Memorial Day. The harbinger of summer, yet a meaningful holiday to those who earnestly observe it. Originally called Decoration Day to honor those who died in military service, it was first officially celebrated on May 30, 1868, proclaimed earlier that month by Gen. John Logan, though its origins date back to 1866 in Waterloo, N.Y. It became Memorial Day in 1882, and apparently people have been grilling food on the day ever since. Your Mountain Times staff enjoys grilling, so here are some of our favorite recipes to be shared with friends and family, and enjoyed with a toast to our fallen servicemen and women.

Steve Behr: Brontosaurus Burgers

For me, there’s nothing that hits the spot more than a brontosaurus burger about two hours before kickoff.

Steve Behr’s dino-sized meals are yabba-dabba-delicious.

Grilling has a long tradition with me. It’s not that I can grill anything and get it right. I usually rely on the kindness of others to help me get that “bronto,” as I like to call it, just right. That’s cooked, but not burnt on the outside and inside.

Of course, there are many ways to grill a bronto. It can be mixed with onion salt or other spices, and it can be set in some type of barbecue sauce for a few minutes before going on the grill. For me, I like to do both, mixing the onion salt first, grilling it, then putting some Jack Daniels barbecue sauce on one side, blue cheese dressing on the other, a slice of cheese and a slice of lettuce to make sure I get at least one veggie in the burger.

Add some teriyaki wings as an appetizer, baked beans, corn with cheese melted in it, some barbecued kettle chips as side dishes, strawberry shortcake for desert, and a Beatles soundtrack playing through it all and I’m in heaven. Then it’s kickoff time and my Denver Broncos smack down another AFC West opponent.

Football and the grilling of a lean dinosaur. Life is good.

Frank Ruggiero: You Jerk Chicken, You

Make sure your chicken is properly matured and thoroughly cooked.

On Memorial Day, my friends and I embrace the grill – sometimes literally, but rarely when the coals are hot. However, we feel grilling is not something that should be left only to summer, but rather all seasons, winter included. Grilling in blizzard-like conditions this year was a new, yet rewarding experience, boosting my ego to that of the postal service – neither snow, nor rain, etc. It became a challenge, one met and overcome. This led to a more creative challenge, that of besting last week’s dish with an even tastier concoction. Challenges can grow tiresome, though, and on occasion it’s relieving to just throw something simple on the grill.

Last week, I figured a jerk chicken sandwich would require little effort, plus it left the evening open for all sorts of related wordplay. Though I’m not usually one to pat myself on the back, the result was one of the tastiest sandwiches I’ve ever had the unintentional pleasure of crafting. Forgive the forthcoming exclamation point, but, “And you can do it, too!”

Using your favorite jerk sauce (let the wordplay begin), let the chicken breast filet marinate for about 90 minutes, and then place it on the grill, adding a mild dusting of Cajun spice on each side. Cook thoroughly, and then place on a hefty, preferably toasted bun with sliced red onion, sliced pineapple and bacon. Serve with a side of sweet potato fries if you’re keen on ’em. Happy Memorial Day, and happy grilling.

Scott Nicholson: Prehistoric Grillin’

One of these guys tasted like chicken, and the other is not extinct.

I’ve always wondered if dinosaurs taste like chicken.

For Memorial Day, I’d like to build a time machine and go back to the caveman days, back when meat was meat and was drug home at the end of a club. Then you could carefully baste it over a slow spit (the piece of wood dangling over the fire, not your caveman drool of anticipation), assuming you were lucky enough to have nabbed some leftover lightning strike and kept your fire going, and also beat away all the predators that wanted to take your bronto burger, and beat away all the other cavemen wielding their angry man-clubs, and somehow managed to complete your cookery with neither a fizzy beverage nor an apron that bore the words “Grillin’ and chillin’.”

I find it odd that dinosaurs are extinct, yet club-wielding cavemen are more plentiful than ever. Obviously, dinosaurs didn’t develop much of a taste for humans, or else couldn’t grill them with those tiny, prehensile limbs. The moral of the story is that you probably shouldn’t taste like chicken.

Melanie Marshall: Steaming Vegetables and Open-Fire Popcorn

The popcorn fork, with built-in salt shaker, isn’t required unless you already own every kitchen gadget known to man.

Steamed vegetables are a staple for any dinner around the Marshall home. When it comes to a cookout, I don’t want to be running into the kitchen to steam veggies to accompany whatever is on the grill. So, I figured out a way to steam over charcoal.

Using two layers of tin foil, I make a pouch, toss in squash, asparagus, carrots or whatever fresh vegetable is on the menu. Put in a little water and butter and fold the foil over, securing the ends to prevent the water from leaking out and extinguishing the coals. Toss it on the top rack so the bottom layer of vegetable doesn’t burn, and by the time the meat is done, the vegetables will be tender.

Another favorite to grill is corn on the cob. I soak it in water, with the husk still on, for about an hour before lighting the grill. Then you put it on the lower rack and the moisture in the husk steams the corn. I use this same trick, but wrapped in tin foil after soaking, to cook corn directly in a campfire. Just toss in right onto the coals and pull it out after thirty minutes or so.

Every cookout at our house also has a campfire for after the sun goes down. Popcorn over the fire is our after-dinner snack. Again using two layers of tin foil, create a very generous size pouch. Put in two tablespoons of popcorn and a tablespoon of cooking oil. Secure the ends of the pouch to create a bag (think the size of a measuring cup), tie it to the end of a stick and hold it out over the fire. The foil cools very quickly. Set it aside for a few minutes after the popcorn is done and then you can untie the pouch and eat.

Rob Moore: Shrimp and Steak on the Barbie

Depending on the dish, cookouts at the Moore household can take on an eerie and slightly menacing atmosphere.

The task of cooking on the grill becomes a treat when you take some well seasoned shrimp, about a pound or two, and some steak and cram them onto a single stick. Sounds cruel and inhumane doesn’t it? Kind of, but they are dead for sure.

Anyway, if you do it right you will get the smell of the spices, or Jack Daniel BBQ sauce, filling your nose with great aromas. Makes my mouth water, mmm. Throw a little bit of beer on them, not a lot because that’s abuse, and make them smoke a bit. Be careful because the wife might think the place is on fire or you are messing up the meal. Don’t forget to try a little bit while cooking them because you have to sample or you won’t be the cook you were meant to be. Cheers!