Don’t Stop at Burgers and Dogs

Sometimes nothing but a burger will do. But we’d like to dare you to fire up the grill for some less-expected dishes. You’ll be glad you did when you taste these—and have fewer dishes sitting in the sink. And, hey, anything you can make without turning on the oven in the summer is pretty amazing, isn’t it?

Pizza
Buy ready-made pizza dough from your supermarket. Spread it out into a circle, 12 or 16 inches round. Coat one side with olive oil and grill that side down on medium heat until it’s browned. Then coat the side facing up with oil and flip it over until it’s browned. Take the dough off the grill and add your sauce, mozzarella, and whatever toppings you like. Place it back on the grill (cover down) until the cheese starts melting and bubbling. It takes all of 15 minutes.

Quesadillas
It’s not as messy as it sounds. Brush olive oil on a large flour tortilla and place it on the medium hot grill. Top with shredded cheese and bits of your favorites: refried beans; cooked ground beef, chicken, or pork; sautéed onions; tomatoes; peppers; olives… Then add salsa. Top again with more cheese and another tortilla and let the cheese melt like a glue that holds everything together. Flip it over to heat the other side golden brown. It’s great as an appetizer or main dish.

Corn on the Cob
You don’t need to deal with a large pot of boiling water. Just place the corn (husks and all) on your hot grill and cook for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. The husks seal in the natural juices and keep the corn from drying out and burning. It’ll have a mild, smoky flavor.

Pineapple
For a different dessert, peel, core, and cut a whole pineapple into 1-inch sliced rings. Dip each ring in a bowl of coconut milk, and coat with cinnamon sugar. Grill each side for about 5 minutes until golden brown. You could call it a kind of barbecued piña colada (without the rum, of course).

S’mores
Here’s a twist on an old campfire favorite. For each s’more, place a marshmallow and half a chocolate bar between two graham crackers or shortbread cookies. Wrap each s’more loosely in its own little foil pouch, and grill for about 4 or 5 minutes over indirect heat until they’re just gooey enough. Or for a healthier version, cut bananas into slices, then grill on a skewer for about 5 minutes (until soft). Use the hot banana slices in place of marshmallows with room-temp chocolate and grahams.

What Else?
We know families who cook meatballs, sweet potatoes, all kinds of vegetables on the grill. Some even grill their bananas for banana splits on the grill. And if you have a cast-iron griddle or skillet, take breakfast outside.

What’s the special dish you make for BBQ’s? Oh yeah, don’t forget about the desserts!