In this recipe, a few easy steps elevate grilled beef patties from great, to Holy Garlic! First, the outside of the burgers are generously seasoned in Holy Garlic (think garlic salt, with a lot more depth and dazzle), of our newest spice blends. To echo that lusty flavor, whisk together a quick aioli, or garlic mayonnaise, spiked with lemon zest and black pepper. The rest of the burger can come together as you please, but you can’t go wrong with toasted buns, lettuce (or your favorite greens), and crisp, tangy pickles or pickled peppers.

Grilled meats are typically slathered with sauce towards the end of cooking, so added sweeteners (sugar, honey, molasses, etc.) don’t blacken and burn over the fire. This time-honored thinking is solid, but what if you want your chicken to sing with more sauce? Marinating chicken thighs (or drumsticks) in Major Mustard infuses the meat with a bright, tangy flavor and results in a richer texture. To avoid the scorched skin scenario, “grill-roast” the chicken over indirect heat in a closed grill.

Steak nights are an occasion at our house, a meal that typically happens on Saturday night. Firing up the grill for steaks is a celebratory event engrained from childhood, when my grandfather would splurge on massive T-bones, fry potatoes and onions, haul out the horseshoes and douse a pile of coals with lighter fluid (a tradition I have not adopted). Serving your people, “a nice, big steak,” is a reward for a productive week of work, and a way to savor the slower pace of weekends.

On Saturdays, I don’t give much thought to rounding out the meal (a salad and grilled toasts suffice as supporting players). The meat is the main event, so I seek out the best cuts from my local market. For me, that means a well-marbled cut, dry-aged steak sourced from a particular farm or ranch. Dry-aging, or cooling the meat for an extended period of time concentrates moisture and results in a rich, beefy flavor.

Chicken satay, the beloved Southeast Asian appetizer of grilled meat skewers served with peanut sauce, served as my kids’ gateway to Thai takeout. When they were younger, I described the dish as “chicken on a stick.” As in, “who wants chicken on a stick?!??" The phrase stuck, and became so familiar I accidentally ordered “chicken on a stick” at a local Thai restaurant. It took me a few beats (while my kids laughed) to figure out why the server appeared perplexed.

“Chicken on a stick” remains one of our favorites, though these days I prefer to fire it up at home. For a quick weeknight dinner, I season boneless chicken thighs with Rib Ninja while I whisk together a creamy, spicy peanut sauce (adjust the heat to your preference). To brown the chicken evenly without drying it out, you’ll want to grill the skewers over a moderate heat. If you want to turn this appetizer into a meal, serve the skewers and a drizzle of the peanut sauce over coconut rice.