Recipes
8 Grilled or Smoked Recipes for September

September is one of our favorite months—neither too hot nor too cool and with a wealth of produce options. Rake a few leaves, water the mums, and treat yourself to a fine fall meal prepared entirely, if you wish, on the grill or smoker.
8 Grilled or Smoked Recipes for September
1. Smoky Dutch Pancake
You likely have everything you need for this airy, puffy pancake (a cross between a popover and a Yorkshire pudding) in your pantry. Yet another use for your 10-inch cast iron skillet. For a more dramatic presentation, add fresh fruit, like berries or sliced ripe peaches, dust with powdered sugar, and garnish with a sprig of mint.
2. Smoked Chicken Nachos
Turn leftover chicken, pulled pork, or even turkey into restaurant-quality nachos using your smoker or grill. We like to layer our ingredients so each chip carries a payload of meat, cheese, and any other embellishments you’d like to add—sliced black olives, pickled jalapeno chips, refried beans, or diced bell peppers. Great as an appetizer or a light lunch or dinner.
3. Hay-Smoked Burgers with Rauchbier Cheese
Enjoy the best burger of the summer after Labor Day! (And wear your white shoes, if you want.) This hay-smoked version—yes, you read that right—delivers awesome flavor and great visuals. If you can’t find smoked beer or cheese, smoke your own.
4. Cornell Chicken
Here’s a regional specialty from New York, the invention of a professor at Cornell University. A spatchcocked chicken (butterflied) is basted during its cook, resulting in crisp skin and moist, flavorful meat. Featured pn “The Best Barbecue You’ve Never Heard Of.”
5. Grilled Venison Loin with Honey, Juniper, and Black Pepper Glaze
Not all of us have access to game meats, so feel free to substitute pork or beef tenderloin for venison if need be. But don’t skip the juniper. Its distinctive flavor is great with fall dishes. Accompany this meal with olive oil-mashed potatoes or smoke-roasted root vegetables.
6. Hanger Steak with Mustard and Caramelized Onions
A beefy-tasting cut from the belly (diaphragm) of a steer, hanger steak was once a relatively inexpensive option. It has, however, been popularized by restaurant chefs. You might want to call your local butcher a few days ahead of when you plan to serve this steak to make sure they have it in stock or can order it for you. Otherwise, use flank steak or skirt steak.
7. Barbecued Salmon with Brown Sugar Butter Glaze
Here, a choice piece of center-cut salmon soaks in an Asian-inflected marinade for 2 to 4 hours before being grilled on a cedar plank. It’s a cross-cultural triumph, and a great way to serve a small gathering. Steamed rice and a green salad round out the meal.
7. Salt Slab-Grilled Pears with Amaretti
Amaretti, those crispy almond-flavored cookies often sold in a tin, make a perfect filling for just-ripe fall pears roasted dramatically on Himalayan salt slabs. Smoked whipped cream, which can be made a couple hours ahead, is a complementary topping, as is a high-quality vanilla ice cream.
What do you plan to make in September? Share them with us on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, or Instagram!