The most popular grill meats are hamburgers, hot dogs, steak, and chicken. Various cuts of pork and seafoods can also be grilled. Vegetables also fare well on the grill but are trickier to prepare and serve.
Hamburgers and hot dogs are the easiest to master and cost the least. Beginners usually do very well with the traditional bun-served meats, and even grill masters find that these favorites can be as good or even better than more complex grill meals. Don't feel bad about serving "just" hot dogs. You don't hear complaints down at the ballfield where dogs have been the standard for years.
Buy wieners and/or pre-made patties for the most basic grill meals. These are almost impossible to mess up. For variation, add a little barbeque sauce to the meats during the last few minutes of cooking time.
If you want to step up it up a notch, then buy ground beef in the 80/20 fat range and hand pat the meat. Marinate overnight with lemon pepper, Worcestershire sauce and spicy Italian dressing. Burgers made this way will impress your guests and though take a little more work are still quite simple to make and serve.
If going with steaks, chicken or other meats, expect to spend more time at the grill. The thicker meats take longer to cook and also are harder to gauge as far as doneness. Marinades, rubs, and sauces enhance flavors and are more important when working with more expensive cuts.
Vegetables on the grill can be fun and very tasty, but they take up a lot of space. Unless you have a really large grill, it’s hard to plan for meats and vegetables for a crowd. Ka-bobs with quick cook vegetables like tomatoes and onions are the easiest starter veggies. Foil pack potatoes and grilled corn are delicious but do take fairly long cooking times.
If you do have extra space or want something quick and interesting cooking as the grill is cooling down, toss slices of pre-cooked Texas style toast or slices of pineapple on the grill. These items really just need to be heated through and not really cooked. When toast or pineapple slices are hot with grill marks, they are ready to serve.