BBQ Ground Beef Recipes - Barbecue Appetizers and Side Dishes

Probably the easiest and most obvious way to make use of ground beef is to make homemade burgers. But there are lots of other BBQ ground beef recipes too -- and one of our favorites is to use the ground beef as a "stuffing" for tasty side dishes or appetizers. Also delicious are ground beef "kebabs", basically a formed sausage of ground beef (without the sausage casing).

Grilled Stuffed Veggies

You can use medium-sized bell peppers (any colour), medium-sized firm tomatoes, or even jalepeno peppers or a portabello mushroom cap. We don't specify quantities in this recipe, because it depends on what veggies you choose and how many you barbecue. Don't be afraid... this recipe is very forgiving, and you can experiment until you get the taste you want.

How to Make

Wash and hollow out the vegetables. Pat dry. If there are edible veggie parts that you removed when hollowing it out, chop them up finely and set aside. These can be added to the stuffing mixture.

Lightly coat the outside of the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs or salt & pepper, to taste. If you're using veggies that take a while to cook, like peppers, you can "pre-cook" them first and then finish them on the grill.

Prepare ground beef: saute beef in a bit of olive oil or butter. Add seasonings like tomato sauce, salt & pepper, chopped garlic or onion, celery, oregano or basil. It's good to have a little bit of sauce, so that it oozes out when you cut into the veggie (not too much, though!).

Stuff the beef into the hollowed-out veggies and place on the grill. Grilling time depends on the type of vegetable you choose. Veggies are done when the skin is charred / blistered and the vegetable is soft and cooked through.

BBQ Ground Beef Kebabs

If you've never had these before, think of them as long, thin spicy hamburgers. They are absolutely delicious on the grill!

How to Make

What you need: 2 lbs of lean ground beef, 1 cup finely-chopped or grated white onion, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1.5 tbsp finely minced fresh garlic, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp finely crushed red pepper, salt & pepper to taste.

You'll also need skewers. If using bamboo skewers, soak them first in water for an hour or two so that they don't burn on the grill.

How to make the kebabs: mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Shape the ground beef mixture into 4" to 5" cylindrical sausage shapes on the skewers. Press the meat firmly around the skewers. Grill for 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your kebabs. Turn frequently so that they don't burn. Serve hot as tasty appetizers or side dishes for BBQ.

These two BBQ ground beef recipes are easy and tasty ... and you can basically spice things up the way you like, so feel free to experiment. Other BBQ beef recipes are also available on our website.