As anyone from eastern North Carolina will tell you, barbecue means a whole hog cooked low and slow over a banked pit. For us, however, the whole hog had to go. Instead, we used pork shoulder: It’s easier to handle and not such a huge investment of time and money.
Just when the crowd thinks you’re done with the grill, surprise them with this; the romaine’s leaves char slightly but stay fresh and crisp. This is a salad that even chest-beating carnivores can get behind.
Flattening the chickens decreases their cooking time somewhat, which makes it easier to cook them through without burning the skin. Don’t worry, though, about getting them completely flat; just squash them down as much as you can using your hands.
Glazed with a mix of hoisin, lime juice, and Sriracha sauce, duck confit happily travels from France to China. This exciting dish blends the fresh flavors of carrots, long beans, and herbs with slithery rice noodles.
Okay, you caught us: There’s no sliced bread here, and you’ll need a knife and fork. But this bulgur and grilled-vegetable salad has so much gusto that it simply cries out for a daring presentation to match.
These messy but irresistible ears of corn coated with cheese are a popular street snack in Mexico. For our recipe we used cotija, a crumbly, pungent, aged-curd cheese that can range in consistency from soft to very hard, depending on the brand.
Spicing up store-bought barbecue sauce with cayenne and vinegar is an easy trick that makes a big difference. Here, pork burgers get a triple hit of flavor: The sauce gets mixed into the meat, slathered onto the cooked burgers for the last minute of grilling, and brushed on the bun.
A leisurely roast in the oven makes these ribs fall-off-the-bone tender. Finally, a mop of balsamic-brown-sugar glaze and a few minutes on the grill gives them a whiff of smokiness and caramelizes their edges.
The day this dish was photographed, everyone in the studio was mad-hungry to get a taste after inhaling the rich, seductive aromas of this slow-cooked pork mixed with hoisin sauce—our idea of human catnip—and Chinese five-spice powder for over five hours.
These finger-friendly wedges balance the delicate sweetness of flame-kissed sweet potatoes with a tangy dressing that pairs fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro. Serve them alongside your grilled main as a summertime alternative to classic French fries.
Rich skirt steak begs for an assertive, acidic accompaniment. The tomatillo twofer showcases the fruit’s different personalities: In the cooked salsa, its flavor is round and lemony; in the salad, fresh lime juice sharpens the tomatillos’ raw brightness.
This chicken picks up a bright citrus flavor in an unusual marinade made with lemon, oil, and egg. We like to serve it with homemade potato salad and iced tea spiked with mint leaves.
Hot-wing aficionados will flip for these grilled shrimp, seasoned with bottled hot sauce and melted butter. Crunchy celery and homemade blue cheese dip are deliciously de rigueur accompaniments.
Tossing hot vegetables with vinaigrette is the best way to get them to soak it up, and artichokes straight off the grill are no exception. Mint and capers is a combination that flatters artichokes—and the added grill flavor doubles the effect.
Caution: May require finger licking. Gooey chicken wings are sure to please a crowd, not to mention your wallet. The sweet-and-spicy glaze requires only five ingredients, including peach preserves (though apricot preserves work well, too).
An unexpected char on watermelon and the tang of yogurt take this salad in a savory direction. A crowning dollop of creamy yogurt adds a tangy twist to this summertime staple.
