smash Burgers
Cast iron pan, hot heat, smash the patties thin. That lacy crust fast-food burgers built their reputation on, made in your kitchen.
Grilled Burger Skewers
Mini patties on a skewer with onion and pickle, grilled until charred. Easier to serve than full burgers, and they disappear first at parties.
Chili Dogs
A real chili dog with homemade chili, melty cheese, and chopped onion. Make the chili a day ahead and reheat at the cookout for the easiest assembly.
Air Fryer Sausage and Peppers
Italian sausage, bell peppers, and onions cooked until tender and a little charred. Pile it on a hoagie or serve on its own. Grill the sausages first for extra char.
Burger Sauce: Burgers go a lot further with a real sauce. My Best Damn Burger Sauce takes five minutes and a few pantry ingredients, and it pulls double duty on burgers and chili dogs.
Sides and Cookout Staples
Mains get the attention, but sides are what make the cookout a cookout. Potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, corn, all the classics. Make most of these the morning of or the night before so you’re not running around when guests show up.
Potato Salad
The classic cookout potato salad. Creamy, tangy, and the side every backyard spread is missing if it doesn’t have it. Make it the morning of, the flavor gets better.
Country Creamy Coleslaw
Sweet, tangy, creamy, with just enough crunch. Make it ahead so the dressing softens the cabbage and the flavors come together.
Instant Pot Baked Beans
Smoky, sweet, with chunks of bacon, ready in a fraction of the time of an all-day version. Tastes like it sat over a low oven all afternoon.
Air Fryer Street Corn
Mexican street corn (elote) made in the air fryer. Creamy, tangy, slightly spicy topping, charred kernels, cotija cheese, lime. Great side or a snacky course.
Grilled Corn (in Husk)
If you want the classic grilled corn experience, the husk is the move. Kernels steam inside while the outside chars. Smoky, sweet, low effort.
Macaroni Pasta Salad
The classic deli-style macaroni salad. Tangy dressing, crunchy veggies, cooked elbow noodles. The side nobody asks for and everybody eats.
Watermelon Feta Salad
Cold watermelon, salty feta, fresh mint, drizzle of balsamic. Light, refreshing, and the side that resets your palate between bites of richer food.
Air Fryer Steak Bites
Not technically a side, but they fill the cookout-snack slot perfectly. Seasoned sirloin cubes in the air fryer, ready in 10 minutes, toothpicks ready.
Worth Adding:
If you want a real backyard appetizer, my Cowboy Caviar is the move. Black beans, corn, peppers, and a tangy dressing, served with chips. Make it the night before and let it sit overnight.
That’s the lineup. Save this one, bookmark it, send it to whoever’s hosting. Grill season’s short, and the cookouts that actually feed a crowd well don’t happen by accident. Build your spread from this list and you’re set for the whole summer.
A Few Tips Before You Fire Things Up
A backyard cookout isn’t complicated, but a few things make the difference between scrambling at the last minute and actually enjoying yourself.
✦ Make your sides the day before. Potato salad, coleslaw, pasta salad, baked beans, all of it tastes better after a night in the fridge. The flavors meld, the textures soften, the seasoning evens out. Plus you save grill time for proteins on the day of, which is what actually matters.
✦ Work backwards from when you want to eat. The biggest mistake new grillers make is trying to cook everything at once. Different proteins have different timings, so start with the longest and work down:
- Chicken legs: 35 to 40 minutes
- Pork tenderloin: 25 minutes
- Pork chops: 15 minutes
- Burgers and dogs: 8 to 10 minutes
- Shrimp: 5 minutes
Build in a 10-minute resting window for the bigger cuts, and pull faster things off as you go.
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