The Best BBQ Recipes

Delight family and friends at a picnic with these top barbecue recipes: ribs, brisket, smoked salmon, and more.

Everything you've ever wanted to grill is in this collection. You can start cooking with our recipes this weekend. The meat will be tender, crispy on the edges, infused with the finest spices—a recipe that will leave you with fond memories of your time outdoors. You won't regret the effort.

Pork ribs in sweet cola sauce

"These ribs will blow your mind," say the Neelys. "The smoke and indirect heat make the meat incredibly tender, and the cola adds an unexpected sweetness. Our secret is to skim the fat off the ribs before cooking, then glaze them towards the end. It's the perfect cooking method!"

Pork ribs in sweet cola sauce

BBQ sauce with cola

The key to homemade barbecue sauces is the balance between sweet, tart, and spicy flavors. Start with this basic sauce, using Coca-Cola as a base, and then add tomato paste for color, tomato puree for texture, and vinegar for richness.

BBQ sauce with cola

BBQ sauce

The Neelys use ketchup as a sweet tomato base for their Memphis-style barbecue sauce. Use the sauce one hour before the end of cooking to brush on ribs, brisket, and shoulder.

BBQ sauce

Texas Smoked Brisket Toast

To create a tender and juicy brisket, Bobby leaves layers of fat on the meat, coats it with spices, and then simmers it for several hours over indirect heat at a low temperature.

Texas Smoked Brisket Toast

Pulled smoked pork sandwiches

The Neelys use pecan wood chips to impart a distinct smoky flavor to their pork. They serve their sandwiches with homemade barbecue sauce and sweet coleslaw.

Pulled smoked pork sandwiches

Slow Cooker Pork Sandwiches

Classic pulled pork is delicious with any bread and BBQ sauce of your choice.

Slow Cooker Pork Sandwiches

Pulled pork

Classic pulled pork is smoked at a low temperature for about 5 hours over oak or pecan wood chips, basting occasionally with apple juice.

Pulled pork

Pulled pork on buns with coleslaw

Tyler rubs his pork tenderloin with a sweet and savory spice blend, roasts it until it's falling apart, and then serves it with a tangy apple cider vinegar-based barbecue sauce.

Pulled pork on buns with coleslaw

North Carolina Smoked Pork Sandwiches

A classic, no-fail recipe for pork and a tangy, vinegary BBQ sauce for North Carolina-style sandwiches.

North Carolina Smoked Pork Sandwiches

Texas Grilled Brisket

Texas boasts a plethora of barbecue joints, with cooking styles and regional variations that span a wide range. However, traditional Texas brisket is unrivaled. The recipe calls for coating the meat in mustard and spicy spices, then smoking it for over nine hours. But the end result is a flavorful beef brisket that's well worth the wait.

Texas Grilled Brisket

Pork shoulder in beer with barbecue sauce

Pulled pork is first cooked in the oven at a high temperature until the outside is browned. Once the crust has formed, reduce the heat and let the meat simmer in the sauce.

Pork shoulder in beer with barbecue sauce

Grilled pork ribs with a spicy glaze

Brush the ribs with homemade chili powder glaze every 10 minutes during the last 40 minutes of grilling.

Grilled pork ribs with a spicy glaze

Texas-Style BBQ Braised Beef Brisket

Brisket is a great choice for barbecue because it cooks easily over indirect heat for a long time. Add a smoky flavor with chipotle peppers and pecan wood chips for a truly Texas-inspired dish.

Texas-Style BBQ Braised Beef Brisket

Smoked beef brisket with beer barbecue sauce

Bobby's classic brisket requires smoking for 4-5 hours, until very tender. Brush it with dark beer sauce every 30 minutes.

Smoked beef brisket with beer barbecue sauce

Smoked Spiced Pork Ribs with Horseradish and Maple Syrup Glaze

Bobby rubs the meat with spices, which creates a tender interior and a crispy crust as it smokes. He then adds a maple syrup-horseradish glaze for a unique barbecue sauce.

Smoked Spiced Pork Ribs with Horseradish and Maple Syrup Glaze

Smoked beef brisket

Rub brisket (5-8 lbs.) with seasonings and smoke for 5-7 hours over pecan or oak wood chips for authentic barbecue flavor.

Smoked beef brisket

Smoked spare ribs in dry marinade

Tyler makes a dry marinade for the ribs, then cooks the meat at a low temperature, basting it periodically with the vinegar mixture. When it's almost done, Tyler spritzes it with vinegar again and adds a little dry rub for a savory crust—there's no need for a sauce here.

Smoked spare ribs in dry marinade

Smoked salmon

Smoking isn't just for ribs. Follow Alton's recipe to make delicious smoked salmon, trout, or mackerel at home.

Smoked salmon

Wet BBQ Pork Ribs

For this classic recipe, the Neelys trim their ribs St. Louis-style. They then rub the meat with a spice blend and cook it over low heat, indirectly, and top it with homemade barbecue sauce.

Wet BBQ Pork Ribs

Memphis-Style Smoked Pork and Beef Ribs

These Memphis-style beef and pork ribs are the signature dish of the king and queen of barbecue. If you like your ribs dry, serve them with a little barbecue seasoning, or for a "wet" serving, make a batch of the Neely family's homemade barbecue sauce.

Memphis-Style Smoked Pork and Beef Ribs

Dry-Marinated Memphis-Style Pork Ribs

Cooking ribs with this recipe couldn't be easier. Mix your favorite rubs, then bake the pork ribs in the oven. Coat the finished meat with Memphis-style seasonings, no sauce required.

Dry-Marinated Memphis-Style Pork Ribs

Sweet Tea Glazed Pork Ribs with Potato and Lemon Salad

The ribs are baked in the oven, then glazed with a tea and citrus glaze. For a classic side dish, make a quick lemon potato salad while the ribs are cooking.

Sweet Tea Glazed Pork Ribs with Potato and Lemon Salad

Oven-baked pork ribs with coffee barbecue sauce

Michael generously coats the ribs with dry rub, bakes them in the oven until tender, and finishes grilling them with a unique homemade espresso sauce.

Oven-baked pork ribs with coffee barbecue sauce

BBQ pork ribs on the grill

Try different combinations: choose a spice blend, then make a Kansas City-style barbecue sauce or a chili-based coffee sauce.

BBQ pork ribs on the grill

Southern-Style Beef Brisket BBQ

Slow smoking for 5 hours over mesquite or pecan wood chips gives the brisket a rich, smoky flavor that makes the long wait worth it.

Southern-Style Beef Brisket BBQ

North Carolina-Style Barbecue

Smoke the pork for a few hours to impart a pleasant flavor, then finish cooking it in the oven at a low temperature until the meat is falling apart. Finish the dish with a zesty barbecue sauce made with apple cider vinegar.

North Carolina-Style Barbecue

Kansas BBQ Pork Ribs

Kansas-style barbecue is all about a sweet, tomato-based sauce, and the Neely family's homemade version is one of the best.

Kansas BBQ Pork Ribs

Spicy pork ribs with hoisin sauce glaze

Add an Asian twist to your dish with a few bold flavors: soy sauce, sesame oil, Chinese five-spice powder, and hoisin sauce.

Spicy pork ribs with hoisin sauce glaze

Pork ribs in foil in the oven

Alton's ribs are coated with spices, then baked in foil in the oven and glazed with a homemade sauce.

Pork ribs in foil in the oven

Asian-Style Pork Ribs

Marinate the ribs today and make the brown sugar glaze, then all that's left to do is grill them tomorrow.

Asian-Style Pork Ribs

Pork ribs with bourbon barbecue sauce

These ribs can be prepared a day ahead of serving and grilled before using.

Pork ribs with bourbon barbecue sauce

Dry marinade for ribs

This Memphis-style dry marinade gives meat such rich flavor and a crispy crust, you won't even need barbecue sauce.

Dry marinade for ribs

BBQ pork ribs in sweet and spicy sauce

Give your ribs a rich flavor by wrapping the soaked wood chips in two layers of heavy-duty foil and placing them over the coals. Barrel staves, cherry wood, or pecan wood chips are all fine, but mesquite is not suitable.

BBQ pork ribs in sweet and spicy sauce

BBQ pork ribs in beer marinade

The Cajun-seasoned ribs are briefly braised before being smoked. The homemade sauce is made with onions, carrots, and peppers—the essential trinity of Louisiana cuisine.

BBQ pork ribs in beer marinade

Grilled pork belly with ginger sauce

Meaty pork fillet pairs perfectly with a piquant ginger sauce.

Grilled pork belly with ginger sauce

Smoked Pork Shoulder with Lexington Sauce

After 8-10 hours of smoking, this tender pulled pork shoulder is served with a simple vinegar-based dipping sauce.

Smoked Pork Shoulder with Lexington Sauce

Smoked pork loin in beer marinade

Create a spice marinade that will make this rosemary-smoked loin a staple in your recipe repertoire.

Smoked pork loin in beer marinade

Ribs with peach barbecue sauce

According to the Neelys, these ribs are perfect for impressing guests at a summer barbecue. "They have a sweet and smoky flavor with a hint of heat. The sweetness comes from the peach puree, and the smoky aroma comes from the pecan wood chips. Our secret ingredient is smoked paprika, which adds another layer of flavor and aroma."