With 4th of July fast approaching, we’re turning up the heat. Yes, that’s right, it’s barbecue and grilling season. And to help satiate you and your guests, we provide you with inspiration for foods to throw on the grill and the lowdown on what defines true BBQ. Happy cooking!

Yours in media,
Elizabeth He, Visual Communications Editor

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Grill Favorites

South Chicago BBQ Chicken from Roadfood

This dish captures the essence of all that South Chicago BBQ has to offer — tender juicy chicken slathered in a sweet, smoky, and spicy sauce that permeates the meat. Hello, beautiful!

Grilled Tacos al Pastor from Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television

This dish consists of chili-seasoned grilled pork shaved into thin slices and served on corn tortillasalong with chopped pineapple, onion, and cilantro. Perfect for the summertime!

Burnt Legend: The Story of Burnt Ends

Pitmasters, barbecue fans, and historians look into how brisket is smoked, chopped, and transformed into a saucy, crispy pile of heaven. Yummy!

Korean Grilled Marinated Short Ribs from Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television

Thin-cut beef short ribs marinated in a garlicky soy mixture and cooked quickly on a hot grill are sweet, salty, meaty, fatty, charred, chewy-tender, and utterly delicious. Are you hungry yet?

Smokecraft Modern Barbecue Prepares Their Cedar Plank Salmon

This restaurant in Virginia uses smoke like a seasoning to give their salmon rich and complex flavors. Watch how it’s done.

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Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Always Cooking!

Here’s how to make corned beef brisket, baby back ribs with Louisiana barbecue sauce, and New Orleans bread pudding with hard sauce. Turn your kitchen into barbecue heaven.

What Else Can You Grill?

Smoked Lobster Tacos, Wood-Grilled Chorizo, and Bacon Apple Crisp

Here are some smoked dishes of astonishing ingenuity. See how the spirit of this new style of barbecue influences the plate and the palate.

Grilled Artichokes with Salsa Verde from Moveable Feast with Relish

Mexican salsa verde (“green sauce”), which is often milder than its red counterpart, gets its brilliant color from fresh green herbs such as parsley, chives, and oregano. It’s also a great complement to chicken, fish, and beef.

Grilled Oysters with Corn Relish from Moveable Feast with Relish

Host Alex Thomopoulos prepared these grilled oysters as part of an episode about sustainable cuisine in Rhode Island. Here’s how to make them.

Canada’s Wildest Caesar Cocktail on Pati Jinich Explores Panamericana

Pati Jinich visits Big Sky BBQ in Alberta, Canada, to try their legendary Barbecue King Caesar Bloody Mary. It’s quite jaw-dropping.

Grilled Stone Fruit Cobbler with Cinnamon Vanilla Greek Yogurt

Grilling your fruits caramelizes the natural sugars, which brings out their sweetness. The flame imparts a slightly smoky flavor, which all adds up to an irresistible dessert.

Recipe of the Week

Pasta Salad with Tomato, Mozzarella, and Green Beans from Chef Lidia Bastianich

Great for buffets, picnics, and large family gatherings, this recipe is easy to multiply and it’s economical. Toss it up!

All About BBQ

* Barbecue is increasingly popular here in New England. GBH News’ resident BBQ expert Callie Crossley (who has protocols in place to keep her recipes top secret, that’s how committed she is to the craft) breaks down the difference between grilling and true BBQ here.

* Whether you spell it barbecue or barbeque or BBQ, you’ll want to learn its origin story.

* Explore Texas barbecuing traditions with Cook’s Country.

* The world’s first museum dedicated to barbecue? Yes, it’s real. 

* Smoke is the soul of barbecue. Learn how to use an electric smoker, offset smoker, and upright barrel smoker to make delicious smoked treats.

* We’re giving you the best chemistry-backed tips to make your meat as perfectly grilled as possible.

Dive Into America 250

A Meditation on the Declaration of Independence

Watch Providence-based chamber choir Ensemble Altera performing excerpts from Declarations, a new work marking America at 250 years, on The Culture Show at GBH Fraser Performance Studio.

Off Topic

1. FRONTLINE and The Texas Newsroom are launching a new podcast about the Central Texas flooding that killed more than 130 people in 2025, “After the Flood.”

2. Here’s what The Pitt taught physician Dhruv Khullar about being a doctor.  

3. Edgar B. Herwick III finds out the weirdest things you’ll find on Wikipedia.