Grilling & BBQ Recipes

Learn the art of asada, Sonoran-style grilling and cooking over fire including how to grill the perfect cowboy steak, make carne asada from a pro, grill fruit, vegetables and and chicken from Tucson cookbook author Jackie Alpers.
Sonoran Carne Asada Burritos Recipe

Sonoran Carne Asada Burritos Recipe

Sonoran-style carne asada, burritos stuffed with charro beans, crunchy cabbage and Jackie’s famous chiltepin red salsa. Sonoran-style carne asada is not marinated. Instead the meat is finished with a bit of pineapple juice which caramelizes in the hot fire. This is one of the most popular varieties of beef and bean burritos in the Sonoran region north of the Arizona-Mexico border.

Campfire Grilled Fish Recipe

Campfire Grilled Fish Recipe

How to grill a whole, freshly caught trout, bass, perch or other freshwater fish over an open campfire using a camp grill and foil. Each fish is stuffed with lemon slices and rosemary and set on a foil-lined camp grill to cook over the open fire. In about twenty minutes you have tender, flaky, perfectly cooked grilled fish. The recipe works with any whole freshwater fish. This recipe is an excerpt from my  Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook.

Chipotle-Lime Grilled Corn Recipe

Chipotle-Lime Grilled Corn Recipe

Recipe for a lighter version chipotle lime grilled corn on the cob from the Sonoran Arizona-Mexico borderlands cookbook author Jackie Alpers

Mediterranean Diet Grilled Octopus Recipe

Mediterranean Diet Grilled Octopus Recipe

Recipe for Mediterranean diet grilled octopus served with scallions, romaine and fresh tomatoes in a light citrus vinaigrette from The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.

Campfire Corn on the Cob Recipe

Campfire Corn on the Cob Recipe

The secret to perfectly grilled corn in the husk for campfires or cookouts is soaking the ears first.
The photos are gold winners of the London Photography Award for Food Photography.

Grilled Carne Asada “Crunch” Quesadillas

Grilled Carne Asada “Crunch” Quesadillas

The original Crunchadilla! Sonoran carne asada, scallions, cheese and crunchy tortilla chips stuffed in quesadillas and re-grilled for more crunch. Many years ago, Ben Galaz owner of BK Tacos taught me how to make Sonoran carne and cebollas asada.

Sonoran Grilled Chicken Drumsticks

Sonoran Grilled Chicken Drumsticks

Sonoran-style grilled chicken made with sweet Hungarian smoked paprika mixed with hot New Mexico chili pepper, unsweetened chocolate (inspired by molés), and red wine.

How to Grill The Perfect Cowboy Steak

How to Grill The Perfect Cowboy Steak

Making authentic cowboy steaks is really easy. When I asked Bryan Keith, the Grill Master from Pinnacle Peak Steak House if he had any additional tips he said, “Put some love in it!”

Sonoran Marinated Flank Steak

Sonoran Marinated Flank Steak

I marinated myself a flank steak using my mom’s recipe from the 80s, adding in some Mexican oregano and extra citrus to #sonoranize it a bit so now it’s an Ohio meets Tucson recipe.

Elote Hot Dog Recipe

Elote Hot Dog Recipe

I’m pretty sure I invented the Elote Dog when I first developed this recipe for The Food Network in 2018. Since then Elote Hot Dogs, inspired by Sonoran-Mexican Street Corn have become a sensation with hot dog enthusiasts all over the word coming up with their own version. Here’s my recipe for hot dogs topped with elote, mayo, lime and spices and served in a bolillo roll.

Order Jackie's Cookbooks

Screenshot
The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook Cover
cover of The Unofficial Elf Cookbook by Jackie Alpers. Treat every day like Christmas with recipes inspired by the classic film "Elf".
The Unofficial Elf Cookbook by Jackie Alpers
Food photography by Alpers of loaded hot dogs is an American Photography 41 winner.
Jackie Alpers 2025 World Food Photography Awards for Food Influencer and Food in the Field
Tucson City of Gastronomy designation for Taste of Tucson cookbook