Incredible BBQ Recipes That Only Take 30 Minutes to Make

With an endless onslaught of fun/idiotic activities begging for your attention during a cookout, it can be hard to put down the Super Soaker long enough to cook. Sure, that grill might be beckoning, but do you know how to make the magic happen once you’ve armed yourself with some tasty ingredients?

In the spirit of making your summer as stress-free as possible, we’ve rounded up a roster of our favorite BBQ recipes that you can pull off in 30 minutes or less. That means you can cook an impressive spread and still be back to dominating cornhole in no time.

Grilling salad is a total game changer on its own, but this mutant version of a wedge salad packs an entire dinner Caesar into a stalk of romaine. It’s a remarkably straightforward show-stopper that gets even better if you go extra and make your own dressing, which is super easy, though not as easy as buying a bottle with Paul Newman’s handsome mug on it. Nobody will care if you do that. You just grilled a salad, after all. Get there recipe right here.

It’s like the bloomin’ onion, but more healthy and without the sudden urge to speak in an outdated and stereotypical Australian accent. Plus, it goes great with shrimp. On the barbie!!!!!! Sigh. We tried. Get the recipe here.

 

When the smoky allure of chipotle mixes with bright flavors like lime and orange and wash over some shrimp skewers, the skies part and the angels in heaven sing a song so beautiful God himself weeps. OK, maybe that's a bit much, but hey, at least you're minimizing dishes with by busting out the skewers. Get the festivities going with the recipe here.

Vegetables are at their tastiest when grilled, and this salad is a prime example. Add feta cheese for a salty punch and you’ll find yourself with a dish that’ll make you forget veggies are technically good for you. Access all that deliciousness with the recipe here.

You don’t need a long, tender lovin’ session to get flank steak going: the cut is nice and thin, so it cooks pretty quickly. This recipe only uses a handful of ingredients -- red onion, cilantro, lime and chile -- yet somehow manages to deliver a wallop of flavor. Click here for the goods.  

Butter is the key to taking one of Neptune's greatest gifts to man, the humble lobster, to incredible new heights. So how you make it better? Same way you make everything better: with beer. Get the recipe here.

The old adage that you don't make friends with salad is rendered completely false when the salad's panzanella, the Italian bread salad forged, it seems, in dreams. Throw an eye-popping whole fish on top, though, and it somehow gets even better. Get at the goodness with the recipe here.

Grilled cheese is one of our favorite foods, but this isn't that kind of grilled cheese... those little sandwiches are a pain to grill over charcoal. Halloumi, though, is a cheese you can grill on its own, without the threat of it glooping through your grill grates. And adding hummus to the pleasantly springy texture of the halloumi just elevates the whole thing beyond anything a Kraft single could achieve. Get grilling with the whole recipe here. Proceed with caution here.

 

Pineapple sauce is the homie that lifts the chicken up, adding everything from sweetness to tanginess to usually blasé wings. Find the recipe here.

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Janelle Lassalle is a content creator, brand strategist, and writer based in Portland, Oregon who specializes in food and travel. You can check out her work here or follow her adventures on Twitter @jenkhari