side dishes - whats your favorite?

What sort of sides do you expect to find in a typical bbq place?

What would your dream BBQ meal consist of?

Mine is a BIG pile of well done ribs, fresh slaw and some meaty beans. Add a Large sweet tea and Im in heaven.

I'm with you on the beans, cole slaw and fried okra are ok by me as well.

Well done as in well made? Or, do you mean well done as in lots of char, dry and crispy?

Baked beans...slaw...maybe a nice corn-on-the-cob...perhaps some fresh cut fries!!!

All of the above sound great but I also need some Jalapeno cornbread to go with it.

oooh yeah...I forgot that...add any kind of cornbread and softened butter to my list!

A good tater salit.

Cornbread, roasted corn, homemade white bread and real butter, and of course pinto beans - like spud says, 'meaty beans', maybe borracho style, with pico de gallo.

Oh God yes on the southern sweet tea!

Hoppin' John, crisp-like just made-slaw, pickle

Give me sides of baked beans and either fries or cheesy grits, and I just might sign my soul over to you.

To me,the seemingly humble baked potato is the King of side dishes (oh I guess the Hoi Polloi classify it as a "starch" nowadays,but I care not).But its not like it used to be,you dont get the gigantic "Chef Special" potato anymore,and they insist on cramming all kinds of crazy stuff into it,cheese,bacon,garlic,lobster,artichokes,ad nauseum.And i still see so many places wrapping it in foil,which is just plain wrong.
I guess everybody wants the "bling" nowadays,which is a damn shame,because a properly baked Idaho with salted sweet cream butter is about as elemental and gut pleasing as anybody could ask for.It goes with a steak perfectly.It also works well with any barbecue meat.Not so good with seafood,you want french fries there.And with a burger,good Onion Rings are the way to go,but once again,in this day of frozen delights,good onion rings are few and far between.

Angel hair slaw with a touch of mustard powder.
Tater salad.
Baked beans.
Cold beer.

I'll second the motion on the Corn Bread along with some Black Eyed Peas

Dream meal would be a combo place of Pulled Pork, Tender Brisket and Hot Links along with Peas and Corn Bread.

Man, I just made myself hungry

Aside from the BBQ meat.......

One heavenly creamy slaw, that creeps up slowly with a dab of spice and fire, and a nice hot kick in the b'hind!

Side of ribs cries out for some pit beans, roasted corn, jalapino bread and several cold Shiners.

Collards, Mac n Cheese, Slaw...and I second the ice cold beer.

Pork barbecue cries out for slaw

Beef barbecue for potato salad

Beans go equally well with both.

One of the things I see a lot around now is garlic bread with barbecue. Garlic bread is for spaghetti and lasagna and stuff like that.

And those chain places that want to serve you cheese on a brisket sandwich? Don’t understand that at all.

I like to dip my crinkle cut fries into a nice bowl of beans, I don't have a problem if they're a little on the "juicy" side. Good garlic toast in case I want to make a sandwich. I third the beer.

mac and cheese, slaw, corn on the cob maybe a baked sweet potato. brisket and ribs for the meat. Ice cold beer to wash it all down.

oh yeah, and a few bread and butter pickles

My vote is for slaw - good slaw, that is. Doesn't compete with the meat, doesn't weigh you down like a potato.

GOOD COLESALW

COLESLAW LOL

Macaroni salad is my go-to favorite with slaw sharing space next to it on the plate. Mollasses baked beans with bacon are required, but I -never- leave out the corn on the cob!!!
Potato salad is fine, but mac & cheese is another meal entirely, too rich and filling.
I think that macaroni salad is overlooked and worthy of the same scrutiny as the humble baked potato was by Billfish

I like grilled barnyard animals...

mark

No beans for me but cole slaw that is sweet is a must.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

My favorite BBQ joint meal:
A huge mess of pulled pork with mustard 'que sauce (you know, from South Carolina), mac 'n cheese, bread 'n butter pickles, sweet potato bread, fried okra, hash & rice (no, not hash browns!), cuke 'n tomato 'n onion salad - the kind marinated in vinegar & sugar, and banana pudding to finish. Sweet tea on the side.

This is making me homesick. Does anyone know a great BBQ joint in Northern California?

Collard Greens
TX BBQ Beans
Non-Mayo Slaw

Fresh baked bread
Green salad
Fresh french fries (not from frozen potatoes)

It has got to be creamy sweet cole slaw and hushpuppies with onions for me. I like baked beans but they do not like me and I avoid them like the plague. I like potato salad but not with mustard as many makes it.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

The biggest problem with living here in the great Northeast:No Hushpuppies...I love the things,,,and they are a very rare site up here...but a side dish of great hushpuppies is perfect!!!!

WIth bbq either off my smoker, or off of one at a restaurant:

1) some baked beans with some of the bbq meats(hot links, pork, or brisket) in the mix
2) Mac-n-cheese
3) cole slaw
4) pieces of bread
5) dill pickle slices, and jalapenos
6) corn on the cob for the 6 weeks each year it is good in Illinois

-Baked beans with lots and lots of pork mixed in
- Cornbread with butter and maple syrup
- Coleslaw (the creamy variety)

quote:

Originally posted by MikeS.

A good tater salit.

Indeed! At The Rib Joint in Van Alstyne, TX they offer a "baked potato salad" - sour cream, chives, & bacon served cold. It's more than wonderful. The fact that it is a SYSCO product doesn't make it any less delicious.

Down here in Texas I can't find another of my favorite sides: hush puppies. I live to bite a little bit off the end and dip it in Eastern Carolina vinegar sauce. Don't knock it until you've tried it!

The baked beans at Red, Hot & Blue - a NOVA chain that started with Corkie's of Memphis recipies. They have several locations in DFW and seem to be doing very well. They mis shredded pork into the beans and top with bacon bits.