When the weather warms up, everyone wants to eat outside. On Memorial Day, backyards get loud, the grill gets hot, and the patio tables fill up with hungry family and friends. If you leave a plate of food alone for even a minute, someone will eat it before you get back. People are just excited to enjoy the smoky air and good food after a long winter. Here are 23 Memorial Day BBQ recipes that are so good, they will disappear from the table faster than you can cook them.
Smoked Party Ribs
Kids run across the grass to grab sweet, shiny bones right from the plate. Sticky pineapple glaze gets all over everyone's fingers. They disappear so fast that the cook can barely keep up.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Party Ribs
Smoked Brats in Beer
Sausages cook over an open fire and fill the yard with yummy smoke. Soaking them in warm ale keeps them super juicy even on a hot grill. Hungry guests grab them with tongs and put them right into buns.
Get the Recipe: Smoked Brats in Beer
No-Bake Strawberry Pistachio Ladyfingers Dessert
Cold cream settles into a glass dish on a hot, sticky summer day. Salty nuts and sweet fruit make a treat that looks beautiful on the table. Everyone eats it with spoons right out of the bowl.
Get the Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Pistachio Ladyfingers Dessert
Nordic Fire-Grilled Salmon
Rich fish fat drips onto hot wood coals and smells amazing. Crispy, salty skin makes it easy to pick apart with your fingers. By sunset, nothing is left on the wooden board.
Get the Recipe: Nordic Fire-Grilled Salmon
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Dip
Melted cheese stretches long as a dozen hands reach into the dish at the same time. It stays warm even when the backyard gets dark and chilly. Everyone gathers around the corner of the table to get the very last scoop.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Dip
Fennel And Mango Slaw
Sweet mango slices give your mouth a quick break from hot, smoky burgers. Chopped fennel stays super loud and crunchy even after sitting outside for an hour. People eat it fast to make more room on their plates for meat.
Get the Recipe: Fennel And Mango Slaw
Vegetarian Kofta Kebabs Recipe
Warm cumin and garlic spices make plant-based food sticks smell just like real meat. Fire gives them a dark, crispy crust that keeps the inside juicy. Even big meat-eaters grab one just to see how good it tastes.
Get the Recipe: Vegetarian Kofta Kebabs Recipe
Pickle Pasta Salad
Tangy pickle juice makes cold noodles taste sharp and refreshing next to heavy grilled food. Every single spiral pasta is covered in a creamy dill sauce and tiny, crunchy pickle cubes. People keep walking back to the table for one more bite.
Get the Recipe: Pickle Pasta Salad
Unbelievably Good Smoked Baby Back Ribs - Summer BBQ Favourite
Meat falls right off the bone after cooking all afternoon in a dark smoker. Brown sugar rub makes the crust sweet for kids with just a tiny bit of spice. Eating these requires a giant stack of paper towels and a garden hose.
Get the Recipe: Unbelievably Good Smoked Baby Back Ribs - Summer BBQ Favourite
Colombian Marinated Chicken Drumsticks
Sticky, zesty chicken legs get passed around the circle of lawn chairs. Garlic and lime give the meat a bright flavor that tastes good even after it cools down. Only clean white bones are left on paper plates within five minutes.
Get the Recipe: Colombian Marinated Chicken Drumsticks
Russian Potato Salad (Olivier Salad)
Pickles and potatoes stay perfectly cold inside a giant glass bowl away from the sun. Heavy side dishes keep hungry people full while the main meat finishes cooking on the fire.
Get the Recipe: Russian Potato Salad (Olivier Salad)
Bruschetta Al Pomodoro
Toasted garlic bread stays loud and crunchy under a heavy pile of ripe summer tomatoes. Strong smells of fresh basil tell the whole backyard that food is ready. One single, juicy bite is enough to make a whole piece disappear.
Get the Recipe: Bruschetta Al Pomodoro
Easy Vegetarian Seven Layer Dip
Tortilla chips break under the weight of thick beans and fresh guacamole. Everyone digs into the messy, colorful layers at the exact same time before the main burgers are ready. Sharp cheddar on top is always the first thing eaten.
Get the Recipe: Easy Vegetarian Seven Layer Dip
Blueberry Lemon Galette
Deep purple juice runs out of a folded pastry crust onto the wooden board. Baked lemon zest smells strong enough to pull people away from the drink cooler for one last treat. Once berries are gone, everyone fights over the flaky, buttery crust edges.
Get the Recipe: Blueberry Lemon Galette
Homemade Big Mac Sliders
Special sauce and yellow cheese give tiny burgers a classic taste that everyone knows. Stacks sit on the table, but the pile gets smaller every time a kid runs past. Leftover pickles on paper plates are the only sign they were ever there.
Get the Recipe: Homemade Big Mac Sliders
Spiced Grilled Corn
People throw messy corn husks into the trash can as they bite into warm, spicy kernels. Chili powder leaves a little heat on your tongue, but a cold soda fixes it fast. Nobody bothers with real plates; they just eat standing up near the grill.
Get the Recipe: Spiced Grilled Corn
Grilled Chicken Kofta Kebab
Ground chicken is mixed with onions and green herbs so it does not dry out over the hot fire. Soft flatbread makes it easy to slide hot meat right off metal sticks. Most people grab these before they even finish their first drink.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Chicken Kofta Kebab
Grilled Chicken Breast
Lemon and garden herbs keep chicken tasting bright and fresh in the middle of a heavy meal. Wet rubs maintain moisture against the high heat of an open fire. Slicing it thin makes it easy to eat while standing up and talking.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Chicken Breast
Mexican Coleslaw
Lime and fresh garlic give cabbage a sharp, sour taste that cuts through heavy burger flavors. Vinaigrette dressing avoids mayonnaise entirely so the vegetables do not get heavy in the hot sun. Most guests use it as a hot dog topping or eat it with a fork.
Get the Recipe: Mexican Coleslaw
Easy BBQ Chicken Sliders
Sweet sauce soaks into buns to make soft little sandwiches that you can finish in three bites. Crunchy coleslaw helps the sliders hold together on their trip to a paper plate. Trays need to be refilled faster than the chip bowl.
Get the Recipe: Easy BBQ Chicken Sliders
No-Bake Strawberry Tiramisu
Cold cream and red berries make a soft, quiet end to a loud afternoon of cooking outdoors. Ladyfingers soak up strawberry juice until they are as soft as whipped cream. Keeping it in the fridge until the last second makes sure it hits the table ice-cold.
Get the Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Tiramisu
Strawberry Sheet Cake Recipe With Strawberry Sauce
Pink frosting and fresh sauce make the cake the brightest thing on the backyard table. Real fruit reduction in the batter makes crumbs taste like real strawberries instead of fake flavor. Every single crumb is gone long before the music stops playing.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Sheet Cake Recipe With Strawberry Sauce
Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
Crunchy skin bubbles up in the heat to keep all the rich juice inside the meat. Fast air inside the machine mimics the crispness of a deep fryer without heavy oil. My son usually finishes his piece before I even have a chance to sit down.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
Your backyard is waiting, and these recipes are built to disappear the second they hit the platter.
