BBQ recipes, product reviews, & how-to's
Baked beans are a classic side dish for any barbecue. They pair well with smoked brisket, pulled pork, and ribs. Most baked beans recipes will require soaking dry beans for hours then simmering all of the ingredients together for a few hours more. While the…
This smoked pork belly recipe is an absolute must try for any BBQ lover! This pork belly brisket uses simple ingredients and cooks in less time than the traditional beef brisket. As a bonus, it also costs less. Let me show you the process. Watch…
Texas style smoked spare ribs are an absolute must for anyone who enjoys BBQ! All you need for this Texas style ribs recipe is smoke, salt, and pepper. In this recipe, I’ll walk you through the of making the best pork ribs!
I list the apple juice and apple cider vinegar mixture for the spritz while the ribs are cooking. This is to keep them from drying out. Note that you can put a water pan in the main chamber of the grill instead. However, I like to have a wet mixture with a little flavor applied directly to the meat.
What’s the difference between pork spare ribs and St. Louis style ribs? Simple answer: it’s all in how it’s cut. St. Louis style ribs are a trimmed down version of spare ribs cut into a long, rectangular shape. I have a great recipe for saucy St. Louis ribs here.
Pork spare ribs are longer and have extra meat, as well as extra cartilage, on their racks. The extra meat extends off the rack of ribs between two to five inches in length. We’ll go into the process of cooking them this way.
Since this recipe has a short prep time, preheat the grill first. We will cook these at 250 degrees over indirect heat. Depending on the grill, this could take anywhere between 15-30 minutes.
Regarding smoking wood, fruit woods such as cherry, peach, and apple go great with this recipe. Hard woods like oak, maple, and hickory are very good, too. For this recipe, I am doing a blend of maple, cherry, and oak.
Prepare the ribs by removing from the vacuum sealed package and patting dry any excess liquid. Flip over to back side (bone side up) and use a knife to remove the extra flap of meat covering the bones. This will likely overcook during the process.
Also, the smaller end of the ribs won’t have any bones (maybe one or two really small ones). Cut this section off closest to the last bone.
But don’t discard these excess portions of meat. You can cook them alongside the ribs and these small portions will finish sooner. Thus, making a perfect snack for the pitmaster during the cook.
Season the ribs by mixing equal parts kosher salt and coarse black pepper. I recommend one fourth cup of each. Mix these together to make the dry rub.
Apply the dry rub on the ribs on both the front and back sides. Doing this will help the flavor of the salt and pepper ribs stand out.
Place ribs on grill at 250 degrees over indirect heat and smoke for five hours. Spritz ribs once an hour with a 50/50 mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar. To make a spritz for ribs, pour one fourth cup of both apple juice and apple cider vinegar into your spray bottle and briefly shake to mix.
Cooking ribs is pretty simple process, actually. For true Texas style ribs, smoke with oak wood. But ultimately, use your favorite smoking wood for ribs because you are the one eating them.
The way I prefer to tell when ribs are done cooking is by using a digital food thermometer. Place the tip of the probe into the meat in between the bones.
Since I prefer a clean bite through, the internal meat temp to look for is between 180 to 195 degrees. For fall off the bone ribs, look for an internal temperature between 196 to 210 degrees.
Another method people use to tell if ribs are done is to pick up the rack from the center and see how they bend. If they flap like a bird, without breaking in half, then they are done.
The last method, which is the oldest and most basic, is if the bones are showing. Meat will retract as it cooks and when the bones show, the expectation is the ribs are done.
With that said, using a digital meat thermometer will ensure you don’t overcook them.
The easiest way to slice ribs is to place the rack bone side up. Rib racks are usually angled and it takes lots of practice to get an accurate cut meat side up. Seeing the direction of the bones helps you get the straightest, most symmetrical cut ribs.
You can speed up the cooking process by wrapping the rack of ribs in aluminum foil and placing back on the grill for another two hours. This will shave an hour off of cooking. Keep in mind you may not get as much smoke flavor this way.
This recipe is adaptable so you can cook pork ribs in the oven. Use the same cooking time and amount of seasoning. No need to spritz oven ribs as there is no drying out due to airflow like there is on a smoker.
Grilled Elotes (Mexican Street Corn)
Green Beans with Bacon and Onion
Texas style smoked spare ribs are an absolute must for anyone who enjoys BBQ! All you need for this Texas style ribs recipe is smoke, salt, and pepper.
NOTE: Nutrition information isn't always accurate.
Party ribs are the viral sensation in which ribs are cut into individual pieces and smoked, giving you that soft crust and saucy flavor on all four sides (instead of two). They cook faster this way, in only three hours. Serve them up for a…
Make the ultimate breakfast sandwiches in slider form! These breakfast sliders combine sausage, hash browns, eggs, and cheese all on toasted Hawaiian rolls. Dip in country gravy for the complete breakfast experience! Let’s walk through the simple breakfast recipe. Ingredients for Breakfast Sliders These breakfast…
These smoked meatball sliders on Hawaiian rolls are the perfect way to feed a family or small crowd. The combination of meatballs, marinara, and cheese make these sliders perfect for any weeknight meal!
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these meatball sub sliders:
While this recipe calls for homemade meatballs smoked on the grill, you can easily use frozen meatballs purchased from the store instead. This will save you time, but won’t give you the freshness of the meat or the infused smoky flavor.
If you choose homemade meatballs, here’s what you do. In a large mixing bowl, put in a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground pork. Next, put in one egg and a cup of dried bread crumbs. Note that if you don’t have bread crumbs on hand, you can crush up croutons for this recipe.
Finally, put in the seasonings of 1 teaspoon of salt and Italian seasoning, as well as 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and dehydrated minced onion. Mix all of the ingredients together by hand until well absorbed.
Take a 1/4 cup size amount of the meat mix and shape into round meatballs. Place on either a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a cooling rack. This recipe should make 24 of them. While the meatball sliders recipe calls for 12, you can either half this recipe or get another pack of rolls.
In a grill preheated to 275 degrees over indirect heat, cook meatballs for one hour or until their internal temp reaches 165 degrees. I like to use my trustworthy Thermapen ONE from Thermoworks to make sure I get the quickest, most accurate readings.
Once these are done cooking, remove from the grill and place meatballs in a large mixing bowl with marinara sauce. Adjust the temperature of the grill to 350 degrees. This is in preparation for cooking the meatball sub sliders.
To make the Hawaiian roll meatball sliders, slice a 12-pack of King’s Hawaiian rolls in half, separating the top from the bottom. Place the bottom portion on a greased baking sheet or foil pan. This is common practice on all of my slider recipes, including these s’mores sliders you can make for dessert!
Spread marinara sauce on the bottom portion of the rolls by using a large spoon to spread evenly. Place a saucy meatball on top of each roll, using 12 meatballs in total. Top meatballs with slices of provolone cheese. Six slices will cover the tops of the meatballs well, but you can use more for extra cheesiness.
Next, place top portion of Hawaiian rolls on to complete the sandwich. Brush melted butter on top of rolls and sprinkle on Italian seasoning.
Place rolls in grill at 350 degrees over indirect heat for 15 minutes. You’ll notice the provolone cheese melting on the sides and the tops of the rolls have a toasted texture. Remove from the grill, sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top, and serve!
Dip you sliders in a bowl of marinara to get that extra saucy flavor! It is suggested to warm the marinara if pulling from the refrigerator.
These hearty Hawaiian roll meatball sliders are perfect for feeding a family or a small crowd! Can be made on the grill or in the oven.
For meatballs
For Sliders
NOTE: Nutrition information isn't always accurate.
Inject some extra flavor into your burgers with this mouthwatering garlic bacon burger recipe! This recipe also includes a bonus recipe for a creamy burger sauce to compliment it. Let’s dig into the process. Ingredients Needed for Bacon Burger Recipe The list of ingredients for…
Breakfast burritos are one of my most favorite things to eat on the planet. Turns out they are super simple to make, too. This chorizo breakfast burrito recipe will be one that you will keep coming back to! Let me show you the details. What…
This bacon jam recipe is so easy and makes the perfect topping for burgers and appetizers! Follow these easy steps to make this game changing topping!
Bacon jam is a perfect blend of sweet and savory. Bacon jam ingredients include the savory flavors of bacon and onions, but also a balance of sweet with brown sugar and maple syrup. Throw in garlic and apple cider vinegar and there is all you need to make this recipe. Other recipes slightly vary in ingredients, but this one is pretty solid.
Prepping and cooking the ingredients for this bacon jam recipe will take a full hour, with 10 minutes dedicated to prep and 50 minutes cooking. Most of the cooking time will be simmering, so it is not as labor intensive.
Now that we have this covered, let’s get into how to make bacon jam!
To begin making this bacon jam recipe, take a large cast iron skillet and set the stove to medium-low heat. Next take a 16 oz. pack of bacon and dice up the strips. Once that is done, place half of the batch in the skillet. The reason we split this up into two batches is to make sure the diced bacon pieces cook more evenly. Cook bacon until brown, but not crispy. This is because we will be putting it back in and cooking it later.
Remove from skillet and place on paper towels to help absorb grease. Bring in the second batch and repeat the process. Set bacon pieces aside, leaving about two tablespoons of bacon grease in the skillet for the next step.
With bacon grease still in the cast iron skillet, add one diced yellow onion. You can even slice the onion into longer strips if you prefer. Cook the onion for about 5-10 minutes or until it becomes translucent, even with a little browning on some of the edges. At this point, bring in your minced garlic. We add this at the end as to not overcook the garlic and lose it’s potency.
Cook onion and garlic together for a minute and then bring the bacon back to the skillet. Mix the ingredients together and prepare for the rest of the ingredients to be added.
With the bacon, onion, and garlic in the skillet, bring the rest of the ingredients altogether by added 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Stir ingredients in skillet and bring to a boil.
Let boil for a minute and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Simmering allows the liquids in the pan to thicken, making for the perfect consistency for bacon jam. After it is done simmering, we then let it sit for a few minutes so it can cool down to room temperature before serving.
Bacon jam makes for the perfect topping for burgers. It also works great with appetizers such as charcuterie boards, crackers, and smoked cream cheese. I’ve even made peanut butter & bacon jam sliders with it and have had excellent results!
If sealed in an airtight container such as a glass jar or plastic Tupperware container, bacon jam can be stored for up to 3-4 weeks.
Now that you’ve learned how to make bacon jam, try it with some of these recipes:
This bacon jam recipe is so easy and makes the perfect topping for burgers and appetizers! Follow these easy steps to make this game changing topping!
NOTE: Nutrition information isn't always accurate.
Smoked prosciutto wrapped Brie is the perfect appetizer for all types of gatherings, from formal to casual. Only three ingredients and 30 minutes on the grill! How to Make Smoked Prosciutto Wrapped Brie This smoked appetizer recipe is so simple you could jump to the…
