The Best Barbeque Meals For The Fourth Of July
The Fourth of July is such an important day for us, but it kind of feels like the whole summer is the Fourth. If that’s what it feels like for you, then you’ll need some barbeque meals, probably enough to last the whole summer. That’s where this comes in handy. There are some barbeque meals, some side dishes, and some desserts in this article. Enjoy!
Glazed Chicken Breasts with Coffee BBQ Sauce
Who doesn’t love BBQ chicken? Mixing the chicken with some spices and putting it on the grill makes the chicken taste so good. Barbeque meals taste so much better with BBQ sauce on them, which probably has more to do with the name than anything else.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 2 large shallots, very finely chopped
- 8 medium garlic cloves, very finely chopped
- 1/2 habanero or Scotch bonnet chile, seeded and minced
- 2 teaspoons of ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1/2 cup of dry sherry
- 2 cups of chicken stalk or canned low sodium broth
- 1/4 cup of strong brewed coffee
- 2 tablespoons of unsulphured molasses
- 3 tablespoons of honey
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 6 chicken breasts halves, on the bone
Steps:
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the shallots, garlic, and habanero and cook over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until the shallots soften and begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the coriander and cumin and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until glossy, about 1 minute. Pour in the sherry and simmer over moderately low heat until slightly syrupy, about 7 minutes. Stir in the stock, coffee, and molasses and simmer for 1 hour, until reduced to 1 1/2 cups. Stir in the honey. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat the grill. Position a rack 8 to 10 inches from the heat source. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and broil for about 25 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and almost cooked through. Brush the chicken with 1/2 cup of the sauce and broil for about 5 minutes longer, turning frequently, until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a platter and pass the remaining barbecue sauce at the table.
BBQ Planked Salmon
Salmon is always a good fish to have in the summer, and it’s especially good on the grill. The berry sauce on it makes the salmon flavor stand out. You need a variety of barbeque meals for the Fourth of July, and this is a good one to have.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of dry white wine
- 1/2 cup of apple juice
- 1 tablespoon of sea salt
- 3 bay leaves, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons of pink peppercorns, crushed
- 1 tablespoon of juniper berries, crushed
- 1 2-pound center-cut salmon fillet with skin
- Olive oil for brushing
- 1/2 cup of prepared barbecue sauce
Steps:
1. Soak a 16-by-8 inch cedar plank in water for an hour. In a large, shallow baking dish, combine the wine with the apple juice, salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, and juniper berries. Add the salmon, turn to coat and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Light a grill, and when the coals of a charcoal grill are covered with a light gray ash, push them to the sides and set a disposable drip pan in the center. If using a gas grill, turn off the center burner. Remove the salmon from the marinade, brush off the seasonings, and lay the fish skin down on the soaked cedar plank. Brush the salmon with olive oil and set the plank in the center of the cooking grate for indirect grilling. Cover and grill the salmon until just cooked, about 30 minutes. Brush the salmon with the sauce during the last 10 minutes of grilling. Serve the salmon directly from the plank.
Pulehu Steak Tip Skewers with Maui Onion Finadene Sauce
This is a Hawaiian dish, so there are lots of flavors that are all blended really nicely in the steak tips. The tastes become one, making this one of the barbeque meals that you should include in your Fourth of July cookout.
Ingredients:
- 1 small, sweet onion, such as Maui, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup of soy sauce
- 3 Hawaiian chiles, or red Fresno chiles, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon of Agrumato lemon olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons of finely chopped garlic
For the Steak Tips:
- 1/2 cup of uncooked pearl barley
- 1 cup mirin
- 1/2 cup of sake
- 1 cup of soy sauce
- 1/2 cup of packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed
- 6 onions, roughly chopped
- 1 piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly sliced
- 2 tablespoons of black peppercorns
- 3 pounds of hanger steak, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
Steps:
1. Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl. Let stand at room temperature for at least an hour.
2. While the sauce stands, grind barley to a fine powder in a spice grinder. Heat a skillet over medium-high. Add barley and cook, tossing constantly, until golden brown and roasted, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the heat, let it cool in the skillet for 2 minutes. Return the skillet to medium-high, whisk in mirin, and sake until smooth. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, sherry vinegar, garlic, scallion, ginger and peppercorns. Cook the meal, stir it often, 15 minutes. Pour mixture through a very fine wire mesh strainer into a bowl. Discard solids and set the sauce aside for the basting process.
3. Sprinkle steak pieces with salt and pepper. Thread steak pieces onto 8 12-inch skewers. Brush with basting sauce, let stand at room temperature while grill preheats.
4. Open bottom vent of a charcoal grill completely. Light charcoal chimney starter filled with briquettes. When briquettes are covered with gray ash, pour onto bottom grate of grill. Adjust vents as needed to maintain an internal temperature of 550-600 degrees. (If using a gas grill, preheat to very high, 500 degrees and up.) Place skewers on oiled grates. Grill, uncovered, flipping and basting with sauce until steak pieces are charred in some spots and a meat thermometer registers 125 degrees, about 8-10 minutes for medium-rare.
5. Transfer skewers to a cutting board, and let steak rest 5-10 minutes. Serve with the juice you already made. Enjoy!
Barbecue Roasted Chickpeas
Barbecue sauce makes everything taste better, so why not try it on chickpeas? This would obviously be an appetizer to your real meal, but it would still be good. This would be a good addition to all barbeque meals and would be worth making.
Ingredients:
- 30 ounces of chickpeas, about 2 cans drained, rinsed and dried
- 2 tablespoons of canola oil
- Barbecue Rub Recipe
- 3 teaspoons of paprika
- 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons of celery salt
- 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Steps:
1. Preheat the grill to 400 degrees. Toss the chickpeas with oil and 2 tablespoons of the dry rub. Spread on a large baking sheet and bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crunchy.
2. Enjoy!
Grilled Watermelon with Yogurt
Watermelon is the perfect fruit for the summertime, so this is a good dessert to make during the Fourth of July. This is the dessert part to the barbeque meals you can make for any summertime meal you want to make it for.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon of coarsely chopped thyme
- 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Twelve 3-inch-long triangle of seedless red watermelon, about 1 inch thick
- 1/4 cup of small mint leaves
Steps:
1. Light the grill. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt with the lemon juice, vinegar, thyme and the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Drizzle the watermelon triangles with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until nicely charred, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to plates. Top the watermelon with the yogurt sauce and season with black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, garnish with the mint and serve.
Skillet Brownies on the Grill
Brownies are the perfect thing to have for dessert, no matter what time of the year it is. Being able to make brownies on the grill is even cooler. This is the perfect dessert to the barbeque meals that you will be making during the summer.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour, plus another tablespoon
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 7 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup of salted butter, plus more melted for greasing skillet
- 2 tablespoons of canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup of packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- Vanilla ice cream, optional
Steps:
1. If using a charcoal grill, open bottom of vent of grill completely. Light charcoal chimney starter filled with briquettes. When briquettes are covered with gray ash, pour onto bottom grate of the grill, and then push to one side of grill. Adjust vent as needed to maintain an internal temperature of 350-400 degrees. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium, 350-400 degrees, on 1 side.
2. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl, set aside. If grilling, place a heatproof bowl on unoiled grates over the side without the coals, or the unlit side of a gas grill. Add chocolate, butter, and oil to bowl or saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla to chocolate-butter mixture. Stir together until smooth and thoroughly incorporated. Add flour mixture, stir gently until just combined.
3. Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet with melted butter. Pour in batter, spreading in an even layer.
4. If grilling, place skillets on grates over the side without the coal, or unlit side of a gas grill. Grill, covered, until a wooden pick inserted in center of brownies comes out almost clean, 30-45 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream, if desired.
Grilled Corn on the Cob with Calamansi Mayo
Corn on the cob is very easy to make, but it tastes really good when made on the grill. It would also be under the appetizer category, so you should make it with a meat of some sort. Corn is part of the barbeque meals you can have anytime during the summer
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of cheese, cubed
- 1/3 cup of sour cream
- 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of fresh calmansi or key lime juice
- 1 teaspoon of ichmi togarashi
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 8 ears of fresh corn, shucked
- Aonori flakes
- 4 calamansis, halved
Steps:
1. Preheat grill to high, 450 to 500 degrees. Place cheese in the bowl of a food processor, pulse 5 times. Add sour cream, mayonnaise, cilantro, calamansi juice, togarashi, and garlic to food processor. Pulse until the mixture just comes together but still has some texture, about 10 times. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Place corn on oiled grates, grill, covered, until lightly charred on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer corn to the bowl with the cheese mixture, turn to coat. Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with aonori, and serve with calamansi halves.
