You can still celebrate a memorial day BBQ at home even without visitors. In fact, this is a great time to celebrate the national holiday with your family. Here are some recipes you should add to your menu. Whether you’re serving to picky eater kids or taste sensitive seniors, there’s something for everyone!
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15 Delicious Recipes for the Best Memorial Day BBQ Party
1. Zesty Beer-Battered Mexican-Style Grilled Chicken Thighs
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Chicken thighs are already juicy and flavorful as they are, but if you want to make them even more delicious, then you need a good barbecue sauce.
So try out this delicious beer-battered Mexican-style chicken recipe. It’s a savory explosion of zesty lemon juice, spicy roasted garlic crumbs, and sweet, bitter notes of your favorite pale lager.
Note: Parents who have reservations about serving their kids' foods cooked in beer can use Corona. It has a low alcohol percentage of 4.6%. Mixing it with a heavy chicken marinade will even further dilute its alcohol content.
2. Juicy Honey-Drenched Grilled Pork Chops
A very common mistake when cooking grilled pork is not marinating it properly. This often leads to dry, overcooked, and charred meat. If you want your Memorial BBQ to be special, then you can’t serve tough, bitter pork.
Now, if you’re gunning for sweet, honey-glazed grilled pork chop cuts that are thick and juicy yet tender at the same time, try this recipe. It’s guaranteed to leave a thick, pleasant, syrup-like flavor on your tongue with every savory bite.
3. Sweet, Buttery Grilled Corn on the Cob
Buttered corn on the cob is one of the most important grilled veggies to have at any barbecue party. They’re a staple. What makes them a popular side dish is their fresh, sweet juices that pair really well with the heavy, savory flavor of grilled meats.
4. Greasy, Savory, Fully Loaded Nacho Burgers
Why eat regular burgers when you can have fully loaded nacho burgers! Now, some people might have doubts about this dish. After all, it seems like something a five-year-old might come up with.
Behind its simple facade, however, is a well-thought-out recipe. The thick, savory grilled meat creates a unique, exciting flavor combination with the crunchy nachos.
Your palate will be stunned between the alternating explosions of mind-blowing cheesy crunchiness and mouth-drooling meat juices. And to top everything off, the ingredients are sandwiched between two dense, creamy buns.
5. Classic Grilled Chicken Wings
Whether you serve or don’t serve chicken wings at your Memorial Day BBQ party is out of the question. Wings are an all-time American favorite. It would almost be disrespectful not to have them at a national holiday that celebrates the nation’s bravest warriors.
The only question is whether you should fry or grill them. Both options are great, but if you’re looking for something crunchier and more natural-tasting, opt to grill your wings.
6. Soft, Savory, Spicy Lobster
Grilled lobsters are some of the finest delicacies any American household can indulge in. So it’s only fitting to bust out the largest, meatiest ones you have for this special occasion.
What makes lobsters so great is their firm yet sponge-like meat. Unlike crabs, the meat doesn’t easily break down. Their juicy, chunky texture allows you to savor every single bite of this delicious crustacean.
Plus, its sponge-like meat absorbs everything. If you grilled them in butter, garlic, and chili, you can expect every bit of lobster meat to have a delicious blend of rich, spicy, and creamy charred goodness.
Tip: Make sure not to overcook your lobsters. Otherwise, the meat will get too charred, toughen up, and not taste as good as it should.
7. Sweet, Juicy, Whiskey-Grilled Baby Back Ribs
Baby back ribs are the backbone of American barbecue parties. No one can resist the sweet, juicy, and honey-like syrup that drips from these meat chunks.
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8. Chili-Pepper Broccolli Drizzled in Garlic
Feel like your greens are always ignored? Try out this recipe. It’s a delicious broccoli dish drizzled with aromatic garlic bits, juicy onion rings, and spicy chili flakes. Even your picky eaters would love these grilled veggies.
9. Juicy, Meaty Lemon-Grilled Souvlaki
What makes grilled souvlaki is the perfect Memorial Day BBQ party food is its range. Just a single stick is already loaded with an array of grilled veggies and meat options. It’s basically a skewered full-course meal.
10. Rich, Creamy Potato Salad
No American dinner party would be complete without a heaping bowl of rich, creamy, smooth potato salad. It’s the perfect side dish to pair with chicken, turkey, pork, and beef, among others.
11. The Classic Cheeseburger
Do you know what the best part about making your own grilled cheeseburger is? You’re free to fill it with as many cheese and beef patties as you want! You can stuff your sandwich with one pound of meat and cheese and no one would bat an eye.
12. Savory Jalapeño-Stuffed Burgers
Love spicy foods? Indulge in the unique, spicy, peppery, and savory goodness of jalapeño-stuffed burger patties! Each chunk of beef is guaranteed to be a carnival of jalapeño peppers, juicy meat, savory cheese, and spicy chili.
13. Loaded, Creamy Cobb Egg Salad
Whip up a batch of this rich, creamy, smooth, and milky cobb egg salad dish. Apart from being undeniably delicious, the reason it's a great addition to your Memorial Day BBQ menu is the fact that it’s so easy to prepare.
In fact, if you suddenly run out in the middle of the party, you can easily prepare another batch good for 10 to 12 servings in less than half an hour.
14. Hearty Grilled Scallion and Tomato Salad
Are your guests looking for something light yet hearty and flavorful? Serve them this scallion and tomato salad. It’s a delicious combination of earthy, zesty, and grassy garden veggies.
15. Sweet, Zesty Strawberry Salsa
Ditch the regular tomato salsa and opt for something more delightful: strawberry salsa. It’s a sweet, refreshing, zesty dip that goes well with bread, chips, and even veggie dishes. Basically, you can use it on anything you'd use tomato sauce on.
For more easy recipes you can try on your Memorial Day BBQ party, check out this quick video by Tasty:
The key to making your Memorial Day BBQ party a success is to cook dishes that aren’t hard to eat. Preferably, ones you can snarf down even while standing up. It’s an outdoor barbecue party after all.
Also, don’t forget the booze. No Memorial Day menu is complete without the standard backyard party beer and cocktails. If everything goes well, your cookout might even turn into a night of endless shots and beer-swigging fun!
Note: Make a toast in honor of the heroes who have given their lives for the safety of our nation. The freedom you enjoy right now is all thanks to their sacrifices.
What do you have prepared for your Memorial Day BBQ party? Share your menu with us in the comments section below!
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