Javascript is not enabled.

Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.

Skip to content

Empower heroes: Join Wish of a Lifetime from AARP in honoring veterans.

Content starts here
CLOSE ×
Search
Popular Searches

Games

Car rental

AARP daily Crossword Puzzle

Hotels with AARP discounts

Life Insurance

AARP Dental Insurance Plans

Travel

Suggested Links
Help Show me my account info Change my Address How do I contact AARP? Where is my membership card? How do I get a digital card?
Red Membership Card

AARP MEMBERSHIP — $12 FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR WHEN YOU SIGN UP FOR AUTOMATIC RENEWAL

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

120x30-AARP-logo-red
Join
Renew
Enroll
Rejoin

AARP en Español

Join
Renew
Enroll
Rejoin
Leaving AARP.org Website

You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Continue Cancel

5 Must-Make Recipes for Grilling Season

Popular cookbooks by incredible chefs provide inspiration for your summer gatherings

By

Jennifer Bradley Franklin,

 
Members Only Access
Comments
Published August 17, 2023
five books including asada: the art of mexican-style grilling, chiles and smoke: b b q, grilling, and other fire-friendly recipes with spice and flavor, pulp: a practical guide to cooking with fruit, southern and smoked: cajun cooking through the seasons and southern cooking, global flavors on wooden table with blurred background of grill, table and chairs and trees
Photo Collage: MOA Staff; (Source: Abrams, Harvard Common Press, Chronicle Books, Pelican Publishing, Rizzoli, Getty Images)

Whether you favor a flat-top, gas-fueled grill or good, old-fashioned charcoal, ’tis the season for firing up the flames and trying your hand at everything from burgers to veggies — all without heating up your kitchen. Here are five recipes you’ll want to add to your rotation.

 

black bean quinoa burger with avocado on it on plate; cut up tomato next to it
Kristen Penoyer

Black Bean Quinoa Burger with Baby Artichoke and Fingerling Potato Fries

Top Chef fans will recognize chef Kenny Gilbert from Season 7. The Cleveland-born chef has been at the helm of top resort restaurants in the country and serves as one of Oprah Winfrey’s private chefs. Now he spills some of his best recipe secrets in a beautiful new cookbook, Southern Cooking, Global Flavors, written with Nan Kavanaugh. The detailed recipes and rich photography take home cooks on a journey back to Gilbert’s roots in Southern cooking, now punctuated by his international travels. You’ll find plenty to love, including hearty dishes for the grill and year-round side dishes.

Try it: Black Bean Quinoa Burger with Baby Artichoke and Fingerling Potato Fries

 

grilled scallops and corn on plate
Brad Prose

Summer BBQ Grilled Scallops and Corn

Chef Brad Prose is a self-described “grilling nut” on a mission to inspire others to try bold, new flavor combinations. In his new book, Chiles and Smoke: BBQ, Grilling, and Other Fire-Friendly Recipes with Spice and Flavor, he details tried-and-true techniques using chile peppers from around the world (not all of which are spicy!). The result is vibrant, interesting flavors that will keep your grilling repertoire exciting all year long. Perhaps best of all, Prose designed his recipes to be mixed and matched. For example, if you find a marinade or sauce recipe you love, it’s easy to pair it with a different meat or vegetable to customize it to your taste.

Try it: Summer BBQ Grilled Scallops and Corn

 

grilled chicken with apricots, red onion and basil on two plates
EE Berger

Grilled Chicken with Apricots, Red Onion + Basil

Who says fruit can’t be part of a summer grilling rotation? Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit, by Michigan-based farmer-turned-chef Abra Berens, puts any doubt to rest. When fruit is set over an open flame, the result is often more intense flavors that pair deliciously with grilled meat or can even be served as a dessert on its own. While this gorgeously written and illustrated book, with more than 215 recipes, isn’t specifically dedicated to grilling, grilling enthusiasts will find plenty to enjoy.

Try it: Grilled Chicken with Apricots, Red Onion + Basil

 

tongs holding long thing of ribs
Denny Culbert and Joseph Vidrine

Barbecue Ribs and Baked Beans

Chef Jarred I. Zeringue’s family has lived and farmed in the River Parishes of southern Louisiana for nearly 300 years, and he learned Cajun cooking from his mother, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Now he leads kitchens in New Orleans’ French Quarter and in LaPlace (called “the Andouille Capital of the World”) and brings that magical blend of culinary influences to home cooks with Southern and Smoked: Cajun Cooking Through the Seasons. The book is organized by season, making it easy to leverage in-season produce to create fresh, flavorful dishes, and Zeringue provides smart tips for making the recipes easy to follow.

Try it: Barbecue Ribs and Baked Beans

 

citrus and spice costillitas on grill
Quentin Bacon

Citrus and Spice Costillitas

This vibrant cookbook starts with the words “Carne asada is not just a taco.” To James Beard Award-nominated authors Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral, asada — or Mexican-style grilled meat — is a whole experience, filled with joyful interactions between friends, family and neighbors while gathered around the fire. To that end, Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling is filled with vibrant photos and step-by-step instructions for how to perfect what Lopez sees as the eight essential pieces of any carne asada: botanas (appetizers), carnes (meats), mariscos (seafood), side dishes and vegetables, salsas, aguas frescas (refreshing juices), cocktails and dessert. If you’re aspiring to take your outdoor hosting to the next level, this is the book for you.

Try it: Citrus and Spice Costillitas

 

Image Alt Attribute

AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal

Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.

Join Now

Jennifer Bradley Franklin is an Atlanta-based journalist, editor and author who has contributed to the Wall Street Journal, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, People magazine, USA Today and others. She's an avid traveler, ballroom dancer and is more than a little coffee obsessed. Read more of her work at jenniferbradleyfranklin.com.

Discover AARP Members Only Access

Join AARP to Continue

Already a Member?

AARP Value & Member Benefits

  • scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, bacon strips, sausage links, hash browns, 4 pieces of white bread toast
    MEMBERS ONLY
    Restaurants

    Denny's

    15% off dine-in and pickup orders

    Learn More
    See more Restaurants offers >
  • A happy couple in white summer clothing on vacation walks along a wooden pier over tropical, turquoise ocean in the Maldives, Indian Ocean
    MEMBERS ONLY
    Travel

    AARP Travel Center Powered by Expedia: Vacation Packages

    $50 gift card of your choice when booking any flight package

    Learn More
    See more Travel offers >
  • kitchen scene with an island where a full of groceries yellow and white with Walmart+ logo bag is sitting
    MEMBERS ONLY
    Shopping & Groceries

    Walmart+

    $20 off a Walmart+ annual membership

    Learn More
    See more Shopping & Groceries offers >
  • couple on couch looking at tablet
    Health & Wellness

    AARP® Staying Sharp®

    Activities, recipes, challenges and more with full access to AARP Staying Sharp®

    Learn More
    See more Health & Wellness offers >