Fun Fall BBQ Ideas & Recipes
With a slight chill in the air, pumpkin spice flavoring in nearly everything, and lots of decorative gourds, all signs are pointing to the end of summer and the beginning of the fall season.
Regardless of the change in temperature, grilling in the fall means continued meat and vegetables with magnificent grill lines and that unique smoked flavor that’s only possible with an outdoor grill.
The fall season also gives you a chance to switch up your menu with BBQ recipes that have an Autumn-inspired twist. Another plus, the heat from the fire will feel nice and toasty amidst the colder months. This season, we’re fired up and ready to share the bounty of our pro grilling know-how with these Thanksgiving BBQ trends, unique BBQ recipes, and other tips.
What to Grill During the Fall
What better way to celebrate a bountiful fall harvest than with these unique BBQ recipes from top chefs and tastemakers.
Seasonal Veggies
Every year, fall vegetables are an essential ingredient in Thanksgiving BBQ trends, and there’s a good reason for it. Vegetables from the fall harvest are ideal for grilling thanks to their sturdy texture like carrots, potatoes, turnips, and many different varieties of squash.
Grilling expert and cookbook author Derrick Riches recommends grilled vegetable kabobs, a colorful, tasty side dish that your dinner guests will always fall for: the easiness factor makes your grilling duties a breeze, and the bright colors of different types of squash and zucchini are a wonderful way to show off a bountiful fall harvest.
How to Grill Seasonal Veggies
- Riches starts with a herb marinade made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. He likes to use his favorite herbs like fresh basil and parsley, plus garlic and salt and pepper to activate all the flavors of the veggies.
- Mix the chopped veggies in the marinade and place them in a sealed plastic bag. Make sure to set aside extra marinade for grilling. Let the veggies sit for one to three hours.
- Assort your veggies on skewers. Place the vegetable kebabs on the grill and close the cover as they cook. Grill for a total of 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the skewers so they cook evenly and brushing with marinade every couple of minutes. Continue grilling until the vegetables are tender and brown.
Brisket
Besides tasting delicious, this grilling favorite is slow-cooked, so you don’t have to watch over it. The slow cooking factor makes it the perfect fall grilling option because if the weather is on the chillier side, you can retreat indoors to stay warm while going outside every once in a while to check on the brisket.
For a brisket with an extraordinarily robust flavor, grilling pro Paul Kirk from Food and Wine masters a Texas-style grilling classic with a combination of herbs and spices, plus 10 hours of smoking time.
How to Grill Brisket
- To create his rub, concoct a blend of sugar, smoked sweet paprika, garlic and onion salt, chili pepper, dried thyme, and pepper. Rub the herbs and spices onto the brisket and let sit for one hour.
- Place the brisket on a grill grate and cover, cooking it slow and low until the meat reaches 195 to 205° F, which should take 10 to 12 hours.
Grilled Bourbon Steaks
According to top chefs from America’s Test Kitchen, whiskey and steak are a natural pairing, making bourbon a surprising — yet essential — ingredient for a steak marinade. Its sweet and spicy notes of caramel, butterscotch, and nutmeg also perfectly embody the spirit of the Autumn season.
How to Grill Bourbon Steaks
- Choose a ribeye steak — the thickness of the cut makes it the perfect size for a strong but subtle marinade.
- Create a simple marinade that includes bourbon, chopped shallots, and minced garlic. This blend is pungent yet not overbearing, bringing out all the natural flavors of the beef.
- Place the marinade in a ziplock bag, toss in the ribeyes, and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to 24.
- Place the steaks on a rimmed baking sheet and brush both sides with vegetable oil, then season with salt and pepper.
- Fire up your gas grill, allowing it to reach high heat. Grill for six to eight minutes on each side; the temperature of the thickest part of the steaks should be 125 degrees F for medium-rare.
- Place the steaks on a cooling tray so they aren’t sitting in their own juices. This ensures that the delicious caramelized crust stays nice and crispy. Slice against the grain and enjoy the caramel notes and distinctively smoky flavor.
Best Grills for Fall Grilling
When it comes to choosing the best grill for fall barbecuing, charcoal grills, wood pellet grills, and gas grills each have different benefits, depending on what you have lined up for your BBQ menu.
Gas Grills
The key benefit of a gas grill is the convenience. All it takes is a simple flip of a switch and you’re ready for grilling within 15 minutes. Compared to other types of grills, the cleanup is also the easiest.
If you’re cooking for a big group, the line of Blaze gas grills have everything you need for grilling large amounts of food, including a spacious amount of surface area for grilling. With even heat distribution and retention, it’s also fairly easy to operate, allowing you to consistently grill to perfection with minimal effort.
Wood Pellet Grills
A wood pellet grill is a wonderful option for grilling in the fall, especially since it instills a gorgeously woodsy flavor into your favorite meat and veggies. The line of Memphis Wood Pellet Grills is also easy to use, thanks to handy features like an intelligent temperature control with integrated Wi-Fi, a dual convection fan for efficient pellet burn and even heat distribution, and a large pellet hopper capacity of 24 lb, which allows you to leave food unattended on the grill for up to 36 hours.
Charcoal Grills
The main benefit of charcoal grills is that they allow you to use the slow and low method, a tried-and-true grilling technique for cooking more complex meat such as brisket or smokey barbecue chicken. They also come in a range of options varying in grill size and structure, from freestanding to built-in and ceramic kamado. With different choices available, you can customize your charcoal grill to work for your specific backyard setup. The smoke from the charcoal also gives you that unique smoky flavor that you can’t get from gas grills.
Although the summertime might seem like the ideal time to barbecue with your nearest and dearest, don’t put the grill away just yet. Fall is one of the best times for barbecuing. Now that you’re familiar with expert tips on smoking meats and different types of grills, you and your loved ones will be ready to fall for an Autumn-inspired gathering.
Author Bio: When Surinder Multani tasted his first American-style barbeque in the 90s, he got so fired up about grilling that he turned his passion into a business by founding BBQ Outlets in 2005. Along with a line of top-rated gas grills, barbecue islands, and the Smoker, Surinder expanded his collection to include patio furniture, fireplaces, and an expert design team.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
