The summer officially starts in the United States on June 20th, and that typically means barbecue. However, if you’ve never barbecued before or you’re looking for new inspiration, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of recipes you can find online!
We’re here to help you out. Whether you’re looking for salty or sweet, sides, or main dishes, we have all the necessities listed below.
Read on for our top five smoker recipes for you to try out this summer!
1. Sweet Smoked Pork Ribs
The summer isn’t complete without some smoked pork ribs, and if you’re a fan of a little sweet with your salty, then this is the recipe for you.
The sweetness of these ribs comes from the brown sugar and white sugar that the recipe calls for. There’s also the surprising element of tanginess that the apple juice ends.
This is balanced out with onion, garlic, and chili powder, followed by some ground paprika and cumin. The rub balances out all of that sweetness and creates an extra layer of suprising flavor.
This recipe receives 4.5 stars out of 138 ratings. Users stated that the aroma and look of the ribs are just as good as the taste, and the rub can even be used with chicken or fish.
2. Smoked Mac and Cheese
No barbeque is really complete without great sides, and mac and cheese will always take the top spot as the ultimate comfort food. Cutsandcrumbles.com posted a great foundational recipe because you can add as many different toppings as you want.
The trick is to create a smooth roux, or a mixture of flour and butter, before you add cheese to the saucepan. They recommend a full 24 ounces of grated cheese for the cheesiest, creamiest result. In the recipe, they used 12 ounces of Colby Jack and 12 ounces of Sharp Cheddar, but it all depends on you.
Once the elbow macaroni and cheese has been prepped, they recommend adding them to an aluminum tray and cooking on indirect heat at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for about two hours.
Here are a few toppings ideas once your mac and cheese are all cooked:
- Hot sauce
- Grilled chicken
- Green onions
- Bread crumbs
- Crumbled bacon
- Lobster
3. Smoked Salmon
If you’re a pescatarian or you simply want a change of pace from the usual chicken, pork, and beef dishes, then this recipe from Honest-food.net is for you. It has a delicious sweet and savory flavor profile due to the addition of birch or maple syrup to baste your salmon.
It’s important that you plan ahead for four to eight hours to brine your salmon, but don’t exceed 48 hours or your fish will taste too salty. Once it’s out of the brine, you’ll want to dry your fish in a cool, breezy place for up to two hours. Next, you’ll use oil to peel off the skin.
Once you start cooking the fish, you’ll want it in the smoker for about an hour at 140 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. If the heat is too high, your fish will dry out.
We like this recipe because it shares the foundational knowledge you need in order to properly smoke a fish. Users that had never smoked a fish before were happily surprised by how well their fish turned out after following the recipe.
4. Smoked Veggies
Smoked vegetables may not be as exciting as your main meat dish, but they make a healthier barbecue while also adding a burst of variety that makes your barbeque taste all the better. We liked this recipe from Gimmesomegrilling.com because of how easy it is to prepare the ingredients.
Prep and toss all your veggies in a bowl, then add some balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, and black pepper. Then, it’s as simple as tossing your veggies in a grilling basket and keeping them on the smoker for about 30 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Here are some veggies you can use:
- Red onion
- Red pepper
- Zucchini
- Yellow squash
- Eggplant
- Carrots
- Mushrooms
- Brussels sprouts
5. Semi-Smoked Apple Crumble Crisp
A barbeque without a little dessert just isn’t complete, and this smoked apple crumble will go well with a big scoop of cold ice cream on a warm summer day. This recipe of perfect for people who own a grill but not a smoker but still want that slight smokey flavor. If you’re looking to invest in a smoker, you can use a Masterbuilt electric smoker.
It’s recommended to use a cast iron pan for this and to place it over indirect heat. They recommend cast iron since it can hold up to extremely high heat, which is necessary on a grill or smoker where you don’t have complete control over the temperature.
If you notice the fire going down, add more wood chips. However, you should always have a grill thermometer on hand so you can keep track.
Keep the dish covered for the first fifteen minutes, then uncover it and finish it up. The topping contains delicious oatmeal and brown sugar, while the filling has apples, orange zest, lemon zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
The addition of citrus ingredients adds a nice acidic balance to all the sweetness.
Smoker Recipes: The Key is Variety
You may have noticed that these smoker recipes all have variety. Having a great barbeque is more than just cooking the best meat dish and calling it a day; they also come with great sides and desserts.
No matter if you have a grill or a smoker, these recipes are also flexible enough to adapt to the tools you have on hand. Want more barbeque tips for this summer? Keep reading our blog for more tips and tricks!
