Celebrate with a juicy porterhouse and all the fixings, plus a layered, star-spangled finale!

main
Grilled Porterhouse with Shallots and Potatoes
sides
Grilled Tomatoes with Oregano and Lemon
Tricolor Salad
Watermelon, Orange, and Feta Salad
dessert
Red, White, and Blue Berry Trifle

Serves 4

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Spice up your cookout with blackened chicken and a hearty side dish that's cooked in a pot right on the grill. For a sweet finish, grill plums and serve with ice cream and cookies.

main
Blackened Chicken
side
Quick Black-Eyed Peas with Tomatoes
dessert
Grilled Plums with Cookies and Ice Cream

Serves 4

Summertime eating is all about ease and flavor -- and this menu is the epitome of both. Tender, juicy steak and vegetables make a satisfying meal, especially when matched with grilled bread and warm, fresh fruit. 

main and side
Grilled Steak and Summer Vegetable Salad
dessert
Grilled Brioche with Warm Fruit

Serves 4

Pick from our dips, burgers, and sides to create your new favorite alfresco menu. Then finish it off with a decadent ice-cream cake. 

dips
Avocado-Jicama Dip
Curried Chickpea-Yogurt Dip
Sour Cream-Chive Dip
mains
Pimiento-Cheese Burgers
Turkey-Cheddar Burgers
Pepper-Jack Pork Burgers
Pinto-and-Rice Burgers
sides
Three-Bean Pasta Salad
Citrus-Mango Slaw
Herbed Potato Salad
Marinated Zucchini Salad
Cucumbers with Lemon and Basil
dessert
Fudgy Ice Cream Cake

Serves 8

Get out of the kitchen and into the party with this prep-ahead menu! Brining pork yields the tenderest, most flavorful meat. To make a crowd-pleasing meal, add grilled corn and garlicky potatoes, then top it all off with grilled s'mores.

main
Coriander-and-Oregano-Brined Pork Loin
sides
Pouch-Grilled Potatoes and Garlic
Grilled Corn with Sour Cream and Cotija Cheese
dessert
Grilled S'mores

Serves 4

Set the picnic table, and stick around for spare ribs spiced just the way you like 'em: with the best sauces from Dallas, Memphis, and Kansas City.

main
Grilled Spare Ribs with Barbecue Sauce
sides
Creamy Coleslaw
Cheddar Cornbread
dessert
Mississippi Mud Pie

Serves 6

This grilling menu has all the essential ingredients: meat, vegetables, and a delicious chocolate dessert. Make the salad and dessert a day or two ahead, and grill the rest on the day of the barbecue!

main
Grilled Chicken with Lemon and Oregano
sides
Herbed Pasta Salad
Mixed Grilled Vegetables
dessert
Chocolate-Ricotta Icebox Cake

Serves 8

Enjoy an almost effortless alfresco meal of grilled, marinated skirt steak with blue-cheese-topped potatoes, corn-flecked spinach salad, and a summery soup.

soup
Blender Gazpacho
main
Grilled Steak with Blue Cheese Potatoes
side
Spinach and Grilled Corn Salad
dessert
Blackberry and Red-Wine Gelatin

Serves 4

Gouda oozes from a crisp, buttery sandwich, thick with summer tomatoes and basil and cooked on the grill. Each sandwich is served with corn on the cob and cold cucumber and red-onion pickled salad.

main
Grilled Cheese with Tomato and Basil
sides
Quick Cucumber and Red-Onion Pickled Salad
Corn on the Cob with Lime and Melted Butter
dessert
Peach and Blueberry Cobbler

Serves 4

This sirloin menu is guaranteed to set off fireworks: With an array of tasty toppings, it's all about freedom of choice.

main
Grilled Sirloin Steak with Toppings Bar
sides
Tangy Potato Salad with Scallions
Arugula and Radish Salad
dessert
Classic Ice Cream Sandwiches

Serves 4

Grilled sausage topped with arugula pesto is served alongside cool pasta that borrows flavors and ingredients -- green beans, cannellini beans, zucchini, tomatoes, and carrots -- from minestrone soup.

cheese
Herb Marinated Cheese
main
Grilled Sausage with Arugula Pesto
side
Minestrone Salad
dessert
Macerated Berry and Creme Fraiche Parfait

Serves 4

In this tribute to the season, grilled pork chops are enhanced by rosemary and lemon, sweet corn is enveloped in a creamy Parmesan sauce, and sliced tomatoes are strewn with thyme for a simple salad.

salad
Sliced Tomatoes with Lemon Thyme
main
Grilled Pork Chops and Onions
side
Creamed Corn with Parmesan
dessert
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Serves 4

A rub of the spice blend garam masala and freshly ground black pepper coats lamb shoulder chops in this Indian-inspired menu. Garden-fresh corn, okra, and tomatoes star in the side dishes, while papaya makes a light, tropical dessert. 

main
Grilled Lamb Chops with Garam Masala
sides
Sauteed Okra and Tomatoes
Corn and Couscous Salad
dessert
Fresh Papaya with Coconut-Lime Yogurt

Serves 4

A meal with the taste of the Southwest is perfect on a late-summer night: Salmon is seasoned with chile powder, beans are tossed with corn, and crisp vegetables are wrapped in tortillas.

main
Chile-Rubbed Salmon with Papaya and Scallions
sides
Black Beans and Corn
Vegetable-Salad Burritos
dessert
Melon with Lime Syrup

Serves 4

A grilled pork chop, glazed with peach-sweetened barbecue sauce, is served with tender grilled leeks and a minted summer corn and rice pilaf. 

main
Grilled Pork Chops with Peach-Tomato Barbecue Sauce
sides
Grilled Leeks Vinaigrette
Summer Corn and Rice Pilaf
dessert
Roasted Plums with Creme Fraiche

Serves 4