BBQ recipes, product reviews, & how-to's
Sliders seem to be all the craze lately and deservedly so. The are like mini versions of your favorite burger or sandwich and you don’t have to feel guilty eating multiples. This Cuban sliders recipe packs the flavor in a smaller size. They only take…
Grilled Twinkies are one of my most favorite desserts off the grill. Much healthier than deep fried! This idea started out of both curiosity and desperation years ago when I wanted to feed my guests dessert after grilling our dinner. It has since become a…
If you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance you are looking for leftover pulled pork ideas. Well, you’re in the right place! One of my favorite things to do with leftover pork is to make BBQ pulled pork pizza. I’ll show you how simple and tasty this recipe is!
Note: it is recommended you have a pizza peel and a pizza stone for this recipe.
The typical pork butt or pork shoulder weighs 5-7 pounds. When you’re cooking for family or a small gathering, this usually means there will be leftover pulled pork. Great thing about leftover pulled pork is that it reheats very well. You can put the leftovers in your freezer, reheat it months later and still get great flavor..
Looking for a pulled pork recipe? I’ve got both a low and slow and hot and fast version you should check out!
To start making your BBQ pizza, you’ll obviously need pizza dough. You can buy premade pizza dough at your local grocery store, even Trader Joe’s, or make your own at home (my buddy Kamado Bjorn has a good recipe). Before working with your ball of pizza dough, spread some flour over the surface you’ll be prepping on. This will help keep the pizza dough from sticking.
Put the ball of dough on the surface and press from the center and spread out on all sides. I usually will pick up the dough after doing this and stretch the sides out a little at a time. If you don’t make a perfect round, that’s okay (I rarely do).
With your pizza dough flat and rounded, drizzle on some of your favorite BBQ sauce. Use a spoon or silicone spatula to smooth it all around, leaving an inch from the edges uncovered for the crust. Next, sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella cheese. For a 12″ pizza, I use about a cup. Then sprinkle on 3/4 Cup of pulled pork, spreading all around. Finally, take a red onion and make some large slices to place around the pizza.
With your pizza all put together, use your pizza peel to transfer to the grill. Put flour on your peel to help it not stick. With your grill at 400 degrees, put the BBQ pizza on the preheated pizza stone (heat up grill with pizza stone inside). This way will take 15-18 minutes to cook. You can tell its done by how the cheese is melted and browning a little.
If you are using an outdoor pizza oven, cook at 700 degrees for 4-5 minutes, rotating once during the cook. Remove from the grill and wait a few minutes before slicing. During this wait time, I recommend sprinkling some cilantro on top.
Absolutely! But I enjoy cooking them on the grill. And I think you will too!
Looking for a meal idea for your leftover pulled pork? BBQ pulled pork pizza might be your excuse for keeping all of the leftover pulled pork to yourself!
1. Brushing olive oil on crust of pizza before cooking is optional, but would add some flavor.
2. The type of BBQ sauce used will affect the sugar and calorie content.
3. You can also cook this in a pizza oven at 700 degrees for 4-5 minutes, rotating once.
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate. For example, amount of sugar may vary depending on the type of BBQ sauce used.
Do you love pulled pork, but don’t have all day to smoke it? Did you know you can get the same salivating results in about half the time? The hot and fast pulled pork method will shave hours off your cook time and give you…
Did you smoke a ham recently? Chances are you have some leftovers, which is what brought you here. Ham fried rice is a quick, simple recipe that will make you want to cook ham just for the leftovers. What Do I Need to Make Ham…
Pot roasts are a traditional meal to have for Sunday dinner, especially in the colder months. The ingredients are fairly inexpensive and the meal easily feeds up to 10-12 people. Cook the Dutch oven pot roast on the grill for a few hours. Add a kiss of post oak smoke flavor and smoked pot roast may become your favorite Sunday meal!
Can you smoke a chuck roast for this? Yes! Chuck roasts are ideal for smoked pot roast. This cut of beef comes from the shoulder of the cow, which is tougher because the muscle gets used a lot. A slower, longer cook helps break down the muscle to make it more tender. These cuts of beef are usually three pounds and cost is fairly low.
Prep the chuck roast by seasoning it with a blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Your favorite beef rub will work, too. Season all sides and its ready for the grill.
Preheat your grill to 200 degrees over indirect heat with post oak wood. Once grill is up to temp, place chuck roast on and smoke for 90 minutes.
When the chuck roast is about finished smoking, get your Dutch oven and start prepping the rest of the ingredients. For this reason, you could also call this a Dutch oven pot roast. I use a cast iron Dutch oven for cooking outdoors, especially on the grill. Peel and cut carrots about two inches long. I like about 2.5 cups worth of those and cut yukon gold yellow potatoes. The last vegetable, white onion, I dice 3/4 cup worth.
Pour in three cups of beef stock, two sprigs of fresh rosemary, and a tablespoon of thyme. Place the 3 lb chuck roast in Dutch oven. With that down, bring your grill up to 275 degrees. Add some more of the beef seasoning from earlier to help with the flavor. Place lid on Dutch oven and take out to the grill.
The smoked pot roast internal temp should reach at least 203 degrees, similar to brisket. Using a digital meat thermometer, the probe should poke through like butter. In my experience, the roast will be in the Dutch oven for three hours to reach this point. The carrots and potatoes will be fork tender.
Remove the smoked pot roast from the grill and place the roast on a cutting board. Shred the tender roast with two forks until finished. Place meat back in Dutch oven, mix a little, then serve.
Take that traditional pot roast to the next level by smoking the beef with oak wood and cooking in your Dutch oven. Mixed with seasonings, vegetables, and beef stock, this slow cooked meal will be your new standard for Sunday dinners!
1. Use your favorite beef rub in place of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
2. If post oak wood is not available for smoking wood, use hickory.
3. This recipe can be adapted to cook in the oven. Remember that no smoke flavor will be added.
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
This post is sponsored by Omaha Steaks. Sponsored posts are what enable food bloggers like me to maintain and operate sites that are free to the public. That said, I only work with products and brands that I believe in. Smoked ham is all the…
Do you like filet mignon? What if I told you the smoked beef tenderloin is a meaty log full of them? Beef tenderloin is perfect for meals at Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or any gathering that you’re looking to impress. The combo of lean, beefy flavor…
Note: while this post is sponsored by Kingsford, I feature a variety of other products that I highly recommend, too.
Looking to get into BBQ? Or shopping for someone who loves to BBQ? This BBQ Holiday Gift Guide will give you a variety of suggestions, ranging from grills to gloves and tools to outerwear. The 20 recommendations are divided into categories below:
Ceramic grills are my overall favorite to cook on. I love their versatility: you can smoke, grill, sear, bake, braise, roast, etc. If you follow me on social media (IG: @learningtosmoke), you know I use the Kamado Joe a TON for grilling and smoking. This grill comes with two tiers for cooking with adjustable half moon grates and offers a lot of awesome accessories to enhance your outdoor cooking experience. You can get yours by clicking HERE.
Pellet grills are quite popular these days and it is easy to see why. They are simple to use, maintain temps for hours, are very hands off, and flat-out produce good food. I have been using the Camp Chef Woodwind 24″ with WiFi not only because of its ease of use, but also for the two full levels of horizontal grill space that allows me to fit 5-6 racks of ribs, 8 pork butts, or four briskets at the same time. The wifi connection, along with the app, allows you to monitor and adjust temps, as well as set alarms. The ash can below the grill makes for easy cleanup of the auger, too.
If you love cooking over an open fire, the KUDU grill will be perfect! With the 24″ round fire pit sitting near waist level, this grill comes with elevation bars that allow you to easily raise and lower the 19″ round grill grate or 16″ cast iron skillet that come included. Another thing I love about this grill is it’s portability. Easy to set up and take down anywhere!
One of the BBQ mottos I swear by is “cook to temp, not time”. Cooking times given in recipes, including mine, are merely suggestions of how long it will take. This is why I swear by my Thermapen Mk4. I use it when I BBQ. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It provides super accurate, quick temps and is used by many professional chefs and BBQ champions from all over.
Handling raw meats can spread bacteria. And it also sucks having to wash your hands a whole bunch. That’s why I like using nitrile gloves when doing food prep. I’ve been using Gloveworks nitrile gloves for a few years because I love their durability and fit.
In the world of BBQ, you’ll be cooking with heavier meats than a simple steak or chicken breast on the grill. When smoking pork butts, briskets, or whole chickens, you’ll want a stronger spatula for transferring from the grill to your cutting board. When I first got a heavy duty spatula, I didn’t think I’d use it much. Turns out, I use it way more than I thought I would. That’s why I included it in this BBQ holiday gift guide.
The chef’s knife is an all-purpose knife that every BBQer should have in their arsenal. I’ve been using Dalstrong knives for a while now and love how sharp they are, as well as the unique designs they offer on some of their blades. This chef’s knife from them is entry level and will do the job just fine.
Remember earlier when I said to cook by temp, not time? Would you like to monitor temps throughout the cook without having to keep going out to the grill? This is exactly why the Smoke X from Thermoworks is in the BBQ Holiday Gift Guide. You can monitor temps the entire time and the Bluetooth enabled remote has powerful range of up to a mile! Granted, that’s with no obstacles in the way. But still strong enough to walk around your house or go to a neighbor’s house with.
If you can’t take the heat, then get yourself some high-temp gloves! I use my high-temp gloves all the time for handling hot trays, hot meat, hot grills, and even hot coals. Regardless of which type of grill you own, these gloves are quite handy (no pun intended. Sorta).
Sometimes you want to grill meat and veggies on a stick, right? Don’t just get any skewers. I recommend getting flat, metal skewers because that way, the meat and veggies won’t spin around and you can get a more even cook.
The more you use your grill, the more you will need to clean it. A grill brush is a must-have and while you could use any ordinary grill brush, beware of the health hazards that can come from using grill brushes with loose bristles. Because of this, I recommend using a bristle-free grill brush.
Having an extra insulated cooler is not only great for keeping your beverages cold for days, but also for keeping your BBQ warm for hours. This travel cooler is perfect for doing both! It has a shoulder strap for easier carrying to your next tailgate, picnic, etc.
Want another way to cook on your grill? Give the rotisserie a try! There’s something about spinning meat over hot coals and having it baste in it’s own juices that makes it taste better. I love using the rotisserie for whole chicken, picanha, and even pineapple. NOTE: while the header link is for a rotisserie attachment for ceramic grills, there’s also one for the classic Weber Kettle.
Cutting boards are a must-have for anyone who cooks in general. Having a quality cutting board that will last through years of cuts and washes is also helpful.
Gotta have an ice cold beverage, or hot one, by your side when you BBQ, right? With double-walled vacuum insulation and a no-sweat exterior, this Kingsford YETI rambler is the perfect companion for any gathering around the grill.
If you BBQ year-round like me, dressing for the warm weather is a must. I love wearing hoodies and this zip-up hoodie from Kingsford is super comfy and very convenient to put on and take off for the many times I’m in and out of my house while grilling. They also make a women’s hoodie that has become Mrs. Learningtosmoke’s new favorite. These reasons make this a must for my BBQ Holiday Gift Guide.
While I hope you enjoy the recipes you find here on my blog, I have friends in the industry that have mad skills, too. For example, my friends Sean Martin and Mary Cressler of Vindulge.com recently released a cookbook called Fire & Wine and it is full of excellent grilling recipes and wine pairings.
Another friend of mine, Susie Bulloch from Heygrillhey.com has a couple of e-books you can get from her website.
While we’re at it, my buddy Matt Eads from Grillseeker.com has a cookbook that has a variety of mains, sides, and desserts. You can check it out HERE.
If you’ve ever been to a legit BBQ joint, then you’ve most likely seen this brownish, pinkish paper they use to wrap their meats in and line their trays with (and some places use it for writing their menus on, too). The advantage to using this waxless pink butcher paper for smoking meats like brisket and pork butt is it helps trap some heat to help the meat cook faster, but allows for air flow (unlike foil) so the meat can breathe a little and not get soggy while wrapped. Also, it’s cool to have that look and feel of a BBQ joint because, in a way, you’re backyard is your very own BBQ joint.
There are a variety of meat delivery companies out there, but Omaha Steaks is the standard and has been around for over 100 years. They offer a wide variety of beef, pork, poultry, seafood, sides, and desserts. Not only that, but they have different qualities of beef for every budget. I’ve been using them for a while now and love their Private Reserve steaks and bacon-wrapped chicken breasts.
Whether you’re a dad or not, bald or full of flow, man or woman, it doesn’t matter. This quintessential dad hat from Kingsford is styling! Also, it helps keep the sun out of your eyes, so added bonus there. It pairs perfectly well the matching sweatshirt as seen in the picture above.
Thanks for checking out this BBQ holiday gift guide! Now gear up, get out there and grill!
Looking for ideas for your upcoming holiday meal? Well, you’re in luck! This BBQ holiday recipe guide is a compilation of main dishes, sides/appetizers, and dessert (yep, singular. I’m working on that). The list will be updated as more recipes get developed and posted, so…
