10 Delicious Summer Barbecue Recipes To Impress Your Guests

Summer is right around the corner which means it’s time to break out your trusty grill and tasty summer barbecue recipes! The warm weather is perfect for inviting over some friends or family members and firing up that grill that’s been collecting dust under its cover all winter. Now, if you’re wondering just what to cook up beside some bland hot dogs or burgers then you’re in luck. Here are 10 delicious summer barbecue recipes that are sure to impress your guests!

1. Grilled Pork Ribs

You can’t have an awesome barbecue party without some delicious ribs. This recipe for these delicious pork ribs is easy to whip up and also tastes delicious! You’ll make a tasty spice rub for the ribs with brown sugar, salt, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, and pepper. You’ll want to chill the ribs after being spiced for about 8 hours, or the night before, to let the spices really set in. You’ll then grill the ribs for about two hours on a high heat and rotating the slabs of ribs every 40 minutes or so. Then you’ll unstack the rib slabs and place them side by side, while on a lower heat, for about 30 minutes.

2. Garlicky Sweet-Potato Fries

These garlicky sweet potato fries make a delicious side to have out during your barbecue. The recipe is easy to follow and should only take about 30 minutes in total (not counting time to marinate). Toss your cut sweet potatoes with olive oil, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper until evenly coated. Cover them with a plastic wrap and let them marinate for about two hours. Throw them on the grill and heat each side for about seven or eight minutes until they’re nice and tender! The recipe also shows you how to make a creamy scallion dip or ginger-peach ketchup which both sound delicious.

3. Spiced Corn on the Cob

What kind of summer barbecue doesn’t have corn on the cob?? A weak one is the answer you’re looking for. Don’t even think about inviting friends over to barbecue if you aren’t making this spiced corn on the cob recipe! Unlike other grilling recipes where you’ll coat the food before cooking it, you’ll actually do the opposite here. Of course, prepare the “elotes sauce” before cooking up your corn. Mix up your sauce of mayonnaise, soured cream, feta cheese, lime juice & zest, gochujang/chili paste, smoked paprika, and coriander. Then, you’ll coat your corn with some oil then grill them for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally and getting good charr all over. Then dunk them straight into your sauce, and coat them all over with it. Sprinkle with some parmesan, a lime wedge, and any leftover elotes sauce for corn on the cob unlike any you’ve ever had.

4. Worcestershire Glazed Burgers

This recipe will give you a delicious new go-to grilled burger that doesn’t even require too many ingredients. Besides your standard burger ingredients like lettuce, tomato, etc., you’ll just need your ground beef, salt & pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. After you form the raw burger patties, use your thumb to make a little indent in the top where you can put your seasoning of salt & pepper. Then start grilling the patties with your indent pointing up, and after you flip you can bast your burgers with Worcestershire sauce until you reached your desired flavoring and tenderness.

5. Baby New Potatoes Wrapped in Bacon

Here’s an unbelievably tasty side dish you need to try out at your next summer barbecue party. For this recipe, you’ll need to do a little prep beforehand but it’s absolutely worth it. You’ll need to soak your small wooden skewers for about 30 minutes (or you can use metal skewers) and also cook your new potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for about 15 to 20 minutes. Whip up your dipping sauce of the soft cheese, rose harissa, chives, lots of salt & pepper, and a bit of warm water to thin down the sauce. Wrap each softened new potato in a strip of bacon and then with a little oil on each one you’ll barbecue them up on indirect heat for about five minutes for each side. Put out these tasty treats of potatoes with bacon with the delicious harissa cheese dip and sure enough, they’ll be gone in minutes!

6. BBQ Carrots

If you’re worried about not having enough vegetables in your list of summer barbecue recipes then here’s a good recipe for you. These are some grilled carrots that are delicious and of course healthy. Put your baby carrots in a plastic bag with black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and a bit of olive oil. Shake it up until your carrots and well coated and then place them on the grill (in a single layer) on top of some aluminum foil. Let them cook for about 30 minutes total but stir them around occasionally as well. The timing could vary depending on the heat of your grill, but you’ll know they’re done once they’re good and soft. Careful they’ll be extremely hot once they come off that grill!

7. Sweet-and-Smoky Cedar-Planked Salmon

Some summer barbecue recipes utilize a large cedar grilling plank, which keeps the food away from the direct heat so it helps flavor the food better as it cooks. For this particular recipe, you’ll make a sweet-and-smoky salmon cooked on a cedar grilling plank. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort then your summer barbecue guests are sure to be impressed by your grill skills. You’ll need to soak your large cedar grilling plank in water for about one to two hours. Then make a spice rub for your salmon fillet with sugar, paprika, lemon zest, and salt & pepper. You’ll then put the spiced salmon fillet on your soaked plank (skin side down) and grill it for a little under 30 minutes! You’ll get a delicious and perfectly-cooked salmon thanks to the cedar grilling plank.

8. Grilled Cornbread with Jalapeno Honey Butter

If you really want to impress your guests at your summer barbecue then you should break out this recipe. It may seem unorthodox to cook up some cornbread on the grill… and honestly, that’s not exactly what you’ll be doing. You have to cook up the cornbread regularly, according to its instruction, in an oven. But the difference is you’ll take that cornbread and slather it with your jalapeno honey butter mixture you make. Take salted butter (softened), a small (seeded and minced) jalapeno, and some honey and beat it up until it’s nice and creamy. Put the jalapeno honey butter on your cornbread and then grill it for a few minutes to get it nice and crispy as well as some grill marks. It gives the cornbread a delicious, buttery taste as well as the great crunch that comes with grilled food! It should easily become a go-to on your list of summer barbecue recipes.

9. Perfect Grilled Tofu

If you’ve got some vegetarian guests at your summer barbecue then this is a great entree to serve. Some summer barbecue recipes, such as this, take a commonly-known bland food like tofu and make it so good that even non-vegetarians will want some! First, make sure to drain your tofu for about 30 minutes by leaving it in a clean dishtowel with something heavy on it. Mix together your marinade of sherry vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, thyme, cayenne pepper (optional) and black pepper. After cutting up your tofu into desired strips, pour your marinade over it and coat it then chill for at least 30 minutes, but it could be longer if you’d desire. Grill up your marinaded tofu for about 15 minutes, then place on a plate and cover with some foil to keep it warm. Boil the remaining of your marinade until there’s about a cup left, approximately two minutes, and pour it over tofu for some extra flavor!

10. Grilled Greek Chicken

This is another example of delicious summer barbecue recipes that you’ll need to marinate beforehand, in this case for about four to 24 hours. After marinating your chicken, you’ll strain and remove excess marinade then thread the chicken onto your skewers. Alternate with your bell peppers and onions to create a delicious, well-balanced skewer! Grill until your chicken is cooked through, probably about four minutes’ worth. Make plenty of these because they’ll go quickly at your summer barbecue!