AmazingRibs.com is supported by our Pitmaster Club. Also, when you buy with links on our site we may earn a finder’s fee.
Click to see how we test and review products.
Our Best Recipes For Deep Summer Grilling (34 Recipes)
Published On: 7/16/2020 Last Modified: 6/16/2025
It’s too hot to cook inside
During the dog days of summer, no one wants to heat up the kitchen. Most folks want to be outside and enjoy the sunshine. It’s the ideal time to cook a meal outdoors. Plus, there are so many summer foods that take exceptionally well to the grill. Sweet corn on the cob, zucchini, tomatoes, shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, oysters, fish fillets…even watermelon and peaches all taste fantastic with a kiss of smoke. Not to mention s’mores.
When it’s too hot to cook inside, check out our best recipes for summer grilling below. You can make these dishes over a campfire, on a gas grill, or over charcoal. Don’t forget a cold beverage (maybe grilled lemonade?). Sipping an icy drink while cooking a meal outdoors is one of summer’s greatest pleasures.
Griddle Grilled Bacon Jalapeño Wrapped Corn
This griddle grilled corn dish makes a perfect accompanying act to almost any recipe, but it could star as a lunch all by itself. The sweetness of the corn works great with the saltiness of the bacon, and the punch of heat from the jalapenos is tempered by the cream cheese.
Make the Most of Sweet Corn with Sever’s Grilled Country Corn Casserole
Highlight the flavor of sweet summer corn, fresh tomatoes, and herbs in this simple vegetable casserole recipe. It makes a fantastic side dish for any barbecue.
Griddle Grilled Corn Cakes, Fresh Corn At Its Finest
This griddle grilled corn cakes recipe is the perfect side dish for any backyard cookout. The recipe begins with fire roasting fresh ears of corn. The kernels are then removed and added to a light and airy batter that is grilled on a griddle until fluffy and golden brown. You can even customize your corn cakes!
Capture The Essence of August With This Caprese Tomato Salad Recipe
Caprese salad is the world's best use of tomatoes. This classic summer dish from the Island of Capri is the essence of August on a plate.
Cherry Tomatoes: Smoke ’Em If You Got ’Em
Smoked Tomato Raisins are the single best thing you can do with cherry tomatoes and here is the recipe for creating them. They are superb for snacking, on salads, on a pizza, in pasta, baked into breads, stuffed into chicken breasts or pork chops, or anything you would do with raisins or sun dried tomatoes.
Got Tomatoes? Make This Smoked Caprese Sandwich
Quick, before summer is over, make these sandwiches! They're soooo good. And so easy. If you keep some smoked cherry tomatoes and basil pesto on hand (both easy to make with our recipes), this sandwich comes together in no time. And it tastes like a summer breeze!this item is for members only
Caprese Flank Steak Takes The Classic Italian Salad To The Grill
Here is an outstanding recipe for Caprese Flank Steak from Attjack, a member of our Pitmaster Club. This recipe combines a classic Italian Caprese salad with grilled flank steak in a butterflied and rolled steak cut into pinwheels and grilled hot and fast. Salad, meet grill. Grill, salad.
Fresh Pico De Gallo Adds Zip To Countless Dishes
Fresh tomatoes, scallions, jalapeno, and cilantro are the cornerstones of our addictively delicious recipe for homemade pico de gallo. Add a touch of brightness to tacos, quesadillas, and other Mexican dishes; a bold bite to scrambled eggs and omelets; a vibrant twist to salsa and chips; and so much more.
Grilled Marinara Sauce That Would Make Grandma Proud
Take your pasta dishes over the top with this incredibly rich and deeply smoky grilled marinara sauce recipe.
Celebrate Summer’s Freshest Produce with This Refreshing Gazpacho
Perfect for a warm weather cookout, this flavorful Gazpacho recipe is a modern twist of this classic Spanish cold raw vegetable soup.
Ratatouille Tastes Better Grilled
Grilled ratatouille takes it up a notch. You may never make ratatouille the old way again! Serve it over pasta, couscous, or rice.
Feast on This Grilled Eggplant Parm, A Bold Take On An Italian Classic
If you like bland restaurant eggplant parmesan then our grilled version will blow you away. Click here for the recipe.
Pesto Potato Salad: Summer’s New Favorite Side
It's time to rethink serving ordinary potato salad as a side dish at your next BBQ thanks to this delicious recipe for pesto potatoes.
Mouthwatering Crab Cakes, Griddle Grilled To Perfection
Jumbo lump crab meat shines brightly in this recipe for griddle grilled crab cakes with rosemary aioli. Exceptional crab cakes begin with high quality crab, gently blended with a minimum amount of other ingredients so that the crab remains the star of the show, then finished on the grill.
Easy Foil Packet Shrimp Boil For A Backyard Beach Feast
This mouthwatering grilled shrimp boil recipe is an effortless family style feast for your backyard cookout. Much simpler than a traditional Low Country Boil or Frogmore Stew!
BBQ Shrimp & Andouille Po Boy Recipe: A Taste Of N’awlins
Savory New Orleans BBQ shrimp and spicy Andouille sausage are the stars of the show in this recipe for a grilled po boy. Served on crusty French style bread and packed full of meat and/or seafood, the po' boy sandwich is a New Orleans staple and our Barbecue Shrimp & Andouille Po-Boy twist is surely an instant classic.this item is for members only
Original New Orleans BBQ Shrimp Recipe Does Right Bayou
New Orleans barbecue sauce is a rich, hot buttery sauce used on shrimp but it works beautifully on many other dishes.
Grilled Oysters With Roasted Garlic Butter And Romano
If you've only ever eaten oysters raw, this recipe will be a revelation. And if you've never warmed up to oysters, give this recipe a try. Oysters Grilled with Roasted Garlic Butter and Romano are easy to make, drenched with rich flavors, and utterly delicious.
Pepe’s Style White Clam Pizza Recipe
Duplicating Pepe's pies is impossible, but you can come close at home with the right ingredients, and a little love. Here's the recipe.
Mussels Mariniere: Great Finger Food From France
This classic mussels (Moules Mariniere) recipe from France is so easy. And it's finger food. After simmering in a flavor rich white wine, cream, and tomato sauce, the mussels are served, shells and all, into big shallow bowls with plenty of the liquor laden broth and serve with crusty bread or grilled bread.
Griddled Salmon On A Salad Is Simply Simple And Delicious
Take ordinary salads over the top with this tested recipe for crispy crusty salmon. Fresh salmon is cooked on the grill with a griddle.
Grill The Ultimate Fish Tacos
Fish tacos may be the best recipe ever to come from Mexico and this method produces superb results.
The Genius Trick to Making Grilled Catfish That Doesn’t Stick
A base of sliced citrus is the key to perfectly grilled fish in this recipe for grilled blackened catfish with charred lemon cream sauce. Grilling the catfish fillets on top of orange slices ensures the fish won't stick to the grill grate and adds a touch of citrus flavor.
Grilled Lobster Puts That Bland Boiled Stuff To Shame
Boiled lobster is good, but grilled lobster is better and here is the only recipe you need to make it happen!this item is for members only
Tender Sous Vide And Grilled Lobster Tail With Chimichurri Butter
Cooked to perfection with sous vide then lightly charred on the grill, this sous-vide-que lobster tail recipe is the best grilled lobster you'll ever taste. Poached in butter during a temperature controlled sous vide water bath, the lobster is rendered moist and tender before adding a touch of BBQ smoke, char, and crowned with a chimichurri sauce.
Having A Luau? Here’s The Easiest Hawaiian Huli-Huli Chicken Recipe Ever
If you like teriyaki chicken, you'll flip for this Hawaiian Huli-Huli Chicken. Let's make this dish more popular on the mainland.
The Secret To This Delicious S’mores Recipe Is Nutella
Nutella is the key to creating the perfect s'more during your next campout or cookout. Here's a recipe for pure s'mores nirvana!
Grilled Watermelon Will Change the Way You Look At Summer’s Favorite Fruit
Grilling watermelon transforms an otherwise sweet summer treat into a savory side dish or dessert. Grilled watermelon tastes great plain but this recipe rounds out the flavor profile with fiery hot honey, citrusy lemon zest sea salt, and bright fresh mint.
Grilled Peaches And Cream With Rum, A Delicious End To Any Cookout
Peaches and cream, a classic summer treat and a combo as natural as pb&j, are taken to new levels with a touch of grilling char and smoke.
Grilled Peach Crumble Recipe Will Make Your Summer Complete
This delicious and easy grilled peach crumble recipe is the perfect summer dessert for any backyard BBQ. Fresh seasonal peaches are halved, then grilled cut side down until lightly charred. Top the peaches with a simple crumble mixture then smoke over indirect heat until golden brown.this item is for members only
Barbecued Ice Cream, A Surefire Showstopper
This barbecued ice cream dessert is the perfect way to wow your friends at your next BBQ as you pull it from the grill at the end of the meal.
Grilled Lemonade, Summer’s Smokiest Beverage
Nothing is more refreshing on a hot day than lemonade and this recipe takes it over the top. Lemons are grilled until lightly charred.
Mojito Magic, Summer’s Most Refreshing Cocktail Recipe
This recipe for the classic rum drink, mojitos, is the perfect refreshing cocktail for your warm weather cookouts.Related articles
- The Best Grilled Corn You’ve Ever Eaten
- Griddle Grilled Bacon Jalapeño Wrapped Corn
- Make the Most of Sweet Corn with Sever’s Grilled Country Corn Casserole
- Griddle Grilled Corn Cakes, Fresh Corn At Its Finest
- Capture The Essence of August With This Caprese Tomato Salad Recipe
- Cherry Tomatoes: Smoke ’Em If You Got ’Em
- Got Tomatoes? Make This Smoked Caprese Sandwich
- Caprese Flank Steak Takes The Classic Italian Salad To The Grill
- Fresh Pico De Gallo Adds Zip To Countless Dishes
- Grilled Marinara Sauce That Would Make Grandma Proud
- Celebrate Summer’s Freshest Produce with This Refreshing Gazpacho
- Ratatouille Tastes Better Grilled
- Feast on This Grilled Eggplant Parm, A Bold Take On An Italian Classic
- Pesto Potato Salad: Summer’s New Favorite Side
- Mouthwatering Crab Cakes, Griddle Grilled To Perfection
- Easy Foil Packet Shrimp Boil For A Backyard Beach Feast
- Original New Orleans BBQ Shrimp Recipe Does Right Bayou
- BBQ Shrimp & Andouille Po Boy Recipe: A Taste Of N’awlins
- Grilled Oysters With Roasted Garlic Butter And Romano
- Pepe’s Style White Clam Pizza Recipe
- Mussels Mariniere: Great Finger Food From France
- Griddled Salmon On A Salad Is Simply Simple And Delicious
- Grill The Ultimate Fish Tacos
- The Genius Trick to Making Grilled Catfish That Doesn’t Stick
- Grilled Lobster Puts That Bland Boiled Stuff To Shame
- Tender Sous Vide And Grilled Lobster Tail With Chimichurri Butter
- Having A Luau? Here’s The Easiest Hawaiian Huli-Huli Chicken Recipe Ever
- The Secret To This Delicious S’mores Recipe Is Nutella
- Grilled Watermelon Will Change the Way You Look At Summer’s Favorite Fruit
- Grilled Peaches And Cream With Rum, A Delicious End To Any Cookout
- Grilled Peach Crumble Recipe Will Make Your Summer Complete
- Barbecued Ice Cream, A Surefire Showstopper
- Grilled Lemonade, Summer’s Smokiest Beverage
- Mojito Magic, Summer’s Most Refreshing Cocktail Recipe
High quality websites are expensive to run. If you help us, we’ll pay you back bigtime with an ad-free experience and a lot of freebies!
Millions come to AmazingRibs.com every month for high quality tested recipes, tips on technique, science, mythbusting, product reviews, and inspiration. But it is expensive to run a website with more than 2,000 pages and we don’t have a big corporate partner to subsidize us.
Our most important source of sustenance is people who join our Pitmaster Club. But please don’t think of it as a donation. Members get MANY great benefits. We block all third-party ads, we give members free ebooks, magazines, interviews, webinars, more recipes, a monthly sweepstakes with prizes worth up to $2,000, discounts on products, and best of all a community of like-minded cooks free of flame wars. Click below to see all the benefits, take a free 30 day trial, and help keep this site alive.
Post comments and questions below
1) Please try the search box at the top of every page before you ask for help.
2) Try to post your question to the appropriate page.
3) Tell us everything we need to know to help such as the type of cooker and thermometer. Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F so if you are not using a good digital thermometer we probably can’t help you with time and temp questions. Please read this article about thermometers.
4) If you are a member of the Pitmaster Club, your comments login is probably different.
5) Posts with links in them may not appear immediately.
Moderators