Memorial Day is a time to honor and remember the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our country. It’s also a great opportunity to gather with friends and family to try some new recipes and enjoy some seriously delicious barbecue.
To help you celebrate in style, we’ve put together a list of mouthwatering Memorial Day recipes that are sure to impress. Now grab your essential smoker accessories, fire up the grill and get ready to make some delicious Memorial Day favorites. And don’t forget to pair a cold beer and mix up a refreshing cocktail for the occasion.
Table of Contents
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Starters & Sides
Delicious and patriotic appetizers and side dishes to complement your Memorial Day feast.
Classic American Potato Salad
For the love of potatoes and the perfect creamy, tangy and well-balanced potato salad we make with them and just can't stop eating.
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Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Rich, creamy and so delicious and comforting, with a contrasting crunch of crisp veggies.
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Pulled Pork Nachos
Elevate your nacho game by incorporating succulent pulled pork, melted cheese, and a tantalizing drizzle of BBQ sauce to tie it all together.
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Simple Sautéed Corn
Quick & easy, sweet, crunchy and delicious with just 4 ingredients and only 5 minutes of cooking make this sautéed corn even sweeter!
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Creamy Coleslaw
A beautifully delicious, bright, fresh and zesty creamy coleslaw salad that is the perfect balance of crunchy, creamy and sweet.
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Grilled Potatoes
Grilling potatoes is the perfect way to round out a meal on the grill. Easily cooked right alongside your chicken, steak or veggie burgers, these potatoes make for a delicious and satisfying side dish.
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Baby Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette and Parmesan
A simple, healthy, tangy salad elevated with flavorful Parmesan. Just 9 ingredients and 5 minutes to fresh salad perfection.
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Smoked Baked Beans
Experience the smoky, sweet, and zesty twist on classic baked beans – simple, delectable, and packed with flavor.
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Smoked Brisket Burnt Ends
Savor the ultimate umami indulgence – these smoky, caramelized nuggets of brisket are utterly addictive. With just brisket, wood smoke, BBQ sauce, and brown sugar, you'll create an irresistibly meaty, sweet, and crispy appetizer or snack that'll leave you craving more.
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Beef Chili
An elevated classic chili with ground beef, beans and lots of fresh chili peppers to provide a mix of chili flavors much deeper and more subtle than you can get with just powder. This is comfort food bursting with flavor, richness and color.
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Smoked Chicken Wings
The secret to the juiciest, crispiest, most flavorful and finger-licking smoked chicken wings is a brine and dry rub before a two-step cook.
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Grilled Heirloom Tomato Pizza
Simplicity is what this pizza is all about. Mozzarella cheese, heirloom tomatoes, fresh herbs and a little drizzle of olive oil are all you need.
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Mains
Hearty and flavorful main dishes to anchor your Memorial Day celebration. To make them even more memorable, don’t forget the sauce. Try this sweet & tangy BBQ sauce, quick pickled red onions and herby chimichurri sauce.
Smoked Pork Ribs
These tender and juicy St. Louis-style pork spareribs are smoked for 3 hours with apple and cherry wood, and they finish cooking wrapped with your favorite BBQ sauce.
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Grilled Lamb Burgers
Satisfying smoky and juicy lamb burgers on the grill topped with caramelized onions, heirloom tomatoes, lettuce and a spicy harissa aioli that is so easy to make.
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Grilled Ribeye Steak
Your step-by-step guide for how to grill the perfect juicy and flavorful ribeye steak.
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Grilled Flap Steak with Shallot-Garlic-Rosemary Marinade
Maximum flavor with minimal effort: this budget-friendly flap steak delivers juicy, high-end taste through a flavorful shallot-garlic-herb marinade and simple grilling method. Similar to flank or skirt steak, yet incredibly delicious.
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Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs
Get ready for juicy, tender BBQ chicken thighs with a sweet, caramelized exterior after just 45 minutes on the grill. With a simple blend of spices and your favorite BBQ sauce, these smoky, delectable thighs deliver the perfect grilled BBQ chicken texture and taste.
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Smoked Lamb Shoulder
Pulled lamb that melts in your mouth. The slow-smoked shoulder shreds into tender, juicy strands like the best brisket or pork shoulder. Follow the recipe for all the tips, tricks and what to serve with your new favorite BBQ cut.
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Smoked Tri-Tip
Indulge in a slice of California's ranching legacy with our oak-smoked tri-tip. Slow-cooked to tender perfection, then seared for a mouthwatering crust, it promises bold flavors and succulent juiciness. Ready in just over an hour, it's a savory sensation you will be craving again and again.
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Huli Huli Chicken
Hawaiian-style marinated and grilled chicken with a sticky-sweet glaze bursting with juicy, mouthwatering flavors of the marinade and the grill.
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Beer Can Chicken
Amazing flavor, crispy skin, moist and tender results every time. Beer can chicken on the grill is a popular recipe for good reason, and you just have to give it a try.
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Smoked Pork Belly
This 3-hour smoked pork belly is crave-able perfection. Smoky-sweet with a little bit of heat. Crisp it up to eat in sliders, tacos or even on a BLT salad.
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Pulled Pork Sandwich Recipe
BBQ pulled pork sandwiches are so juicy and melt in your mouth when paired with a tangy homemade sauce, a crunchy slaw and your favorite toppings.
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Simple Smoked Salmon
How to make the best smoked salmon at home with this simple 3-ingredient recipe that is so easy and ready the same day.
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Grilled Swordfish
Try grilling some absolutely delicious swordfish that is lemon-butter basted over flavorful charcoal flames. This dynamic ocean roamer will add some adventure to your plate.
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Brats with Caramelized Onions
The best and easiest method for how to cook brats. Only a few ingredients and less than 20 minutes. Perfect every time for an easy weeknight dinner, Sunday supper or an Oktoberfest party.
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Smoked Whole Chicken
Indulge in irresistible applewood-smoked flavor with a slight kick and hint of sweetness in this tender, juicy smoked whole chicken. Crafted with simple ingredients and foolproof smoking technique, the succulent 'yardbird' boasts mouthwatering texture perfect for feeding a crowd or savoring over multiple meals.
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Bacon-Wrapped Smoked Pork Tenderloin
The pork is smoky, juicy and oh so tender. The glaze is sweet and tangy. The bacon is…bacon.
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Lamb Kabobs
These grilled lamb kabobs are the answer to your Mediterranean flavor cravings! Marinated with zesty flavors then cooked on the grill, stove or oven to tender, juicy perfection.
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Brisket Tacos
Turn leftover brisket into drool-worthy, crowd pleasing tacos! These beauties are bursting with smoky flavor, melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, and come together in a flash.
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Smoked Brisket
Pure and simple, melt in your mouth and packed with flavor, this Texas style smoked beef brisket is seasoned with salt and pepper, then smoked low and slow with oak.
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Pulled Pork
How to make the best pulled pork in the smoker, slow cooker or oven. Dry brined overnight and cooked low and slow all day long for the ultimate melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork perfection.
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BBQ Chicken
The perfect grilled BBQ chicken that has you going back for "just one more piece" and leaves you with sticky fingers that require a trip to the sink for a proper washing before normal activities can be resumed.
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Pulled Pork Pizza
Indulge in a uniquely delicious pizza experience with pulled pork pizza. This mouthwatering pizza features tender pulled pork, tangy BBQ sauce, sweet caramelized onions, melty mozzarella cheese and a touch of heat from sliced jalapeños.
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Grilled Salmon Tacos
Super simple spicy-sweet grilled salmon tacos with bright, fresh tomato salsa.
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Brisket Sandwiches
The ULTIMATE brisket sandwich, a flavor-packed sandwich you won't be able to get enough of. Whether it's using leftover brisket or you are cooking your brisket just for sandwiches, this sandwich seriously goes down too easy.
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Glazed BBQ Salmon
With just 4 ingredients, and less than 20 minutes cook time, the quickest, easiest way to infuse salmon with irresistible smoky-sweet BBQ flavor makes a flavor explosion.
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Desserts
Sweet and festive desserts to add the perfect finishing touch to your Memorial Day gathering.
Individual Berry Trifle
Individual portions of layers upon layers of fresh summer berries, lemony whipped cream, pound cake and lemon curd. Berry trifles are a dessert that is so easy to make you will be making it again and again.
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Smoked Apple Crisp
A delectable apple crisp with a smoky twist is the perfect way to savor the flavors of fall. With a crispy-crunchy topping and tender, flavorful, slightly smoky apples, this sure-fire-hit dessert gets you cooking outside.
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Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream
A super refreshing and simple-to-make mint chocolate chip ice cream that is silky smooth and just might be the best ice cream you have ever tasted.
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Grilled Peach-Bourbon Ice Cream
A boozy smooth and creamy grilled peach ice cream with a hint of bourbon to balance out the sweetness.
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