What to Cook for the 4th of July

Key Takeaways

• Here in Louisiana, we think nothing could be more American than a 4th of July seafood boil, and we’re ready to tell you all about it.
• Some great 4th of July cookout ideas are: a seafood boil, deep-fried turkey or chicken, pasta salad, wings, and fried fish.
• With our multi-use cookers and accessories, you can prepare a wide variety of foods easily and with better results.

Need help brainstorming 4th of July meal ideas to make this year’s Independence Day unforgettable? While there’s nothing wrong with classic burgers and hot dogs, your guests are sure to appreciate a more exciting menu while they celebrate their freedom!

Here are our favorite ideas for what to cook on the 4th of July and all summer long.

1. 4th of July Seafood Boil

Here in Louisiana, any holiday, weekend, or weekday is fair game for a boil, so it’s no surprise this Southern seafood tradition tops our list of 4th of July cookout ideas. We don’t only host Cajun crawfish boils during Mardi Gras!

While we’re partial to crawfish around here, there are plenty of other types of seafood boils to choose from. Whether you go with a shrimp-heavy Lowcountry boil or a classic Southern seafood boil with crawfish, crab, and all the fixins, you’re in for a great time.

We highly recommend using one of our powered cookers that comes with a boiling pot, burner, and other accessories. These bundles are guaranteed to perform flawlessly, as all components are optimized to work together.

If you go with this 4th of July cookout idea, the other option is to buy a non-powered HPC stock pot and use your own outdoor burner (or buy one separately). The Boil Boss Triple Jet Propane Burner is the best in the business!

Why Use an HPC Stock Pot?

The right cooking equipment ensures that all of your 4th of July meal ideas go off without a hitch. Your gear is especially critical for a seafood boil, as it’s easy to undercook or overcook the seafood.

High Performance Cookers feature patented Tunnel Tube Technology. We weld special-sized pieces of heavy-duty aluminum channels onto the bottom of each pot in a very specific way, increasing the total cooking surface area by 3x compared to traditional pots.

The result? Your 4th of July cookout ideas come out better than you could have possibly imagined, using far less fuel to fuel your celebrations.

Thanks to their superior thermal conductivity and heat retention, our pots reach a raging boil in under 7 minutes and return to a boil in 90 seconds. They provide the power, speed, and temperature control to achieve perfect boils every time.

Finish Your Setup With Boil Boss Accessories

If a seafood boil is on your list of what to cook on the 4th of July, be sure to grab some Boil Boss seafood boil equipment to complete your rig.

• The Boil Boss cooling ring drops the temperature to 150°F in under five minutes. Rapid cooling is crucial for initiating the soak and preventing the seafood from overcooking while the flavors develop. Don’t let your 4th of July cookout ideas go to waste!
• The Boil Boss temperature-sensing seafood boil paddle lets you monitor temperature in real time while you stir.
• Add a few seafood seasoning bags to your cart to infuse your seafood boil with bold, authentic Cajun flavor.

2. Deep-Fried Turkey or Chicken

If seafood isn’t your guests’ thing, we still have 4th of July meal ideas for you. While deep-fried turkey is the ultimate Thanksgiving upgrade, this succulent feast is a treat all year round.

If you don’t need a full turkey, our turkey fryers work great for deep drying whole chickens, too! After all, fried chicken is one of the most classic 4th of July cookout ideas, and frying an entire bird at once really takes that tradition to the next level.

3. Pasta Salad

As you decide what to cook on the 4th of July, don’t overlook side dishes. Pasta salad is a backyard cookout staple. With one of our 4-way pasta cookers, you can boil four different shapes for a pasta salad, each also cooked to perfection where each noodle is neither too mushy or too al dente.

4. Fried Fish or Wings

Looking for a budget-friendly meal for your Independence Day celebration? Batter up some tilapia, catfish, cod, haddock, perch, or whatever local species is available, and then fire up your HPC fish fryer for stress-free cooking.

Fried fish is one of the best 4th of July cookout ideas because you can enjoy the fish on its own, or you can make sandwiches, tacos, pasta, and all sorts of other fish dishes.

Why not stop with fish? As much as we love our seafood at High Performance Cookers, Louisiana cuisine isn’t complete without perfectly battered and fried chicken (and of course, fried green tomatoes), and hearing that oil sing is almost as celebratory as fireworks.

Shop Multi-Use HPC Cookers

Now that you have some 4th of July meal ideas, explore the best cookers on the market. HPC cookers are proudly made in the USA. Shop now, and enjoy your Independence Day!