6 easy grilling recipes that Michelin-starred chefs love making for Labor Day

"Every time you grill, I think having a marinated option always draws attention," Shim, the head chef at Manhattan restaurant Cote, told Insider. "People are drawn by the smell of the sauce being caramelized, and you can be the spotlight of your party."

Shim often uses his marinade for short ribs, but said the recipe also works with chicken, pork ribs, and different cuts of beef.

To whip up the marinade, you'll need: two cups of soy sauce, two cups of water, one cup of brown sugar, one cup of mirin, ⅓ cup of sesame oil, ½ cup chopped scallions, and ¼ cup of minced garlic.

Marinate your protein in the mix overnight, then just throw it on the grill.

Gopinathan, the executive chef at Taj Campton Place Restaurant in San Francisco, told Insider that he prefers lamb on the grill.

"I love lamb, especially during the spring and summer," he said.

Gopinathan recommends grilling either a rack of lamb or loin chops, and keeping the marinade simple to really let the meat shine.

"Lamb right now is really good," he said. "You don't want to mask it with too much of anything."

Gopinathan suggests making a paste with ginger, garlic, mint, lemon juice, and olive oil. Coat the lamb with the marinade and let it sit for half an hour.

"Then, right before grilling, I would just sprinkle some crushed cumin and fennel together," he said. "I would also add a tiny bit of cornstarch so that the marinade sticks to the lamb on the grill."

"Finish up with some olive oil and maybe a squeeze of lemon," Gopinathan added. "You can have it with spiced rice, biryani, risotto — or anything for that matter!"

Gopinathan uses chicken thighs and marinates them in a ginger and garlic paste with some olive oil, salt, and lemon juice for half an hour. He then covers the thighs in a separate marinade with garam masala, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and yogurt.

"Add a bit of cornstarch to the mix so it holds up, and marinate the thigh meat for one hour," he advised.

Then, just skewer the meat on a long rod and throw it on the grill with a sprinkle of chaat masala.

Val Cantu, the head chef at Californios in San Francisco, told Insider that chimichurri is one of his favorite "easy and super fast condiments" for steak.

"I'll do parsley, cilantro, serrano peppers, and shallots with red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar," Cantu said. "And mix it with olive oil, salt, probably the zest of one lemon, and then the juice of that same lemon."

To make the perfect steak, Cantu recommends using a grill basket and putting it right on the coals to cook your protein.

"Cook the steak on one side for 10 seconds, flip it, and then do that for all the sides," he said. "Let it rest for a couple of minutes while you relax, then do that same process again. The second sear will start to caramelize it."

Once you've done all the sides for a second time, let your steak rest again and brush it with some soy sauce. Repeat the process one more time for a "perfect medium rare," or two more times if you prefer your steak medium.

"In this final sear, you're looking for caramelization," Cantu said. "The soy sauce will help, and leave it nice and salty."

"My favorite thing when I'm surrounded by family, friends, and a grill is to go to the farmers market and get as many vegetables and fruits as possible," Hong, who is currently hosting virtual cooking classes with CocuSocial, told Insider.

Hong, who owns Sorrel Restaurant in San Francisco, loves using summer squash, eggplant, and corn around Labor Day, and prefers to keep the seasoning "very minimal."

"Get a great char, and maybe season them with good olive oil, a little salt, lemon juice, and a little chili flake," he said. "Keep it Tuscan."

Hong believes you can't go wrong with peaches on the grill.

"Grilled peaches with a chimichurri sauce or something like that is super yummy," he added.

"My favorite thing during Labor Day is the end-of-summer tomatoes," Kleinhander, who is also hosting virtual classes with CocuSocial, told Insider. "That, to me, is the perfect summer grilling dish."

Kleinhander, who is the executive pastry chef at Aureole, adds tomatoes, corn, zucchini, onions, and cucumbers to his panzanella salad.

"I always do it with grilled zucchini and grilled onions to caramelize the flavor," he said.

And don't forget to grill the bread.

"All those juices from the tomato, soaked in with the crunchy bread is heaven on earth," Kleinhander added.

• Read more:
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• 7 easy chicken dishes that Michelin-starred chefs love making at home
• Michelin-star chefs share easy recipes you can make at home, from one-pot dinners to 30-minute meals
• 7 easy one-pot meals from Michelin-starred chefs for when you don't want to do the dishes