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26 Smaller Memorial Day Recipes

by · Last modified: · 7 Comments

It's time to welcome summer with these 26 easy and delicious recipes. Have a gathering of family or friends, go to the beach, or have a picnic. All demand some great food, so let's get started.

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Memoral Day College-Image licensed from Fotolia May 26, 2016. Copyright igoror - Fotolia. Modified per allow by licensed.
Image licensed from Fotolia May 26, 2016. Copyright igoror - Fotolia. Modified per allowed by license.
Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

This coming weekend is Memorial Day, a federal holiday in the USA. It remembers the people who gave their lives while serving in the armed forces. But it is also commonly recognized as the kick-off for summer and a three-day holiday weekend.

Once known as Decoration Day, which started after the American Civil War to honor the Union dead, it later merged with a similar Confederate holiday and ultimately for all American war dead.

But on to the other part of this holiday. It’s FINALLY SUMMER—time for some deck and picnic food. I'm starting with Oven Pulled Pork, Memphis BBQ Sauce, and a big slice of Fresh Strawberry Pie.

Molly and Lilly dogs playing with a ball on a rope.

All-American BBQ Classics

These are classic recipes, but while we think of them as bigger recipes, they can all be adjusted for smaller amounts, perfect for two or smaller households.

How to Cook a Brisket on a Gas Grill
Cook smoked Grilled Brisket low-and-slow on your backyard gas grill—moist and tender meat with crusty bark and a smokey taste. Make classic BBQ brisket without a smoker.
Grilled Brisket
Cooked brisket on a gray board
Smoked Pulled Pork Butt on a Gas Grill
Cooking smoked pulled pork butt low and slow on your backyard gas grill is easier than you think. With just a pork butt roast (AKA Boston butt), a dry rub, and wood chips, you can make juicy BBQ pulled pork with fantastic crusty bark and smoky flavor.
Grilled Pulled Pork
Pulled Pork on a Gas Grill from 101 Cooking for Two
Grilled Baby Back Ribs
Grilled baby back ribs on the gas grill are simple with this never-fail recipe. Seasoned with dry rub and cooked low and slow, these juicy BBQ pork ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender. Served with BBQ sauce, you will love this classic grilling favorite.
Grilled Ribs
grilled Baby Back Ribs on black cutting board
Oven Pulled Pork Butt—Low and Slow
Oven Pulled Pork from pork butt is cooked in the oven low and slow. Our best-pulled pork recipe is tender and moist with delicious bark. Super easy, with almost no work—you rub, bake at 250° for 8 to 9 hours, shred, and eat.
Oven Baked Pork Butt
pulled pork sandwich with BBQ sauce

Classic Backyard Grill Recipes

Chicken, burgers, and pork chops are all classic backyard grill recipes. Learn to make the perfect every time.

How to Grill Hamburgers
Grilling hamburgers on your backyard gas (or charcoal) grill is fast and easy using store-bought ground beef and simple seasonings. Grilled over high heat for the best juicy homemade burgers, which will go from the refrigerator to your plate in under 20 minutes
Grilling Hamburgers
burger on a bun
How to Grill Chicken Breasts on a Gas Grill
Grilled chicken breasts can be juicy and tender with only a few simple steps. In under 30 minutes, you can have perfect chicken breasts every time. Just pay attention to our tips and follow the easy step-by-step photo instructions.
Grilling Chicken Breasts
Grilled Chicken Breasts on a blue plate
Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
Perfectly Grilled Chicken Drumsticks are fast and easy with this never-fail recipe. Tender, flavorful, and budget-friendly, everybody from picky kids to grandma will love these crispy grilled drumsticks.
Grilling Chicken Legs
chicken drumsticks cooking on the grill
How to Grill Pork Chops on a Gas Grill
Get perfect moist and tender Grilled Pork Chops on your gas grill in under 30 minutes. Use boneless or bone-in chops, an optional brine, and season to your taste.
Grilling Pork Chops
two grilled pork chops on an orange plate
Grilled Chicken Thighs
Perfectly Grilled Chicken Thighs are juicy and tender, with crispy skin and delicious char. They are fast and easy on your gas grill with only a few simple steps. Super flexible, you can use a charcoal grill, bone-in or boneless thigh, the season of your choice, or even BBQ sauce.
Grilling Chicken Thighs
grilled chicken thigh on white plate
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Grilling pork tenderloin on a gas grill is fast and easy. With a touch of char outside and juicy and tender meat inside, we love this fool-proof recipe, and so will you.
Grilling Pork Tenderloin
pork tenderloin on blue platter
Molly and Lilly dogs playing with a ball on a rope. Part 2.

Cold side dishes for buffets

Cold sides are commonly used for outdoor summer parties and serve as buffets. Here are some summer classics you can make, small or big, depending on your needs. Don't forget food safety—see the section below.

Easy Macaroni Salad
With rich flavor, this easy macaroni salad recipe is a small batch recipe for making macaroni salad for two or a crowd. The basic recipe includes elbow macaroni, cheese, bell pepper, onion, celery, and a mayonnaise-based dressing. However, multiple optional ingredients may be added to customize to your taste.
Recipe for Easy Macaroni Salad
basic macaroni salad on a white plate.
Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Raisins
The best broccoli salad recipe is homemade for freshness. It has crunchy broccoli, crispy bacon, juicy raisins, cheddar cheese, and a creamy, sweet, tangy homemade dressing.
Recipe for Broccoli Salad with Bacon
broccoli salad with bacon and raisins on a white plate.
Caprese Pasta Salad—Fresh and Easy
Caprese Pasta Salad is a light, fresh Italian cold salad with tender pasta, fresh tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese with fresh basil and garlic.
Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe
Caprese Pasta salad on a large spoon
Simple Spinach Salad with Bacon
This is a simple spinach salad with bacon and an easy homemade spinach salad dressing with ketchup on fresh baby spinach. You can add toppings of your choice and other greens like kale. Make it your way, or follow my suggestions. Use it as a side dish or load it with protein for a delicious summer lunch.
Simple Spinich Salad with Homemade Dressing
fresh spinach salad on white plate.

Hot side dishes

Hot sides for those two and smaller holiday dinners.

Grilled Mixed Vegetables
Delicious Grilled Mixed Vegetables cooked on the grill compliments any meal. You can easily add them to your grill while you cook dinner to complete your meal.
How to Grill Mixed Vegetables
Grilled Mixed Vegetables in a white bowl
Grilled Corn on the Cob Without Husks
The best grilled corn on the cob is quick and easy with a few tips. Pick the best corn, husk, and a brush of oil with salt and pepper, and finish by grilling over medium heat until tender with some delicious char. It's not hard, and it's so good—no husk and no aluminum foil are needed.
Grilling Corn on the Cob without Husks
grilled corn on the cob in a holder
Microwave Corn on the Cob
Microwave Corn On the Cob in the Husk is super easy. No husking, just short microwaving, and you will have perfect sweet corn every time with no mess.
How to Microwave Corn on the Cob
corn on the cob in serving trays B
Grilled Baby Potatoes
Grilled Baby Potatoes are the perfect side dish for any summer meal. We typically grill small red potatoes, but there's a variety of small potatoes to choose from, including fingerling, yellow, new, or baby potatoes, in addition to red potatoes. No foil or parboiling is required.
Grilling Baby Potatoes
pouring small potatoes into blue bowl.
Molly and Lilly dogs playing with a ball on a rope. Part 1.

Time for dessert

It ain't over until it's over. End the day with something special.

Grilled Pineapple Slices with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Glaze
Glazed grilled pineapple slices are an easy delicious summer side dish. With a buttery caramelized brown sugar glaze, it also makes a great dessert when combined with ice cream—Ready in less than 15 minutes.
How To Grill Pineapple
close up of Grilled Pineacpple with grill marks on a blue plate
Easy Old Fashioned Apple Crisp
This easy Old Fashioned Apple Crisp is a small-batch recipe with only three apples and a few pantry ingredients. Easy to make for two or a crowd. It's a delicious apple dessert with plenty of cinnamon apples and a crumble topping, just like Grandma would make.
Easy Apple Crisp
apple crisp on a white plate.
Fresh Strawberry Pie with Jello
While not a "small recipe" the leftovers are wonderful. Easy and delicious using fresh strawberries and a refrigerated pie crust.
Easy Fresh Strawberry Pie
Whole fresh strawberry jello pie ready to eat.
Old Fashioned Lemon Bars
This Old Fashioned Lemon Bar recipe is easy and quick but still uses a classic shortbread crust and a tangy and sweet custard filling of eggs and lemon juice. It's a small 8X8 recipe that is easy to double for more lemon squares.
Small Batch Lemon Bars
two lemon bars on a white plate.
Easy Cheesecake Bars
These Easy Cheesecake Bars are creamy and delicious with a Graham cracker crust and lemon—the quick small-batch recipe you need with great tasting cheesecake bars.
Easy Cheesecake Bar Recipe
Cheesecake bars on a blue plate

Sauce and rubs

Memphis BBQ Sauce
The best Memphis BBQ sauce is perfect for chicken, pulled pork, pork ribs, and brisket. The sweet and tangy flavor of Memphis-style BBQ sauce complements smoky barbecues like pulled pork, pork ribs, or beef brisket.
Memphis BBQ Sauce
BBQ sauce on pork
BBQ Dry Rub for Ribs, Pork, Beef, and More
The best BBQ Dry Rub recipes will enhance the meats' taste and complement the sauce's flavors. This easy-to-adjust homemade rub recipe has classic BBQ flavors.
Recipe for BBQ Dry Rub
Spice for 8311 BBQ Rub
Memphis Dry Rub Recipe
A classic sweet and spicy Memphis Dry Rub Recipe from Marlowes of Memphis. Bring the great taste of Memphis to your grilled ribs or other BBQ recipes.
Recipe for Memphis Dry Rubs
Applying Memphis dry rub to baby back ribs

Don't forget the party animals

Low-Fat Homemade Dog Treats—Healthy & Delicious
Low Fat Homemade Dog Treats are the perfect low-calorie treat for your dog. With only five ingredients, your dog will love the peanut butter and pumpkin taste. Much healthier than commercial treats—any veterinarian would approve.
Homemake Low-Fat Dog Treats
Pile of homemade dog treats on a wire rack

FOOD SAFETY

Let's be safe out there. Uncle Joe cannot have his burger rare, even though you wouldn't mind seeing him sick. It is your responsibility to keep them safe.

It's easy to forget food safety, but it's up to you to keep your friends and family safe. I frequently see dangerous food handling on TV food shows and other blogs. So, know the rules. PLEASE.

USDA food safety graph. Copyright USDA-Public Domain
USDA food safety graph. Copyright USDA-Public Domain

A few key safety points.

  • Lots of hand washing and do not cross-contaminate.
  • Cook to a safe internal temperature—see the FDA safe temperatures chart.
  • Cold foods need to stay under 40°; if not, they are not safe if they are at room temperature for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if it is over 90°).
  • Check out the USDA Food Safety recommendations.

Please remember what it is all about. Have a great holiday weekend, and enjoy your summer.

DrDan

PS. Stay safe out there, and please follow your local health department's recommendations.

Publisher note: This is a re-edit of the previous year's ( since 2016) post. New recipe recommendations are added as needed to keep it fresh.

More Holiday Recipes

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  1. Ashley says

    Our beautiful English Golden, Abby, will be 7 years old this Saturday! I think she might love to celebrate her birthday and Memorial Day with a juicy burger or some pulled pork. Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says

      Hi Ashley,
      Welcome to the blog.
      I'm doing pulled pork myself but the girls will eat anything. Just not very picky.
      Molly and Lilly say high to Abby.
      Thanks for the note.
      Dan

  2. michele strong says

    I just stumbled across your site today and am already a fan! so happy I found you ☺ what kind of pups do you have? sometimes I can't tell the difference between an english cream retriever and a great pyrenees.. we were blessed with the most beautiful, smart, amazing.... pyr a couple of months ago! 😊

    Reply

    • DrDan says

      Hi Michele,
      Welcome to the blog.
      The girls are 4 1/2 yr old English Golderns. They are litter mates and have be the blog mascots since being babies.
      Thanks for the note.
      Dan

  3. Jean says

    Dr. Dan,
    I hope your feeling well. My whole family loves your recipes, your dog pictures, and you. Your a favorite of mine when sharing your recipes, your philosophy on cooking and while talking to friends. Friends come through the front door asking "what Dr. Dan recipe are we enjoying tonight". Your the best.
    Take very good care of yourself.
    Warmly,
    Jean Rawlings

    Reply

    • DrDan says

      I snuck that in this post and very few saw it but I feel better I "told" everybody. Just chronic things getting worse.

      If you can only stand for 10 minutes, it is hard to cook a new recipe and take pictures. I can cook but the extra 10-15 minutes it takes for the pictures is just a bit too much.

      Also, with 450 plus recipes, it is getting hard to find good ideas. So more older recipes nobody saw and less new one. A new one when I find something I really want to do like the grilled Ribeye post. It is long and very complete. I enjoyed writing it and I loved the results.

      Thanks for the note and good wishes.

      Dan

  4. Mike says

    Thank you so much for the food safety tips, I didn't realize a lot of the things you wrote there!

    Thanks DrDan

    Reply