What better way to celebrate summer than with a fun BBQ with your family and friends? Here are 5 of our favorite BBQ recipes from Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites that will be sure to hit the spot.
Ingredients
11⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
1⁄3 cup minced onion
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
20 ounces (11⁄4 pounds) ground turkey breast (see Tips 1 and 2)
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley or 2 teaspoons dry parsley
11⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 cup peach jam
1 teaspoon Dijon or coarsely ground mustard
11⁄2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4–6 quality buns or rolls
Lettuce Red onion slices
Tomatoes
Cooking Instructions
1. Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently to prevent burning, for 2–3 minutes or until onion is tender and garlic is fragrant. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
2. Place ground turkey in a mixing bowl and break up with a fork. Add parsley, salt, pepper, peach jam, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Add sautéed onion and garlic and all oil left in pan. Important note: Do not discard the olive oil. Adding it to the meat improves the burgers’ texture and keeps them moist. Use a fork to gently toss the meat to distribute ingredients evenly. To keep meat tender, do not overwork.
3. Divide meat into 4 large patties or 6 smaller patties, forming evenly sized balls and then gently shaping into patties. Burgers can be made up to this point and then frozen or stored in the refrigerator up to 24 hours before cooking. For best results, chill patties at least 1 hour before cooking.
4. Preheat outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Brush hot cooking surface with vegetable oil. Place patties on cooking surface and cook 5–7 minutes on each side (flip only once), or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
5. Spread toasted buns with Peach Mayo Spread. Add cooked patties, lettuce, onion slices, and tomatoes and serve immediately.
Peach Mayo Spread
1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
1⁄4 cup peach preserves
1 teaspoon mild Dijon or coarsely ground mustard
Whisk all ingredients together.
Ingredients
Juice from 1 large lime (2–3 tablespoons)
11⁄2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil
1 pound chicken tenders (about 8 tenders)
Kosher salt and black pepper, for light sprinkling
Lime wedges, optional, for garnish
Salsa
11⁄2 cups diced pineapple
1⁄3 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 avocado, diced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Pinch of kosher salt
Sauce
3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon honey
11⁄2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon warm water
Cooking Instructions
1. Place lime juice, curry powder, and oil in a large zip-top bag and shake lightly to combine. Add chicken tenders and marinate at least 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours. Preheat grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high heat and lightly oil grill grates. Remove chicken from marinade and sprinkle both sides lightly with salt and pepper. Grill chicken about 3 minutes on each side, or until internal temperature registers 165 degrees F.
2. For the salsa: Combine all salsa ingredients and gently toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. For the sauce: Combine sweet chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, and warm water and whisk with a fork until smooth.
4. To serve, plate grilled chicken tenders, top with salsa, and drizzle with sauce. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.
Ingredients
2⁄3 cup mayonnaise
Zest from 1 medium lemon
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, pressed (about 1 teaspoon)
1 yellow squash
1 medium zucchini
1 medium eggplant
1 medium red or sweet yellow onion
Olive oil for brushing
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (12-ounce) loaf focaccia bread
8 ounces sliced mozzarella or provolone cheese
1 (6-ounce) jar roasted red peppers (drained), or 2–3 tomatoes, sliced
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
Cooking Instructions
1. Stir together mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, and garlic. Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Can be prepared a day ahead of time.
2. Preheat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to about 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Slice squash and zucchini into 1⁄4-inch slices on a slight diagonal. Slice eggplant and onion into 1⁄4-inch slices. Place sliced vegetables on baking sheet in a single layer and brush lightly with oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables in batches, 3–4 minutes on each side, or until tender and showing grill marks.
3. While vegetables are grilling, slice the entire focaccia loaf in half horizontally and spread lemon-garlic mayonnaise on each side. Layer sliced cheese on each side of bread. As warm veggies come off the grill, place them directly on the bottom half of the focaccia. Top with roasted red peppers or tomatoes and basil leaves. If desired, place top half of focaccia under broiler to melt the cheese and then place on top of sandwich. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Incredients
8–10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 21⁄2 pounds)
3⁄4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 lemon, zested and then juiced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1⁄3 cup chopped white onion
1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
11⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1⁄2 teaspoon ground red pepper (less if you want the chicken less spicy)
Cilantro, for garnish, optional
Cooking Instructions
1. Rinse chicken thighs in cold water and pat dry. Trim off excess fat, if necessary, and place chicken in a large, heavy-duty zip-top bag.
2. Place all remaining ingredients, except cilantro, in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth and then pour into bag with chicken. Toss to coat all chicken pieces. Place in refrigerator and marinate a minimum of 8 hours and preferably 24 hours.
3. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil grill grates to avoid sticking. Remove chicken pieces from bag and allow excess marinade to drip off. Place chicken on grill and close lid. Cook 4–6 minutes before flipping chicken pieces over and then cook an additional 4–6 minutes on the other side or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Chicken can also be cooked on a broiler pan or indoor grill pan.
Ingredients
11⁄2 pounds high-quality 85% lean ground beef
1⁄2 cup of your favorite bottled barbecue sauce, divided
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8–10 small white dinner rolls or sweet Hawaiian rolls, sliced in half, and toasted, if desired
Garlicky Blue Cheese Spread (below)
8–10 crisp lettuce leaves
8–10 slices bacon, cooked crisp
Crispy Shoestring Onions
Cooking Instructions
1. Heat a grill pan on the stove top or outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Combine beef, 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, salt, and pepper. Divide and shape mixture into 8–10 3⁄4-inch-thick patties. (When shaping the patties, keep the size of your bun in mind, as well as the fact that the burgers will shrink quite a bit while cooking.)
2. Grill 2–3 minutes and then flip. Brush the top side of each burger with some of remaining sauce. Continue grilling another 2 minutes and flip burgers again, brushing the other side with additional sauce. Continue to cook and brush with more sauce until internal temperature of the burgers reaches 160–165 degrees F.
3. To assemble, lightly spread the bottom half of each bun with Garlicky Blue Cheese Spread and top with a lettuce leaf. Break each bacon piece in half and place on top of lettuce leaves. Place burger on top and drizzle with additional barbecue sauce, if desired. Top with a small handful of Crispy Shoestring Onions. Spread remaining Garlicky Blue Cheese Spread on top halves of buns.
Garlicky Blue Cheese Spread
1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
1⁄4 cup crumbled blue cheese (you can use feta if you don’t love blue cheese)
Whisk together mayonnaise, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, and garlic. Stir in crumbled blue cheese. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.
The award-winning food bloggers and authors of Our Best Bites are at it again, this time with all-new recipes focused around the seasons of the year. Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites will help you cook up a storm for your family and friends the whole year-round using fresh, healthy, seasonal ingredients. Recipes specific to the various holidays abound as well as delightful food crafts to make and enjoy.
