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Grilling and Smoking

Fire up that grill or smoker and get ready to enjoy the best dishes you can cook outside.

Grilled Chicken with Watermelon Salsa Recipe

Grilled Chicken with Watermelon Salsa
I love to marinade chicken and then prepare it on the grill during the summer. This grilled chicken with watermelon salsa is absolutely delicious. The chicken is marinated in a few very simple ingredients such as soy sauce, garlic, and honey. I usually allow the chicken to marinate for about 2-3 hours. Once the chicken is done marinating it is grilled and then topped with fresh watermelon salsa. The salsa is a combination of watermelon, cucumber, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, and green onion. The salsa is seasoned with salt, pepper and lime juice. I like to serve this chicken with a cold salad on the side. Enjoy.
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Dijon Grilled Pork Chops Recipe

Dijon Grilled Pork Chops
Pork chops with the flavor of Dijon mustard and apple juice are great on the grill. This recipe can be used as a grilling glaze, a marinade or both. The glaze consists of only 4 ingredients—Dijon mustard, apple cider, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. The pork chops can be marinated in a sealable plastic bag or a bowl that can be covered. If you are using the sauce as a glaze only, just combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and brush the pork chops frequently on both sides while grilling. I like to serve these pork chops with a cold salad on the side. The cold salad pictured in this recipe is pepperoni pasta salad. Enjoy.

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Fiesta Lime Chicken Recipe

Fiesta Lime Chicken
Here is a copycat recipe for the Fiesta Lime Chicken at Applebee’s restaurant. This dish consists of marinated grilled chicken that is topped with a slightly spicy sauce, cheese, and Pico de Gallo. The chicken is marinated in ingredients such as teriyaki sauce and lime juice. The sauce gets a lot of its flavor from salsa, hot sauce, and Cajun seasoning. You can use less Cajun seasoning if you are not a fan of spicy foods. The Pico de Gallo is just a simple combination of tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno pepper, salt and lime juice. The best method to cook the chicken is on an outdoor grill but an indoor grill pan will work as well. You can serve this recipe with tortilla chips and rice. Enjoy.
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Steak N’ Shake Garlic Steakburger Recipe

Steak N' Shake Garlic Steakburger
Here is a copycat recipe for the garlic steakburger from Steak N’ Shake restaurant. Unfortunately, I have not tried this burger so I cannot comment on how close it is to the real thing. What I do know is that this burger is really tasty. What really makes this burger unique is the garlic butter that is spread onto the buns before they are toasted. For even more garlic flavor the buns are sprinkled on top with a little garlic salt and additional garlic butter is spread onto the top of the burger after it has finished cooking.

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Maple Glazed Pork Chops Recipe

Maple Glazed Pork Chops
These maple glazed pork chops are great on the grill. You can either use boneless or bone-in pork chops for this recipe. The glaze has an amazing flavor and is brushed on the chops while grilling. The glaze gets a lot of its flavor from maple syrup, honey, and spicy brown mustard. The pork chops are first seasoned with salt and pepper and then placed onto the grill and brushed with the glaze. I like to serve this recipe with a cold salad on the side. Enjoy.
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Jamaican Jerk Rub Recipe

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Jerk Spice Rub
Having a good variety of dry rubs is always important for grilling season. This recipe is for a Jamaican jerk spice rub. A lot of the flavor in this rub comes from seasonings such as allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves but there are several spices that come together to make this rub delicious. The best part is, chances are you already have all or most of these spices on hand. The use of cayenne pepper helps to add a little bit of heat to this mixture and you can adjust it to your taste if you wish. This rub goes great on chicken, pork or shrimp. The photos in the recipe display this seasoning mixture on grilled chicken breasts topped with mango salsa. Enjoy.
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Tex-Mex Chili Dogs Recipe

Tex-Mex Chili Dogs
These Tex-Mex chili dogs can be prepared in one of two days—the hot dogs can be cooked right in the slow cooker with the sauce or the sauce can be prepared on the stovetop and the hot dogs can either be grilled or boiled. I cooked the hot dogs on an indoor grill pan but an outdoor grill would be even better. The hot dogs are loaded with a sauce, Frito chips, chopped tomato and shredded cheese. The sauce is a combination of canned chili, chopped green chili peppers and cheddar cheese soup. I like to serve these hot dogs with French fries. Enjoy.
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Red Robin Bonzai Burger Recipe

Red Robin Bonzai Burger
These are very similar to the Bonzai Burger that is served at Red Robin. The Bonzai burger is a teriyaki-glazed beef patty that is grilled and topped with cheddar cheese, tomato, pineapple, and lettuce. I really enjoy the flavor combination of the teriyaki sauce and the pineapple ring. You can either use an outdoor grill or an indoor grill pan for this recipe. For the teriyaki sauce, you can use your favorite brand from the store to make your own. This is a great recipe for summer outdoor grilling. Enjoy.
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Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops Recipe

apple glazed pork chops
There are several different ways to prepare pork chops on the grill but a delicious apple cider glaze is always a good option. These pork chops on bone-in but you can also use boneless if you would prefer. The pork chops are first rubbed with a spice mixture, placed onto the grill and brushed with an apple cider glaze. The apple cider glaze is nothing more than a simple combination of apple cider, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt. These pork chops are perfect for summer cookouts. I like to serve this recipe with a cold salad on the side. Enjoy.
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Pulled Pork Hot Dogs Recipe

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pulled pork hot dogs
Hot dogs piled with slow cooked pulled pork go great served for game day. These hot dogs are loaded with BBQ pulled pork, coleslaw and a dill pickle spear. The combination of flavors in this recipe really makes these hot dogs great. The pork is cooked in the slow cooker, shredded and the mixed with your favorite BBQ sauce. I like to cook the hot dogs on an indoor grill pan but an outdoor grill would be even better. If you want to save some time you can use premade coleslaw. You may have extra pulled pork and coleslaw and that’s okay, you can always eat it at another time. I like to serve these pulled pork hot dogs with French fries. Enjoy.
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Bratwurst Grilled Cheese Recipe

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bratwurst grilled cheese
If you want a truly tasty sandwich recipe for game day give this bratwurst grilled cheese a try. This grilled cheese is a simple combination of a grilled bratwurst, Muenster cheese, honey-mustard and French bread. You can cook the bratwurst on an outdoor grill, an indoor grill pan or even in a frying pan. You can also experiment with different types of cheese in this recipe. A good option instead of the Muenster might be to use shredded Gouda. I like to serve this grilled cheese with either French fries or pretzels.
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TGI Fridays Grill Glaze Recipe

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TGI Fridays Grill Glaze
This is a copycat recipe for the Jack Daniel’s grill glaze at T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant. It is not too late to fire up the grill for this amazing recipe. This grill glaze can be used on several different types of meat including steak, chicken and pork. You will want to brush this sauce onto whatever type of meat you prefer while it is on the grill. There is only 1 tablespoon of Jack Daniels in this recipe but it gets other amazing flavors from roasted garlic, pineapple and teriyaki sauce. To prepare this glaze, a bulb of garlic is roasted in the oven and then the pulp is mixed with various ingredients and simmered in the pan until the liquid has become thick. This is similar to a BBQ sauce, only much better! Enjoy.
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Steak Seasoning Recipe

Steak Seasoning
There is no need to use Montreal Steak Seasoning when you can make your own great tasting seasoning for steaks right at home. This seasoning will give your steak a delicious flavor just like from your favorite steakhouse. What is really great about this seasoning recipe is that you probably have all of the ingredients on hand. The amounts of the seasoning can easily be doubled or tripled if you want to make large batches to store for future use. The amount of seasoning in this recipe should season about 4 steaks on both sides. This seasoning goes great on grilled or pan-fried steaks. Enjoy.
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Jack Daniel’s Grilled Pork Chops Recipe

Jack Daniel's Grilled Pork Chops
It’s time to fire up the grill again for these Jack Daniel’s grilled pork chops. The pork chops are marinated in a Jack Daniel’s sauce and then grilled to perfection. This recipe is perfect for summer cookouts. The marinade consists of ingredients such as Jack Daniel’s whiskey, molasses, chili pepper paste and soy sauce. If you have a problem finding the chili pepper paste, a well-known brand is Gourmet Gardens and it can be commonly found in the refrigerators in the product section of Wal-Mart. For this recipe you can either use bone-in pork chops or boneless pork chops, either will work fine. If you use boneless pork chops you will only need about 2lbs. I like to reserve a little bit of the marinade before adding the pork chops to use for basting while they are on the grill. These go great served with onion rings or a cold salad. Enjoy.
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Grilled Chicken with Pico de Gallo Recipe

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Grilled Chicken with Pico de Gallo
This grilled chicken with pico de gallo is perfect for summer. There are many delicious ingredients that come together to give this dish a lot of flavor. This recipe does require a bit of work because you have to prepare several different components of this dish but it is delicious. The chicken breasts are marinated in and brushed with a honey mustard the sauce. The chicken is then grilled and topped with grilled red onion, crumbled bacon, and Monterey jack cheese. To add even more flavor to this chicken dish it is topped off with a fresh Pico de Gallo. The pico is a simple combination of tomato, jalapeno pepper, red onion, cilantro and lime juice. I like to serve this chicken with a cold pasta salad on the side. Enjoy.
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Grilled Chicken Taco Salad Recipe

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grilled chicken taco salad
During the summer months I usually like to prepare taco salads for dinner. Instead of the normal taco salad using ground beef, this recipe uses grilled seasoned chicken. The chicken gets a lot of its flavor from ingredients such as chili powder, cumin and ground coriander. If you do not have a grill you can bake the chicken or fry it on the stovetop. You can adjust the ingredients in this salad to your liking. I like black beans, tomato, corn and tortilla chips. I also like to add some shredded cheese into the mix. This salad uses a delicious cilantro-lime dressing to add even more flavor. Most of the flavors in the dressing comes from the cilantro and lime juice. This salad is a delicious recipe for summer. Enjoy.
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Royal Red Robin Burger Recipe

Royal Red Robin Burger
The Royal Red Robin burger from the restaurant Red Robin is one of my favorite burgers to order. This burger is topped with American cheese, lettuce, onion, bacon, a fried egg, and mayonnaise. The fried egg is what really makes this burger special. This burger is best grilled but if you do not have an outdoor grill, it could be cooked in a skillet as well. There is a little work required with this recipe preparing all of the different ingredients but it is well worth it. Serve with French fries. Enjoy.
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Spicy Chicken Skewers Recipe

spicy chicken skewers
Chicken skewers are always a great choice to prepare for dinner using an outdoor grill. These chicken skewers are brushed with a sticky and spicy glaze. The glaze gets a lot of its flavor from Asian ingredients such as fish sauce and hot chili sauce. If you are a fan of spicy foods, chances are you will love these chicken skewers. It is important to soak the wooden skewers are at least one hour in water to prevent them from catching fire. You can see from the pictures that even after soaking the skewers they still got pretty charred. This recipe is great for summer cookouts. Enjoy.
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BBQ Crunch Dogs Recipe

bbq crunch dogs
These BBQ crunch dogs are basted with homemade BBQ sauce, and loaded with romaine lettuce and crushed chips. This is a great recipe for summer grilling. The best part of these hot dogs is the homemade BBQ sauce which is a simple combination of just a few ingredients that you probably already have on hand. The sauce gets a lot of its flavor from ketchup and honey. The sauce can also be prepared in advance, cooled and refrigerated until needed. For the chips, you can use whatever type of chips you would prefer, I used kettle cooked BBQ chips. The romaine lettuce can be replaced with cabbage if you choose. Enjoy.
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Bruschetta Chicken Recipe

bruschetta chicekn
A delicious BBQ chicken recipe for the grill this summer is bruschetta chicken. This recipe consists of marinated chicken breasts grilled and brushed with BBQ glaze and then topped with cheese and a bruschetta mixture. The bruschetta mixture is a combination of tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar, as well as other various seasonings. There are two different types of cheeses that add flavor to this chicken—parmesan and mozzarella. The BBQ glaze for this recipe is very simple and only consists of a few different ingredients, which chances are you already have on hand. These ingredients include ketchup, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and oregano. If you are looking for a delicious grilled chicken recipe for summer, give this one a try. Enjoy!
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California Burritos Recipe

California Burritos
I have read about the California burrito for a while now and I finally had decided to give it a try. I have never had one of these burritos in California so I cannot comment on how authentic this r recipe is. If you are unfamiliar with these burritos—California burritos consist of carne asada steak, cheese, French fries, and guacamole rolled up into a tortilla. If you are not a guacamole fan, you can leave it out if you would prefer. What really makes these burritos unique is the French fries. The French fries add a unique texture and flavor to these burritos that I have never experienced before. I used steak fries but several other types of French fries will work as well. The steak can either be grilled, broiled or cooked on the stovetop. If you are looking to try a different type of burrito, give this one a try. Enjoy.
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Thyme Butter Recipe

thyme butter
This recipe for thyme butter goes great served on top of grilled steak. Making this butter is not hard at all, five ingredients are simply mixed together and then placed in the refrigerator until it is ready to be used. This butter gets a lot of its flavor from fresh thyme and Dijon mustard. Chances are you probably have almost all of the ingredients on hand to make this. This butter could be used for different types of meat such as chicken as well. If you are looking for a great topping for grilled steaks give this recipe for thyme butter a try. Enjoy.
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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad Recipe

chicken caesar pasta salad
Adding pasta to chicken Caesar salad is a nice change from the classic Caesar lettuce salad. This recipe consists of grilled chicken with pasta and lettuce that is tossed with a Caesar salad dressing. The best part about this recipe is, of course, the homemade dressing. The Caesar salad dressing gets a lot of its flavor from ingredients such as lemon juice and minced anchovies. If you do not have a blender to prepare the dressing, whisking the ingredients together in a bowl will work fine. For the chicken, you can grill it or bake it in the oven. If you want to save time, the meat from a cooked rotisserie chicken will also work well. This makes a great cold salad for summer. I like to serve this chicken Caesar pasta salad with garlic bread. Enjoy.
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