Skip to main content

BBQ rib recipes and more

When barbecue season is in full swing, BBQ rib recipes are the most popular.

Although as the Fourth of July and other big BBQing days approach, you might want to attempt something a little different.

Recipes for stainless steel gas grills, de luxe electric grills, or primitive fire pits

When barbecue season is in full swing, the air is full of the wonderful aromas of every grilled food imaginable, and the fire department has greeted you at least once. No doubt you have brought out your most reliable, and favored grilling recipes to thrill your family every weekend. BBQ rib recipes are the most popular, although as the Fourth of July and other big BBQing days approach, you might want to attempt something a little different. If you can ignore your Mother-in-law's comments of "she expects us to eat that?" and your neighbors drooling over the fence, why not try some unique and simple recipes?

We all have our favorite meats that we enjoy grilling. Thanks to my father, we have our own family favorites. If easy ribs are on the menu, place ribs in pan large enough for them to lie flat, pour apple juice over them and cover with tinfoil. Put in oven or stove top, and bring to boil. Then turn down to a simmer for an hour, drain them and place on grill. Put your favorite sauce on them, turning a couple of times. They will be so tender that they will fall off the bone. Or try it with pineapple juice. If boiling your ribs before grilling isn't appealing to you, you can attempt to make "authentic" ribs, the kind you find at rib joints.

Grilling pork chops? Try adding 1/3 pineapple juice to 2/3 of your favorite sauce and baste every 5 min when grilling. Prefer a hamburger? Add 1/4 cup apple sauce to each pound hamburger, salt and pepper to taste and grill using hickory chips for a fuller flavor. When BBQing chicken, keep the bones and skin in place, they won't dry out as fast this way, and be sure to put your sauce on last, so it doesn't burn. If you want to go skin free, keep it on until the chicken is thoroughly cooked, then smother it in barbecue sauce after removing the skin. Have yet to find that preferred sauce? You can make your own easy chicken marinade. Place it in a cake pan, and warm on the grill. Don't forget to throw a few pineapple slices on with your ham. And let us not forget the steaks. There is a simple steak marinade with Lemon pepper, or an easy marinade with brown sugar.

Grilling vegetables

If you're not a carnivore or would like to introduce your family and friends to another food group, try grilling some vegetables. Roast corn on the cob with caramelized garlic, or brush some asparagus and baby red new potatoes {cut in half} with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little tarragon, place on the grill and cook until tender. You could peel and slice red onion. Lightly dusting them with a small amount of salt and pepper, with a small amount of butter, wrap them in foil. These will come out really sweet, and you will have to swear that you didn't put sugar on them. Try washing and cutting up a zucchini and yellow crook neck squash. Cut them into slices ½ inch thick. Put in foil, alternating the yellow and green, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap them up in foil with a pat of butter. Or make some baking potatoes wedges. All of these take approximately 20 minutes, the exception being the potato wedges. All packets of vegetables should be turned every 5 min.

Side dishes

If your family is anything like mine, you've discovered that side dishes are the first to go; sometimes they disappear before the grilling is finished. Traditional picnic items like deviled eggs, potato salad and baked beans will go even faster with a little added flare. Top your deviled eggs with some diced ham and capers. Boil your potatoes with garlic powder and fresh dill, then mix in a dab of sweet relish to the finished product. You can also include some honey in your favorite baked bean recipe.

The garden salad is a favorite among guests as well as coleslaw. I serve an edible flower version of the garden salad that gets many people talking. The few brave souls that were willing to eat a flower quickly decide that this is a must at all barbecues. You can even top your favorite chocolate cake with them! And you thought dandelions were just weeds. Please remember that proper identification of edible flowers is very important. You need to use only flowers that are grown without pesticides. For best flavor, use flowers at their peak, and opened. Closed blossoms will be bitter. When considering edible flowers, try to introduce new flowers into your diet slowly so that you are able to pinpoint any possible allergic reactions. Remove pistils and stamens from flowers before eating, you can only eat the petals for most flowers. Check with your local health food store on where to purchase your flowers. Never, and I do mean never, buy them from a florist, garden center or green house, unless that green house is only used to grow edible flowers.

Stainless steel grill or charcoal fire?

What about the grill itself? Is a stainless steel gas grill better than an electric grill? Are charcoal briquettes or hard wood better? What about your health? Propane grills are very clean and they do not cause catastrophic damage to the environment. Keep this between us, but briquettes are made from sawdust and low quality woods that are burned to a carbon state and then compressed with a starch binder. Grounded coal may be added to help it burn. But there is no indication that they cause health concerns, though some self-starting briquettes contain petroleum to help it ignite; it burns off quickly so there are no health concerns if used correctly -which means you shouldn't eat the briquettes. Taste is the only thing that will differ. I use a gas grill that has been gutted and cook with both charcoal and hickory chips. If you like that smoky flavor, grill with hard woods, if not electric and gas are the way to go.

Basic BBQ rules

Please remember a few basic rules to grilling and BBQing.

  • Chicken, pork, and hamburgers need to be cooked thoroughly.
  • With beef cuts, like steak, only the outside layers are prone to bacteria, and as long as the outside layers have been completely cooked, the meat is safe to eat rare, medium rare, your choice.
  • Never place your cooked meat onto a tray that had raw meat on it.
  • Make sure that you are using the correct utensils to turn the meat or the dog might end up with a treat.
  • Keep the children out from under foot, as well as the know-it-all uncle that insists on helping you grill, so no one gets burned.
  • Know when to say enough, and moderate your portions.

Have your menus planned out a few days before hand, and the only thing you have to worry about is which relative will set their hair on fire while igniting the grill for you. Most importantly, have a taste filled and a safe barbequing season.

Find BBQ Recipes

The recipes for your family barbecue, as well as some extra marinades in case you want to serve other meat than BBQ ribs.

BBQ rib recipe

Dry rub for ribs

Baked potato wedges

Edible flower salad

Garden rainbow coleslaw

Roasted corn on the cob

Caramelized garlic

Simple grilled steak marinade

Easy marinade for grilled steak

Grilled chicken marinade


And more

Grilling