All-Grill Menu
Gather around the grill and celebrate the warm summer season with a feast filled with all the best things to grill for your family and friends! Whether you are giving Dad a break from the grill this Father’s Day or wondering what to grill for a weekend cookout with your neighbors, this delicious grilling menu is just the trick for a hearty summertime meal.
Why We Enjoy Grilling
When the weather is nice, what’s better than eating outside? Cooking outside! Rather than being stuck inside, huddled over a hot stove, firing up the grill is one of our favorite ways to host a casual gathering in the summertime. Every year, we get the chance to rediscover new and tasty grilling ideas for dinner, whether we’re cooking up traditional burgers or unique desserts. Inspired by the flavors of the season, we’re serving up a delicious menu made up of five delicious recipes, which are all grilled!
In addition to getting to enjoy the nice summer weather, we’ve noticed that something about the flavor of grilled food feels nostalgic. That specific charred taste seems to bring back beloved childhood memories of pool parties and family barbecues. Biting into our modern twists on classic grilling ideas is our way of passing on this tradition to the youngest members of our family.
And our favorite reason—creating and cooking a grilling menu involves minimal cleanup!
Let’s Get Grilling: What Do I Need to Get Started?
Get your grill ready! First, decide if you want to use a charcoal or propane grill. Charcoal grilling takes a little more effort to set up but can give your dishes a smokey flavor, while propane grilling requires less setup and can last longer. After you choose and come up with grilling ideas, get charcoal and fire starters or a tank of propane at the store before your gathering.
If you choose a charcoal grill, after you get the fire started, you’ll place your grate into position and close the lid, open the vents, and wait about 15 minutes for the grill to heat up. If you prefer a propane grill, your grill is ready to go within a few minutes of turning it on. Just ensure you have enough fuel before you start—you wouldn’t want to run out in the middle of cooking your grilling menu!
7 Essentials for Grilling:
Spatulas
Long-handled tongs
Gloves
Flame starter
Thermometer
Grill brush
Basting brush
Plus, large serving platters for transporting your dishes to and from the grill, as well as serving up your grilled creations!
What’s on the Grilling Menu?
Wondering what to grill tonight? Try these unforgettable recipes for your grilling menu:
Drink:
Grilled Lemonade
Appetizer:
Grilled Seasoned Artichokes with Lemon Sauce
Main Course:
Grilled Flank Steak, Charred Corn, and Avocado with Simple Herb Sauce
Side:
Caesar Salad (hint it’s grilled)
Dessert:
Grilled Pound Cake
Phew! Who’s ready to eat?
Not only is this delicious grilling menu full of hearty seasonal ingredients, but you can easily prep all the ingredients ahead of time and simply fire up the grill when ready to cook. Savor the time outside with guests and enjoy the summer setting with a shared meal that everyone is sure to remember.
Some grilling ideas on how to best celebrate this delicious feast:
Father’s Day: Take over grill duty and allow Dad to sit back and relax on his special day.
Waterside on the weekend
Block Party: Whether it's just a few neighbors or the entire street, host a festive summer party with this hearty meal.
Sunday Dinner: Gather the whole family for dinner on the grill!
We all love a meal that can be prepped ahead of time – and this one is it! Whether you want to serve the entire meal together or present each dish as its own course, the beauty of this All-Grill Menu is that it is completely up to you.
Each recipe is available in the 2019 Spring/Summer edition of our magazine, Toast. You can browse every edition here and get inspired to celebrate the spring and summer seasons to the fullest.
Best Things to Grill For Each Course:
For Cocktail Hour: Grilled Lemonade
Kick off the celebrations with a smoky-citrusy beverage that can also be topped with bourbon for a special twist. Don’t forget the festive Citrus Print Cocktail Napkins to match!
For Appetizers: Grilled Seasoned Artichokes with Lemon Sauce
The tender artichokes pair well with the delicious lemon sauce and only take a few minutes on the grill, so guests can enjoy this flavorful appetizer while sipping on their refreshing lemonade.
For the Main Course: Grilled Flank Steak, Charred Corn, and Avocado with Simple Herb Sauce
This main course dish is filling and hearty yet full of fresh flavors. Take a look at our most recent Toast, the Blog post with the full recipe and notes on how to prepare this yummy grilled meal.
For the Side: Grilled Caesar Salad
Who knew grilled lettuce could be so good? Trust us when we say this is a recipe you do not want to skip. The secret to this flavorful salad is the diced pancetta and over-easy egg to top it all off.
For Dessert: Grilled Pound Cake
Although this pound cake isn’t technically prepared entirely on the grill, the finishing touch is the key to its delicious flavors. The heat of the grill caramelizes the sugars in this crowd-pleasing dessert. Top with cream and fresh berries for the perfect finale.
What’s the Best Serving Style for a Cookout?
Now that you’ve got your grilling menu all set, let’s figure out how you’re planning to host this shindig. When preparing to serve your tasty grilling ideas for dinner, we recommend serving family-style so that your guests can enjoy the outdoor gathering and spend more time around the table.For family-style serving, set the table and arrange your serving platters in the center of the table and encourage your guests to pass each dish as they serve themselves. Keep it casual for a cookout so your friends and family can enjoy your genius grilling ideas and help themselves to each recipe.
Setting the Mood for Your Dinner on the Grill
We enjoy grilling menus so much that we’ve curated entire gatherings around the concept. Use our Al Fresco by the Grill mood board as a take-it-and-host-it guide to help you execute a beautiful dinner party that complements this delicious grilling menu. Creating a cozy atmosphere with string lights, neutral colors, and stunning glassware will help elevate your dinner on the grill.
Serveware for Dinners on the Grill
When coming up with grilling ideas for dinner, make sure you have the necessary serveware. It’s a good idea to have a serving platter for each course of your grilling menu, so you can easily present the dishes to the table. Mix and match your favorite dinnerware and serveware for your casual dinner on the grill.
As you grill, have a couple of serving platters and bowls on hand so you have somewhere to put your food after you take it off the racks. Something like the Signature White Ruffle Pasta Bowl can contain any delicious juices or marinades featured in your grilling ideas. That way, you can serve your dishes straight from the grill and enjoy it while it’s hot!
5 Steps for Serving Our All-Grill Menu
- Prepare your Grilled Lemonade in a Signature White Ruffle Pitcher so guests can serve themselves at the bar.
- After drinks are poured, add your Artichoke appetizer recipe ingredients to the grill to really get the party started. Combine everything on the Iris Blue Sprout Square Platter for simple serving, and don’t forget a Blush Arabesque Trim Small Bowl for the sauce!
- For the main course, bring your platter over to the dining table so everyone can help themselves by filling up their Dinner Plates.
- Present the grilled salad on the Signature White Oval Platter for easy self-serving.
- When dessert comes around, start by serving the pound cake on the Signature White Ruffle 14in Cake Stand. When you’re done grilling each slice for a flavorful finishing touch, plate them on our Salad Plates for the perfect size dessert plate.