Savor the South: Ultimate Collection of Southern Grilling Recipes
There’s an undeniable magic that happens when food meets fire on a Southern grill. As the warm breezes of summer arrive, our backyards transform into vibrant hubs of flavor, laughter, and cherished traditions. The irresistible aroma of smoky meats, charred vegetables, and sweet fruits sizzling over an open flame is truly divine, a hallmark of Southern hospitality and culinary expertise.
We’ve meticulously curated and perfected a diverse list of over 40 of our all-time favorite Southern grilling recipes. This collection is designed to guide you through a remarkable culinary journey, showcasing the authentic tastes and techniques that make Southern grilling a global sensation. Whether you’re a seasoned grill master or just starting your outdoor cooking adventure, get ready to ignite your passion and bring the soulful flavors of the South right to your plate.
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An Unforgettable Southern Grilling Feast: Our Top Picks
From robust beef and succulent pork to fresh seafood and sweet grilled delights, this comprehensive roundup offers something truly special for every grilling enthusiast. We’ve organized these recipes to help you easily find your next favorite dish, ensuring every cookout is a spectacular celebration of Southern flavors.
Juicy Burgers & Steaks: The Cornerstone of Southern Grilling
No Southern BBQ is complete without a selection of hearty burgers and perfectly grilled steaks. These recipes elevate classic cuts with distinctive Southern twists, guaranteeing juicy, flavor-packed results that will have everyone coming back for more.
Grilled Venison Burgers
These incredibly delicious and juicy Grilled Venison Burgers burst with flavor, offering a healthier alternative to traditional beef. Perfectly seasoned and grilled, they are guaranteed to tantalize your taste buds with their rich, lean profile, making them a fantastic addition to any Southern grill-out.
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Southern BBQ Burger
Prepare for a truly epic meal with this man-sized Southern BBQ Burger! Layers of savory pastrami, sweet baked beans, and crunchy onion rings atop a delicious grilled patty make for an unforgettable, indulgent treat. It’s a full BBQ experience in every hearty bite, showcasing lavish Southern flavors.
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Poblano Pepper and Pimiento Cheeseburgers
Ignite your taste buds with these easy grilled burgers, featuring fire-roasted poblano peppers that add a subtle, smoky heat. Paired with creamy pimiento cheese, this recipe delivers a rich, flavorful, and quintessentially Southern cheeseburger experience that’s perfect for any gathering.
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Creole Burger
Kick up your usual weekend burgers by infusing them with the bold, aromatic flavors of Creole seasonings and a tangy sauce. This Creole Burger delivers a vibrant, spicy, and deeply satisfying taste, transforming a simple burger into a dynamic Southern culinary delight.
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Grilled Ribeye
Juicy and tender, a Grilled Ribeye fresh off the grill on a sunny afternoon is sheer bliss. This recipe makes Southern grilling effortlessly easy, guiding you to achieve a perfectly seared crust and a melt-in-your-mouth interior, embodying the pure joy of a classic steak.
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Grilled Steaks with Compound Butter (Filet, Ribeye, New York Strip)
Learn how to grill three distinct types of steak—Beef Filet, Ribeye, and New York Strip—each expertly paired with a unique compound butter. This versatile guide allows you to prepare one or all, offering gourmet flavor and elevating your grilling skills for any occasion.
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Bacon Wrapped Top Sirloin Medallions
Experience juicy Top Sirloin Medallions wrapped in thick-cut bacon, delivering a smoky flavor infusion. Basted with a simple, seasoned rosemary-infused butter, these medallions offer a luxurious and easy Southern grilling experience that’s rich in aroma and taste.
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Mustard Grilled Steak with Mango Salsa
This Mustard Grilled Steak with Mango Salsa offers a vibrant fusion of flavors. With ground mustard in the marinade and a savory brushed coating for the grill, both add a perfectly paired, zesty punch. The sweet mango salsa provides a refreshing contrast, making this a truly memorable Southern-inspired dish.
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Perfectly Grilled Pork & Chicken: Southern BBQ Staples
From fall-off-the-bone ribs to expertly marinated chicken, these recipes capture the South’s deep-rooted love affair with grilled poultry and pork, bringing comforting, big flavors to your table with every sizzle.
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Grilled Pork Chops
These Grilled Pork Chops are soaked in a rich, flavorful marinade, then cooked to golden brown perfection on the grill. The result is incredibly juicy and tender chops, bursting with taste, making them an ideal choice for any Southern outdoor meal.
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Ultimate Grilled Pork Chops
Achieve pork chop perfection with a little brining and a special dry rub that goes a long way. Once you master how to cook thick pork chops using this method, you’ll be enjoying these incredibly juicy and flavorful chops all summer long, impressing everyone with your grilling skills.
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Grilled Pork Chops with Honey Garlic Glaze
A simply irresistible glaze, crafted from sticky-sweet honey, savory soy sauce, and fresh garlic, drenches each perfectly grilled pork chop in this recipe. The result is a beautifully caramelized and flavorful dish that highlights the best of Southern sweet and savory influences.
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Rosemary Marinated Grilled Pork Chops
With only a few ingredients, this pork chop marinade delivers a powerful punch of flavor! The fresh rosemary infuses the chops with an aromatic, earthy taste that perfectly complements the smoky grill, creating a simple yet profound Southern grilling experience.
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BBQ Grilled Chicken
Covered in a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce, this grilled chicken is wonderfully easy to make and stands as the perfect summer cookout recipe. It’s a classic Southern comfort food, promising juicy, flavorful results every time you fire up the grill.
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The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe
This easy chicken marinade comes together in minutes, promising the best grilled chicken or baked chicken you’ve ever tasted! It infuses the poultry with incredible flavor and ensures a tender, juicy result, making it a staple for any Southern cook.
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Smoked Chicken Thighs
Achieve incredibly tender and juicy chicken thighs using a low and slow method on the grill smoker. These Smoked Chicken Thighs are infused with deep, smoky flavor, creating a delicious and classic Southern BBQ dish that’s rich in aroma and taste.
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Sticky Maple Barbecue Chicken
This whole chicken is rubbed with barbecue seasoning then generously basted with a homemade sauce overflowing with sweet and spicy flavors. The Sticky Maple Barbecue Chicken offers a perfectly caramelized exterior and incredibly tender meat, a true celebration of Southern BBQ.
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Sweet and Spicy Grilled Honey Glazed Chicken
This chicken is grilled to be juicy and flavorful, with a delightful sweet honey glaze that provides a delicious, slightly spicy coating. It’s a perfect balance of sweet and heat, making the Sweet and Spicy Grilled Honey Glazed Chicken a vibrant and irresistible addition to your Southern cookout.
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Grilled Chicken Breast with Bourbon-Peaches
Season chicken breast with a unique chipotle cinnamon dry rub, then let it rest while you simmer peaches in rich bourbon and brown sugar. This sophisticated Grilled Chicken Breast offers a harmonious blend of smoky, sweet, and tangy flavors, capturing the essence of Southern gourmet grilling.
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Grilled Chicken Thighs with Alabama White Sauce
Seasoned with simple pantry spices like paprika, oregano, cumin, and onion powder, this grilled chicken thigh recipe is as classic as they come. The tangy, creamy Alabama White Sauce adds a distinct and irresistible Southern flair, making these thighs a flavorful staple for any BBQ enthusiast.
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Deep South Barbecue Ribs
These tender, oven-roasted ribs are generously basted with our Melting Pot Barbecue Sauce—a sweet and tangy blend inspired by several regional Southern sauces. The result is fall-off-the-bone ribs that embody the rich, complex flavors of Deep South barbecue, a true feast for the senses.
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Fall-Off-The-Bone Tender Grilled Ribs
Your ribs will be lip-smacking, finger-licking good every time when you follow this foolproof method for achieving fall-off-the-bone tenderness on the grill! This recipe promises perfectly cooked, juicy ribs that are a cornerstone of any truly great Southern barbecue.
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The Best Baby Back Ribs
Experience delicious, perfect-every-time baby back ribs grilled to absolute perfection. This recipe focuses on delivering tender, juicy ribs with a flavorful crust, making it a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and a staple for any Southern grilling enthusiast.
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Dry Rub Ribs
Seasoned for ultimate flavor, the dry spice rub on these ribs truly stands out, creating a delicious crust and infusing the meat with profound taste. These Dry Rub Ribs offer a deeply savory alternative to saucier barbecue, celebrating the art of Southern spice blends.
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Sizzling Seafood & Sausage: Coastal & Cajun Grilling Adventures
Embrace the bounty of the South’s coasts and bayous with these incredible seafood and sausage recipes. From succulent grilled shrimp to authentic Cajun boudin, these dishes bring unique regional flavors and textures to your grill, perfect for a fresh and exciting outdoor meal.
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Garlic Grilled Shrimp
A simple soak in this tangy marinade transforms shrimp into perfect kabobs or a delicious filling for zesty shrimp tacos! These Garlic Grilled Shrimp are bursting with flavor, showcasing the versatility and mouthwatering appeal of fresh, grilled seafood for any Southern meal.
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Texas Roadhouse Grilled Shrimp (Copycat)
This copycat recipe for Texas Roadhouse Grilled Shrimp is deliciously simple and tastes just like the restaurant made it! Perfectly seasoned and grilled, these shrimp skewers bring the beloved flavors of a restaurant favorite right to your backyard, offering an authentic taste experience.
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Grilled Cobia
Juicy, fresh Grilled Cobia is simple to cook with few ingredients but delivers an unforgettable flavor. Grilling highlights its natural richness, resulting in a flaky, moist fillet that’s both healthy and incredibly satisfying, making it a stellar choice for a Southern seafood grill.
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Grilled Shrimp and Squash Skewers with Herbed Couscous
Simple seasoned shrimp are undoubtedly the star of this recipe, perfectly paired with tender squash skewers for a delightful protein and vegetable combo. Served with herbed couscous, this dish offers a fun, hand-held package of fresh, balanced flavors, ideal for light Southern grilling.
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Grilled Shrimp Creole
This succulent and spicy Grilled Shrimp Creole recipe is a vintage Southern favorite, capturing the vibrant, complex flavors of Louisiana cuisine. It infuses tender grilled shrimp with a delightful blend of spices, offering a comforting yet exciting dish that brings the soul of Creole cooking to your grill.
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New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp
These New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp are incredibly buttery, spicy, and utterly delicious. Fresh shrimp are baked in a rich sauce flavored with ample spice, garlic, lemon juice, and green onion. While traditionally oven-cooked, these flavors translate beautifully to a grill-friendly presentation, offering a true taste of Louisiana.
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Grilled Teriyaki Shrimp Skewers with Asian Slaw
Grilled Teriyaki Shrimp with Asian Slaw makes a flavorful, light meal that’s perfect for grilling season. This recipe offers a delightful blend of sweet, savory, and tangy notes, providing a refreshing and healthy option for your outdoor cooking repertoire with an exotic Southern twist.
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Homemade Boudin Sausage
Definitely a must for any Southern BBQ, Homemade Boudin Sausage is a Cajun favorite. When made at home, you can ensure it tastes exactly your favorite way every time! Grilling these flavorful links adds an irresistible smoky char, elevating this traditional delicacy.
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Vibrant Sides & Sweet Endings: Grilled Vegetables and Desserts
The grill isn’t just for proteins! Discover how to transform everyday vegetables into smoky, tender sides and create surprisingly delicious desserts, all kissed by the flames. These recipes add balance and sweetness to your Southern grilling spread.
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Incredible Marinated BBQ Grilled Vegetables
These most amazing grilled vegetables are charred on the BBQ or roasted in the oven, then marinated in a lovely lemony herb garlic dressing. This technique infuses them with incredible flavor, making them a delicious and healthy complement to any Southern grilled meal.
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Easy Vegetable Foil Packets
Once you try this recipe for Vegetable Foil Packets, you’ll be making them all summer long! The shortcut of salad dressing packs all the flavor into this easy side dish, offering a convenient and delicious way to enjoy grilled vegetables with minimal cleanup.
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Grilled Corn on the Cob with Garlic Herb Butter
These ears of fresh corn are cooked until beautifully charred and caramelized, then brushed with fragrant garlic and herb butter. Grilled Corn on the Cob is a quintessential summer side, delivering sweet and smoky flavors that perfectly complement any Southern grilling spread.
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Easy Grilled Eggplant
When the weather is warm, set aside eggplant parmesan and opt for the barbecue instead of the oven! This Easy Grilled Eggplant recipe offers tender, smoky slices that make a fantastic, light, and healthy side dish, perfect for enjoying all summer long.
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Grilled Mango
This Grilled Mango recipe offers a wonderful sweet and spicy dish that is surprisingly delicious, especially served alongside seafood. Grilling brings out the fruit’s natural sugars, creating a caramelized exterior and a tender, juicy interior that’s an unexpected Southern delight.
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Easy Rum-Soaked Grilled Pineapple
Top this heavenly grilled goodness with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream! Reduce the rum, cinnamon, and brown sugar marinade into a caramelized sauce, and drizzle it on top for an unforgettable dessert. This Easy Rum-Soaked Grilled Pineapple is a sweet, boozy, and smoky treat.
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Brown Sugar Grilled Peaches
Peaches are brushed with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then grilled until tender and topped with vanilla ice cream before serving! These Brown Sugar Grilled Peaches are incredibly juicy and caramelized, offering a warm, sweet, and comforting dessert that’s a true taste of Southern summer.
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Grilled Dessert Nachos
Flour tortillas are fried, coated with cinnamon and sugar, then generously covered with four kinds of chocolate and luscious caramel. These Grilled Dessert Nachos offer a fun, indulgent, and unexpected treat, perfect for a sweet ending to any Southern barbecue, adding a smoky twist to a classic dessert.
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Brazilian Grilled Pineapple
Juicy, sweet, and full of caramelized flavor, this Brazilian Grilled Pineapple is the perfect addition to any meal. Grilling enhances its natural sweetness, creating a delightful char that makes it irresistible from the first bite. A refreshing and unique grilled treat, it’s a simple yet impressive Southern dessert.
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The Art and Soul of Southern Grilling
Southern grilling is far more than just a method of cooking; it’s a vibrant cultural tradition deeply woven into the fabric of community and family life. It’s about the joyous gatherings, the shared laughter, and the distinct, mouthwatering aromas that fill the air on a warm summer evening. From festive holiday cookouts to casual backyard barbecues, the grill serves as the heart of outdoor entertaining across the Southern states.
What truly sets Southern grilling apart is its rich tapestry of regional flavors and unique techniques. You’ll encounter everything from the smoky, robust characteristics of Texas BBQ and the spicy, complex notes of Louisiana Creole and Cajun cuisine, to the sweet, tangy, and vinegar-based sauces of the Carolinas. Each area boasts its own time-honored blends of rubs, marinades, and basting secrets, passed down through generations, ensuring every dish carries a distinct sense of place and heritage. The unwavering focus is always on achieving tender, juicy meats, enhancing the natural freshness of produce, and extending a generous spirit of hospitality to all who gather.
Mastering the Southern Grill: Essential Tips for Success
- Start with Quality Ingredients: The foundation of any great Southern dish lies in fresh, high-quality ingredients. Invest in good cuts of meat and vibrant, in-season produce for unparalleled flavor.
- Embrace Marinades and Dry Rubs: These are the soul of Southern flavor. Marinades tenderize and infuse meats with moisture and taste, while dry rubs create a delicious crust and a complex flavor profile. Allow ample time for marinating – often several hours or overnight for the best results.
- Master Temperature Control: Southern grilling often involves a delicate balance. Practice achieving high-heat searing for that perfect crust and direct grilling, alongside low-and-slow indirect cooking for dishes like ribs or larger cuts, ensuring fall-off-the-bone tenderness.
- Infuse with Smoke: If your grill allows, integrate wood chips (hickory, pecan, oak, or fruitwoods like apple and cherry) to impart a classic smoky flavor. This is a defining characteristic of authentic Southern BBQ.
- Consistent Basting and Glazing: During the final stages of cooking, regular basting with sauces and glazes adds crucial moisture, builds layers of flavor, and develops that irresistible caramelized finish.
- Always Rest Your Meat: Patience is a virtue here. After grilling, allow your meats to rest for 5-15 minutes (depending on size). This crucial step permits the juices to redistribute, guaranteeing a more tender and flavorful result.
- Don’t Forget the Sides: A true Southern meal is incomplete without its beloved accompaniments. Complement your main dishes with grilled corn, vegetable foil packets, fresh salads, or even grilled fruits and desserts for a complete culinary experience.
This collection represents just a taste of the vast and delicious world of Southern grilling. Each recipe is a celebration of flavor, tradition, and the simple joy of cooking and sharing good food outdoors. So gather your loved ones, fire up the grill, and create unforgettable memories with these sensational Southern recipes!