If you’re firing up that grill for a cookout, get some summery apps on there and really dial up a fun dynamic for your gathering. Cookouts make such easy parties, with a built-in activity (tending to and visiting the grill) and a build-your-own element as food comes off. We love to just keep the grill going all day, starting with the appetizers, moving on to the main course and then concluding, maybe, with even some grilled desserts! But it’s those snacky starters that bring you here today, so let’s get started.

If beef skewers speak of luxury and chicken skewers are the universal crowd pleasers, pork skewers are the dark horse hits — people might not know what to expect until a first bite, but then, WOW. Bobby Flay hits them with an umami-bomb marinade, then whips up a complementary salty-sweet chile sauce for dipping in. They’re just a wow.

Is it a salad? Is it a dessert? No one will care what you call it or when you serve it, because it is outrageously summery and perfect, and yes, it makes an incredible app. Grilled peaches gain an added char but retain their juicy floral flavor, the perfect companion to freshly broken open burrata. Be sure to have some crusty bread on hand, because just when you don’t want to see it end, you’ll have a milky plate with peach juices mingling and you’ll want to get every last bit.

No, you cannot make respectable bruschetta in your toaster, and though you could, technically, with a broiler, it’s just not the same. In Italy, bruschetta is only made on excellent bread that has been grilled over open fire, and the toastiness and ideal texture (crisp outside and completely airy and yielding inside) provide a delicious base to the toppings. Here, grilled eggplant, roasted tomatoes, made sweeter with a touch of honey, and dollops of ricotta top slices of grilled bread made even more savory with a rubbing of raw garlic. Fresh basil leaves lend their licorice sweetness to the whole and turn this app into an out-and-out feast.

This is one of those mind-blown-type appetizers where eaters will think they’re getting one thing and then will be completely in awe about the whole different thing that it is. Here, baked Brie gets a cloak of prosciutto that becomes crisp and saltier on the grill, but even more stunning is the sour-sweet center of grilled pineapple that tastes amazing in the context of this cheese “sandwich.” Get plenty of crackers and spreaders and just plop it down on the picnic table with a flourish and get ready to bathe in the glory.

These elegant little bites feature grilled zucchini slices wrapped around a creamy, herbed goat cheese filling, topped with fresh spinach and basil. Ready in under 25 minutes, they're a light and impressive appetizer that makes summer produce shine.

Grilling over charcoal adds such a wonderful woodsy note, but these utterly simple shrimp will be a hit even if grilled over gas. Yes, the marinade makes it a great make-ahead, but don’t forget the skewering step—you’ll want to get that done before guests arrive.

The firm texture of halloumi makes it a great candidate for grilling. Here, planks of the cheese are quickly marked on the grill, then topped with a mixture of chopped roasted peppers and Calabrian chilies for a sweet and hot kick. This appetizer comes together quickly and is perfect when served with crusty bread.

You may have enjoyed the deep-fried version of this app at a restaurant, but it becomes really interesting, unbattered and cooked on the grill. The result is a little more sultry and sophisticated, and it pairs well with a rich horseradish mayo.

You know that guest who insists on “helping” at the grill even though their skills are suspect? This is the perfect dish to delegate. The meat is kielbasa, i.e., already cooked through, so no worries about perfect doneness, and the corn can be turned until you cast an eye on it and see some toasty black kernels among the bright yellow ones. Pull that corn and turn it into a delicious relish that complements that juicy-smoky-meaty kielbasa. Instant classic.

This recipe takes baked brie to a whole new level by replacing jam with fresh fruit, herbs and nuts and infusing it all with a touch of smoky flavor from a cedar plank. Keep a close eye on it when grilling — the bottom rind will fully melt if cooked too long, causing the brie to lose its shape and release all the warm gooey cheese!

There are two key elements for success when making these irresistible little salty-sweet Brussels sprouts. First, they need to be cooked slowly over indirect heat so that the fat from the bacon can render lazily (and not cause flare-ups), crisping them to perfection. This also infuses a subtle smoky flavor that you would not otherwise get from the oven. Second, cooking them in a meatball grill basket holds the sprouts in place and keeps the bacon from shrinking too much and unraveling.

Hello, summer? Your essence summarized in an app, calling. Yes, be sure to have plenty of cold Champagne flowing when these lightly cooked oysters, made subtly richer with a lemon-garlic butter, come off the grill. Oh, thank you, we’re happy to see you, too.

If you’ve been lucky enough to have a flaming dish of saganaki, crispy fried cheese, sent to your table in a Greek restaurant, you’re already familiar with the sturdy nature of halloumi, a cheese that will hold together even while grilling. This app will definitely be a hit in a sea of dips and deviled eggs, but it is also truly a must, perhaps even as a main course option, if your crowd has a lot of vegetarians.

Keeping dipping sauces on the side accommodates all kinds of eaters (and makes the eating fun, too, particularly for those who reside in the “one of each” camp). Here, simple chicken skewers are complemented with a ginger-soy peanut sauce and store-bought barbecue sauce.

These bar snacks will send guests absolutely wild. Jalapeños mellow after a brief roast on the grill, then are split and filled with oregano-laced mozzarella. How do you keep that cheese inside during their second trip on the grill? A dainty little bacon wrap holds everything together and gets deliciously charred.

Michael Symon knows his way around a grill, and even uses it as his stovetop, oven, and so much more. Here, he toasts his pine nuts and cooks the spinach in a skillet on the grill, then folds it inside phyllo triangles with a feta mixture seasoned with a riot of fresh herbs. The skillet full of the little pastries goes back on the grill, and the rest is delish-story.

This is perhaps the best type of app, low on labor and high on impressive presentation. Store-bought logs of prepared polenta make this dish easy, just slice and grill, and while you’re doing that, you whip up the roasted pepper salsa for topping. It’s so much more special than just bread rounds or crackers, but with minimal effort.

Beef on a stick is just always going to play well, whether it’s for apps or even turning into a light dinner with sides. Slicing it thinly and cooking it quickly ensures that it will be tender, and here, the glaze plays up its smokiness and umami meatiness with smoked paprika, soy sauce and two mustards.

Jeff Mauro brings a solid combination of things here on this garlicky grilled bread—some goat cheese, fresh asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes, with a fiery little hit of chile flakes that makes it go so well with a cold beer or Aperol spritz.

This appetizer is the perfect marriage of simplicity and flavor. The wrapped feta comes together so easily, and quickly, and couldn’t be more flavorful or impressive to present. The charred, crispy grape leaves are the perfect foil for the warm and tender feta.

We love the pairing of rich, coconut-infused lime chile sauce with intensely meaty cubes of swordfish on skewers, calling to mind everything we love about summer, even if you don’t live in a tropical place.

The grill can also be the method for preparing just one element of a complexly layered appetizer. Here, a homemade rosemary roasted garlic oil gives a richness to grilled tenderloin, which is trimmed into bites and served on toasted focaccia with roasted red pepper mayonnaise. Arugula provides a lovely color contrast and a pungent brightness.

Eaters will be winging their way over to the grill once they catch the aroma of these. Grilled buffalo wings taste a little lighter and more charred than their bar menu iteration, but that irresistible sauce still means that they will disappear fast.

Watermelon brings a surprising note to these starter salads, its sweetness tempered (but juiciness retained!) by the savory elements of goat cheese and peppery arugula. A drizzle of balsamic brings the sweetness back up again, but with a deep, pruny note that ties everything together.