Dinners for Beginners: 4 Simple, Delicious Grilled Dinners

Put another way, we put so much effort and testing into our recipes that we want you to follow them exactly, verbatim . . . until such a time that you don’t need to and can improvise and adapt them to suit your personal needs and tastes. 

If you don’t have much experience grilling, cooking over a fire—gas, charcoal, or wood—can be intimidating. That trepidation is just good common sense kicking in, as fire and hot metal grills can be dangerous if you’re not careful. Plus, grills and firepits take some experience to be able to control the heat precisely.  

But, like many things in life, once you try grilling, you realize that although it can take years of practice to master, it’s actually pretty easy to do on a basic level. You may not be ready to make competition-worthy brisket right away, but you will certainly be able to put a tasty dinner on the table. 

And that tasty dinner will have been cooked outside, which brings a whole other set of rewards and pleasures. Here are four grilling recipes to get you started. 

First of all, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are a great cut for the grill—they are dark meat, which means they are flavorful and harder to overcook; they typically remain juicy even if you take them a little further than intended. 

In this recipe, you briefly marinate the thighs in a mixture of oil, Tajín Clásico Seasoning, honey, and salt. Then you grill them over a hot fire, flipping a few times, until they are nicely browned and the meat registers 175 on an instant-read thermometer. (And yes, even expert grillers use thermometers to eliminate the guesswork with doneness.) 

A repeat of the marinade ingredients, plus lime juice and zest, makes the dressing for the flavorful, colorful slaw, which you make with bagged coleslaw mix for ease, plus a sliced onion, red bell pepper, and a mango. 

The secret to this fan-favorite recipe is the basil “marinade.” That word is in quotes because you don’t soak the steak in it before grilling, you apply it as a sauce after cooking and slicing. So we call it a dressing. 

To make that basil dressing, simply stir together olive oil, chopped basil, a shallot, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. That’s it. 

The grilling is easy, but it does employ a little finesse and requires a two-level fire (easy to do on gas or charcoal). Since flank steak has a thick end and a thin end, after searing, you position the thin end over a slightly cooler part of the grill so that the whole thing cooks evenly. And you flip the steak frequently to further ensure even cooking throughout. 

When the steak is done (again, an instant-read thermometer is your best friend here), you tent it with foil to rest for 10 minutes (the foil helps keep it warm), slice it thin against the grain (to minimize chewiness), and douse it with the flavorful dressing. Easy and so, so delicious. 

Spoiler alert: This is a delicious recipe that calls for just four ingredients—and two of them are salt and pepper.

It sounds impossible, I know, but it’s true. All you do here is poke 2 pounds of chicken wings all over with a fork and submerge them in a brine of salt and water for 30 minutes. Then you pull the wings from their salty bath, pat dry with paper towels, and toss with a mixture of cornstarch and black pepper. 

You grill the wings over medium heat for about 25 minutes, with a flip halfway through. That’s it. 

These crispy, salty, savory wings are delicious as-is, but you can certainly toss them with your favorite homemade or bottled barbecue sauce, buffalo sauce, or even a vinaigrette if you like. Ranch dressing on the side works, too, or you can level things up and stir together this tasty Buffalo–Blue Cheese Buttermilk Dressing for dipping. 

Warning: Do not attempt this recipe if you’re afraid of flavor. 

But if you happen to love big flavors, you’ve found the right burger recipe. This one has a Southwestern vibe, as it calls for a combination of ground pork and fresh chorizo sausage instead of ground beef and is adorned with green chiles and green salsa. 

You shape the patties and place them on the grill over a hot fire. When the first side is nicely seared, you flip the burgers and spoon a mix of canned green chiles, salsa verde, and chopped onion over each one, and then sprinkle on grated Monterey Jack cheese to melt as the second side browns and the patties cook through. 

All that’s left to do is toast some buns, slather them with mayo, and top with the burgers and some lettuce for freshness. These burgers are guaranteed to be a hit.