When the usual steakhouse order starts sounding predictable, the grill can cover far more ground than one plate of steak. These 21 BBQ picks move from tomahawk and hanger steaks to pork, chicken, lamb, burgers, wings, and skewers, with smoke, marinades, and bold sauces doing the heavy lifting. Some cook in well under half an hour, while others reward extra marinating or smoking time. Together, they give a backyard menu enough range to make ordering out look a lot less necessary.
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Using a hot side for searing and a cool side for finishing, Grilled Pork Tenderloin serves four in 30 minutes without keeping the meat over direct heat the whole time. Smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar, and thyme season the pork, with BBQ sauce optional near the end. Slice it into thick medallions after resting for a backyard main that brings the kind of browned crust and juicy center people usually expect from a steakhouse.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Grilled Beef Finger Meat
With only beef and Montreal steak seasoning doing most of the work, Grilled Beef Finger Meat puts two pounds of richly marbled meat on the table in 20 minutes. The recipe serves four and cooks the trimmed strips quickly over the grill, letting the beef carry the meal without a long ingredient list. This is a strong pick when the steakhouse craving is really about deep beef flavor, charred edges, and meat that does not need a complicated sauce.
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Grilled Teriyaki Mango Skewers
Sweet fruit and smoky vegetables give Grilled Teriyaki Mango Skewers a different job in this BBQ lineup, adding a four-serving side in 40 minutes. Honey mangoes share the skewers with red onion, zucchini, and red and orange bell peppers, while soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and maple syrup build the teriyaki glaze. Set these beside the heavier meats when the grill menu needs color, acidity, and something that keeps the plate from turning into steak plus more steak.
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Grilled Tomahawk Steak
For the plate that most directly challenges a steakhouse order, Grilled Tomahawk Steak turns a roughly 1.5-pound steak into two servings in 25 minutes. Montreal steak seasoning handles the seasoning, while the grill adds smoke and a hard sear before the steak finishes at lower heat. The oversized cut already brings restaurant-level presence to the table, so this is the one to choose when dinner needs a centerpiece rather than another small grilled option.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Tomahawk Steak
Grilled Mango-Chipotle Chicken Wings
Sticky fruit glaze meets smoky heat in Grilled Mango-Chipotle Chicken Wings, a six-serving batch that takes 40 minutes from prep through grilling. Chicken wings get a rub with brown sugar, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, mustard powder, salt, and pepper before a mango-based glaze goes on. They bring a sweet-spicy break from the heavier beef dishes and work especially well at a cookout where people want something they can grab before the main steaks come off the grill.
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Grilled Pork Souvlaki
Bright lemon and oregano keep Grilled Pork Souvlaki from leaning too heavy, even with tender pork at the center of each skewer. The recipe serves six in 25 minutes, using pork tenderloin, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano before the meat hits the grill. Tzatziki mixed with shallot, dill, capers, and honey goes alongside. It is a useful pick when you want grilled meat with enough freshness to stand apart from the richer steakhouse-style options.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Pork Souvlaki
Grilled Hanger Steaks with Chimichurri
After a two-hour marinade, Grilled Hanger Steaks with Chimichurri needs only about 10 minutes on the grill and serves four. Hanger steak gets olive oil, oregano, cumin, paprika, onion, and garlic before a generous spoonful of chimichurri finishes each portion. The long marinade makes this less spontaneous than some picks here, but the payoff is a bold steak dinner with herbs and acidity already built in, so there is little reason to reach for a bottled steak sauce.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Hanger Steaks with Chimichurri
Grilled Whole Chicken
Built around a two-zone fire, Grilled Whole Chicken cooks a 2.5- to 3.5-pound bird into six servings in about one hour. Smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt, and pepper season the skin, with BBQ sauce available for brushing at the end. This is the choice for a table that needs one substantial main rather than several individual steaks, while still delivering crisp skin, smoke, and the carved-at-the-table appeal of a restaurant roast.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Whole Chicken
Easy Grilled Beef Burgers
Backyard grilling stays straightforward with Easy Grilled Beef Burgers, which makes eight burgers in 27 minutes from ground beef, BBQ sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Buns, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles can turn the patties into full stacks. These are more casual than a steakhouse plate, but that is part of their appeal when the grill is feeding a group and everyone wants to build dinner exactly the way they like it.
Get the Recipe: Easy Grilled Beef Burgers
Grilled Bruschetta Chicken
Fresh tomato topping changes the whole direction of Grilled Bruschetta Chicken, which serves four with grilled chicken, mozzarella, basil, shallots, garlic, and tomatoes. The listed prep and cook time totals 25 minutes, though the chicken marinates for at least 4 to 6 hours beforehand in olive oil, red wine vinegar, and Italian seasoning. Plan ahead for this one, then use it when you want the grill marks of a steakhouse main with a brighter, fresher finish.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Bruschetta Chicken
Grilled Sausage & Peppers
Coiled sausage gives Grilled Sausage & Peppers plenty of grill contact while red onion and green, red, or orange bell peppers cook alongside it. The recipe serves two in 20 minutes, with Italian seasoning, bakery-fresh buns, and whole-grain mustard rounding out the plate. It is a fast option for nights when a full steak dinner sounds like too much effort, yet you still want smoky meat, softened peppers, and something substantial enough to count as dinner.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Sausage & Peppers
Grilled Ribs on a Charcoal Grill
Slow enough to pick up smoke but still manageable for a cookout, Grilled Ribs on a Charcoal Grill serves four in 1 hour 40 minutes. A rack of pork ribs gets olive oil, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, with BBQ sauce brushed on as an optional finish. This is a strong alternative to ordering a restaurant rack because the charcoal does the flavor work while the spice rub keeps the ingredient list uncomplicated.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Ribs on a Charcoal Grill
Grilled Dijon Rosemary Chicken Thighs
Tangy mustard glaze gives Grilled Dijon Rosemary Chicken Thighs a bolder profile than standard barbecue chicken, with four servings ready in 25 minutes. Boneless skinless thighs pair with grainy mustard, Dijon, lemon juice, honey, and fresh rosemary, and the glaze goes on late so the honey does not burn. The mix of direct and indirect heat keeps the chicken practical for backyard grilling while the mustard and herb finish gives it enough detail to stand beside a steak dinner.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Dijon Rosemary Chicken Thighs
Grilled Mediterranean Lamb Chops
Lamb brings a natural steakhouse feel to the grill, and Grilled Mediterranean Lamb Chops serves four in 25 minutes with plenty of herbs and acidity. Lamb loin chops marinate with olive oil, parsley, oregano, garlic, red wine vinegar, honey, and shallot, then a gremolata of olives, pine nuts, capers, parsley, olive oil, and lemon zest goes over the top. The result gives the menu a richer cut of meat without relying on the same beef-and-butter formula.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Mediterranean Lamb Chops
Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
Sticky BBQ sauce comes at the end of Grilled Chicken Drumsticks, a four-serving recipe that takes 50 minutes and starts with two pounds of chicken. Avocado oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt, and pepper season the drumsticks before grilling. They are an easy way to keep the cookout generous without buying premium steak for every plate, and the familiar smoky seasoning makes them a dependable option for guests who would choose chicken over beef anyway.
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Grilled Steak and Veggie Skewers
Alternating steak with zucchini ribbons and cherry tomatoes makes Grilled Steak and Veggie Skewers a six-serving meal with color already built into each skewer. The steak marinates with garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, sugar, and olive oil, bringing the total time to 2 hours 30 minutes even though grilling takes only a few minutes. These are useful when you want steak on the menu without committing everyone to a full steakhouse-size cut.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Steak and Veggie Skewers
Grilled Chicken Wings
A simple dry rub keeps Grilled Chicken Wings focused on smoke and crisp edges rather than a heavy sauce. The recipe serves six in 50 minutes, seasoning two pounds of wings with olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. They fit naturally into a BBQ spread where people want something handheld, and they also give the table a lighter commitment than ordering another full entrée when there are already steaks, ribs, and burgers around.
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Grilled Steaks with Cowboy Butter
Herb-loaded butter turns Grilled Steaks with Cowboy Butter into one of the closest matches to the steakhouse angle in this collection. The recipe serves four in 52 minutes, pairing steaks with butter, garlic, parsley, chives, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Spoon the butter over the grilled meat and the sauce melts into the crust, giving you the rich finishing touch people often pay extra for when they order steak out.
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Sweet & Spicy Grilled Harissa-Honey Chicken Skewers
Heat from harissa and sweetness from honey make Sweet & Spicy Grilled Harissa-Honey Chicken Skewers a four-serving option with only a short ingredient list. Boneless chicken thighs marinate with harissa, honey, lemon juice, and red onion, bringing total time to 50 minutes with 15 minutes of cooking. The skewers are bold enough to keep pace with steaks and lamb chops, but their sweet-spicy profile gives the BBQ spread a different lane when the menu starts leaning too heavily on beef.
Get the Recipe: Sweet & Spicy Grilled Harissa-Honey Chicken Skewers
Reverse Seared Smoked Steaks with Smoked Garlic Butter
Smoke builds in two layers with Reverse Seared Smoked Steaks with Smoked Garlic Butter, which serves four in 1 hour 5 minutes. New York strip steaks get Montreal steak seasoning before a reverse-sear finish, while smoked garlic, parsley, chipotle powder, and butter make the topping. This is the recipe to reach for when the whole point of staying home is getting more smoke and grill character than a standard restaurant steak usually brings to the plate.
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Grilled California Chicken Burger
Stacked with smoked ham, avocado, tomato, pepper jack, and chipotle spread, Grilled California Chicken Burger turns grilled chicken into a four-serving dinner in 35 minutes. Chicken breasts cook for the burgers while the toppings add creamy, smoky, fresh, and spicy layers in the same bite. It is not trying to imitate a steakhouse steak, which helps the lineup stay varied, and it gives anyone skipping beef a full grilled main rather than a smaller side dish.
Get the Recipe: Grilled California Chicken Burger