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Mixed grills are popular around the world. In England, the tradition of serving several different choices of grilled meat is said to have originated in gentlemen's clubs to satisfy big eaters.Often it consisted of lamb chops, beef, sausages, calf's liver and kidneys. Mixed grills are a favourite in Argentina, Korea and Italy too. Here in Canada, these traditional dishes are a great backyard barbecue alternative.

ARGENTINEAN PARRILLADA

Parrillada uses a variety of cuts of beef, offal and other meats, seasoned simply (often only with salt) and grilled. Serve with chimichurri sauce.

What you need

Beef bones:

¼ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon chimichurri sauce (recipe below)

4 beef rib bones

Tenderloin and chorizo:

625 grams (1¼ pound) beef tenderloin, cut into 175-gram (6-ounce) portions

4 chorizo sausages, or hot Italian

Salt and freshly ground pepper

What you do

Preheat grill to high. Combine Dijon, barbecue sauce, oil and 1 tablespoon chimichurri sauce, and brush all over beef bones. Season beef bones and beef tenderloin with salt and pepper.

Turn off one burner on the grill. Sear beef bones on lit side of barbecue for about 2 minutes per side then move to unlit side. Close lid and cook for 5 minutes. Turn over.

Add tenderloin and chorizo to lit side and grill for about 4 minutes per side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill and let everything rest for 5 minutes. Check the bones; they should be medium-rare. Serve with chimichurri sauce. Serves 4.

CHIMICHURRI SAUCE

This Latin American sauce likely originated in Nicaragua, but is now served everywhere in the region.

what you need

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 cups packed Italian parsley leaves

¼ cup red-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon chili flakes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

What you do

Place garlic, parsley, red-wine vinegar, chili flakes and oregano in a food processor and process until chunky. With machine running, slowly add oil through the feeder tube until mixture has emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

KOREAN MIXED GRILL

Kalbi (also called galbi) is traditionally made with beef short ribs, but can also be made with chicken.

The ribs are cut across the bone, marinated, grilled and served with kimchee and steamed rice. You can buy kimchee (spicy, marinated cabbage) at Asian and Korean food stores. Ask the butcher to cut the short ribs into thin strips or ask for Miami ribs.

Koreans would likely use bone-in chicken thighs for this dish, but we found that boneless, skinless chicken thighs absorbed more of the marinade.

The Asian pear is considered a tenderizer.

What you do

2 pounds (1 kilogram) thinly sliced beef short ribs

500 grams (1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Marinade:

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2/3 cup soy sauce

1 cup chopped green onions

3 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/3cup sesame oil

¼ cup mirin

1 Asian pear, grated

1 cup sliced onion

Garnish:

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

¼ cup chopped green onions

What you do

Trim meat of excess fat and place short ribs and chicken in separate bowls.

Combine sugar, pepper, soy sauce, green onions, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, sesame oil, mirin, pear and onion in a bowl to make marinade.

Pour two-thirds of marinade over beef and remainder over chicken. Refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight. Turn meat at least once during the marinating process.

Heat grill to medium-high.

Drain off excess marinade and grill short ribs for about 2 minutes per side, depending on thickness or until brown and caramelized at the edges, but still slightly rare in the middle.

Cook chicken for 6 minutes a side or until cooked through. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions. Serves 6.

SPIEDINO Di MARE

Although spiedino means skewered seafood, we found it easier to grill it without the skewers. This is a traditional Italian method of grilling seafood. What you need

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon kosher salt

16 extra-large shrimp, peeled, tails on

8 scallops

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

¼ cup olive oil

4 pieces squid, halved and scored

½ each red, yellow and green peppers, cut into 1-inch triangles

Sauce:

¼ cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped basil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

what you do

Combine water and salt in a bowl and add shrimp. Let sit for 30 minutes.Drain, rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Season scallops with salt. Combine oregano, basil and olive oil. Brush onto shrimp, scallops and squid.

Preheat grill to high. Add peppers and grill about 3 minutes per side or until skin is blackened. Scrape off skin. Place on serving platter.

Place scallops and shrimp on grill. Grill shrimp for about 2 minutes per side or until pink and curled. Grill scallops for about 3 minutes per side (depending on size), or until opaque. Grill squid for about 2 minutes or until opaque. Place on a serving platter.

Combine lemon juice, lemon rind, butter, garlic and basil in bowl to make sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over seafood just before serving. Serves 4.