Top Backyard BBQ Recipes This Summer
TLDR: These CBD recipes are perfect for those who want to up their barbecue game without putting in too much extra effort. We'll start by giving you a quick brush-up on CBD and how to cook with it, and then venture into drinks, appetizers, and ways to put fresh twists on classic main courses. Prep your wood fire grill, grab your trusty tongs, and let's get to cooking for the whole family!
Everyone loves partaking in a good backyard BBQ with their loved ones, especially when the weather starts to heat up! While we know that most people have their tried-and-true, traditional recipes (and they’re oh so great), sometimes it can be nice to freshen things up a bit. Why not try spicing up your food repertoire with some CBD recipes?
CBD recipes are especially great for those who struggle with aches and soreness but don’t want to miss out on any fun. This article contains the best recipes to compliment your backyard BBQ menu so that you can have even more of a blast with less effort and greater comfort!
What Is CBD?
CBD (cannabidiol) is one of the primary cannabinoids naturally found in hemp. It benefits you by interacting with your body’s cannabinoid receptors! These receptors support your endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is responsible for regulating a lot of your main functions and systems, including:
- Learning and memory function
- Immune function
- Temperature regulation
- Nervous system
- And many others
But What Are CBD’s Benefits?
When you consume CBD, you’re helping your ECS maintain homeostasis or optimal levels of health; benefits can include:
- Relieves general discomfort or irritation
- Boosts appetite and helps maintain proper digestion
- Soothes upset stomachs
- Helps ease nervousness or worried thoughts
- Supports deeper sleep cycles
- Maintains mood and overall wellness
- And so much more!
Best CBD Products to Cook With
Though there are several CBD products that you can combine with food, some are much easier to work with than others. We think the best CBD products for cooking are CBD oil and isolate powder.
Oil Tinctures
CBD oil is one of the most popular ways to consume CBD! You can consume it directly through oral ingestion, place it under your tongue for quicker absorption into your bloodstream, or add it to your favorite food and drinks before serving. We suggest adding CBD oil as a final step while cooking since hemp seed oil has a lower smoke point and generally isn’t best for frying.
Cheef Botanicals’ Full Spectrum CBD Oil comes in four concentration levels: 300 mg, 600 mg, 1200 mg, and 3000 mg. Each bottle comes with a convenient, measured dropping tool so that you can easily measure out your perfect dose every time!
Pure Isolate Powder
This flavorless, odorless powder is CBD in its purest form. It’s easy to measure out and can mix into anything you please. Like CBD oil, you can consume isolate directly, though it’s a lot more fun to cook with it!
Cheef Botanicals carries CBD isolate in 1000 mg — since it’s 99% pure CBD, a little goes a long way. You can purchase an individual jar or pick up bundles of 3, 5, or 10 if you’re planning to cook for a lot of friends (or if you’re just a big fan like us).
Best Summer CBD Recipes
Let’s be honest — CBD recipes are great for any time of year! They’re a great way to incorporate your favorite relieving cannabinoid into your day, so you can enjoy mealtime and all the activities surrounding it without feeling discomfort or nervousness. We’ve organized our recipes into three categories for your convenience: beverages, appetizers, and accompaniments for main courses.
Refreshing, Relieving Beverages
Looking for a little kick of caffeine or a tasty, fresh way to help you beat the heat? These CBD beverages go great with grilled foods, make an excellent base for alcoholic drinks, and keep your thirst quenched!
Sweet Tea
Ingredients:
- CBD isolate — about 8 regular servings
- 6 tea bags — your tea of choice
- Baking soda — 1 pinch
- 8 cups of water — 2 boiling, 6 cold
- Granulated cane sugar — 1/2 cup – 2 cups
- Lemon slices for garnish
How-to:
- Add CBD isolate and baking soda to a large, heat-safe pitcher.
- Boil 2 cups of water, and pour into the pitcher. Then, add your tea bags to the hot water.
- Cover with a tea towel and let steep for at least 15 minutes. The longer your tea steeps, the more concentrated it’ll become.
- Remove tea bags, and add your preferred amount of sugar. Stir until dissolved.
- Once dissolved, add 6 cups of cold water. Stir, and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve!
- Garnish glasses with lemon slices before serving for a fancy, tangy twist.
Turmeric Lemonade
Ingredients:
- CBD isolate — about 8 regular servings
- Turmeric — 2 tsp. ground
- Black pepper — 1 pinch
- Honey — 2 tbsps.
- Lemons — 3, freshly squeezed
- 8 cups of water — 2 boiling, 6 cold
How-to:
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
- Add your CBD isolate, turmeric, and black pepper. Bring water to a boil, and then remove from heat.
- Pour your CBD-infused turmeric tea into a large pitcher. Add in your honey, and stir until dissolved.
- Then, add lemon juice and remaining cold water. Stir, and keep refrigerated until you’re ready to serve!
Easy Appetizers
No backyard BBQ is complete without some apps for people to snack on while the main course grills. Appetizers shouldn’t be more difficult than your main course — they’re supposed to support snacking urges and hold you over until dinner’s finally ready. These appetizer CBD recipes are simple and satisfying and take little to no prep.
Homemade Guacamole
Ingredients:
- CBD isolate — 4 regular servings
- Avocado — 4 ripe, mashed
- Save 1 avocado pit — we’ll explain below!
- Red onion — 1/4 onion, diced
- Cilantro — half a bushel, finely chopped
- Garlic salt — 1 tsp. (more to taste)
- Cumin — 1 tsp.
- Jalapeño — 1 diced (seeds removed for milder guacamole)
- Fresh lime juice (or lemon) — about 1 tbsp. (2 limes or 1/2 lemon)
- Ground black pepper — to taste
How-to:
- Mash your avocados in a large bowl. Leave some chunks of avocado for some texture variation.
- Dice your red onion and jalapeño, and chop your cilantro. Add to bowl with mashed avocados.
- Then, add your CBD isolate, garlic salt, cumin, and preferred amount of ground black pepper to the mix. Fold in spices until evenly distributed.
- Finally, squeeze over your lime juice! This will add extra flavor to your guacamole and help keep it from oxidizing (becoming brown). Adding an avocado pit to your guacamole bowl will help delay this process!
Spice up Your Pre-made Apps!
Everyone has their favorite salsas and pre-made dips! They’re easy to pick up on the way to a cookout and make snacking a breeze.
By adding CBD oil or isolate to ready-made dips, you can skip the extra kitchen work while still enjoying all the benefits of CBD. We recommend adding your CBD of choice to individual portions so that you can save precious product.
Make Your Main Courses Sparkle
Looking for a way to freshen up your main courses? These CBD recipes will help elevate your dinner dishes to the next level for a backyard BBQ your guests won’t forget. We’ve included a dry rub/marinade combo to spice up your proteins and a vegan cheese sauce to satisfy everyone’s cravings (and dietary restrictions).
Classic Backyard BBQ Rub + Marinade
Perfect for chicken, beef, or vegan alternatives, this classic dry rub recipe is perfect for seasoning grilled main courses. If you prefer to marinade your backyard BBQ meats, we’ve included additional ingredients to cover you!
Dry Blend Ingredients:
- CBD isolate — appropriate dose for the number of people you’re sharing with
- Smoked paprika — 1/2 cup
- Brown sugar — 1/2 cup
- White pepper — 1 tbsp.
- Dried onion flakes — 2 tbsps.
- Garlic powder — 2 tbsps.
- Ground cumin — 1 tbsp.
- Salt — to taste
How-to:
- Combine all ingredients into an airtight jar. Shake until thoroughly combined.
- When ready to use, measure out about 1 tbsp. per pound of meat or vegan product you’re cooking.
- Apply rub with vegetable oil a few hours before cooking for best results!
To make it a marinade, add:
- Honey — 1/2 cup
- Ketchup — 1/2 cup
- Worcestershire sauce — 1/2 cup
How-to:
- After combining dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, mix the two. Stir until thoroughly combined.
- Add meat or vegan product to the marinade, and let soak for at least a few hours before grilling.
Smoky Vegan CBD “Cheese” Sauce
At Cheef Botanicals, we want everybody to have a chance to enjoy some CBD recipes, so we make all our products dairy-free and vegan-friendly. Because of this, we thought it was just as important for us to include a recipe specifically geared toward vegans, too. Perfect for vegan burgers, nachos, drizzling on fries, and more, vegan CBD cheese sauce is the answer you’ve been searching for.
Ingredients:
- CBD Oil — 1 tbsp. or up to 8 regular servings worth
- Raw cashews — 1 1/2 cups, pre-soaked for at least 2 hours
- Yukon potatoes or red potatoes — 2 1/2 cups peeled, diced, and boiled (for texture)
- Sweet potatoes — 1 1/2 cup peeled, diced, and boiled (for color and texture)
- Nutritional yeast — 1/4 cup
- Smoked paprika — 1 tsp.
- Garlic salt — 1 tsp.
- Onion powder — 1 tsp.
- Dijon or spicy brown mustard — 1 tsp.
- Filtered water — 1 cup
How-to:
- Add boiled potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cashews to a blender, along with CBD oil and water. Blend until smooth.
- Then, add in the remaining ingredients. Blend until fully combined.
- If you find your cheese sauce isn’t creamy enough for your liking, add a tbsp. of vegetable oil and blend until finished.
- Add to a saucepan and simmer on low to keep warm for serving!
Other Ways To Enjoy CBD at Your Next Backyard BBQ
Not everyone is hip on CBD, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be! If you’re looking for more ways to enjoy yourself at summer events without having to step into the kitchen, we’ve got some more great ideas for you:
- Pick up a pack of pre-rolls or a disposable vape. Pre-rolls and vapes are perfect for pre- or post-dinner smoke seshes. They’re mess-free, portable, and discreet to enjoy your CBD without a moment’s delay.
- Grab a jar of gummies to share. Pre-dosed and delicious, gummies are a tasty and easy way to consume CBD. Keep them on the DL for yourself, or buy an extra jar to spread the wealth with friends!
- Bring some CBD pet treats for furry friends. If you’re the friend who finds the dog at every party, this tip’s for you! CBD is great for pets, too, helping them feel calm and comforted. Cheef Botanicals carries HolistaPet pet treats, so you can easily make friends with every pet at the party!
