Easy Grilling And Smoker Recipes For Summer Cookouts
Every great summer cookout using the grill or smoker starts with choosing the right cut and cooking it the way that cut needs to be cooked.
These grilling and smoker recipes cover chicken, brisket, beef ribs, tri-tip, chuck roast, and picanha steaks. Some are built for a long afternoon near the smoker. Others work when you want to grill, rest, slice, and serve.
Table of Contents
Quick Look
| If You Want | Recipe To Try |
|---|---|
| Whole Chicken | Smoked Whole Chicken |
| Sliced Beef | Smoked Tri Tip |
| Smoked Chuck Roast | Smoked Chuck Roast |
| Beef Ribs | Smoked Beef Ribs |
| Smaller Brisket Dinner | Brisket Flat Recipe |
| Whole Brisket | Smoked Brisket Step-by-Step |
| Steak | Picanha Steaks |
Why These Recipes Work For Cookouts
Each of these recipes works because it gives you a clear main dish for the grill or smoker. The meat is matched to the right heat, timing, and finish. That helps you choose one recipe, cook it properly, and serve it with simple sides.
Cuts such as chuck and brisket that have more connective tissue really benefit from time in the smoker. The longer the smoking time, the more the collagen breaks down and the meat turns tender and flavorful.
Brisket flat works for flavorful slices and for BBQ sandwiches. The point is great for making burnt ends and more. A whole brisket takes more planning because it has both the lean flat and the fattier point. A whole packer brisket is a monster-sized cut to handle, but you can feed a crowd or have leftovers for later.
Smoked chuck roast is a cut with rich beef flavor. The inner marbling slowly melts during smoking and bastes the beef from the inside out. You can also use it like a brisket for slicing, sandwiches and burnt ends, but it is faster to cook and the size is much easier to handle.
Smoking a whole chicken gives you deeply flavorful chicken and picks up the flavors of whatever pellets or wood flavor you choose. Because chicken is so lean, the long, slow smoking time makes it tender and juicy.
Tri tip and picanha are both great for grilling. They provide that classic grilled beef experience without cooking a large roast. They are richly flavored beef cuts but with more affordable pricing than some other steak cuts, like ribeye.
Before you start, read the full recipe. Make sure it fits with the cookout you are planning and the time you have. Many of these make great leftovers, so select those if you want make ahead meals you can refrigerate or freeze for later.
7 Easy Grilling And Smoker Recipes For Summer Cookouts
1. Smoked Whole Chicken
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes | Serves: 5
This smoked whole chicken cooks into tender meat with lightly smoky skin and enough flavor to serve with almost any summer side. It is a practical recipe when you want one family-sized main dish from the smoker including some leftovers.
Get the Smoked Whole Chicken recipe
2. Smoked Tri Tip
Total Time: 2 hours | Serves: 6 to 8
Smoked tri tip gives you sliced beef with a deep crust, called bark, and a tender center when it is cooked and carved correctly. Watch the grain before slicing, because the tri tip grain changes direction between the point and the flat. Check the grain of the sections so you can cut across the grain for optimum results. It is not hard to find, once you know what you’re looking for.
3. Smoked Chuck Roast
Total Time: 8 hours 35 minutes | Serves: 6
Smoked chuck roast turns a familiar beef cut into rich, tender meat for sandwiches, plates, or leftovers. It takes time in the smoker, but the slow cook helps the connective tissue soften and the roast build flavor from the wood chips.
Get the Smoked Chuck Roast recipe
4. Smoked Beef Ribs
Total Time: 6 hours 40 minutes | Serves: 10
Smoked beef ribs are meaty, rich, and built for slow cooking. They need a steady smoke, simple seasoning, and enough time to give the beef the texture and flavor everyone expects from ribs.
Get the Smoked Beef Ribs recipe
5. Brisket Flat Recipe
Total Time: 9 hours 15 minutes | Serves: 8
A brisket flat gives you richly flavored slices without cooking a full packer brisket. It works well for sliced beef for holidays, and sandwiches for a smaller gathering where you want brisket flavor without quite as much meat to manage.
6. The Best Smoked Brisket Step-By-Step
Total Time: About 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound, plus resting time | Serves: Plan on 1/2 to 3/4 pound raw brisket per person
This smoked brisket guide explains cook time by weight, the difference between the flat and point, the stall, resting time, and slicing so you are not guessing. Smoking a brisket takes time, but the results are well worth it. Plus, sitting outside on a nice summer day tending the smoker is a relaxing way to spend the day.
Check out how to make the best smoked brisket step-by-step
7. Picanha Steaks
Total Time: 43 minutes | Serves: 2
Picanha steaks are worth cooking when you want grilled beef with a little more character than a standard steak. Keep the fat cap on, cook the meat to temperature, then slice it thin so each piece has a tender bite and a little of that browned edge.
Easy Sides To Serve With Grilled And Smoked Meats
Grilled and smoked meats go well with sides that can sit for a bit without losing their texture. Cold salads, beans, corn, potatoes, and pickles all work well.
- Cucumber Onion Vinegar Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad
- Cabbage Slaw For Tacos
- Crunchy Ramen Coleslaw
- Charro Beans
- Roasted Baby Potatoes
- Refrigerator Bread And Butter Pickles
- Mexican Corn In A Cup
Simple Tips For Better Summer Cookouts
- Use a thermometer. It is the easiest way to know when the meat is done.
- Rest the meat before slicing. Resting helps keep the juices in the meat instead of on the cutting board.
- Slice beef across the grain. This shortens the muscle fibers and makes the meat easier to chew.
- Keep the sides simple. Slaw, beans, corn, potatoes, and pickles all work well with smoked and grilled meat.
