Memorial Day BBQ: Our Best Recipes For Summer's First Big Cookout

It's time to clean that grill, set up the outdoor furniture in your backyard, and fill the fridge with bottles of rosé: Memorial Day weekend is almost here. Celebrate the unofficial start of summer, and the endless weekends of tasty cookouts this season brings with it, with these tasty, crowd-pleasing outdoor party recipes.

This pretty, sparkling cocktail is the perfect chilled drink to sip on while you kick off the Memorial Day festivities. Its bright color, sweet taste, and fairly low alcohol content make it ideal for a sunny day of grilling, eating, and relaxing.

For the Aperol Spritz recipe, click here.

Making tender, smoky barbecued ribs doesn't have to take 12 hours. Our go-to recipe works for both spare ribs and baby back ribs. The three simple steps — season, bake, and grill — result in melting ribs, which should be doused in the most addictive barbecue sauce.

For the Best-Ever Barbecued Ribs recipe, click here.

End Memorial Day on a sweet note. This ice cream transforms an ever-popular, classic American dessert into a creamy, frozen treat, which is best eaten out of a waffle cone on a hot summer's day.

For the Blueberry Pie Ice Cream recipe, click here.

You couldn't host a Memorial Day cookout and not serve pie after the grilling is done. This classic pie recipe has a rich, buttery pastry, which is filled with oozing, tart, juicy cherries. Serve with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

For the Best Cherry Pie recipe, click here.

This colorful chopped salad will please both salad-lovers and salad-haters. Serve alongside your barbecued meats, burgers, and freshly baked cornbread, to add some crunchy freshness to your day of grilling.

For the Ultimate Cobb Salad recipe, click here.

Your grill shouldn't only be used for corn, ribs, chicken, and hot dogs. Grilled bananas are one of summer's greatest pleasures. Cook them in brown sugar and vanilla so they caramelize gently, and serve with plenty of vanilla ice cream and maybe even chocolate sauce for an extra indulgence.

For the Grilled Bananas Foster recipe, click here.

There's definitely no grilled chicken recipe packed with more flavor than this one. It may sound complex, but it's actually very simple. Just make sure you're generous with the mouth-watering, sweet and spicy sriracha glaze.

For the Grilled Beer and Buttermilk Chicken With Sriracha Glaze recipe, click here.

These Buffalo wings are perfect for all the spice-lovers at your cookout: Marinated in hot sauce, and tossed in more hot sauce once grilled, these will get your taste buds burning. Make sure you serve them with plenty of ranch or blue cheese dressing to cool your mouth down.

For the Grilled Buffalo Wings recipe, click here.

Grilled clams are such a refined, yet incredibly simple summer meal. Cover the clams on the barbecue until they've all opened, before tossing them in a spicy, herb butter, for a rich, satisfying seafood dish.

For the Grilled Clams With Charred Jalapeño Basil Butter recipe, click here.

These vegetable kabobs will be equally popular with carnivores and vegetarians. The creamy, herby, green dressing elevates these kabobs to being more than a vegetarian side. You'll be pouring this dressing on everything at your cookout, so be sure to double the recipe.

For the Grilled Veggie Kabobs With Green Goddess Dressing recipe, click here.

No cookout would be complete without plenty of chips and dips to nibble on while the main features of the day are sizzling away on the grill. This guacamole recipe is the only one you'll ever need for a perfect bowlful of chunky, zingy smashed avocados.

For the Ultimate Guacamole recipe, click here.

Crunchy kale leaves are doused in a rich, creamy dressing to make this classic, and ever-popular, kale Caesar. This well-loved salad is the ideal semi-healthy accompaniment to all that rich meat.

For the Kale Caesar recipe, click here.

Celebrate the first long summer weekend with the dish that really signifies that the sun is here to stay: a classic lobster roll. Prepare the lobster salad the night before, toast the butter-coated buns on the grill, and serve with an extra squeeze of lemon.

For the Lobster Roll recipe, click here.

This sweet and sticky maple syrup-soaked cornbread cuts through the intense, smoky flavors of that barbecued meat. All of your guests will be begging for the recipe for this amazing fluffy cornbread as soon as they've had a bite.

For the Maple Syrup Cornbread recipe, click here.

Spice up your standard grilled corn on the cob by adding some Mexican flair to the sweet kernels. Brush it with a smoky chipotle spread, and finish it with crumbled queso fresco, a sprinkling of cayenne pepper, and a spritz of lime juice.

For the Mexican-Style Grilled Corn recipe, click here.

Take a radical step away from the standard hot dog at your cookout, and show off your culinary creativity with this Reuben dog. A char-grilled all-beef hot dog is topped with melted Swiss cheese, crunchy sauerkraut, and a tangy dressing.

For the Reuben Hot Dog recipe, click here.

A couple of pitchers of this refreshing rosemary lemonade will be popular at every summer party. The rosemary adds a slight herbal flavor, which makes this chilled drink sophisticated, but still kid-friendly.

For the Rosemary Lemonade recipe, click here.

The hearty flavors in this smoky eggplant dip make this the perfect preparation for all the chargrilled meat and vegetables that will follow, as soon as the master-griller has cooked everything to perfection.

For the Smoky Eggplant Dip recipe, click here.

This summery strawberry lemonade is spiked with a generous splash of vodka for the lightest, thirst-quenching cocktail.

For the Spiked Pink Lemonade recipe, click here.

This crunchy and colorful slaw is what every summer cookout needs: healthy, citrusy, and really beautiful. Every summer dining table and every one of your guests' plates will be a much happier place with the inclusion of this simple slaw.

For the Tri-Color Slaw With Lime Dressing recipe, click here.

Not all burgers have to be beef: Turkey burgers can be equally delicious, we promise. These spiced and gently sweetened burgers are best when topped with a slick of mayonnaise and served in flaky, buttery biscuits.

For the Turkey Burger With Pomegranate Molasses recipe, click here.

Even if you're not vegan, you need to try this portobello and peach burger. The grilled mushroom brings a rich, deep flavor, while the peach adds a layer of spritely sweetness. With a layer of guacamole piled in there too, we promise you won't even notice the meat is missing.

For the Vegan Portobello and Peach Burger recipe, click here.

A potato salad is obviously a cookout essential. The boiled potatoes are tossed together with vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil to brighten up this classic side.

For the Yukon Gold Potato Salad recipe, click here.