Get Fired Up: Six Recipes for the Ultimate Backyard Feast

Come summer, the deep freeze feels more like a treasure chest. The various cuts, chops, roasts, links, legs, fillets, and birds that’ve gone uneaten—quite possibly, let’s be honest, because we’ve grown tired of our usual cooked-inside-the-kitchen recipes—take on new life and appeal. Why? Because summer is grilling season. Suddenly, those small packs of frozen meat aren’t just meals in waiting; they’re excuses to invite pals over, get outside, and cook food over fire. Sure, plenty of us grill year-round, but summer—with its warmth, lightning bugs, baseball on the radio, and pure sense of freedom—adds flavors that can’t be beat. Plus, with fall and opening days around the corner, there’s no better time than summer to empty the freezer.