Grilling is a fun and easy way to get the whole family involved in making dinner. This blog shares quick, crowd-pleasing recipes to cook over the coals for easy backyard meals the whole family will love.
1. Honey Garlic Ribs
Ingredients
- 2 racks of ribs, silver skin (skin on back of ribs) removed
For the rub:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp dry minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp basil
- 1 Tbsp pepper
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp ginger
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
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Preheat grill to 350F. You'll need to use indirect heat to cook the ribs, so be sure that one side of the grill is preheated, while the other side has no heat directly under the grates.
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In a bowl, mix together all the rub ingredients. Coat all sides of ribs evenly with the rub, and shake off any excess.
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Cook ribs for 1 hour over indirect heat, checking them occasionally.
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Flip the ribs, and cook for 30 more minutes.
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In a bowl, mix together all the sauce ingredients. After the previous 30 minutes of cooking, pour the sauce mixture over the ribs and cook on direct heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
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Remove from grill and let stand for 5 minutes to allow the sauce to glaze correctly.
2. KC Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 6 pork chops
- 6 Tbsp packed brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1-1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients
- Place pork chops in a ziplock bag. Add dry mixture. Seal bag and shake to coat pork chops. Refrigerate 2 hours.
- Remove pork chops from bag and grill on medium/high direct heat until done, 5-7 minutes per side.
- Brush pork chops with BBQ sauce on each side before removing from grill.
3. Glazed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together all ingredients except the olive oil.
- Pour the oil slowly into the mixture, whisking quickly to blend.
- Put the chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour 3/4 of the marinade over it.
- Marinate refrigerated for 2 hours.
- Grill chicken over medium/high direct heat until juices run clear when poked.
- Remove from grill, pour remaining marinade over cooked chicken, and let stand for 5 minutes.
4. BBQ Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings
- Salt
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
For the sauce:
- 1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter
- 12 Tbsp hot sauce
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a small pot.
- Cook on low heat and stir constantly until the butter melts. DO NOT BOIL.
- Remove from heat, whisk well, and set aside. If it starts to solidify, heat just enough to re-melt, then set aside again.
- Optional: use a sturdy knife or poultry shears to cut your wings into drums and flats Cut whole wings into parts.
- Toss the wings in the vegetable oil and salt, and arrange in one layer on the grill set over LOW indirect heat.
- Close the grill, and cook "low and slow" for 30 minutes.
- Turn the wings and brush them with the wing sauce.
- Close the grill, and cook "low and slow" for another 30 minutes.
- Continue cooking, turning and re-brushing every 15 minutes, until the wings are done to your liking.
5. The Catch-All "Party Packs"
These are the fun ones, especially for kids! You can literally put any fruit, veggies, sauces, meat, or other protein in them & they still work just the same!
Family favorite: chicken chunks, baby potatoes, and chopped asparagus tossed in lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil.
Instructions
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Preheat the grill to medium/high heat (~400F).
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Toss chosen ingredients together in your chosen sauce (or just olive oil, for a healthier option) so that it is well-mixed and evenly coated.
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Place mixture in center of foil, then fold the foil in toward the center, covering the food completely and creating a "packet".
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Press firmly on the rolls/folds so that they do not come apart easily.
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Put them on the grill and close the lid.
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Grill for 8 minutes on each side of the packet. You can see if they're ready by peeling back a fold and checking the slowest-cooking item (usually thick vegetables or potatoes)
If you're looking for tools to help you grill up these meals at night, or any time of the day, check out Grillight products, including our LED spatula and Smart Tongs.