Talk about a rivalry? Barbecue in the south can be one of the most hotly argued topics at any tailgating event. Beef or pork? Dry or served with sauce? Beans, coleslaw or both? Southern states have their preferences and fans can be fiercely devoted to what makes for a great BBQ. When it comes to your favorite barbecue recipe it all depends on where you call home.
Texas
Born and bred in Texas and you may say Georgia doesn’t have a clue. Texas style-barbecue usually means beef brisket. The meat is slow-smoked for 10 to 12 hours over mesquite wood and served without sauces.
Memphis/Tennessee
Memphis natives are equally opinionated about the best method to flavorful barbecue. Here you will find pulled pork or pork ribs heavily smoked using dry rubs and sweet, tangy sauces.
South Carolina
Pork is also the only way to go in South Carolina. The variety of sauces varies from place to place with vinegar and pepper, light tomato, heavy tomato, and mustard sauce, though it’s mustard sauce that gives the state’s BBQ a distinctive flavor. Made from yellow mustard, vinegar, honey, sugar, and spices, mustard sauce has a sweet-tangy flavor.
Alabama
Alabama’s barbecue restaurants are known for smoking pork (in the form of ribs, shoulder, or butt), ham, and chicken usually over hickory wood. The meat is served chopped, pulled, and sliced. Alabama has its own distinctive white sauce made of mayonnaise, apple-cider vinegar, lemon juice, horseradish, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt. You’ll find the white sauce served with chicken and pork.
Georgia
Georgia borrows ideas from all if its neighboring states for its own distinctive pork shoulder or ham barbecue. Most are cooked over hickory wood and served with a thin tomato-and-vinegar sauce. True Georgia-style barbecue is served with Brunswick stew, a combination of chicken, beef, or pork (or all three) simmered with tomatoes and corn.
Whatever your preference here’s a few make-ahead BBQ recipes that will be fan favorites!
Georgia Slow-Cooked Pork BBQ
Ingredients
BBQ Sauce:
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups cider vinegar
6 ounces tomato juice
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch cayenne
Dash hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1 teaspoon sugar
Roast:
2 medium sweet onions, such as Vidalia, quartered
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons salt
Pinch black pepper
One 4- to 6-pound Boston butt pork roast, bone-in
Buns, for serving
Directions:
For the sauce: Puree the onion in a blender with 1/4 cup water. Place the pureed onion in a 2-quart saucepan with additional water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cook, stirring constantly until the water has almost evaporated. Add the vinegar, tomato juice, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne and hot sauce and mix well. Bring to a boil, and then stir in the sugar. Immediately remove from the heat. Set 1 cup aside for the roast. Let the remaining sauce cool completely, then refrigerate for later use.
For the roast: Put the quartered onions in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Mix the brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper and rub it over the pork roast. Then place in the slow cooker on top of the onions. Drizzle the reserved 1 cup of sauce over the roast. Cook the roast in the slow cooker on low for 10 to 12 hours, checking after 10 hours for tenderness.
Remove the meat and onions from the slow cooker. Discard the onions and finely shred the pork. Reserve the juices from the slow cooker to add to the meat for desired juiciness.
Serve on a bun with the juice.
Recipe Source: FoodNetwork.com
Brunswick Stew
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 (3 pound) whole cooked chicken, deboned and shredded
3 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup hickory flavored barbeque sauce
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste (optional)
1 green bell pepper
3 (14.75 ounce) cans cream style corn
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet, and sauté the onions and celery until soft. Mix in pork and beef, and cook until evenly browned. Do not drain.
Transfer pork and beef mixture to a large slow cooker over low heat. Stir in the shredded chicken, tomatoes and their liquid, ketchup, and barbeque sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Place whole green pepper into the mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 hours, or until thickened.
Stir the cream style corn into the stew mixture. Continue cooking 1 hour, or to desired consistency. Remove the green pepper; chop and return to the stew or discard.
Recipe Source: AllRecipes.com
Alabama White BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
1 quart mayonnaise
3/4 quart apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Prepared horseradish
Lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Place all ingredients in a very large blender or food processor. (It may be necessary to do this in 2 batches; just add 1/2 of each ingredient and then repeat.) Blend for 1 minute, or until thoroughly combined and mixture is smooth. Pour sauce into a large bowl.
Use when grilling chicken; brush lightly over the chicken during the last few minutes of grilling. This sauce is also great for dipping; set some sauce aside for passing at the table.
Recipe Source: FoodNetwork.com
Want to go way out of the norm for your tailgate BBQ? Consider this delicious Korean barbecue recipe instead of traditional Southern-Style:
Korean Slow-Cooked Barbecue Beef
Ingredients
4 to 4 ½ lbs. beef short ribs
¼ cup chopped green onions
¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
½ cup beef broth or water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, roasted
Hot cooked rice
Directions
Place short ribs in slow cooker. Combine green onions, tamari, broth, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and pepper and mix well. Pour over ribs. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or until ribs fall off the bone.
Remove ribs from cooking liquid. Cool slightly. Trim off excess fat and remove bones. Cut meat into bite-size pieces.
Let cooking liquid stand 5 minutes to allow fat to rise. Skim off fat and discard.
Stir sesame oil into cooking liquid and return beef to slow cooker. Cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Serve over hot rice. Garnish with roasted sesame seeds.
Recipe Source: Rival Crock Pot, Best Loved Slow Cooker Recipes