The Best Meats To Grill This Summer & All Year Long (2024)

June 3, 2023

chicken, dinner, entertaining, grilling, healthy, Hosting, party food, seafood, steaks

Grilling season is here. You want to get grilling, but you’re wondering what are the best meats to grill?

If you’re looking for the tastiest cuts to make your next backyard bbq not just a meal, but an experience, you’ve come to the right blog.

We’re reviewing the top 8 best meats to grill and offering some fun summer recipes for all skill levels. Prepare to go from rookie cook to seasoned pit master.

Best Grilling Meats

1. Burgers and Steaks

Burgers and steaks are staples of any backyard bbq. And grilling is a healthier alternative to frying or baking. But you should understand the differences between grilling burgers and steaks if you’re trying to impress at your next outdoor gathering.

Grilling burgers is not the same as grilling steak. When beef is ground up, the muscle fibers are broken, causing moisture to leak out more easily.

When you grill burgers, you need to make sure the moisture remains inside. Every time you flip or adjust them some moisture escapes. To preserve moisture, handle your burgers sparingly on the grill.

Try varying the heat at which you cook your burgers. Start with high heat to get a deep brown crust on the outside, and then reduce the heat to cook the inside more slowly without burning the outside to a crisp.

For steaks, knowing your cut is the first step. Some of the best meats to grill when it comes to steak cuts include:

T-bone
Porterhouse
Top Sirloin
Strip loin
Wing
Tenderloin
Bottom Sirloin Tri-tip
Rib eye
Filet mignon
New York strip steak
Steak tips

Picking your cut of steak will be based on a combination of factors like marbling, thickness, and location.

Different cuts vary in flavor and style, but always remember to season or marinade your meat. Take some time to prep your steak before throwing it on the grill to enhance those flavors in the end.

Here are some delicious burger and steak recipes to try:

2. Chicken Legs

You can’t go wrong with bbq chicken legs. Chicken legs are not only cheaper than chicken breast but they’re also made up of dark meat, which is more conducive to grilling than white meat.

That’s because white meat cooks faster than dark meat, often resulting in overcooked white meat chicken on the grill. We recommend dark meat thighs and drumsticks if you want those savory bbq flavors at a reasonable price.

Internal temperatures with chicken legs are critical. You’ll want to make sure your drumstick or thighs reach an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be considered safe to eat according to USDA standards.

Let your chicken rest for at least 20 minutes after cooking it. This guarantees your chicken is tender and evenly cooked.

Try this flavorful chicken leg recipe at your next bbq:

Mango BBQ Chicken Thighs

3. Ribs

Killer ribs are smoky, juicy, sweet, and fall-off-the-bone tender. Grilling ribs also draws out more natural flavors in the ribs than other methods like baking.

The best way to grill ribs is to cover them inside an aluminum pan. Ribs take up to 2 hours to cook, so if you place them directly on the grill grates, the outside will likely be overcooked by the time the inside is ready.

Once your ribs reach your ideal internal temperature, remove the ribs from the pan and place them directly on the grill to achieve some sweet grill marks at the very end.

Try these fun rib recipes at your next backyard cook-out:

4. Pork Butts

Pork butts should be your go-to meat for any bbq pulled pork occasion. They’re tender, fall-off-the-bone staples of southern bbq.

While pork butt can be prepared in a variety of ways, if you’re going for that juicy, pork-powered punch, remember to cook your pork slowly and on low heat. Use a dry rub or wet rub marinade to add your desired flavor profiles to your finished dish.

Try your hand at these delicious pork butt recipes:

5. Pork Sausages

Pork sausages are generally inexpensive and come in a variety of flavors, so they’re ideal for any family with a range of tastes.

For pork sausages, try varying the heat as you would with ground beef. High heat throughout will likely cause your sausage casing to burst without achieving done-ness on the inside. Low heat throughout may cause your sausages to get deflated or wrinkled.

We advise simmering your sausages on the grill in an aluminum pan and then searing them on the grill afterward to get your desired grill marks.

Fill the pan with spices or marinades you’d like the sausages to absorb while cooking. Just be sure to start at a low heat and then transfer your sausages to a high heat only at the very end.

Here’s a mouth-watering sausage recipe to try at your next family gathering:

Grilled Sausage and Pesto Pasta

6. Kabobs

Grilling meat on skewers actually enhances its flavor profiles. The more surface area on a heat source, the richer the flavors, making kabobs an excellent grilling option. You’ll want to marinate your kabob meat beforehand to give the meat time to absorb your spices and seasonings.

Place your meat in an air-sealed container with an oil and an acid (e.g. olive oil and lemon juice). From there, add other seasonings, herbs, and spices to your base liquids to create your own unique marriage of flavors.

If you use wooden or bamboo skewers, soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before putting them on the grill. This will keep them moist as the kabobs cook and help prevent the wood from igniting.

Skewer your ingredients end-to-end on your skewers, leaving a small gap in between each piece to allow the meat pieces to cook thoroughly on all sides. Grill your kabobs on medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes total (or 2 ½-4 minutes on each of the four sides).

Try these tasty meat skewer recipes on for size:

7. Brisket

Brisket is a wonderfully tender bbq meat. Plus, untrimmed brisket can be surprisingly cheap. To grill brisket properly, you’ll want to apply a dry rub to your meat at least 20 minutes before cooking, or even better, the night before (refrigerating the dry rubbed meat uncovered for up to 24 hours).

Set up two heat zones on your grill. Begin by searing your brisket over a direct heat source to caramelize the meat.

After that, move the meat to a burners-off cool zone where it will slowly cook for another few hours. This heating method will mimic the environment of a cold smoker.

Here’s a deliciously tender bbq brisket recipe to try at home:

Grilled Brisket

8. Hot Dogs

Hot dogs are an American favorite. They’re also economical and downright nostalgic.

To grill them, first spray your grill with a non-stick grill spray. Next, preheat your grill. For gas grilling, preheat the grill for 10 to 15 minutes. For charcoal grilling, preheat until the charcoal is covered in white ash.

Once your grill is preheated, reduce your grill to medium heat for standard beef hot dogs and medium-low for beef hot dogs with reduced fat content. Place your hot dogs over indirect heat (not directly over the flame) running perpendicular to your grill grates.

Roll your franks to ensure each side cooks evenly. There’s no magic number for how long to cook them. It depends on how well done you want them to be.

For standard beef hot dogs, 5 to 7 minutes is usually optimal. For foot-long hot dogs, 7 to 10 minutes should do the trick.

Pro-tip: to seal in the flavor, quickly sear your hot dogs over direct heat at the very end. You’ll not only get more flavor, but you’ll get those aesthetic grill marks we all love.

Try these bold and zesty hot dog recipes:

The Finer Details of Grilling the Best Meats

Charcoal vs. Gas Grilling

Charcoal grilling is great for chicken, turkey, thick cuts of steak, and seared vegetables. Gas grilling is great for burgers, hot dogs, and lean cuts of steak. Neither one is better than the other. But each has its pros and cons.

If you’re concerned with heat-up and setup time, you should probably opt for gas grilling. Gas grills take about 10 minutes to heat up and less than 30 minutes to set up, while charcoal grills take about 30 minutes to heat up and over an hour to set up.

If you’re comparing flavors, gas grills tend to preserve the natural flavors of the meat, whereas charcoal grills tend to add a smokier flavor.

Charcoal grills may also pose some health risks due to the liquid fluid used. Gas grills burn naturally cleaner fuel.

In terms of cleanup, gas grills are easy and simple to clean, whereas charcoal grills require ash disposal. However, charcoal grills tend to be lower maintenance overall thanks to their fully consumable fuel source. Gas grills require routine gas line checks and new propane tanks.

It ultimately depends on what you value most and what you’re willing to compromise on when you choose gas vs. charcoal.

Grilling Temperatures

For ground meats like ground beef, 160 degrees Fahrenheit is the magic number.

For steaks, 145 degrees Fahrenheit is the recommended minimum temperature. You’ll want to shoot for 160 degrees Fahrenheit for medium steaks and 170 degrees Fahrenheit for well done.

For poultry like chicken and turkey, make sure you reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

The USDA provides excellent guidance on meat temperatures if you’re ever unsure.

Meat Resting Time

Why rest meat? Meat resting time allows the meat’s juices to reabsorb and redistribute after having been constricted during the cooking process. If you cut into your meat immediately after taking it off the grill, the juices will pool out and your meat will be drier.

As the meat rests, the constricted muscle fibers within the meat relax. The pressure on the juices slowly releases, redistributing the juices away from the center and toward the edges of the meat. Juices become more evenly dispersed, resulting in moister and more flavorful meat.

Rest thicker cuts of meat for 10 to 20 minutes before cutting into them, and thinner cuts of meat for 5 to 7 minutes. You should rest the meat for about 5 minutes per inch of thickness as a general rule of thumb. Alternatively, you can rest meat for about 10 minutes per pound of meat.

Ready to shop for fresh meats for your next bbq or cook-out? Stop by and visit our in-house butchers for the best local cuts in Central PA.

This blog was originally published on April 19, 2019. It was updated on June 6, 2023.