There’s something inherently magical about barbecued food — the smokiness, the charred flavor, the crispy edges and crusts that form while you grill. In this roundup, you’ll find all of the classic recipes: sticky glazed ribs, tender and juicy brisket, chicken wings, pulled pork, and some shrimp and salmon dishes too, for good measure. Plus, if you haven’t found your signature barbecue sauce yet, we’ve included a few different spins, like Alabama’s signature white sauce and sweet mustard sauce. Read on for essential barbecue recipes to try.
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Perfect Smoked Pork Ribs
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Smoking then baking yields meltingly tender, deeply flavored ribs that are incredibly satisfying to eat — moist and meaty, with a texture that’s tender but not falling off the bone. To make the ribs, begin with a dry rub of warm red spices and gochugaru (Korean red chile flakes), which adds peppery heat that’s the perfect partner for the natural sweetness of pork.
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Burnt Ends with Bourbon Sauce
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The crispy, caramelized "burnt" pieces of a smoked brisket are often the best part because the flavor is concentrated and the texture is pleasingly chewy.Chef Matt Horn's recipe works well with any type of barbecue.
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03of 22
Grilled Chicken with Sweet Mustard Barbecue Sauce
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A sweet mustard glaze gives chef John Currence's grilled chicken a crisp coating. The juicy marinated birds are also delicious without the glaze. The chickens need to marinate overnight, so plan accordingly.
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04of 22
Jerk-Smoked Duck with Peach Barbecue Sauce
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2019 F&W Best New Chef Bryan Furman’s method of smoking the duck over a drip pan is quick and efficient, infusing it with intense smoky flavor in only 30 minutes without toughening the meat. The combination of jerk seasoning and peach-sweetened barbecue sauce is also a great match for grilled chicken halves.
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Barbecue-Spiced Hot-Smoked Salmon
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Homemade barbecue spice seasons both a dry brine and pineapple-based mop sauce for a double dose of flavor. Hot-smoked salmon makes a showstopping buffet centerpiece any time of day.
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06of 22
Slow-Cooker Burnt Honey Barbecue Chicken
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The real star here is the burnt honey barbecue sauce; added just before serving, it retains a distinct honey flavor that balances this tangy-sweet chicken perfectly.
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Barbecue Shrimp Po’boy
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Smoky, spiced shrimp are the heart of this classic New Orleans-style po’boy sandwich.
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Smoked Brisket
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This smoked brisket is self-taught barbecue expert Matt Horn's signature recipe — the star of the menu at his restaurant, Horn Barbecue, in Oakland, California. The 2021 F&W Best New Chef spent weeks perfecting this recipe and says time is the most important ingredient in the dish.
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Barbecue Jackfruit Sandwiches with Cabbage Slaw
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Thanks to a smoky, tangy, gently sweet sauce, these barbecue jackfruit sandwiches taste satisfyingly meaty (feel free to double the sauce to toss with smoked or braised pork shoulder as well).
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Burnt Honey Barbecue Sauce
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You’ll never buy barbecue sauce again after you stir up this sophisticated version. All the classic smoky characters show up to the party — tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, and chili powder — but they get a tasty transformation courtesy of the just-burnt honey. Save your special farmers market honey for something else; honey from the classic plastic bear is perfectly fine for this recipe.
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11of 22
Red Wine Barbecue Chicken
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Leftover red wine gets repurposed into a sweet, sticky, and luscious barbecue sauce in this easy chicken recipe from Food & Wine culinary director at large Justin Chapple.
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Hill Country Smoked Chicken Wings with Texas Ranch Dressing
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Rubbing chicken wings with a variety of sweet and spicy seasonings before smoking gives them a double dose of delicious flavor.
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Big Bob Gibson's Chicken with White Barbecue Sauce
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At Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Alabama, chef Chris Lilly butterflies a whole chicken, smokes it, then dunks the bird into a vat of tangy white barbecue sauce. Home cooks can grill pieces of chicken until crispy and nicely charred, then serve them alongside Lilly's terrific white sauce.
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Sticky Barbecued Beef Ribs
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These beef ribs — leftovers from the giant rib roast — are incredibly luscious. Chef Tim Love douses them in his sweet and tangy homemade barbecue sauce, then cooks them on the grill until they're crusty, sizzling, and outrageously good.
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Apple-Glazed Barbecued Baby Back Ribs
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These sticky, apple-scented ribs are cooked in the oven, then finished on the grill. Use a thermometer to keep the temperature at a steady 250°F and wrap the ribs in foil after adding the apple cider mixture.
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Sweet-and-Spicy Spareribs with Korean Barbecue Sauce
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Top Chef winner Mei Lin slow-roasts these ribs in the oven until they’re super tender; then she glazes them on the grill with a sweet, spicy sauce spiked with gochujang (Korean chile paste). She also stirs the sauce into pulled pork, serves it with french fries instead of ketchup, and mixes it with melted butter to toss with fried chicken.
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Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Barbecue Sauce
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Roasted garlic seasons this pork shoulder, which slow-cooks until tender and deeply flavorful. Shred it and top with barbecue sauce, coleslaw, and a spicy habanero vinaigrette for the perfect sandwich.
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Barbecued Brisket and Burnt Ends
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Ten hours on the grill with a slather, a rub, and a mop give this brisket an extraordinarily robust flavor. Pitmaster Paul Kirk's recipe calls for a whole packer brisket, which includes both the flat (the larger, leaner portion) as well as the point (the smaller, fattier part for the burnt ends). When slicing the brisket, cut perpendicular to the grain to keep the meat juicy.
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Chinese-Style Ribs with Guava Barbecue Sauce
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The Barbecue Bible author Steven Raichlen uses Chinese five-spice powder in his rub for these charcoal-grilled ribs that are sprayed with sherry and glazed with a sweet sauce.
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20of 22
Robb Walsh’s Texas Barbecue Brisket
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Slice the brisket thinly across the grain and serve it with its cooking juices.along with sliced white bread, chili beans, coleslaw, and pickles.
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21of 22
Carolina Pulled Pork
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Traditional Carolina barbecue begins with a whole hog smoked over coals; here, chef Sean Brock cooks pork shoulder for 12 hours in a 275°F oven before smoking it for about one hour in a backyard grill.
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Barbecue Shrimp with Avocado Salad
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Kansas City chef Colby Garrelts flavors this quick and easy shrimp with plenty of Worcestershire, making it hearty and bold.
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