8 Perfect BBQ Sides Recipes to Go with Your Yoder Smokers BBQ

We all love some savory BBQ, but a meal needs more than meat. As a chef, you want to impress your guest with an all-inclusive experience. That means complimenting your BBQ with salads and side dishes. Here are our eight favorite sides to go with your BBQ.

1. Grilled Corn with Pesto

Ingredients

• 6 ears corn, husks and silks removed
• 1⁄2 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 3 cups basil leaves
• 1⁄2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 5 oz. grated Parmesan
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a charcoal grill or set a gas grill to high; bank coals or turn off burner on one. Brush corn with oil and grill until kernels are slightly charred and tender, 8-10 minutes.
2. Purée ½ cup oil with basil, nuts, Parmesan, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Brush corn with pesto.

2. Chili Chicken Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 12 ounces elbow macaroni
• 1 1/4 cups 2% milk
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (8 ounces)
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast (skin removed)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 12 -ounce container pico de gallo or fresh salsa (about 1 cup)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain, rinse under cold water and return to the pot. Toss with 1/4 cup milk. Top with the cheese and chicken (do not stir).
2. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallions, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add half of the pico de gallo. Cook, stirring, until the scallions soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and swirl to melt. Sprinkle in the flour; cook, stirring, until a paste forms, about 1 minute. Gradually stir in the broth and the remaining 1 cup milk. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes.
4. Add the sauce to the pot with the pasta. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cheese melts, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup pico de gallo.

3. Jalapeno Cornbread

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups flour
• 1 1/23 cups cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 ¼ cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• ½ stick melted butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeno

Instructions

1. Combine cups flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
2. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and chopped pickled jalapenos; stir into the flour mixture.
3. Pour into a buttered, cornmeal-dusted 9-inch cast-iron skillet.
4. Top with sliced fresh jalapenos.
5. Bake at 450 degrees F, 20 to 25 minutes.

4. Mojito Watermelon

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 strips lime zest, sliced, plus 2 tbsp juice
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 small watermelon, rind discarded and sliced
• 1/3 c. torn mint
• Flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Whisk together oil, lime juice, and sugar in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Serve watermelon topped with dressing, lime zest, mint, and sea salt.

5. Bacon, Cheddar and Chive Biscuits

Ingredients

• 7 slices bacon
• 3 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces or grated
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1 cup buttermilk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp and brown. Transfer to paper towels and drain. Chop and set aside.
3. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
4. Using a food processor, pastry cutter, or fingertips incorporate the chilled butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the Cheddar cheese, fresh chives, and cooked bacon. Mix to distribute the ingredients evenly.
5. Add the buttermilk and stir just until moistened. Using 1/2 cup dough for each biscuit and using a cup measure or an ice cream scoop, drop the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing the mounds about 2-inches apart.
6. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown on top, about 15 to 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Serve the biscuits warm with melted butter.

6. Pineapple Bacon Baked Beans

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package thick-cut bacon, diced
• ½ fresh pineapple, finely dinced
• ½ tablespoon chili powder
• 1 large red onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 (15 ounce) cans great northern white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ⅓ cup molasses
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons ground dry mustard
• Kosher salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large skillet, cook diced bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon using a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
2. Add pineapple and chili powder to skillet and stir, cooking for about 4-5 minutes, until golden and slightly caramelized. Remove using a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the skillet. Add onion, season generously with Kosher salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring to avoid burning.
4. Add beans, water, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, molasses, brown sugar, maple syrup, red wine vinegar, ground dry mustard, and cooked bacon. Stir to combine. Season to taste with Kosher salt.
5. Transfer mixture to an ovenproof baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake in preheated oven for approximately 1 hour. Remove from oven, stir in pineapple, and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Serve hot.

7. Panko Baked Fried Pickles

Ingredients

• One small jar dill pickle chips
• One small box panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup light Duke’s mayo
• 2 tablespoon pickle juice (from the jar of pickles)
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray generously with non-stick spray. Mix the egg and milk together in a bowl. Drain the pickles from the jar and add them to the egg/milk mixture. Place panko in a large ziploc bag. Add the pickles to the panko and shake vigorously so that all the pickles are well coated in panko.
2. Spread the pickles out in a thin layer on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until the panko turns golden brown.
3. For the dipping sauce, combine the mayo, pickle juice and sriracha and place in a bowl for serving with the pickles.

8. Southern Style Collard Greens

Ingredients

• 12 hickory-smoked bacon slices, finely chopped
• 2 medium-size sweet onions, finely chopped
• 3/4 pound smoked ham, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 (32-oz.) containers chicken broth
• 3 (1-lb.) packages fresh collard greens, washed and trimmed
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Cook bacon in a 10-qt. stockpot over medium heat 10 to 12 minutes or until almost crisp.
2. Add onion, and sauté 8 minutes; add ham and garlic, and sauté 1 minute.
3. Stir in broth and remaining ingredients. Cook 2 hours or to desired degree of tenderness.

When you grill, what do you like to serve alongside? Comment below with your favorite dishes.

Written by Ian Baranesky of The Smoker Broker

The Smoker Broker is the go-to resource for competitive-grade smokers and grills and all things BBQ in Canada. With a passion for BBQ and great experience, they carry the best BBQ products to sell to stores and direct to consumers. As the exclusive Canadian distributor for Yoder Smokers, the Smoker Broker looks for the highest quality grills and accessory products to bring to the public.

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