By August, you’ve likely exhausted all of your go-to grilling recipes. If you can’t look at another kebab or need a break from the bratwurst, we get it — and have just the solution to get you through the rest of barbecue season. Executive chef and partner of Pig Beach BBQ Matt Abdoo stopped by TODAY to share some of his favorite summer sandwiches that will actually make you excited to fire up the grill again.
If you love pairing your steak with chimichurri sauce, try it served on freshly toasted ciabatta. All of the flavor from caramelized onions, herby dressing and flavorful meat soak into the bread so it truly gets better with every bite. If you want to take a classic up a notch, try a grilled chicken BLAT on buttery Texas toast. It has the usual fixings of a classic BLT, plus creamy avocado and tender chicken that marinates in his mom’s Italian dressing.
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If you still have some patties that need using up, Abdoo’s Pig Beach Burger is anything but basic. The secret is in the sauce — two sauces, actually — that, when blended together, make going the homemade route worthwhile. And nothing goes better with any sandwich or burger than a side of crispy onion rings. For a sweet finish, serve sweet pink lemonade bars made with fresh raspberries.
Matt Abdoo's grilled summer sandwiches
Skirt steak has so much flavor and it cooks super quickly, which is why I love it for these summer sandwiches. Feel free to mix things up with filet mignon, chicken thighs, pork tenderloin or eggplant instead.
You can use my mom's Italian marinade on just about anything, from vegetables to steak, fish and pork. Here, it's used as a marinade for chicken breasts, which are then thinly pounded, grilled and layered with bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato for a hearty but healthy summer sandwich. For this recipe, you'll need a grill or large grill pan, tongs and a sharp serrated knife. Be sure to clean and oil your grill before cooking on it.
More recipes to make this week
Round out the week with these recipes from Matt Abdoo, Casey Barber and Riley Wofford.
Here, Abdoo shares his secret formula for the perfect seasoning blend that keeps barbecue fans coming back for more. To make his iconic burger, he uses brisket short rib to form the patties, which are then topped with homemade pickles, his signature ketchup-mayo burger sauce, American cheese and a spicy mustard sauce.
These onion rings are better for you, since they’re oven-baked rather than being deep-fried, and better tasting. The light, crispy exterior is all thanks to a buttermilk batter that the onions marinate in overnight.
If you’re a fan of lemon bars, you need to try these pink lemonade bars. They have the same crumbly shortbread crust you know and love, but get their gorgeous hue from a handful of fresh raspberries that only enhance that sweet-tart flavor.
