Grilling Recipes for Memorial Day Weekend

It’s Memorial Day weekend, which means it’s time to do one thing—fire up those grills!

But this year, don’t grill the same meats and veggies your barbecue guests have come to expect. Give your menu a flavorful twist by getting essentials at the and by using Blue Star Spice Traders' and tried and true recipes.

As for the essentials, there’s grass-fed and free-range meat from , family favorite from Savory Solutions and planks or chips from to give your meat a smoky flavor.

Blue Star Spice Traders has also come out with a line of wood planks, but keeping in line with their motto, “Making delicious easy,” they are pre-soaked and pre-marinaded.

“The problem with barbecue on a plank for most people is you get the plank, you have to find something big enough to put it in and soak it for two hours ahead of time,” said owner Michael Hunley. “It’s kind of a pain, so I took the pain out of it by vacuum sealing the planks inside a bag with marinades.”

“So just cut [the bag] open, put it on the grill, put the food on top, pour the rest of sauce on top and you’re good to go,” he said.

Hunley makes these planks in five different flavors: plain, so you can use your own favorite marinade, French Wine Barrel made with Cabernet and his French Country Goodness spice blend, Teriyaki, Smokin' Southwest that Hunley recommends using with fish tacos, and Cajun Blend that Hunley recommends using with pork loin and shellfish.

Using Hunley’s planks is one option to give your Memorial Day grilling deep, smoky flavors but you can't go wrong using his original, handmade spice blends in the recipes below.

Inside Out Bacon Cheeseburger:

• Prep time: 5 min., cook time: 15 min., ready time: 20 min.
• Makes 2-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound extra lean ground beef (or turkey, chicken, lamb, or other meat)
• 8 slices bacon (pre-cooked)
• 1/3 pound sharp cheddar (or cheese of choice)
• 2-3 Tablespoons Ranch Rub
• 2-3 Tablespoons ketchup

Directions:

In a large bowl, “ice” the meat with ketchup.  Add Ranch Rub. Chop bacon into bits. Chop cheddar into small (1/4-inch cubed) bits. Mix into meat. roll into 2-8 evenly sized balls. Pat each ball flat. Ideally, refrigerate for 30 minutes before cooking. Grill on medium flame until cooked through, but tender (about 5 minutes per side).

Buffalo Blue Cheese Burger:

• Prep time: 5 min., cook time: 10 min., ready time: 15 min
• Makes 2-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef (or turkey, lamb, pork or other meat)
• 2 Tablespoons Ranch Rub
• 4-6 ounces crumbled blue cheese
• 1-2 Tablespoons ketchup or dijon mustard

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Make 2-8 meatballs depending on how big you want your burgers. Flatten into patties. They will shrink their width and get thicker on the grill, so make them a little wider and thinner than you want the final burger. Grill 5 minutes per side on medium-high heat and enjoy!

Tip: Adjust your grill temperature for how done you want your burger versus how charred. I like my burgers really charred outside, but medium inside. I use a medium-high heat and close my grill lid. If you want less char and/or more well done, use a lower heat and adjust your cooking time.

Lamb Sliders:

• Prep time: 10 min., cook time: 15 min., ready time: 25 min
• Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1.25 pounds ground lamb (or meat of choice)
• 2-3 Tablespoons ketchup (or dijon mustard)
• 2-3 Tablespoons French Country Goodness
• 2-3 Tablespoons crumbled gorgonzola (or crumbled cheese of choice)

Directions:

Always use a high quality ground meat and try to use as lean a cut as possible.  Place ground lamb in a large mixing bowl.  Squirt an “icing” of ketchup (or dijon mustard) over the top (about 3 Tablespoons for 8 servings).  Sprinkle French Country Goodness evenly across entire mixture (about 2 Tablespoons).  Add 2 Tablespoons crumbled gorgonzola or other crumbled cheese.  Use the smaller chunks or break the larger ones up by hand.  Mix all together using your hands, kneading until well mixed.  Form 8 equal-sized meatballs.  Flatten into patties about 2 1/2 inches wide and 3/4 inches thick.  Grill on medium-high until done, flipping halfway through (about 15 minutes total time).  Serve on small buns or pita with tomato, onion, lettuce and fresh tzatziki sauce or whatever toppings you like. 

Southwest Shrimp:

Start with 1 pound of shrimp. Remove all shells then rinse and clean shrimp as needed. Squeeze two limes into a bowl large enough for all shrimp. Mix in 2 Tablespoons Smokin' Southwest or Ranch Rub. Add shrimp and coat. Grill on high heat 1-2 minutes per side until browned and cooked, but tender. Don’t overcook. These make great tacos, but can also be mixed into pasta with vegetables or used on top of salads.