26 Delicious Barbecue Recipes and Tricks From Celebrity Chefs

If you need recipes filled with flavor for barbecue season, and expert tips on how to pull them off, look no further. Our grill-themed culinary tour of entrees, sides, and desserts is led by super chefs from Bobby Flay and Katie Lee to both Paula and Jamie Deen.

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Homemade pico de gallo (and a bit of tequila) adds depth of flavor to a Fieri favorite in a spin he shared on morning television.

Recipe: "Live with Kelly and Mark"

Related: 25 Finger-Licking Barbecue Sauce Recipes

Bobby Flay and barbecue go hand in hand. For a perfectly grilled steak, he urges you to allow the meat to reach room temperature before grilling, and also offers suggested times and temperatures to cook a steak just how you like it.

Recipe: Food Network

Related: From Barbacoa to Yakitori: 25 Barbecue Styles From Around the World

One of the original celebrity chefs, Puck hasn't slowed down — and his fall-off-the-bone ribs show he remains dedicated to unique flavors. This tour-de-force recipe features more than 10 spices, but has a delicious payoff.

Recipe: People

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Fans of spice will gobble up these burgers that include jalapeño peppers and pickled sliced jalapeño pepper rings, cayenne, and puréed chipotle in adobo. Have cool drinks on hand.

Recipe: The Rachael Ray Show

The beauty of grilling is how it turns simple sauces into savory glazes, which is what lifts this recipe to another level. Apricot jam helps.

Recipe: Martha Stewart

Related: Bucket List Barbecue in Every State

Florence shares a full-meal deal: An elaborate pulled-pork recipe featuring cider-vinegar barbecue sauce, a slaw recipe to top the sandwich (onions, red chile and lemon juice zip it up), and a suggested drink pairing: dark beer.

Recipe: Food Network 

Taking a spin in the kitchen during an episode of "Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off," Mrs. Brady drew deep on creativity — with Russian dressing and pastrami, no less — for her attempt at the summertime staple.

Recipe: Food Network

Related: Quiz: How Much Do You Actually Know About Grilling?

Don't restrict burgers to ground beef. Ground sirloin, brisket, and boneless short rib combine in Symon's patty, but that's just the start of this towering creation that also features slaw, pastrami, Swiss cheese, and more, served on brioche.

Recipe: Food Network 

Unexpected ingredients from low-sodium chicken broth to dried oregano and apple cider vinegar — and baking the ribs before grilling — give baby-back ribs some punch. As Katie Lee says, "These ribs are insanity."

Recipe: The Rachael Ray Show 

If you think grilled chicken is all about drumsticks dripping in sauce, Irvine's spin offers a light approach courtesy of basil, grapeseed oil and bell peppers.

Recipe: Robert Irvine 

Forget the heavy sauces — and Paula Deen's typically butter-drenched recipes — this straight-ahead recipe shows that a quick prep of vegetables, with just a bit of seasoning, can take center stage in a healthy barbecue.

Recipe: Paula Deen 

"The Chew" may be gone, but the recipes shared by its hosts live on. Hall's spin on a classic barbecue side comes to life with yellow mustard, chicken sausage (instead of the usual ham/pork), and green bell pepper.

Recipe: Food U Share 

You can marinate meat in almost anything, and using the sweetness of cola isn't a new trick — but it's also not well-known. This recipe from the Neelys also makes sure to take off ribs' fatty membrane before they hit the grill.

Recipe: Food Network 

Lagasse's secret to this dish? Soaking the corn in water for 24 hours. You won't ask why once you taste this deceptively simple offering that lets each ingredient's flavor shine through.

Recipe: Emeril Lagasse 

Vegetarians won't feel like an afterthought with this substantial salad from Garten, a sophisticated mix that includes Champagne vinegar, capers, and a French bread loaf called a ficelle.

Recipe: Food Network 

This one took us totally by surprise: Ree Drummond, better known as The Pioneer Woman, uses heavy cream in her sliders' meat. It's an easy recipe that lends itself to countless topping interpretations to give them further distinction.

Recipe: Food Network

Related: 30 Celebrity Chefs' Favorite Burger Recipes

Giadzy, De Laurentiis' new website, is a trove of unusual takes on grilling, from Grilled Guacamole to Grilled Clams with Herbed Butter to Grilled Plum Salad. For this dessert, she suggests a vegetable grill pan to stop berries from dropping into the coals.

Recipe: Giada De Laurentiis 

Paula Deen's older son knows his way around the grill, transforming a standard London broil with a marinade inspired by something sweet. His tip? Make sure to serve by slicing across the grain — and pair with his chopped grilled summer salad.

Recipe: Today 

Aussie Stone predictably devotes an entire section of his website to recipes "On the Barbie," from grilled T-bone steaks with chimichurri sauce to barbecued prawns and mixed vegetables with lemon zest, garlic, and fresh herbs. But this sophisticated take on grilled cheese brings barbecue to a new level.

Recipe: Curtis Stone 

Embrace the unexpected. Sanchez sees grilling as an opportunity to experiment with ingredients — and that's clear in a recipe suggestive of the Texas childhood treat of Mexican chili-coated candies.

Recipe: Aaron Sanchez 

Store-bought pizza dough makes this clever alternative to the local pizzeria an easy weeknight family meal, enlivened with fresh mozzarella and a charred crust.

Recipe: Melissa d'Arabian 

An intense marinating adds deep flavors to a main course, none more unexpected than this lamb from Tsai that has complex flavors of red wine, thyme, and black peppercorns.

Recipe: Food Network 

The whole artichoke gets used here, not just the hearts, and its rich taste pairs perfectly with the smokey taste of the grill.

Recipe: Cat Cora 

Real vanilla bean and freshly squeezed lime juice add richness to this tropical dessert that erases all memories of soggy canned pineapple squares.

Recipe: Food Network 

Not for vegetarians! Clint Cantwell, winner of Travel Channel's "American Grilled" and founder of Grillocracy.com, has a lot of barbecue recipes to offer, but this one stands out in its uniqueness. Red apples, bacon, brown sugar, and bourbon are the delicious basis for this sophisticated treat for the grill, with charcoal providing a powerful, smoky complement.

Recipe: Kingsford

Guarnaschelli coats romaine halves with a little olive oil and seasons them with salt before a quick grilling. Crumbled blue cheese adds the finishing touch to this steakhouse-inspired dish.

Recipe: Food Network

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