There is no better way to spend the Fourth of July than around the grill, cooking delicious food and creating memories with friends and family. To help make your celebration even more memorable, we've curated three simple and crowd-pleasing recipes that are perfect for any backyard gathering. With these recipes, you can impress your guests with minimal effort and keep them coming back year after year.
These recipes are intended to be prepared over an open-fire Grilling System to introduce a smokey flavor; however, any charcoal grill will work perfectly.
Grilled Shrimp Salad Rolls
Seafood is a refreshing addition to any Independence Day menu. This grilled shrimp recipe allows your guests to enjoy the handheld convenience of a hot dog while elevating their culinary experience.
Your health-conscious guests will love the variety that this dish introduces amongst the traditional greasy Independence Day meals. Shrimp absorb the smokiness of the wood very well, even though they cook quickly. We assure you this dish is packed full of flavor.
Pro Tips:
- Keep your shrimp tender by only cooking them for 2-3 minutes per side. They are done when the meat turns white.
- Drizzling oil on your shrimp before cooking will keep them from sticking to the grill surface. You can also lightly coat your grill grate with oil.
- If you use wood or bamboo skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before putting them on the grill so they will not catch fire.
- Our preferred method is to leverage the Skewer & Stand Set because it keeps the shrimp from sticking to the grill or falling into the fire.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound large shrimp
- ¼ cup (about 1 stalk) celery, finely chopped
- ¾ cups mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Hostess Provisions Pickled Shrimp Seasoning
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 8 brioche hot dog buns
- Green leaf lettuce (optional)
- Tomato slices (optional)
Directions:
- Prepare an even bed of coals in your outdoor fire pit by letting the wood burn down for about one hour or charcoal burn for 30-45 minutes.
- Peel and devein the shrimp, removing the tails.
- Season with salt and pepper, and coat with a drizzle of oil.
- Skewer the shrimp and place in the fridge until ready to grill.
- Grill shrimp for about 2 minutes per side, then set aside to cool.
- Mix cooled grilled shrimp, celery, mayo, and Pickled Shrimp Seasoning in a bowl.
- Squeeze in lemon juice and continue to mix until the shrimp are coated in mayo. Enjoy it immediately, or let the flavors marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
- Serve on toasted brioche buns with lettuce, tomato, and a pinch of Pickled Shrimp Seasoning.
Grilled Fruit Sangria
Grilled fruit sangria takes the classic Spanish wine punch to the next level by infusing savory, smokey flavors with the sweetness of fruits traditionally found in this delicious blend. As a bonus, the char marks on the fruit make it look as enticing as it tastes!
Everyone believes their sangria is the best, but once your guests have tasted this version, there will be no question that your recipe reigns supreme.
Pro Tips:
- There is a fine line between charring fruit, which brings out deep flavors, and burning fruit which will produce a bitter taste, so stay nearby and grill your fruit quickly.
- Fruit is relatively fragile, so prepare large chunks, slices, wedges, and wheels to maintain the fruit’s structure while grilling. The bigger the slice, the better. You've cut it too small if you can’t pick it up with your Grill Tools.
- If you want to mix up the flavor profile, peaches, cantaloupe, watermelon, mango, pineapple, and strawberries are delicious on the grill, too.
Ingredients:
- 1 bottle of your favorite rosé
- 1 bottle of dry white wine (sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, etc.)
- 2 green apples, sliced in wedges
- Fresh mint to taste
- 2-3 lemons, limes, and oranges sliced into wheels
- Berries and rosemary for garnish
Directions:
- Prepare your outdoor grill by arranging an even layer of coals and positioning your grate for medium heat. You can achieve the right temperature by burning your charcoal for about 45 minutes or burning your wood for about an hour.
- Place your prepared fruit on the grill and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side.
- Mix rosé and dry white wine in a pitcher with fresh mint.
- Pour the wine mixture over glasses of ice and grilled fruit slices.
- Garnish with berries and a sprig of rosemary.
Bacon Cheddar Smash Burger
No Independence Day menu is complete without a burger. We’re always open to trying new things cooked over an open flame, but we’re also big fans of tradition, and this recipe tackles both!
Chef Michael Symon’s Ultimate Bacon Cheddar Smash Burger is the perfect burger to add to your July 4th menu, combining two delicious types of meat and leveling up your basic burger. It may have straightforward ingredients, but its preparation technique will captivate even the most experienced food enthusiasts. This burger will have your family and guest begging for seconds.
Pro Tips:
- Beware of flare-ups caused by rendered fat from your patties dripping into your coals. These will scorch your burger and give it a burnt flavor. Watch the burgers while grilling and have a spatula ready to move the patties out of harm’s way. If you have a Heat Dome or a grill lid, keep it on as long as possible, as it will reduce the height of the flames while keeping your heat consistent on all sides of the meat.
- Flipping your burgers more than once per side while cooking will lead to unevenness and dry burgers.
- We prefer our patties to have an internal temperature between 140° and 150° Fahrenheit (medium). Use an instant-read probe thermometer to ensure the safety of your guests.
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 4 tablespoons hot or Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ pounds 80/20 lean ground beef
- 8 strips of bacon, diced
- 4 thick slices of cheddar cheese
- 4 potato rolls to serve
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- Pickle slices for serving
Directions:
- Prepare an even bed of coals in your outdoor fire pit by letting the wood burn down for about one hour or charcoal burn for 30-45 minutes.
- Set up your grill with a hot and cool side by only building the coals on one side. If using a gas grill, only turn on one side. Set a cast-iron pan over the hot side to heat up.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, and barbecue sauce. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Divide the ground beef into four patties. Fold each slice of cheese into quarters. Place 4 quarters of cheese onto the beef, covering the surface and pressing the cheese down into the meat.
- Layer about 2 slices’ worth of the chopped bacon, covering the surface of each burger. Mold and shape the layered burger, keeping it all together, then flip so the meat side is up.
- Spray the inside of a 1-cup measuring cup with cooking spray. Add in the meat, followed by the cheese and bacon, pressing it down before unmolding. Repeat until you have 4 burgers. Season the burger with salt and pepper, then place the burger's bacon side down into the hot pan. Immediately smash down and place a press on top. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the bacon is crispy. Spread the burger's top with some mayo sauce before flipping. This will give you a crisp golden crust. Continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes, until desired doneness.
- Spread the top and bottom of the bun with the sauce. Add some thinly sliced red onion and pickles to the bottom half of the bun, on top of the sauce. Add a burger and place the top bun on. Serve.
As you gear up for the biggest backyard party of the year, we hope these three simple recipes bring your friends and family together to celebrate the amazing country we get to call home. You can find us gathered around the fire, grilling great food like this and forging memories this Fourth of July. We hope you have a safe, enjoyable, and delicious Independence Day celebration this year!