Long a favorite here in S. Texas, the Atomic Buffalo Turd (stuffed pepper) is a long time staple at barbecue get togethers. Hollowed out jalapeños are stuffed with cheesy seafood dip, shrimp, pulled pork, Monterrey Jack cheese, and all other kinds of "stuff". Wrapped with thin bacon, (never thick) they are then smoked until done.
They have many kinds of holders to hold them upright so you can cut off the cap, hollow them out, then stuff. It works a lot better than halving them. Check out this page and scroll down:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/thread/81240/i-want-to-make-ann-abt-holder
Especially at this time of year when corn is cheap, we cook corn in the shuck on the grill, then when done peel back the shuck to make a handle. Remove the silk, the brush with melted butter with chili powder in it. Excellent...
Warm garlic/dill potato salad is always a favorite. Cook the potatoes in foil on the pit, then allow to cool until just warm. An hour before the potatoes are done, take a bowl and mix a tablespoon (or two!) of warm butter with one cup of sour cream and 1/4 of milk. Add about 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, one tablespoon of dried dill, and 1/4 teaspoon of granulated garlic. This needs to sit for about an hour or so in the fridge.
When the potatoes are done, slightly mash them to break them up and pour the mixture over them. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let them sit for 15 minutes or so, then serve with crumbled bacon and dried parsley as garnish.
The potatoes will be excellent served cold as well as the second day I can usually pick up a slightly smokey flavor to the salad.
Onions - cut medium sized (baseball) onions in half from end to end (not across the middle). Pop out about a tablespoon's worth of the inner most center. Fill this cavity with softened butter seasoned with chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook indirectly until very soft, cavity up. Serve with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and parsley over the top.
Cabbage - cook very small cabbages (softball sized) following the onion recipe. And of course, add crumbled bacon to the finished product.
Green beans - buy a .99 disposable grill topper at the sporting goods store, or punch a million holes in a foil pan (turkey or chicken roasting sizes are my favorites). Take fresh or frozen green beans (partially thawed) and put them in a bowl. Coat generously with olive oil and kosher or sea salt. Cook on the hot part of the grill until done. For an extra treat, cut up (dice) one of the onion halves from above and put some of the onions in the green beans. A little crumbled bacon on top makes this a sure winner as well.
Mushrooms - I like Portobellos on the grill the best. In looking for Portobellos, try Sam's as the local stores around here keep them in stock for restaurants. Brush off a Portobello mushroom to clean it, never use water or rinse it off. Cut off the stem even with the gills. Remove the gills with a teaspoon and brush out the inside well. Lightly brush the mushroom inside and out with olive oil. Salt and pepper (the oil makes the seasonings stick) to your preference. Put small, clean and very dry cooked cocktail shrimp in the cavity where you cleaned out the gills. Cover the shrimp with cream cheese based seafood dip. Grill over direct flame with the stuffing up until the mushroom softens and the dip is warm/hot. Obviously, this is something you won't flip... since all the ingredients are cooked, you are only trying to get them very warm and the mushroom soft. I garnish with a couple of shakes of cayenne and plenty of parsley. For my significant other, I use paprika instead of cayenne. These are a meal in themselves and your friends will think you have been taking lessons.
I could go on...
My grills and pits are a passion.
Robert
