From Classic Coleslaw to Onion Rings, Turn to These Sides for Your Next BBQ
Take a plate of pulled pork to the next level with these easy, inspired side dishes that go great with barbecue mains. You’ll find great ideas here for what to serve with pulled pork, from classic sides such as coleslaw, baked beans, and macaroni and cheese, to crunchy and refreshing salads, fresh vegetable dishes.
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Classic Coleslaw
Crispy coleslaw is a classic complement to savory, saucy barbecue entrees such as pulled pork. This crunchy slaw uses a convenient packaged shredded cabbage mixture, tossing it with an easy, seasoned mayonnaise dressing to impart a fresh and natural taste. Make it a few hours (or up to 3 days) ahead and store it in a tightly covered container in the fridge until ready to serve.
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Cheesy Baked Pasta
Everyone needs a go-to macaroni and cheese recipe in their back pocket. This Greek inspired baked mac and cheese is a fabulous choice when you are serving pulled pork or other meaty cookout mains. It makes a satisfying family meal on its own, too, and it bakes in less than an hour for weeknight dinners.
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Confit Tomatoes
Ripe summer tomatoes have so much juicy flavor they deserve to be celebrated. Use cherry tomatoes for this super-easy recipe that involves garlic and herbs and a slow bake in an oven to further concentrate the tomato flavor.
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Granny Smith Apple Slaw
Pork and apples are flavors that play well together. Use this crispy, cooling slaw on top of split buns piled high with savory pork at cookouts. If Granny Smith apples aren’t available in your area, you can use another tart variety such as Cortland, Empire, or Pink Lady.
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Southern Cornbread
This Southern-style cornbread will quickly become a staple recipe. Bake it up in a cast-iron skillet, a 9-inch square pan, or a regular round cake pan. Preheating your cooking vessel before adding the cornbread batter producing the crispiest crust.
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Quick Cucumber Salad
When you crave a cooling, crunchy side dish for barbecue mains, throw together this easy and delicious cucumber salad. The crunch of cucumbers and the acidity of the simple dressing make this a perfect foil to the richness of pulled pork.
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Onion Rings
Deep fried onion rings are a great crispy addition to your pull pork plate. Alternatively, the air fryer makes it easy to produce perfectly crispy, crunchy onion rings with all the flavor you crave, and none of the extra fat or mess involved in deep-frying. Serve them as a tasty side dish for pork, with some Southern comeback sauce, ketchup, aioli, or your other favorite dipping sauce on the side.
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Kansas City Baked Beans
Take a page from one of the BBQ capitals of the world, Kansas City, and whip up this pot of slow-cooked baked beans. Flavored with molasses and cider vinegar, and studded with burnt ends (optional, but highly encouraged) these are sure to be a crowd pleaser.
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Creamy Potato Salad
Hard boiled eggs add an extra kick of flavor to this picnic-style potato salad. This creamy potato salad brings great balance to meaty barbecue mains. You’ll get the best results from this recipe with a higher-starch potato such as russet, Idaho, or Yukon gold.
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Pea Salad
Up your pulled pork dinner with a scoop of this creamy and refreshing green pea salad. The tasty pairing makes a quick and wholesome family meal or outdoor party plate and is a fun and inexpensive way to introduce some veggies to the plate. The sweetness of the fresh peas is a crowd pleaser.
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Instant Pot Collard Greens
Use your Instant Pot to cook up these kicking collard greens. This easy recipe uses bacon and a few common pantry ingredients including hot sauce, to flavor the sturdy, slightly bitter greens and transform them into a fabulous Southern-style side dish. They are ready to enjoy in under 30 minutes and can be served at once or kept warm until they are needed.
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Hush Puppies
Deep-fried hush puppies are fluffy little corn fritters that are a staple at most Southern BBQs. They make an irresistible side dish for pulled pork sandwiches, and you can easily cook up a big batch in about 30 minutes. Enjoy any leftovers for breakfast the next morning, with a generous drizzle of maple syrup over top.
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Baked Vegan Sweet Potato Fries
If you love the crisp, saltiness of French fries but would rather skip the fat and calories of deep-frying, these easy baked vegan sweet potato fries will satisfy your desires. Enjoy them as a side dish or snack, with a little salt, some ketchup, barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, or other favorite dipping sauce.
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Creamy Southern Succotash
Hearty, creamy, and brimming with nutritious vegetables, homestyle Southern succotash makes a delicious lighter meatless meal on its own, and a popular accompaniment for comforting fares such as fried chicken, pulled pork, or chicken-fried steaks. With a short ingredient list that includes frozen veggies, it’s also easy on the budget.
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Elote
This popular Mexican street corn on the cob is rolled in a seasoned mayo and dusted in cotija cheese. Finished with chili powder and plenty of squeezes of fresh lime, it’s a bright and fresh addition to the BBQ table.
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Fried Grits Cakes
Transform quick grits or stone-ground grits into a pleasing platter of fried grit cake. Serve this fun and easy side with BBQ meats, creamed chicken, or Southern fried shrimp. The polenta-like griddle cakes are quick and easy to whip up in about 30 minutes and can be tweaked to taste with the addition of cheddar cheese, pimientos, or even grated garlic.
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Easy Cabbage With Leeks
Round out a plate of corned beef, pork, or ham with some tasty, simmered cabbage and leeks. This rustic side dish is simple to make and needs only a little chicken stock, butter, and basic seasonings for flavoring.
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