3. Use the barbecue as a breakfast station

The grill can do more than dinner! From grilled pancakes (on a cast-iron griddle or pan) to steak and egg sliders to simple grilled fruit, take your breakfast plates outside this summer to soak in the start of the day with some help from the grill.

4. Use the barbecue to make dessert

Take your grill skills beyond dinner, to dessert. Leverage indirect heat (more on that below) to bake a skillet-sized brownie outside on hot days. Lightly grill fresh fruits to a warm, juicy finish, or grill thick slices of pound cake and top with warmed fruit and fresh cream or yogurt. The sky is the limit.

Here are a few more recipes to keep in your back pocket:

Grilled Banana Splits

Grilled Sugar & Spice Nectarines

Grilled Pineapple Skewers & Rum Caramel Sauce

Barbecued Peach & Blueberry Streusel

Barbecue Pie Pops

5. Use the barbecue like an oven

You can use indirect heat, or heat sources, on one or both sides of the food on your grill, for a variety of applications, including cooking more delicate foods or foods that take longer than 25 minutes to cook. Why? Putting these kinds of foods on direct flames can dry them out or burn them, especially if they take longer to cook.

A whole chicken, like in this Grilled Flattened Paprika Chicken recipe, is ideally cooked over indirect heat so you get crisp skiny and juicy meat. For the best results, grease the BBQ grates well before turning on your grill and preheat one side to medium-high, leaving the heat off on the other side for indirect cooking. You'll start by grilling the flattened chicken, breast side down, until the skin starts to crisp and releases from the grill easily 8 to 10 min. Flip and cook for another 10 to 12 min., then move chicken to indirect heat side of BBQ. With the lid closed, cook for another 20 to 25 min., turning occasionally, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the inner thigh registers 82°C (180°F).