Tim Love's Fourth of July Recipes

Texas chef Tim Love channels the spirit of cattle-drive chuckwagon cooks for a July Fourth feast prepared over an open fire—salad and all.

Chiles rellenos (literally, stuffed chiles) are a classic Tex-Mex dish of roasted poblanos filled with cheese or meat, then battered and fried. For his version, Tim Love scoops succotash into poblanos, then grills the chiles rellenos in a cast-iron pot for smokiness.

Yucca, sometimes called cassava, is a starchy root that grows in very warm climates and makes supercrunchy chips. To remove the tough outer skin, use a sharp, heavy knife rather than a peeler.

Most American cooks buy beautifully marbled rib eye steaks without the bone, but Tim Love opts for the heftier bone-in variety. To help keep the steaks extra-juicy, he sears them on the grill, then lets them rest before he finishes cooking.

"Most people prefer margaritas either frozen or on the rocks. In Texas, it's the same with refried beans versus charro," says Tim Love. Refried beans are made with mashed pintos; for charro—a Tex-Mex take on pork and beans—the beans are served whole in a spicy broth.

Tim Love's shortcake reflects his easygoing style: Instead of making individual biscuits or multiple layers, he simply pours the batter into a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. For smaller cakes, bake the batter in 24 muffin tins.

Tim Love cooks these potatoes on a cast-iron griddle (also called a plancha), set right on a hot grill. His version of Spain's garlicky romesco sauce calls for pumpkin seeds instead of the usual almonds.

"If it were up to me, I would throw everything on the grill," says Tim Love. Case in point: He cooks tomatoes and scallions over a hot fire for a simple salad flavored with a little lime juice and crumbled cheese.

Tim Love freezes all kinds of cocktails on sticks for backyard parties, but his cucumber-mint version is especially good on a blazing-hot day. To prevent the pops from melting too quickly, he adds gelatin to the mixture.