14 Essential Grilling Recipes Everyone Should Learn

I used to be one of those people who was afraid to even turn on a gas grill, let alone mess with charcoal. That changed quickly about 20 years ago, when I landed a freelance assignment writing grilling guides for a now-defunct women’s lifestyle site. Luckily, the premise was “grilling for beginners”—a very of-its-time, blatantly heteronormative “Yes, women can grill too!” kind of thing—so I could funnel all my trial-by-fire learning directly into the job.

I got over my fear quickly, and I was rewarded with more than just my freelance check. I gained real grilling know-how, cooked some excellent meals, and developed an appreciation for the method that still serves me today—unlike the money, which I probably spent within a week of the check showing up.

All of this to say, even if you’re starting from zero, you can pick up grilling techniques pretty quickly—and these foundational recipes are a great jumping-off point. In the recipes below, we’ll walk you through how to make simple grilled chicken breasts, juicy burgers, perfect kebabs, steaks, pork chops, various vegetables, and even a whole fish. These days, I don’t have my own grill (NYC has many wonderful things to offer, but an apartment with a grill is rarely one of them), but I take any chance I can get to fire one up—at friends’ places, vacation rentals, even on the crusty old setups in city parks. The reward is smoke-kissed meals, a kitchen that stays cool, and, honestly, still feeling pretty cool about being able to grill all by myself without the help of a man. So if you have a grill, don’t let it sit there collecting dust—pick a recipe and dive in.