20 Best Chef John Recipes for the Grill (2024)

Grilled Spanish Mustard Beef

This is a great marinade for any thin cut of beef — skirt steak, flank steak, round steak, carne asada. The key ingredients here are smoked paprika, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, and a little crushed garlic if you like. Try it sliced thinly against the grain and served on tortillas with cilantro and hot sauce and maybe some sliced avocado. So simple and delicious.

Chef John's Yucatan-Style Grilled Pork

Inspired by recipes from the Yucatan Peninsula, this simple pork dish boasts vibrant citrus and chili flavors. Ground annatto provides the beautiful orange hue.

Chef John's Grilled Mojo Beef

There are so many ways to make mojo sauce. As Chef John explains, "They all have garlic, citrus, and olive oil. But after that, the spices and seasonings vary greatly." This recipe is essentially a composite, the best of many mojos. "I think this would work great as an all-purpose marinade for just about anything destined for the grill," says Chef John. "But skirt steak would be my top choice.

Lamb Merguez Sausage Patties

Merguez is a spicy North African sausage that, surprise, also makes excellent burgers! You'll make the sausage yourself, simply combining ground lamb with a quick spice blend, garlic, spicy harissa chili sauce, and tomato paste. Finish your grilled burgers with a crumble of goat's milk feta cheese on top!

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Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Spicy Mango Sauce

You'll top your grilled mahi mahi with a spicy Thai-inspired mango sauce. So quick and easy, the mango sauce is spicy, brightly flavored and versatile. It would also work great with swordfish, salmon, tuna, or other fish or grilled meats. Watch Chef John prepare it for grilled mahi mahi here.

Grilled Five Spice Chicken

Here's Chef John's tasty take on a popular Southeast Asian grilled chicken dish. The marinade stars five-spice seasoning, lime juice, ginger, garlic, chile sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. A simple, bright sauce really brings out the flavor in the grilled chicken.

Grilled Korean-Style Beef Short Ribs

These short ribs rely on thin-sliced beef. They'll only be on the grill for a few hot minutes per side. The key to their succulence is an Asian pear marinade with rice vinegar, sherry wine, hoisin sauce, sambal hot sauce, and sesame oil.

Chef John's Grilled Garlic and Herb Shrimp

Chef John recommends that you get the extra-large shrimp, "so they can grill longer and get maximum caramelization." The recipe also includes a super-quick, fresh herb sauce to drizzle over your grilled shrimp.

Grilled Mongolian Pork Chops

A flavorful marinade combines sweet, spicy, and sour ingredients, including three kinds of vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar. It's the perfect marinade for thick pork chops. The recipe also features a sensational mustard sauce.

Grilled Tuna with Fresh Horseradish

This quick-and-easy grilled tuna recipe was inspired by the flavors of sushi. Freshly grated horseradish root gives a spicy quality to these delicious tuna steaks.

Grilled Greek Chicken

"The secret to this simple grilled chicken is a very powerful marinade and 'roasting' it slowly over semi-indirect heat on the grill," Chef John says.

Spanish Octopus

Finishing octopus on the grill gives it a restaurant-worthy char. Serve it with crusty roasted potatoes.

Laotian Grilled Chicken (Ping Gai)

A marinade of cilantro, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and pepper works wonders on grilled chicken. The sweet, garlicky dipping sauce adds extra flavor.

Pineapple Pulled Pork Al Pastor

"If you simply season aggressively and cook the meat over smoky coals up to a certain temp, you'll be rewarded with tender, moist, and very flavorful meat," Chef John says.

Grilled "Tandoori" Lamb

"Here, 'tandoori' refers to the yogurt-based, aromatically spiced marinade that can be used on grilled, broiled, or baked meat. You can adjust the spices to your own personal preferences," Chef John says of this five-star recipe.

Grilled Hoisin Beef

"The (underrated) hoisin sauce is a thickened, fermented soy-sauce-like substance, flavored with chilies, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and, of course, exotic spices. It makes a great marinade. And unless you horribly overcook it, this skirt steak is juicy and tender," Chef John writes.

Chef John's Grilled Lamb with Mint Orange Sauce

Mediterranean herbs and spices flavor these grilled lamb chops. Finish them off with Orange marmalade, chili flakes, rice vinegar, and fresh mint for zing.

Chef John's Grilled Swordfish Bruschetta

"There are two keys to this recipe. First, add enough oil and vinegar to your tomatoes to make a good amount of 'sauce' with which to douse the grilled fish and bread. Second, grill the bread very well over the coals. It should be golden brown with distinctive charred grill marks. The bitter hit from these stripes of charred bread actually makes the tomatoes even sweeter and more delicious," Chef John says.

Turkish Chicken Kebabs

Chef John's Turkish-inspired marinade melds tangy Greek yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, ketchup, garlic, and spices. The result? Tender, juicy meat.

Chef John's Grilled Game Hens

Jalapeño and habanero peppers bring the heat to this recipe's simple marinade. Can't find Cornish hens? Reviewer Natalie made this recipe with chicken drumsticks instead.

• See all of Chef John's recipes here.

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