Looking for some fun and easy Memorial Day Recipe Ideas for the Grill or Smoker? Below are some of our favorite recipes for this late Spring holiday! These are all tried and true family and crowd favorites.
Memorial Day is the unofficial kick-off to grilling and barbecue season, only to be matched with the 4th of July. It’s all about spending the long weekend honoring the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for service in the US military. These Memorial Day recipe ideas are great whether you are hosting a party or traveling to someone’s weekend celebration.
As owners of a catering company we like to portion out and plan how much food we need when hosting a holiday weekend for any size group. We added the following guidelines to consider when planning your meal.
Common Planning Tips
How much meat per person
In general we plan 1/2 pound of meat per person (pre-cook weight) when buying the proteins for any party. Typically it’s about grazing multiple dishes family style. You also have appetizers and sides. So this all adds up to just over 1 pound of food per person (or more). This accounts for trimming and cooking loss. We’ll have 2 or 3 protein options.
So if you plan to host 20 people, plan 10 pounds of meat and then buy variations. Maybe 4 pounds of chicken, and 6 pounds of pork shoulder for example.
How many appetizers?
We plan 2 appetizers for every 10 people who come. To make it easy you can add a charcuterie and cheese grazing plate as one of them. This is also a great option to delegate.
HOw many sides
If catering a big event we plan by weight and volume but for the backyard our general rule is 1/2 cup of sides per person. This generally means we’ll have 2 large portion sides for every 10 people. Between grazing on the apps, beverages, and other snacks, you honestly don’t need much.
Planning beverages
We will typically host with 1 house cocktail and non-alcoholic beverages. For wine we plan 1 bottle for every 4 people. More if you have wine-focused drinkers coming over. But you’ll know your crowd best.
Hosting Tip
Delegate your sides or your drinks. If you are hosting it’s totally appropriate to ask people to bring a contribution. But it’s equally important to be specific. Tell your guests to bring a specific dish or specific drinks so you can balance fun and hosting.
Memorial Day Cocktail Ideas
Every celebration should start with a great cocktail that is easy to make and tastes amazing. some of these can be mixed in advance and served right from the refrigerator making prep super easy.
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Watermelon Cocktail (with Sparkling Wine)
And easy and delicious Watermelon Cocktail made with fresh watermelon juice and sparkling wine. And it is the most refreshing summer cocktail you'll drink this summer.
Starting off any party is all about easy and quick. You can explore all of our appetizer recipes for the grill or smoker or start with some of our most popular, including our Baked Brie with Wine and Thyme, with over 2 million video views.
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Grilled Baked Brie with Wine and Thyme
Grilled brie wheel with white wine and thyme served with grilled crostini.
Grilled Baked Brie with a homemade blackberry jam is an excellent holiday party appetizer! Use fresh or frozen blackberries for one of the best appetizer recipes.
Grilled Mushroom Crostini with Honey and Aged Balsamic
The perfect mushroom appetizer. Slowly sauté mushrooms until browned and serve over a grilled crostini. Top with honey and aged balsamic. Delicious appetizer all year long.
Frenched chicken drumsticks that are grilled and then finished with a barbecue sauce, honey, and Sriracha glaze. Chicken Lollipops make for a perfect appetizer.
Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends are super tender, juicy bites full of smoky flavor. Smoke these for three hours, braise in a BBQ sauce mix, and then finish uncovered for the perfect meat candy.
Anytime we want to jazz up our Memorial Day recipe ideas we think of all the dips! They are easy to make in advance and keep warm in a crockpot or on the stove top. Reach for one (or two) of these dip recipe ideas when you want to change up your spread.
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Beer Cheese Dip with Bacon
A delicious and easy Beer Cheese Dip recipe with tangy cream cheese and sharp cheddar topped with crispy bacon. Dip pretzels and smoked sausage for the best flavor.
Grilled Crudités Platter with Tarragon Dipping Sauce
An incredible way to serve both raw and grilled vegetables as an appetizer with a savory and tangy tarragon dipping sauce. Serve a combination of semi-grilled and raw vegetables for the ultimate crudités platter.
Smoked white fish, cream cheese, sour cream, capers, seasoning, and some crunch make this one of the easiest and best smoked fish dip recipes on the web.
Goat Cheese Dip with Shiitake Mushrooms combines cream cheese and goat cheese with savory shiitake mushrooms and is baked and finished with spicy pickled peppers, tomatoes, and more mushrooms. Creamy, savory, and delicious!
A jazzed up Queso Bean Dip featuring ground sausage, green chilies, smoky chipotle pinto beans, and real shredded cheese. Smoky Chipotle Bean and Sausage Queso dip is a fantastic dip for summer cookouts, tailgating, or even camping.
Jalapeño Popper Dip is a great appetizer for the big game, or cheesy queso recipe to enjoy as comfort food. Included with bacon, not too spicy, with just the right amount of flavor to satisfy anyone.
A delicious appetizer recipe for a smoked salmon dip made with salmon cooked on a smoker, then mixed into a creamy indulgent dip. This is a great smoked salmon appetizer for any occasion. Includes wine pairings.
From pork to beef we have you covered on some of the most popular Rib Recipes for Memorial Day. And there is nothing more American than smoked ribs. Whether it’s classic baby backs, spares, or the St. Louis cut.
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Easy 3-2-1 Ribs Recipe
Recipe for competition style smoked pork ribs, and an explanation of the “3-2-1 Method” of smoking ribs.
Whether Baby Backs or St. Louis style cut, this Hot Honey Rib Recipe is going to be your new favorite way to smoke ribs. Slightly sweet, mildly spicy, sticky, and packed with flavor after a hot honey glaze.
Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Rosemary Bourbon BBQ Sauce
Blueberry Bourbon Smoked Ribs have incredible rich and savory flavors that will wow your guests next time you smoke ribs. This is a fun smoked rib recipe to try if you want to change up from traditional BBQ flavors.The recipe for Blueberry Bourbon BBQ sauce also goes great on chicken or pork also.
Smoked ribs made with a savory and sweet dry rub that has zero added sugar, as well as an incredible BBQ sauce that is naturally sweetened with caramelized onions. It’s Keto and Paleo friendly and absolutely delicious!
Sometimes you just want a low and slow meal during a long holiday weekend. And smoked pork shoulder and brisket are great to feed a crowd over Memorial Day. Here are some of our favorites, and don’t forget to learn about our top 15 tips to smoke perfect brisket. We also have a guide on where to buy brisket online if you can’t find it locally.
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Easy Brisket Rub Recipe
This brisket rub is savory and packed with great flavor. We avoid using sugar so you taste the beef flavor and avoid any bitterness. We use this on all of our brisket cooks.
Inspired by the traditional imu cooked pork, we are slowly smoking a pork shoulder, seasoned with Hawaiian Pink Salt, and wrapped in banana leaves, then slowly smoked until pull apart tender.
The easiest way to prepare pulled pork. Simply buy a pork shoulder, season it, and then smoke it until it's the right temperature and texture. Let it rest, then pull it and enjoy some delicious smoked pulled pork sandwiches.
Pulled Pork Sliders with Citrus Pineapple Slaw and Balsamic Soy Sauce
Sweet and savory Smoked Pulled Pork Sliders recipe is a take on Asian-meets-Hawaiian flavors with an Asain inspired dry rub and grilled pineapple coleslaw.
Grilled Hanger Steak with Red Wine Reduction Sauce
How to grill a hanger steak and finish it with a decadent red wine reduction sauce. Hanger steaks are affordable alternative to more expensive cuts of meat, but are full of incredible flavor.
This grilled pork steak recipe uses two-zone grilling and a hot fire to get a great sear and a perfectly tender interior. A fantastic and easy grilled pork steak idea!
We'll email this to you AND teach you how to smoke the perfect turkey.
Memorial Day Burger and Slider Recipes
Having a few burger and slider recipes in your inventory is important. If you want to get fancy you can add aioli or your favorite fry sauce. Cook to order, top with caramelized onions, or make in advance and then finish on the grill, here are some of the best burger and slider recipes.
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Easy Smoked Hamburger Recipe
Smoked Hamburger finished over high heat and topped with your favorite ingredients. Cheese or no cheese, this is truly the easiest and best smoked burger ever!
Cheeseburgers topped with a green chile salsa on a brioche bun is a taste of New Mexico. Grill the cheeseburgers hot and fast for the best green chile cheeseburger recipe.
Smoked Cheeseburger Sliders Recipe with Caramelized Onions
An easy way to make sliders by prepping a large single patty and then slowly smoking, and cutting into 12 individual sliders. Topped with caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, and stone ground mustard.
Western Burger Recipe with Beer Battered Onion Rings
This burger is packed with beef, bacon, barbecue sauce, and beer battered onion rings. These burgers are huge and worth every bite. They are simply seasoned and the mix of toppings is what makes this dish really shine.
A simple recipe for smoked lamb burgers with a rosemary aioli sauce and pickled onions. Includes instructions on how to smoke meat on a simple Weber Kettle Grill.
A slowly smoked Beef Chuck Roast finished in a savory braise of Beef broth, Italian Seasoning, and giardiniera for the ultimate Italian pulled roast beef slider.
A quick and easy dinner idea for the whole family. Italian Meatball Sliders made with frozen meatballs, Tomato Basil Sauce, Hawaiian rolls, and Provolone cheese, cooked on the grill. This whole meal comes together in under 20 minutes!
Grilled Buffalo Chicken Meatball Sliders are an outstanding snack when you're craving a classic chicken wing but want to change it up a bit. We deconstruct a classic chicken wing and turn it into a flavorful meatball for sliders. A healthier alternative to fried wings!
Smoked Mexican Burgers with Chorizo and Smoked Poblanos
How to smoke burgers with incredible smoky flavor and moisture with the perfect char on the outside. Plus a recipe for Smoked Mexican Burgers with Chorizo and Smoked Poblanos.
A whole filet of salmon smoked on a cutting board is a beautiful presentation and easy to scale up or down based on your Memorial Day crowd. Add our seafood seasoning to any of these dishes to really make them pop.
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Smoked Salmon
Perfect Smoked Salmon. Recipe and video for fresh smoked salmon fillet. Secrets to juicy and tender salmon. Comes with wine pairing recommendations.
A smoky twist to a traditional crab cake. Smoked salmon fillet is mixed with Dungeness crab to create incredible flavor and moisture for the ultimate salmon-crab cakes.
Cedar Plank Salmon Recipe with Maple Chipotle Glaze
Maple Chipotle Cedar Plank Salmon is an easy way to grill salmon and add smoky flavor with a cedar plank. Finish with a maple glaze for the best cedar plank salmon recipe.
Grilled Scallops Recipe with White Wine Butter Sauce
A rich and buttery white wine pan sauce with grilled scallops cooked in a cast iron pan directly on the grill. Rich and tender flavor and ready in less than 10 minutes.
Easy grilled shrimp marinated in a spicy and sweet chipotle honey lime marinade and quickly grilled to perfection. Great appetizer for summer grilling season or filling for tacos.
A quick marinade with lime, cilantro, garlic, and aromatics for an easy shrimp skewer recipe. Add a refreshing dipping sauce for a great appetizer or a meal for two.
The side dish recipes should be just as fun as the main stars. Many of ours can be served cold as well so you can prep a day or two prior to your party. Jazz up any of our dressings with grilled lemons that have been juiced for a more concentrated flavor.
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Grilled Corn and Poblano Salad Recipe
Combine grilled corn and grilled poblano with sweet onion, arugula, and some jalapeño and you have one heck of a summer salad. It's also great as a topping for steak, or filling for tacos!
A simple and delicious grilled romaine Caesar salad elevated with some smoky crispy pancetta (or bacon), grilled lemon, and grilled baguette slices to sub for croutons, and instructions on how to grill romaine lettuce.
Grilled Beet Salad with Rosé Infused Cranberries and Bacon
Beets are incredible cooked on the grill, and even better topped with rosé wine infused cranberries and smoked bacon. This will be your favorite salad all summer long!
If you still have room make one of our desserts on the grill or smoker. It can round out the meal and add a nice sweet touch at the end of the day.
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Skillet Brownies on the Grill
Made to be dense and rich in chocolate, these Skillet Brownies are cooked on the grill and then topped with a chocolate drizzle and vanilla bean ice cream. Gluten free.
Grilled Strawberry Sundaes with Melted Chocolate Peanut Butter Sacue
Strawberry Sundae made with grilled strawberries and a melted chocolate peanut butter sauce. Grilling strawberries is super easy to do, and adds incredible flavor to your sundae. Dairy free and gluten free.
How to make a traditional apple crisp on the grill. Grilled Apple Crisp is going to become your new favorite fall dessert! It's also the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving dinner!
Smoked Strawberry Shortcake is a twist on a summertime classic that starts with biscuits, layered with Smoked Strawberry Jam, fresh strawberries, and topped with homemade whipped cream.
Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.
I'm Mary, a wine/food/travel writer, Certified Sommelier, mom of twins, former vegetarian turned BBQ fanatic, runner, founder of Vindulge, and author of Fire + Wine cookbook. Thanks for stopping by!
