Recipes for dishes you can grill for Dad today

You can close that web browser marked “gifts for dads.” And throw away the socks you just bought or that hideous tie. (Who even wears ties anymore after a year of working from home?) No, instead of giving Dad a gift he’ll graciously accept, then never use, how about you just grill him a great lunch, yeah?

You can’t go wrong with a good steak, and this recipe involves rubbing steak with taco seasoning for a punch of flavor with no work. Similarly, this grilled chicken gets all its impact from a quick gochujang sauce that glazes the meat at the end of cooking for a burnished, sticky-sweet shellac. If Dad is a seafood guy, grill up some split lobster tails or Dungeness crab legs; a chile-spiked herb sauce and plenty of lemon are all you need to brighten up either one.

And whether Dad is into dessert or not, serve him this grilled pineapple infused with char from the grill and slathered in a spiced rum and condensed milk glaze that he won’t be able to stop eating. He might even want to do the grilling himself, but with you having already prepped the food to go on the grates, he’ll have a much better time than trying to come up with situations on the spot in which he can’t wait to wear that tie or pair of socks.

Grilled Steak With Chunky Guacamole Salad

Taco seasoning already has a bunch of different spices and herbs mixed up for you, so you don’t have to buy them separately to use as a rub for this steak. Make sure to grab the low-sodium variety so you can control the amount of salt.
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Cook time: 1 hour.

(Jonathan Melendez / For the Times)

Gochujang Glazed Grilled Chicken

Gochujang, a Korean fermented soybean paste with red chiles, gives this grilled chicken a little kick. If you want your chicken spicy, use more gochujang in the salty-sweet glaze. Fresh lemon juice balances the sweetness with tang and also keeps the chicken juicy.
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Cook time: 45 minutes.

(Genevieve Ko / Los Angeles Times)

Maine Lobsters Grilled With Herbs and Lemon

Boil lobsters whole first so you can split them afterward and then grill them quickly to impart the smoky flavor of the fire. A squeeze of lemon and herby chimichurri is the best dressing for this simple preparation.
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Cook time: 45 minutes.

Grilled Dungeness Crab

Whether using fresh or frozen and thawed, crab legs are a beloved grilling staple for a reason. The smokiness of the grill balances the rich sweetness of the crab like nothing else. Serve them with plenty of warm, spiced scallion butter for maximum finger-licking deliciousness.
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Cook time: 20 minutes.

Grilled Pineapple With Rum and Pepper Glaze

Fruit on the grill is an obvious choice, but pineapple is the best candidate. Its over-the-top sweetness is tamed by the grill’s fire while, here, a rum sauce made with pepper and sweetened condensed milk adds richness and heat to the sweet grilled dessert.
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Cook time: 30 minutes.