Grilled corn on the cob pieces topped with cheese, chili powder, and cilantro, served on a black slate plate with lime wedges on the side.

19 BBQ Recipes That Made My Neighbor “Happen to Stop By” Right at Dinnertime

A hot grill has a way of making dinnertime smell like everyone nearby should have a plate. These 19 BBQ recipes cover wings, ribs, burgers, steak, whole chicken, lamb, pork skewers, quick-seared beef, and two grilled sides, with methods ranging from direct heat to two-zone cooking, smoking, and reverse searing. Some are ready in 20 to 30 minutes, while the longer marinades and charcoal cooks give you bigger weekend options. The mix keeps the backyard table varied enough that one grill session can handle finger food, full mains, and sides without leaning on the same barbecue sauce for everything.

Grilled corn on the cob pieces topped with cheese, chili powder, and cilantro, served on a black slate plate with lime wedges on the side.
Grilled Elote Corn Ribs. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Grilled Mango-Chipotle Chicken Wings

A plate of chicken wings on a white plate with a slice of mango.
Grilled Mango-Chipotle Chicken Wings. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Sweet heat comes from the mango glaze on Grilled Mango-Chipotle Chicken Wings, which make six servings with 30 minutes of grill time. Two pounds of wings get brown sugar, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, mustard powder, salt, and pepper before cooking, while grilled mango, apple cider, and brown sugar become the sauce. The wings finish with the fruit glaze over the top. Put them on a BBQ platter when chicken needs enough smoke, spice, and sweetness to stand beside the heavier meats.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Mango-Chipotle Chicken Wings

Grilled Beef Finger Meat

Grilled Beef Finger Meat on a wooden cutting board.
Grilled Beef Finger Meat. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Hot, direct grilling keeps Grilled Beef Finger Meat to a 20-minute total for four servings. Two pounds of trimmed beef finger meat need only Montreal steak seasoning before hitting a medium-high grill for about 2 to 3 minutes per side. The short ingredient list lets the beef stay at the center of the plate without a separate marinade or sauce. Slice or serve the pieces whole with corn, potato salad, or grilled vegetables when the BBQ needs a fast beef option.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Beef Finger Meat

Grilled Ribs on a Charcoal Grill

Close-up of Grilled ribs covered in sauce, garnished with chopped parsley, served on a white plate.
Grilled Ribs on a Charcoal Grill. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Most of the cooking happens over indirect heat in Grilled Ribs on a Charcoal Grill, a four-serving rack of ribs with a 1-hour-40-minute total. Olive oil helps brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper cling before the ribs cook slowly on the cooler side. A brief move over direct heat caramelizes the surface, with BBQ sauce optional near the end. Slice between the bones after resting and serve when the grill needs a classic pork centerpiece.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Ribs on a Charcoal Grill

Grilled Steak and Veggie Skewers

Grilled skewers with beef, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes on a wooden board, garnished with fresh parsley. A striped cloth and loose cherry tomatoes are nearby.
Grilled Steak and Veggie Skewers. Photo credit: Cook What You Love.

After a two-hour marinade, Grilled Steak and Veggie Skewers turn sirloin, zucchini ribbons, and cherry tomatoes into six servings with only about six minutes on the grill. Garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire, sugar, Dijon, smoked paprika, and olive oil season the beef before everything goes onto skewers. Each stick carries meat and vegetables together, which makes serving simple at a BBQ. Bring them off the grill, rest briefly, and pair with rice, flatbread, or pasta salad.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Steak and Veggie Skewers

Easy Grilled Beef Burgers

A close-up of a hamburger with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, ketchup, and a beef patty in a bun, served on a white plate.
Easy Grilled Beef Burgers. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Mixed directly into the beef, a little BBQ sauce gives Easy Grilled Beef Burgers extra seasoning across eight burgers in 27 minutes. Ground beef is combined with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and the sauce before the patties move between direct and indirect heat. Buns, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles can handle the rest at serving time. Set up a topping station when the grill needs a familiar main that can feed a larger backyard table without much extra prep.
Get the Recipe: Easy Grilled Beef Burgers

Grilled Whole Chicken

A roasted chicken with barbecue sauce on a white plate, with green beans, corn on the cob, a glass of beer, and salt and pepper shakers in the background.
Grilled Whole Chicken. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

With a whole bird on the grill, Grilled Whole Chicken covers six servings in about one hour. A 2.5- to 3.5-pound chicken gets cooking oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt, and pepper before cooking over a two-zone grill. The chicken starts over the cooler side and flips partway through, with BBQ sauce optional near the end. Carve it at the table when the BBQ needs a centerpiece that is easy to divide among several people.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Whole Chicken

Reverse Seared Smoked Steaks with Smoked Garlic Butter

Reverse Seared Smoked Steaks with Smoked Garlic Butter on a plate with asparagus.
Reverse Seared Smoked Steaks with Smoked Garlic Butter. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Smoke comes first in Reverse Seared Smoked Steaks with Smoked Garlic Butter, a four-serving steak dinner with a 1-hour-5-minute total. New York strip steaks are seasoned with Montreal steak seasoning, smoked at 180°F, then seared in a very hot cast-iron skillet for about one minute per side. Butter blended with smoked garlic, parsley, and chipotle powder melts over the finished meat. Serve the steaks after resting when the BBQ table needs a beef option with both smoke and a hard sear.
Get the Recipe: Reverse Seared Smoked Steaks with Smoked Garlic Butter

Grilled Dijon Rosemary Chicken Thighs

Grilled Dijon rosemary chicken thighs are arranged on a rectangular black slate platter, garnished with fresh rosemary, next to a white floral napkin on a wooden surface.
Grilled Dijon Rosemary Chicken Thighs. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Two mustards give Grilled Dijon Rosemary Chicken Thighs their tangy glaze, with four servings ready in 25 minutes. Boneless chicken thighs pair with grainy mustard, Dijon, lemon juice, honey, rosemary, salt, and pepper, then cook over direct and indirect heat before the glaze goes on near the end. That timing keeps the honey from scorching while the chicken finishes. Serve the thighs straight from the grill when the BBQ needs a quicker chicken main with its seasoning already built in.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Dijon Rosemary Chicken Thighs

Grilled Tomahawk Steak

A sliced tomahawk steak on a white plate.
Grilled Tomahawk Steak. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Built around a single large steak, Grilled Tomahawk Steak gives two servings in 25 minutes. A roughly 1.5-pound tomahawk gets Montreal steak seasoning before going onto the Ninja Woodfire Grill, where it starts over high heat with smoke and finishes at a lower setting. A 10-minute rest comes before slicing. Bring it to the BBQ table on a board when a dramatic beef centerpiece makes more sense than cooking several individual steaks.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Tomahawk Steak

Grilled Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce

Grilled Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce on a white square plate.
Grilled Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Buffalo sauce moves outdoors in Grilled Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce, a four-serving batch ready in 20 minutes. One and a half pounds of wings cook over a medium-high grill, while Frank’s RedHot, butter, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, and garlic powder simmer into the sauce. The cooked wings get tossed with part of the warmed mixture, with more served alongside. Add celery, carrots, and blue cheese dip when the BBQ spread needs a spicy finger-food option.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce

Grilled Steaks with Cowboy Butter

A grilled steak with cowboy butter on a white plate.
Grilled Steaks with Cowboy Butter. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Compound butter does the finishing work on Grilled Steaks with Cowboy Butter, which gives four servings in 52 minutes. The butter combines garlic, parsley, chives, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, Dijon, and black pepper, then chills while the steaks come closer to room temperature. The meat grills over medium-high heat to the preferred doneness before a slice of butter melts over each steak. Pair them with grilled vegetables, corn, or salad when the BBQ calls for a steakhouse-style centerpiece.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Steaks with Cowboy Butter

Sweet & Spicy Grilled Harissa-Honey Chicken Skewers

A rectangular white plate with four Sweet & Spicy Grilled Harissa-Honey Chicken Skewers garnished with chopped herbs.
Sweet & Spicy Grilled Harissa-Honey Chicken Skewers. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Harissa and honey coat Sweet & Spicy Grilled Harissa-Honey Chicken Skewers, a four-serving dish with 15 minutes of cooking after a 30-minute marinade. Two pounds of boneless chicken thighs are mixed with harissa paste, honey, and lemon juice, then threaded onto skewers and grilled with sliced red onion. The compact ingredient list keeps the sweet-spicy seasoning focused on the chicken. Serve the skewers with couscous, salad, or grilled vegetables when the BBQ needs a main that is easy to portion.
Get the Recipe: Sweet & Spicy Grilled Harissa-Honey Chicken Skewers

Grilled Mediterranean Lamb Chops

Three Grill Mediterranean Lamb Chops topped with gremolata on a white plate.
Grilled Mediterranean Lamb Chops. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Olives, pine nuts, capers, and lemon zest finish Grilled Mediterranean Lamb Chops, a four-serving main ready in 25 minutes. Two pounds of lamb loin chops marinate with olive oil, parsley, shallot, red wine vinegar, oregano, garlic, and honey before searing on a hot grill. The gremolata goes over the chops at serving time, adding herbs and acidity to the rich meat. Put them on the BBQ table when a smaller cut of meat needs plenty happening on top.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Mediterranean Lamb Chops

Grilled Pork Souvlaki

Ninja Woodfire Pork Souvlaki with Horiatiki Salad and pita bread on a white plate.
Grilled Pork Souvlaki. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Lemon, oregano, and garlic season Grilled Pork Souvlaki, which makes six servings with 10 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking. Cubed pork tenderloin rests briefly in olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper before being skewered and grilled for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Tzatziki mixed with shallot, dill, capers, and honey goes alongside. Tuck the pork into warm pita or serve it straight from the skewers with salad for an easy BBQ plate.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Pork Souvlaki

Grilled Chicken Wings

A plate of seasoned, grilled chicken wings arranged on a white surface.
Grilled Chicken Wings. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder season Grilled Chicken Wings, with six servings ready in 50 minutes. Two pounds of wings get olive oil, salt, and pepper along with the dry spices before cooking mostly over the cooler side of a two-zone grill. A short finish over direct heat adds color and crisp spots without relying on a sauce. Pile them onto a platter when the BBQ needs wings that can stay dry or take whatever dipping sauces are already on the table.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Chicken Wings

Grilled Teriyaki Mango Skewers

Three Grilled Teriyaki Mango Skewers with bell peppers, zucchini, and onions served on a bed of yellow rice on a white plate.
Grilled Teriyaki Mango Skewers. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Mango and vegetables share every skewer in Grilled Teriyaki Mango Skewers, a four-serving dish with a 40-minute total. Honey mangoes, red onion, zucchini, orange bell pepper, and red bell pepper are brushed with a homemade teriyaki sauce made from soy sauce, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, water, and cornstarch. The skewers grill until lightly charred, with extra sauce reserved for serving. Add rice or quinoa when the BBQ table needs a meatless grilled option with plenty of color and substance.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Teriyaki Mango Skewers

Grilled Chicken Drumsticks

A plate of grilled chicken drumsticks garnished with chopped herbs, served with lemon slices.
Grilled Chicken Drumsticks. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Using the cooler zone first helps Grilled Chicken Drumsticks cook steadily, with four servings ready in 50 minutes. Two pounds of drumsticks get avocado oil, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme before moving between indirect and direct heat. BBQ sauce goes on only after the chicken is nearly finished so it can set without burning. Serve the drumsticks with corn, slaw, beans, or potato salad when the grill needs an easy handheld main.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Chicken Drumsticks

Grilled Hanger Steaks with Chimichurri

A plate of sliced Grilled Hanger Steaks with Chimichurri, served on a white rectangular dish.
Grilled Hanger Steaks with Chimichurri. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Following a two-hour marinade, Grilled Hanger Steaks with Chimichurri need only 10 minutes of cooking for four servings. Two pounds of hanger steak rest with olive oil, oregano, cumin, paprika, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper before meeting a hot grill. Chimichurri goes over the sliced beef at serving time. Use this for a BBQ where the prep can happen early and the actual grill time needs to stay short once people are ready to eat.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Hanger Steaks with Chimichurri

Grilled Elote Corn Ribs

Grilled corn on the cob pieces topped with cheese, chili powder, and cilantro, served on a black slate plate with lime wedges on the side.
Grilled Elote Corn Ribs. Photo credit: Grill What You Love.

Corn gets a handheld shape in Grilled Elote Corn Ribs, a four-serving side ready in 20 minutes. Four cobs are cut into ribs, grilled for a few minutes per side, then paired with sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle powder, lime juice, cotija, and cilantro. The creamy coating and char give the vegetables enough presence to hold their own beside steak, ribs, or chicken. Stack them on a platter when the BBQ needs a side people can grab without utensils.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Elote Corn Ribs

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