Labor Day always feels like the unofficial closing chapter of summer cooking. Here in Texas, the weather may not have gotten the memo that summer is supposed to be ending, but the calendar is starting to turn toward fall, football, and a slightly different kind of outdoor cooking.

So if I were planning a Labor Day Blackstone cookout, I would keep one thing in mind: I want good food, but I do not want to spend the entire holiday trapped behind the griddle.

The best cookout menu is one that gives you a few things people get excited about while still leaving you enough time to actually enjoy the day.

Start With Smash Burgers

For a Labor Day cookout, I have a hard time arguing against smash burgers.

They are fast, they are easy to customize, and they are one of those foods that really shows off what a Blackstone does well. A hot griddle gives you that thin, crispy edge that is difficult to duplicate with a traditional grill.

I would keep them pretty simple: seasoned beef, American cheese, toasted buns, and a toppings station with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and whatever sauces people want.

If I am feeding a bigger group, I like that burgers can also be cooked in waves. There is no need to make 30 burgers at once and let half of them sit around getting cold. Cook a batch, get them into people’s hands, then start the next one.

Add Griddled Hot Dogs

Hot dogs may not be flashy, but they belong at a cookout.

They are also incredibly easy on the Blackstone. I like rolling them around the griddle until the outside gets browned and develops a little char, then warming the buns right beside them.

You can keep the toppings traditional or set out chili, cheese, diced onions, jalapeños, relish, and other options if you want people to build their own.

This is also a good backup option for kids or anyone who does not want a burger.

Give the Corn Some Griddle Time

For a side, I would skip anything complicated and put some corn directly on the Blackstone.

You can cut fresh corn from the cob and cook the kernels with butter and seasoning, or griddle whole sections of corn until they start developing some color.

From there, it is easy to turn it into an elote-inspired side with mayonnaise or crema, lime, cotija cheese, and a little seasoning.

The sweetness of the corn with a little char from the griddle fits perfectly with burgers and hot dogs, and it can be made without adding another cooking appliance to the setup.

One Cold Side Makes Life Easier

Not everything at a Blackstone cookout needs to be cooked on the Blackstone.

In fact, I think one cold side makes the whole meal easier.

A pasta salad, potato salad, coleslaw, or even a big bowl of watermelon can be prepared ahead of time and pulled out when everyone is ready to eat.

That gives you something fresh and cool to balance all the hot food coming off the griddle, and it is one less thing you need to manage while the burgers are cooking.

There is no prize for making every single item on the menu on the Blackstone.

Finish With Griddled Peaches

If good peaches are still available, this is probably how I would close out the meal.

Cut them in half, remove the pits, and put the cut sides directly on a lightly buttered griddle. The heat softens the fruit, caramelizes some of the natural sugar, and gives the peaches a completely different flavor.

Serve them warm with vanilla ice cream and maybe a little cinnamon, honey, or caramel.

It is a simple dessert, but after burgers, hot dogs, and everything else, simple is exactly what I want.

And it feels like a fitting way to send summer on its way.

The Real Labor Day Strategy: Keep It Manageable

The menu could obviously get much bigger. I could add cheesesteaks, wings, fried appetizers, loaded potatoes, sliders, three kinds of tacos, and whatever else I can figure out how to fit onto the griddle.

But then I would spend Labor Day running a restaurant.

For a holiday cookout, I would rather make a few things really well.

Smash burgers. Hot dogs. Griddled corn. One cold side. Griddled peaches and ice cream.

That gives everyone plenty to eat, makes good use of the Blackstone, and keeps the cooking manageable enough that I can actually step away from the griddle and enjoy the people I am cooking for.

Final Thoughts

Labor Day may mark the unofficial end of summer, but it certainly does not mean the end of Blackstone season.

If anything, some of my favorite outdoor cooking weather is still ahead.

For now, though, I think Labor Day deserves one more classic summer cookout: burgers sizzling on the steel, hot dogs browning beside them, corn getting a little char, and peaches waiting for dessert.

Nothing overly complicated.

Just good food, a hot Blackstone, and hopefully a little time to enjoy the day.