15 Crowd-Pleasing Barbecue Recipes to Make for Labor Day

By Food & Wine
August 21, 2019
A three day weekend and the unofficial end of summer is certainly cause to host a huge cookout—and this Labor Day Weekend, we’re going all out with barbecue. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite recipes, from jerk-smoked duck with peach barbecue sauce (which also pairs with chicken, should you not like duck) to the classic pulled pork sandwich. There’s chicken wings too, of course; believe it or not, we even have a recipe for salad with a smoky barbecue vinaigrette. (Trust us on this one.) Read on for those recipes, as well as other barbecue dishes we’ll be making for Labor Day.
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BBQ Baked Chicken

This simple homemade BBQ sauce makes a sweet and tangy sauce for baked chicken. 

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Easy BBQ Chicken Enchiladas

These enchiladas take only 10 minutes to prepare and are surprisingly addictive. They'll be a huge hit with both kids and adults.

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BBQ Shredded Pork and Quinoa Tacos

Tart avocado salsa and crunchy red onions accompany these full-of-flavor BBQ pulled pork tacos; quinoa adds a healthy twist.

 

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Mango BBQ Chicken

Sweeten up your BBQ marinade with fresh mango - guaranteed to please guests at any cookout.

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Red Chile BBQ Sauce

Add this BBQ sauce to any of your meats and rejuvenate your tasting buds.

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Molasses-Smoked Baby Back Ribs

Tim Byres has a no-fail method for ribs: He rubs them with a seasoned beer-based mop and cooks them in a foil packet for almost an hour to keep them moist before smoking them over wood.

 

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Green Salad with Smoky Barbecue Vinaigrette

Smoky barbecue sauce and cheese-toasted corn bread croutons put a Texas spin on hearty greens.

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Barbecued Salmon Sandwiches

This barbecue sauce, made with ketchup, cider vinegar, Worcestershire and canned chipotles in adobo, comes together quickly in a blender. The chipotles give the sauce an appealing smokiness.

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Barbecued Pork Loin

© BEATRIZ DA COSTA

Christian Delouvrier uses soy sauce to balance the sweetness of the ketchup and honey in his version of barbecue sauce. The sauce is also delicious on duck breasts and chicken. 

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Barbecued Shrimp with Cheese Grits

By happy accident, Amber Huffman combined leftovers of two low-country staples--barbecue and cheddar cheese grits--for a quick Southern fusion meal. It became a Jess Jackson favorite. Here, Huffman tops her grits with grilled shrimp slicked with a tangy, bourbon-based barbecue sauce. "I seriously have received three marriage proposals over a bowl of my cheese grits," says Huffman. "I've accepted none so far."

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Traditional “Santa Maria BBQ” Oak Wood–Grilled Tri-Tip

Victor Protasio

Wood-grilling tri-tip brings rich, smoky flavor in this easy grilled steak recipe, while allowing plenty of time for the meat to become meltingly tender over the coals. A peppery spice rub and garlicky basting liquid amp up the flavor in the roasts.

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White Barbecue Sauce

Jen Causey

Less sweet than tomato-based barbecue sauces, this fast, no-cook sauce has a sharp tang from vinegar and Worcestershire sauce that cuts through rich and fatty barbecued meats with grace. This mayonnaise-based condiment is also great for dunking French fries, fried pickles, and fresh veggies. Down south, it’s most famously paired with grilled chicken, but it’s also the perfect contrasting partner for ribs, barbecue sandwiches, and wings.

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Grilled Pineapples with Barbecue-Spiced Breadcrumbs and Country Ham

Victor Protasio

Slow-grilling whole unpeeled pineapples concentrates their flavor and tenderizes the fruit, which pairs wonderfully with salty country ham and crispy panko seasoned with barbecue spices. Peel the fruit with a large serrated knife, and serve it hot, thinly sliced like ham.

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Jerk-Smoked Duck with Peach Barbecue Sauce

Greg DuPree

2019 Best New Chef Bryan Furman’s method of smoking the duck over a drip pan is quick and efficient, infusing the duck with intense smoky flavor in only 30 minutes without toughening the meat. The combination of jerk seasoning and peach-sweetened barbecue sauce is also a great match for grilled chicken halves.

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Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Barbecue Sauce

Roasted garlic seasons this pork shoulder, which slow-cooks until tender and deeply flavorful. Shred it and top with barbecue sauce, coleslaw and a spicy habanero vinaigrette for the perfect sandwich.

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