Cinco de Mayo is upon us and to get your celebration started right, we've got a number of great grilling recipes waiting for you -- from grilled guacamole to tasty tacos and more -- just by following the link below!

Kick off Super Bowl Sunday with these flavor packed quesadillas, featuring Sticky Fingers’ famous pulled pork and served with homemade grilled guacamole. The wonderful thing about this recipe is that the quesadillas can be prepared in advance then reheated just before game time so you can sit back and enjoy the company of your guests!

Spit in any direction and you are sure to find someone singing the praises of candied bacon.  Heck, even a fast food joint best known for its roast beef was offering up its version of this salty sweet treat earlier this summer.

So why mess with something that already works so well?  Because we can make it even better by adding some toasted pecans and a healthy drizzle of smoked chocolate.

Continuing Grillocracy’s partnership with the fine folks at Smithfield*, today we’re firing up the grill for what is certain to become one of your “go to” appetizers -- Pork Tenderloin Lollipops with Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce featuring Smithfield Roasted Garlic and Cracked Black Pepper Fresh Pork Tenderloin!

We love wings, and we love bacon.  So why not combine these two great things to create something truly epic -- Smoked bacon wrapped wings?  We've got the recipe to get it done, just click the link below!

Tailgating season is in full swing and the team at Kingsford charcoal is firing up the grill for some tasty game day eats including this recipe for grilled chicken wings!  The perfect one hand bite (leaving the other hand open for an adult beverage), these wings are a simple, yet flavorful addition to your tailgating menu!

I've always considered grilled watermelon to be one of those "don't knock it until you try it" summer menu items.  By hitting the grill, watermelon is suddenly transformed into something completely different (in a good way), going from sweet to savory in a matter of minutes.

For this recipe, I pair the beef-like grilled watermelon with two wonderful products from Jacobsen Salt Co. in Portland, Oregon -- Bee Local Hot Honey (infused with the ultra fiery scorpion chili) and Jacobsen Lemon Zest Flake Salt -- to create the perfect balance of flavors. 

Pimientos de Padrón are tiny fresh peppers originally from Galicia in northwest Spain. Sizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, they have a delicious flavor and most are mild. But once in a while you will bite into a spicy pepper - the reason The New York Times coined them "Spanish Roulette!" Our Pimientos de Padrón are grown from Spanish seeds by a family farmer in the U.S. and hand harvested and shipped fresh to our customers July through October (you can order them here).

We're all familiar with cheese stuffed jalapeno poppers but what if you replaced the cheese with smoky bratwurst, wrapped the pepper in bacon, then hit them with the grill?  The result would be these irresistible brat poppers courtesy of the bratwurst experts at Johnsonville!  For the complete recipe, simply follow the link below...

Just in time for Sunday's big game, the fine folks at SeaPak Shrimp and Seafood Company are putting a new twist on traditional jalapeno poppers with their recipe for barbecue shrimp stuffed, bacon wrapped jalapenos. 

Only eight days remain until footballs biggest showdown of the year and Grillocracy has an all star lineup of game day eats beginning with this flavor packed coffee and chili rubbed steak tip skewers recipe from the fine folks at Community Coffee!

Football's biggest annual showdown is right around the corner and we've got the recipes to help make your party a huge success beginning with this one for Plank Grilled Potato Skins from the fine folks at Napoleon Grills on behalf of the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association.

This time of year grocery stores and farmer's markets are packed full of various squash just waiting to come home and be cooked.  Butternut squash in particular is a wonderful base for cool weather soups and the addition of bacon and maple syrup only makes it better. 

In the recently released cookbook Smoke It Like A Pro (Page Street Publishing, 2015), Eric Mitchell provides a comprehensive guide to using ceramic smokers, followed by countless mouthwatering recipes ranging from grilled Asian pork belly to beef brisket hash to blueberry scones to this simply awesome one for Spicy Chicken Wings.

It’s Hatch chile season and to celebrate Grillocracy is putting a new spin on Armadillo eggs, an appetizer that is usually made by stuffing sausage with jalapeno slices and cheese then smoked.

Recently Grillocracy's master griller Clint Cantwell helped kick off tailgating season with some great game day eats on HLN's "The Daily Share" (be sure to check out the entire clip here!).

Among the various recipes and tips featured on HLN are...

Looking for an easy but flavorful appetizer for your next tailgating cookout?  Well we've got you covered with these bacon wrapped smoked sausage pig balls!

Dubbed Sausage Shorties, these cheese stuffed sausage bites are a fan favorite around my house.  With only five ingredients total including the bacon ranch dipping sauce, they couldn’t be simpler to make but they sure are packed with flavor!

You'll never see salads the same after trying this grilled hearts of romaine with smoky (eggless) Caesar dressing and fire toasted sourdough croutons.  

Recently I was invited by the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau for a sneak peek at the annual Hunstville, AL Restaurant Week, a 10 day celebration of the area's eclectic mix of casual and fine dining offerings.  Running from August 14-23, restaurant week features fixed priced lunch and dinner deals at 60 local eateries. 

For non-Huntsville residents, it's worth planning a visit to Huntsville during next year's restaurant week but in the meantime I've put my own grilled twist on a gazpacho I tried at Grille 29 by fire roasting several of the ingredients.

All summer long, Grillocracy's Clint Cantwell is hitting the airwaves with grilling segments on HLN-TV and WREG-TV, firing up some extraordinary grilled dishes including three fruit and vegetable-based recipes during his latest WREG appearance below. 

Today at Grillocracy we're getting a little corny, grilling up some fresh seasonal sweet corn and other ingredients that'll have your guests begging for more!  

By grilling most of the components including the lime, your salsa will will take on a deep smoky flavor that can only be achieved with live fire.  

Will your guests go mild or wild when biting into these perfectly smoked bacon wrapped jalapenos?  No one knows as these are Grillocracy's Russian roulette poppers!  

Traditional smoked chicken wings get a fiery kick from the addition of Sriracha powder to the dry rub mix prior to smoking them low-and-slow on the grill.  While you can find Sriracha powder online, I find that it is just as easy to make at home by cooking it over low heat until all of the moisture has been removed.  Either way, it is a great addition to the dry rub for your smoked wings.

The countdown to Cinco de Mayo continues and today Grillocracy is firing up a big ol' batch of grilled pineapple salsa.  Served on its own with chips or used as a topping for pork, chicken, or steak tacos, this salsa strikes the perfect balance between smoky heat and sweet!

Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner and Grillocracy is firing up some great party time eats including this recipe for grilled guacamole!

MOINK balls are one of those appetizers that are oh-so-simple to make but will be gone as soon as you set them down.  

Created several years ago by my brother in smoke Larry Gaian, MOINK balls are the tasty combination of beef (moo) and pork (oink) in the form of frozen beef meatballs wrapped in bacon then smoked to perfection.  Brush them with a little barbecue sauce and you're good to go!  Note that while you can make your own meatballs, Larry's original recipe keeps it simple (stupid) with the precooked frozen variety.

Great as an appetizer or sweet-and-savory dessert, this recipe for Grilled Apples with Honey & Cheese comes to the Grillocracy community today courtesy of the 1837 Cobblestone Bed and Breakfast  in Canandaigua, New York.

If you’re a fan of scallops then you’ll love this recipe from The Grilling Book by Bon Appetit (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2014) which brings a new level of flavor via rosemary skewers.  The key to grilling scallops is to sear them really quickly, just a few minutes per side, otherwise they’ll overcook and become chewy.   This recipe is perfect as a main course or an appetizer.

Bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers (aka ABTs) are one of those appetizers that seem to disappear as soon as they come off of the smoker. In this recipe from yours truly and sponsored by Omaha Steaks, the heat of the jalapeño is mellowed by the inclusion of cream cheese, while the smokiness of the pulled chicken and bacon make for an unforgettable start to any backyard party or tailgating bash.