The United States of (You guessed it) Barbeque
January 20th, 2017: Inauguration of the 45th President of the United States
February 5th, 2017: Super Bowl 51 The only thing that could make the next two weeks more American is if a Bald Eagle talon-delivered you some baby-back-ribs. While due to conservation efforts, we have to forgo the eagle delivery boy, we can still marinate those baby-backs, fire up the grill, and pledge allegiance to the flag.
Politics and sports bring out our most tumultuous selves but we pride ourselves on America's diversity and therefore diversified taste buds so let's grill and bear it together.
That is why we've put together this list of our favorite American-style BBQ dishes - from some of the most talented chefs, foodies and BBQ-enthusiasts we could find online. So, if you need a little help celebrating our red, white and blue this weekend - go ahead, fire up that BBQ!
1. Friday night dilemma: pizza or barbeque? Let's have both.
BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza from Alyssa with TheRecipeCritic.com
"The biggest time-saving short-cut is the meat. For the BBQ pulled pork that tastes tender and flavorful without spending hours of prep time, we are using refrigerated BBQ pulled pork. You can find pre-made BBQ pulled pork usually in the refrigerated meat section of the grocery store. It works perfectly for an easy-made pizza like this one!"
2. Bet you've never heard of White BBQ Sauce until now...
Chef Gillespie himself calls this an "American take on classic steak carpaccio." We love how he makes use of bitter greens and a simple vinaigrette to balance out the richness of the hours-long smoked meat. At the end of the day, the meat is supposed to be the star of the show. And this recipe reminds us of this fact. To read the full recipe, click here.
3. BBQ FootMEATballs 
"These sweet and spicy meatballs are made with ground turkey, cherry peppers, and bacon (because who doesn't love bacon!). Topped with a BBQ glaze, they are perfect for weekend gathering, football appetizers, or anytime you want finger foods."
You know how they say nothing is more American than apple pie? Well, you might just say the same thing about the good-ol' American casserole! While this is technically not a BBQ recipe per se, it is the kind of side that makes a backyard BBQ feel complete. Thank you Deb Perelman for sharing your bacony, mushroomy, cheesy American classic with the U.S. of A.! Coca Cola Cake used to be my favorite way to use coke in the kitchen -- that was until I discovered its amazing marinating possibilities. Thanks to Ree Drummond's recipe, I now have an excuse to buy more soda for my weekend grills. ReadRee's full recipe here to find out how gets the meat so tender that she says "the knife goes through 'em like buttah." "The perfect plate of BBQ includes a Lexington BBQ (Lexington, NC) pulled pork sandwich topped with Slawsa Original (Cramerton, NC), with a Callie's Charleston Biscuit (Charleston, NC), fried okra, and mac and cheese...Of course, you cannot forget the Cheerwine to wash it down followed by homemade banana pudding...I'm hungry." At Ribshack, we're pretty meat-lovin' folk. But we also never turned down anything with decent grill marks and slathered in good ol' American BBQ sauce. In honor of that spirit, we wanted to feature one of the best non-meat recipes on the internet. Thispan-fried BBQ tofu recipe can work just as easily on an outdoor grill AND be cooked right alongside your ribs and steak. Have any vegan or vegetarian guests. Use this recipe to serve up an equal opportunity American BBQ.
Fun fact: Did you know theBloomin' Onion is from Japan? The Japanese came up with the idea, and the (ahem) Americans perfected it! And, thanks to Becky Hardin, we don't have to trek down to Outback Steakhouse to enjoy it either. We can serve it up right next to our baby back ribs and cornbread. That's Bloomin'-Fantastic if you ask me. Here's thefull recipe for you to put on the barbie this weekend, mate!
