This list answers a simple question: If served on a platter during a Memorial Day barbecue, which Food52 recipe would be inhaled the quickest?<\/p>\n
Now, the phrasing of this question may seem crude, but I assure you: Making food that people really want to eat is a good thing.<\/em> It means you didn\u2019t waste your money. It says you sincerely thought about what other people (who are probably less food-obsessed than you) wanted to eat. And, above all else, it proves you made something delicious.<\/p>\n At this point, you should have two questions: Why platters? And why the hell are we ranking recipes? (Bonus Question: How are we ranking recipes?)<\/p>\n If a recipe can be served on a platter, it\u2019s crowd friendly. Whether it\u2019s a sliced steak splayed across a carving board<\/a> or a sheet tray<\/a> lined with chocolate chip cookies<\/a>, any recipe that can be grazed from a flat surface works at a barbecue.<\/p>\n I’ve ranked these dishes to save you time (and because it’s fun). Of the hundreds and hundreds of recipes I reviewed, these are the 15 best. While all of these recipes will be devoured within mere minutes of being served, my experience suggests some would be eaten quicker than others. This is reflected in the rankings\u2014which are informed by my experience\u2014as they are ordered from quick (#15) to quickest (#1).<\/p>\n Last Memorial Day, I placed a cutting board piled with these charred, garlic shrimp before my friends and then walked inside to grab a beer. Upon my return\u2014maybe 10 minutes later\u2014the board was cluttered with nothing but discarded tails.<\/p>\n Like whittling a chicken wing down to barren bone, there\u2019s something fulfilling about extracting every thread of flavor from the interior of an artichoke petal. Especially when that petal can be dipped into bright, herby aioli.<\/p>\n On a regular sized burger, feta can be too much to get through. But, on a slider\u2014paired with onion and mayo\u2014feta stays within the realm of brininess that makes your next sip of beer both necessary and magical.<\/p>\n Are they the most technically impressive dessert? Hell no. But, tell me when someone presented you a tray of fresh, homemade brownies and you weren\u2019t excited. You can\u2019t, and you won\u2019t\u2014especially if you make this fudge-forward variety.<\/p>\n Calamari is your friend that knows when to order drinks for the table: You don\u2019t need them around all the time, but on a holiday, they set the tone you want. And that\u2019s just for regular, run of the mill, deep-fried calamari\u2014so imagine how uplifting this spicy, grilled version will be.<\/p>\n These grilled beans are what blistered shishitos want to be. Also, they perform the following magic trick: Place a pile of these alongside a cooler of beer, and both will evaporate within minutes.<\/p>\n Sorry burgers, cheesesteaks, and everything else out there: These steak tacos from Rick Martinez are the supreme form of handheld, melted cheese-enveloped beef. Especially since they\u2019re topped with serrano studded guac.<\/p>\n Brimming with heat and acidity and sweetness, homemade salsa is a relentless prompter of chips, cold beer, and any drink with lime.<\/p>\n This recipe further proves that grilled wings are best when they possess the self awareness to not cosplay as buffalo and instead, lean into their natural smoke via dry rubs and herbs. It doesn\u2019t hurt that they come with a fava bean feta dip that you\u2019ll want to slather on every wing, vegetable, and chip in sight.<\/p>\n Two things. One, oysters, of any variety, will go quickly. But grilling them can make oysters more approachable to the bivalve-fearing population. Two, regardless of where you live, you can get fresh oysters delivered to your front door<\/a>.<\/p>\n There\u2019s one way to improve the garlic shrimp mentioned earlier<\/a>, and that\u2019s to coat the charred crustaceans in mayo, lemon, and herbs and then stuff them into New England hot dog buns. Serve with your favorite kettle-cooked potato chip.<\/p>\n Ribs unfold in three acts. Act I: Gleeful chatter centered around the question, \u201cDude, did you hear there\u2019s going to be ribs<\/em> today?\u201d Act II: Sticky fingers, bone piles, eating-induced silence. Act III: \u201cWe should really make ribs more often.\u201d<\/p>\n Garlic, lemon, red pepper flakes, and fresh herbs: This hanger steak is a murderer\u2019s row of foundational flavors. Plus, it\u2019s steak\u2014and people love steak.<\/p>\n Grilled, whole fish always gets picked clean. Mainly, because it\u2019s delicious. But also because the effort and difficulty in grilling whole fish is so immediately obvious, that you feel especially compelled to savor every available bite.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no safer bet. Not only will these magic bars be hounded, but many will stuff extras in their pockets so they can relive their deliciousness after the tray is wiped clean. Put plainly: This is the best crowd-friendly recipe on our site.<\/p>\n15. Garlic Grilled Shrimp<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n14. Grilled Artichokes With Tarragon-Lemon Aioli<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n13. Lamb Sliders with Feta, Red Onion, Cumin Mayo<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n12. Super Fudgy Brownies<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n11. Spicy Grilled Calamari<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n10. Ignacio Mattos\u2019 Grilled Favas<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n9. Tacos Norte\u0144os With Chunky Guacamole<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n8. The Salsa Collection<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n7. Za\u2019atar Grilled Chicken Wings With Fava Bean Feta Dip<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n6. Grilled Oysters With Sriracha Lime Butter<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n5. Grilled & Chilled Shrimp Rolls<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n4. Gochujang Baby Back Ribs<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n3. Sicilian-Style Grilled Steak<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n2. Grilled Salmon Collars, Branzino, or Plan Phao Kleua<\/a>
\n<\/h3>\n1. Magic Cookie Bars<\/a>
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