In Part Two of The Barbecue Bible Complete Thanksgiving Guide, we’re taking Thanksgiving where it belongs—outside. This installment is all about the side dishes and supporting players that thrive over live fire. Since this chapter focuses on grilling your Thanksgiving feast outdoors, we’re highlighting recipes that spring to life on the grill, griddle, or smoker, adding depth and color to the holiday spread.

With Wildfire Grills inspiring this outdoor approach, we dug into our 1000-plus recipe archive to pull together sides that feel both familiar and fresh. These dishes bring the warmth, smoke, and seasonal flavor that make an open-air Thanksgiving not just possible, but memorable.

Have your Rockwellian Thanksgiving traditions become a little predictable, a little stodgy? Here’s the antidote: Move the cooking and the celebration outdoors and revamp your menu! Turkey, if you wish, and new impressive side dishes—all cooked on your grill, griddle, or smoker.

Wildfire Grills, a high-end grill company we’ve recently become acquainted with, has opened our eyes to fresh T-day possibilities. They’ve inspired us to take the party outdoors, and delve deep into our 1000-plus archive of recipes to find several that will leave no doubt—you are a resilient and forward-thinking grillmaster.

See our picks below, as well as our tips for hosting this beloved American holiday—the biggest food holiday of the year—in your “outdoor kitchen.”

Outdoor Thanksgiving Setup Tips

• Back yards can be totally transformed with a few patio heaters, string lights, and seasonal decorations. Set up your tables with small-ish pumpkins, gourds and tree branches liked cedar and pine. Position colorful fall flowers (like mums) around the periphery of the party. Provide inexpensive fleece blankets in case the temperature drops.
• As weather can be very variable this time of year, consider renting tents for your guests.
• Consider where guests will park and notify neighbors and local authorities that you are planning a party.
• Many Thanksgiving dishes can be made a day or two ahead. Take advantage when you can.
• Stock up on party supplies—and don’t forget fuel for your grill!
• Offer your guests a cocktail, hot apple cider, or a soft drink when they arrive. For the former, we recommend this Santa Fe-inspired beverage: Cider-pressed Chimayó Cocktail. Warmed sangria is also an option.
• A warm grilled appetizer will endear you to your guests. Keep it on the light side as Thanksgiving is a hearty meal. Skewer large shrimp (three to a skewer) and keep on ice. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until the shrimp is opaque. Serve with your favorite cocktail sauce. Here’s one of our favorite recipes: Smoked Shrimp Cocktail with Chipotle Orange Sauce.

  

• Set up a modest buffet with appetizers such as smoked nuts.

Side Dishes Recipes

Your grill—not your oven—could be the spectacular centerpiece not only of this year’s Thanksgiving feast, but for years to come! Here is a suggested menu my staff and I created for Wildfire Grills, champions of outdoor cooking. The side dishes really shine, and will invigorate (maybe reinvent!) your Thanksgiving traditions.

Again, don’t forget to check out Wildfire’s website.

The Barbecue Bible Complete Thanksgiving Guide

• The Thanksgiving Turkey Steven Raichlen will be Making This Year – With a Twist!!

Friendsgiving has always been about bringing people together, but this year, it’s time to take the celebration beyond the dining room walls. Enjoy the crisp autumn air, the aroma of delicious food sizzling on the grill, and the sound of laughter filling the backyard. This year, Friendsgiving evolves from a familiar celebration into an unforgettable outdoor feast where tradition meets open flames, and gratitude is shared around the grill – here’s how to host your Outdoor Friendsgiving.

A Feast Meant to Be Shared

It’s not about perfection or plated meals; it’s about the magic of gathering. Friendsgiving is at its best when everyone brings a little of themselves to the table.

A little pre-Friendsgiving prep, goes a long way. Set the stage of your backyard with patio heaters, lanterns, and colorful fall flowers. Ensure comfort for guests with fluffy pillows and cozy blankets. Prepare your Wildfire Outdoor Living Grill by picking up propane ahead of time.

Take advantage of Golden Hour by taking photos of your loved ones against the backdrop of your picturesque outdoor kitchen. Simultaneously, offer your guests a fall, Santa Fe-inspired beverage, a “Cider Press” Chimayó Cocktail, while passing around appetizers, like this Smoked Shrimp Cocktail with Chipotle Orange Sauce.

Your grill—not your oven—should be the spectacular centerpiece not only of this year’s Thanksgiving feast, but for years to come! These dishes will invigorate and reinvent your Thanksgiving traditions.

Start with the classic star entrée – the Smoke-Roasted Turkey with Cognac Herb Butter on the Wildfire Outdoor Living Grill, infused with smoky flavor that makes every bite richer and grilled to a perfection with a dark, golden brown color.

Add creamy Grilled Corn Chowder, unabashedly rich Smoked Mushroom Bread Pudding (stuffing), and Hellfire Cranberry Sauce (if you’ve always found cranberry sauce too sweet, this brash salsa is for you).

The result? A laid-back spread that feels both classic and new! Everyone contributing, everyone sharing, everyone coming back for seconds. It’s the kind of feast that feels less like hosting and more like belonging.

The Art of Gathering Outdoors

Good food, football, and friends who feel like family. Out in the backyard, those traditions come together naturally. With a Wildfire Outdoor Living Kitchen, you’re part of the action: checking the grill during halftime, topping off drinks, and enjoying the easy company of good friends.

As daylight fades and the glow of the Wildfire Outdoor Living Kitchen takes over, the pace slows in the best way. Dessert, a Smoke-Roasted Apple Crisp, is served, glasses are refilled, and it’s that sweet spot of the evening when conversation softens, laughter lingers, and everything feels easy.

That’s what Wildfire Outdoor Living is all about: creating spaces that make hosting feel natural, so you can focus on what really matters: great food, great friends, and moments that last – long after the game’s over.

This Friendsgiving, turn your backyard into the ultimate hosting space. Whether you’re watching football, grilling turkey, or simply raising a glass with your closest friends, Wildfire Outdoor Living helps you do it in style. Because the best memories aren’t made at the table, they’re made around the grill.

Check out our 1000+ Recipes section here on Barbecue Bible.Com

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Most griddling is done in a pretty straightforward manner. You heat the griddle and oil it well. Add the food. Cook until sizzling and browned on the bottom, then cook the other side the same way until done in the center. It’s as simple as that. The short list of foods that can be griddled in this way includes eggs, pancakes, French toast, thin steaks and chops, burgers, chicken breasts, fish fillets, shrimp and crabcakes, thinly sliced vegetables and fruits, noodles, rice, and more – which isn’t such a short list after all. Now, here’s how to griddle them.

Griddle Technique #1: Divide-And-Conquer Griddling

Best for thick sandwiches, like medianoches and muffulettas. Build the sandwich in two halves, with the cold cuts on top. Layer a sheet of parchment paper atop the cold cuts, and start griddling the meat with the parchment paper side down. When the meats are hot and sizzling, carefully turn the half sandwich so the bread side is down. Peel off and discard the parchment paper. Put the two halves together and your sandwich is ready.

Technique #2: Dome Griddling

This method is used for cooking larger or slower-cooking foods, like thicker steaks and chops, chicken pieces, fish steaks—any food that requires a little more heat and time to cook. Place a griddle dome or metal bowl over the food while it’s on the griddle to hold in the heat. Use dome griddling for melting the cheese in a grilled cheese sandwich and speeding up the cooking of a sunny-side up egg.

Technique #3: Steam Griddling

This is a technique developed in Asia to facilitate griddling dense vegetables, like broccoli and winter squash. Work over a medium-hot to hot griddle. Start by cooking the vegetables in oil. Then squirt a tablespoon or two of water on the vegetables. It will boil rapidly, steaming the vegetables in the process. Add more water as needed until the vegetables are sizzling and lightly browned. To intensify the effect, place a griddle dome over the food.

Technique #4: Salt Griddling

A unique method for griddling that Spanish chef José Andrés uses to cook carabineros—Spain’s supernaturally succulent scarlet shrimp. (They take their name from the scarlet uniforms once worn by Spanish carabineros, or police.) Spread out coarse sea salt in a .4-inch-thick (1 cm) layer over your plancha. Heat it well, then lay the shrimp on top. Note: The Spanish like their shrimp barely cooked (make that half-raw) in the center.

Technique #5: Smoke-Griddling

In this method, you smoke right on the surface of the griddle. Heat one zone to high and one zone to medium. Mound a handful of hardwood chips or pellets or a couple of tablespoons of hardwood sawdust directly on the griddle over the hot zone. When it starts to smoke, slide the wood to the medium zone and place the food to be griddled next to it (oil it first). Cover with the griddle dome. Griddle the food covered—the smoldering wood will provide a delicate smoke flavor.

Naturally, all of these recipes will be most successful if griddled on a high-quality grill – like the Wildfire Ranch Pro 30-Inch Stainless Steel Griddle* – with features that make it a superior choice over cast-iron products, including corrosion resistance and durability, 8mm surface (for heat retention and even cooking), and low maintenance (easy to clean, no seasoning required).

* Enter here for your chance to win this Griddle and Steven’s newest book, Project Griddle.

Check out our 1000+ Recipes section here on Barbecue Bible.Com

Also, sign up for our Up in Smoke newsletter so you don't miss any blogs and receive some special offers! PLUS get Raichlen's Burgers! PDF for free!

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This post is sponsored by Wildfire Outdoor Living.

It’s every griller’s dream: to build a lavish outdoor kitchen. We know just the people to tell you how. We met up Wildfire Outdoor Cooking at the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Show in New Orleans recently. We asked them to share their advice on the best way to build an outdoor kitchen.

Why Luxury Grills Are Worth the Money: Reasoning and Rationale

1. Premium Materials & Craftsmanship

At the recent Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Expo in New Orleans, we’d recently become acquainted with Wildfire Outdoor Living products. These handsome luxury grills are constructed using 304-grade stainless steel, which ensures long-term durability, even in harsh outdoor environments. This sturdy material protects against rust and features refined finishing touches that reflect high-end craftsmanship not found in less expensive grills. With a luxury grill, you elevate your equipment in build, looks, and longevity.

2. Performance That Rivals Professional Kitchens

With a luxury grill, you can produce restaurant-quality results with precision burner control and high BTUs. Among Wildfire Outdoor Living’s unique products is a 15-inch griddle, which delivers powerful cooking performance while taking up minimal space – perfect for maximizing function in compact outdoor kitchens.

3. Designer-Level Aesthetics

Wildfire Outdoor Living products make customizing your luxury grill simple and easy. Choose upgraded designer finishes with modern knob and handle options to complement the grill’s cabinetry—black stainless steel and timeless traditional stainless steel.

4. Longevity and Warranty Support

The company’s outdoor kitchen components are backed by a lifetime warranty – unusual in the grill industry – and are built to last with proper care. Replacement parts, service support, and a focus on long-term satisfaction make it a reliable long-term investment. We’re sure you won’t miss purchasing a new grill every two to three years.

If you’re in the market for a new grill or griddle – or, to build an entire outdoor luxury kitchen, investigate the Wildfire Outdoor Living line-up of high-quality equipment. Luxury materials, high-end artistic design, and restaurant-level performance make for an extraordinary combination. For more information, go to: https://wildfireoutdoorliving.com

Celebrate Labor Day Weekend in your outdoor kitchen with these Southern Cuisine-inspired recipes!

Check out our 1000+ Recipes section here on Barbecue Bible.Com

Also, sign up for our Up in Smoke newsletter so you don't miss any blogs and receive some special offers! PLUS get Raichlen's Burgers! PDF for free!

Follow Steven on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and Pinterest!

Check out our store powered by BBQGuys!

The post Thinking of Building an Outdoor Kitchen? Consider These Four Tips First appeared first on Barbecuebible.com.