Hi Reader,

Memorial Day weekend is when the grill comes out, the chairs migrate to the yard, and everyone suddenly develops very strong opinions about potato salad.
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I love that first big unofficial summer gathering. The screen door banging. The smell of smoke. The bowl of chips no one admits to hovering near. Someone’s kid running through the sprinkler fully clothed because joy has no respect for laundry.
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But the best version of that weekend starts before anyone arrives.
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Not with fuss. With forethought. A marinade already doing its quiet work. A salad chilling in the fridge. Drinks cold enough to make the cooler earn its keep. Dessert handled. Ice purchased. Buns accounted for, because nothing says “amateur hour” like serving burgers on folded sandwich bread.
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Plan the bones of the menu now, and the weekend has room to breathe. You get to flip, pour, laugh, eat, and sit down like a person instead of conducting a three-ring circus with tongs.

My Memorial Day Game Plan

• Choose food that holds up. Grilled mains, sturdy salads, easy desserts.
• Make the fridge do work early. Marinades, dressings, sauces, and desserts love a head start.
• Buy the boring essentials. Ice, buns, charcoal, napkins, trash bags. Heroes, all.
• Keep drinks simple and cold. That alone makes people happy.
• Leave yourself out of the weeds. The host deserves a plate, too.

WHAT'S INSIDE...

• ​Homemade Yellow Mustard​
• ​Barbecued Beef Back Ribs​
• ​Bacon Jam​
• ​Grilled Porterhouse Steak​
• ​Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos​
• ​Buttermilk Onion Rings​
• ​Sweet Pickle Relish​
• ​Crème Fraîche Potato Salad​
• ​Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Sauce​

​Homemade Yellow Mustard​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.68 from 85 votes

Homemade yellow mustard is deceptively simple to make from mustard powder, vinegar, and a couple other basic pantry staples. You just may never go back to store-bought! Here's how to make it from scratch.

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​Barbecued Beef Back Ribs​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.75 from 36 votes

These barbecued beef back ribs are easy to make. They're coated with a homemade spice rub and slowly grilled to perfection.

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​Bacon Jam​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.98 from 37 votes

This bacon jam, made with bacon, maple syrup, and coffee, is a sweet condiment slathered on burgers at the Skillet diner in Seattle--and just about everywhere else these days.

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​Grilled Porterhouse Steak​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.77 from 13 votes

This grilled porterhouse steak is impressive yet easy to make and arguably the best way to make a porterhouse steak at home. Here's how.

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​Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 from 10 votes

Skirt steak is one of the most flavorful cuts on the entire steer, and when grilled and sliced properly, it’s one of the best values at the butcher shop. I like my tacos on the spicy side, so I load them up with plenty of sliced jalapeño and garnish with a squeeze of fresh lime, cilantro, and pickled red onions.

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​Buttermilk Onion Rings​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 from 11 votes

These buttermilk onion rings are briefly soaked in buttermilk and double-dipped in flour before frying to ensure an extra crisp coating and oh so tender onions within. Spectacular alongside burgers. Or simply on their own.

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​Sweet Pickle Relish​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.64 from 111 votes

This sweet pickle relish, made with cucumbers, sugar, onion, salt, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and cider vinegar, is perfect for hamburgers and hot dogs and potato salad, and anything else. So long, storebought.

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​Crème Fraîche Potato Salad​

Solid boiling potatoes are best for this salad. I prefer to use slightly nutty Charlottes but small potatoes with red skin are also good.

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​Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Sauce​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.86 from 21 votes

I created this barbecue sauce to top the Wyoming burger, but it's also an ideal dipping sauce for French fries. After you've made this quick and easy sauce once, you'll want to slather it on grilled chicken, steak, pork chops...you might never go back to the bottled stuff.

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