Let’s be honest for a second here: barbecue has a way of making an ordinary meal feel like an occasion.
Put a platter of smoky ribs or pulled pork on the table, and suddenly everyone’s got time to sit down and eat.
The best part is you don’t need a backyard full of cooking equipment to create those flavors. From choosing the right seasonings to trying different cooking methods, there are a few surprisingly easy things you can do.
Below are the top five tips for bringing smokehouse-inspired cooking into your home:
Try Grilling Something Unexpected
You’ve got the charcoal grill going, so why stop at the meat?
Try throwing some romaine lettuce on there too. Not the loose leaves, obviously. Cut a whole head in half so it holds together.
Brush it with oil and grill the cut sides for a minute or two.
You’ll get a bit of char and, if you’re cooking over charcoal, a lovely smoky flavor. Add some dressing, and your salad might steal the show.
Add Some Smoke to Your Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is already pretty wonderful, but have you tried making it with smoked gouda for your weekend cookout?
If not, you’re in for a treat!
Next time you’re making a batch, replace some of your usual cheddar with smoked gouda and add a little smoked paprika to the sauce.
Top it with buttery breadcrumbs and bake until it’s bubbling.
It’s still the mac and cheese everyone knows and loves, just with that deliciously smoky flavor you’d expect from a good barbecue restaurant.
Give Carolina-Style Pulled Pork A Try
If you’re going to spend half your Saturday smoking a pork shoulder, you want it to be worth the effort.
And Carolina-style pulled pork certainly is.
This whole hog-style pulled pork recipe keeps things pretty straightforward with salt, smoke, and a tangy vinegar sauce. It even calls for crushed pork rinds to give the meat a little extra texture.
Pile it onto soft buns with some coleslaw, and you’ve got a very good reason to invite everyone over.
Add A Little Smoke to Your Breakfast
Got some leftover brisket or pulled pork from yesterday’s barbecue?
Excellent. That means breakfast is sorted!
Chop it up and throw it into a frying pan with some diced potatoes and onions. Let the potatoes get golden and crispy, then crack a couple of eggs on top.
It’s filling, full of that lovely smoky flavor, and takes hardly any effort. And let’s be honest, leftover barbecue beats a bowl of cereal any day.
Give Your Garlic Bread A Smokehouse Barbecue Twist
Garlic bread is already hard to resist.
But next time you’re making some, try adding smoked paprika and a little grated Parmesan to your garlic butter.
Spread it over a sliced baguette and toast it on the grill until the edges are golden. You’ll get that lovely buttery garlic flavor with a little smokiness.
Final Thoughts
There’s no need to completely change how you cook to bring a little smokehouse flavor to the table.
Start with your favorite dishes and try something different. A new ingredient here, a little time on the grill there. Before long, you might have a few new recipes everyone keeps begging for.
