The Ultimate Cookout Starts With Grilled Avocados

Like the perfect barbecue sauce, an ice-cold drink pulled straight out of the cooler, and Aunt June's famous sour cream deviled eggs, avocado puts the bow on the ultimate cookout. But if you've eaten enough avo-stuffed spring rolls, dressings, and pasta-cado salads to make your eyeballs turn into avocados, throw that fruit on the fire and grill your guacamole.

We tapped Mike Williams, vice president of sales and marketing at Kenyon Grills, for a little advice on how to heat up our guac game. (Let there be grill marks.) "Grilling the avocados, tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños can really add some interest to the textures of the finished dish and add some caramelized notes," Williams says.

But to really crush the starring ingredient, you won't want to smear it all over the grate. "Avocados can become mushy or fall apart," Williams explains. "I recommend slicing them in half and removing the pit before grilling, although you can leave the skin on for a bit of stability to hold it together." Cover the flesh with a little oil and S&P, and lay your avocado halves face down on your grill. "Medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes ... and then let them rest for a couple of minutes before finishing the guacamole prep." 

After you've got a little char on your grillable ingredients, simply chop, toss with lime juice and fresh cilantro, and, as Williams describes it, "Just throw it on there! Guacamole is such a great topping for burgers and hot dogs." Put it on your meat, your veggies, or your chips — just put those avocados on the grill.

"Should" sounds a little pushy, but crack open a cold one as I "should" you into making the greatest grill-based decisions of your life. We've all heard about the smoky transcendence of grilled pickles, the nature's candy that is grilled watermelon, and the purest expression of grilled cheese (just cheese on the grill — love me some charred halloumi). But I double dog dare you to bust the boundaries of your next backyard barbecue.

Evoking the vibe of a summer turducken, the equally fun-to-say swineapple might be just the key to unlocking your pitmaster potential; it requires a hollowed-out pineapple stuffed with cooked barbecue rib meat, a basket-weave bacon wrapping, and an hour on the grates. 

Got a smoker and nowhere to be? Smoke your snacks. What Goldfish, Chex Mix, Dorito, or Cheez-It wouldn't benefit from a tumble in barbecue seasoning plus a little heat? But you haven't lived until you've smoked water for cocktail ice cubes (and, duh, grill your citrus wheel garnishes).

Lastly, I gift you this: I once threw Krispy Kreme doughnuts on an unoccupied grill at a friend's backyard barbecue. While the tequila cocktail in my hand was all, like, "OMG, this is the best idea ever," the bliss on people's faces as they bit into caramelized, Homer Simpson-style pink-iced doughnuts — with actual (meaty?) grill marks on the bottoms — confirmed the move was solid gold. I don't remember the temperature, cook time, or whether the grill was even on. But what matters is that you confidently put it all on the grates — everything from avocados to Krispy Kremes — and lean into the serendipitous magic of your own ultimate cookout.