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How to Have the Perfect Summer Barbecue

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Summer Barbecues are my favorite part of summer. Good food, good friends, and family. Here's what we prepare for a Louisiana Summer BBQ.

A few weeks ago, we drove to Louisiana for a 4th of July vacation and to celebrate our new engagement!

Red, white, and blue flowers and a small American flag.

For the 4th of July, we had an awesome barbeque with all the local family members.

A kitchen counter with hot dogs, coleslaw, a bloomin onion, and dishes of vegetables.

Here was our menu:

  • Appetizers:
    • Crudites - carrots, celery, cucumbers, and chips with ranch dip.
    • A Grilled Bloomin' Onion with Horseradish Dipping Sauce:
A grilled bloomin onion on a white plate with horseradish dipping sauce.
A bloomin onion in an aluminum pan on a grill.
A grilled bloomin onion on a white plate with horseradish dipping sauce.
  • Grilled Green Onion Sausage.
  • Green onion sausage and a dishtowel with fireworks.
  • Green onion sausage on a round charcoal grill.
  • Green onion sausage on a round charcoal grill.
  • Green onion sausage on a round charcoal grill.
  • A woman wearing red shorts and a black shirt with a striped sweater holding a sausage on a toothpick.
  • A man in a flannel shirt holding a green onion sausage on a toothpick.
Grilled green onion sausage.
5 from 1 vote

Grilled Green Onion Sausage

Green Onion Sausage is a surprisingly delicious appetizer or party favor for your next barbecue!
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Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American, Cajun, Southern
Servings 25 slices
Calories 69

Equipment

  • a grill
  • a frying pan, skillet, or griddle

Ingredients
  

  • 5 links green onion sausage

Optional

  • water for cooking on the stove

Instructions
 

  • Char your sausages over hot coals for about 5 minutes & then flip to the other side for 5 more minutes to cook evenly.
    Green onion sausage on a round charcoal grill.
  • Then move your sausages to the cooler side of the grill and let them "bake" until fully cooked by putting the lid on the grill - about 5 - 10 more minutes.
    Green onion sausage on a round charcoal grill.
  • If you don't have a grill, brown each side in a frying pan for 3 to 5 minutes then turn the heat down and cover, cooking for another five to ten minutes. Adding a small amount of water to the pan will steam the sausages will steam them and help keep them juicy.

Notes

Usually, green onion sausages are not pre-cooked, so you must be sure to thoroughly cook them. Internal temperature should reach 150°F or 65°C. When you poke your sausage, it should feel similar to your thumb muscle when you press your pinky and thumb together. (If you are uncertain, test the temperature or cut it open.) It is always better to be safe!

Nutrition

Serving: 0.2linkCalories: 69kcalProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 144mgPotassium: 56mgVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.

Keyword green onion sausage, grilled sausage, summer barbecue
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernbytes or tag #southernbytes!
  • Main Courses:
    • Barbecue Baby Back Ribs:
  • Ribs cooking on a grill.
  • Ribs cooking on a grill.
  • Cooked baby back ribs on a silver pan.
  • Grilled baby back ribs on a tray.
Cooked baby back ribs on a silver pan.
5 from 1 vote

Grilled Baby Back Ribs

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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Grill Time 10 mins
Total Time 1 hr 25 mins
Course Dinner
Cuisine American, Southern
Servings 6 people
Calories 513

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 2 racks baby back ribs
  • 3-4 tbsp Creole Seasoning
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce

Instructions
 

  • Pat dry your racks of ribs with a towel. Fully coat both sides of the ribs with Creole Seasoning or your favorite dry rub.
  • Wrap in foil and let sit for 10 - 15 minutes.
  • Bake in the oven at 325°F for 1 hour, 1.5 hours if your ribs are very thick.
  • About 15 - 20 minutes before you take your ribs out of the oven, start heating your charcoal grill. We use this awesome chimney to fire up the charcoal grill and just got one for Michael's parents - they love it as well!
  • Remove your ribs from the oven and pour the drippings that are caught in the foil into a bowl. Baste your ribs with the drippings and save the rest for your sauce.
  • Mix a small amount of the remaining drippings with your barbecue sauce of choice. I like to use my Paleo Barbecue Sauce, but any sauce will work.
  • Char your ribs on your charcoal grill for 10 minutes total, 5 minutes facing down, then flip and brush with your sauce mixture.
  • Remove and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

Most of the time there are no ribs leftover, but if you have any left, remove them from the bone for easier reheating or for mixing into homemade macaroni and cheese! Yum!
If you are serving a larger group, you can use more racks and increase the barbecue sauce by 1/2 a cup per rack. If you are just serving two people like we often do, we use one rack and 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of sauce. 

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5rackCalories: 513kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 37gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 130mgSodium: 655mgPotassium: 628mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 1189IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.

Keyword grill, ribs
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernbytes or tag #southernbytes!
  • Hot Dogs:
    • When ribs are finished, slice your hotdogs down the middle, about three-quarter of the way through. Place your hotdogs on the hot grill open side down for 2 -3 minutes then flip and repeat on the other side. Hotdogs cook quickly because they are already cooked - you are just heating them and getting some nice grill marks on the outside.
  • Potato and Egg Salad with Bacon:
    • I didn't make the potato salad, but I love making this recipe!
  • A large red and white bowl with egg and potato salad.
A small crock pot filled with baked beans.
  • Coleslaw:
A kitchen counter with hot dogs, coleslaw, a bloomin onion, and dishes of vegetables.
A kitchen counter with hot dogs, coleslaw, a bloomin onion, and dishes of vegetables.
5 from 1 vote

Memphis Style Coleslaw

Coleslaw comes in so many different varieties that it is almost up to you to choose the kind that you like. Everyone enjoyed this recipe!
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Prep Time 20 mins
Resting Time 3 hrs
Total Time 3 hrs 20 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Coleslaw Base (Vegetables)

  • 1 head green cabbage Or 2 - 3 bags of Coleslaw Mix. If you are like me and enjoy a “Cookout" style chopped coleslaw, you can purchase a pre-chopped bag of cabbage or really let your food processor go to town and chop your cabbage into smaller pieces, about the size of lentils.
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 - 2 tbsp finely diced onion

    You can use a vidalia or yellow onion, but a red onion will add a little bite. 

Coleslaw Dressing

  • 2 cups mayonnaise

    We are a big fan of the Louisiana favorite, Blue Plate, but you can use any kind.

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup mustard, dijon
  • 1/4 cup vinegar, apple cider
  • 2 tbsp celery seeds
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/8 tsp white pepper

Instructions
 

  • To serve 6 people, shred one whole medium-sized green cabbage. You can do this by grating it with a cheese grater, shredding it in a food processor, or doing some old fashioned hand chopping. Place in a large bowl. 
  • Shred or grate 2 carrots. Add to your cabbage.
  • Finely dice one whole green bell pepper and grate an onion so that you are left with 1 - 2 tablespoons of onion. Add to your cabbage.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together 2 cups of mayonnaise with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/4 cup dijon mustard, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of celery seeds, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of white pepper.
  • Combine your mayonnaise sauce with your coleslaw and mix well.
  • Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to get the best flavors. 

Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.

Keyword barbecue, bbq, coleslaw
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernbytes or tag #southernbytes!
  • Desserts:
    • Pralines and Chocolate Pralines brought from Savannah
    • Chocolate Frosted Brownies:
      • A box mix baked in a 9 x 13 pan. Once cooled, top with chocolate frosting.
    • Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream:
A kitchen counter with hot dogs, coleslaw, a bloomin onion, and dishes of vegetables.
5 from 1 vote

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

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Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 410

Equipment

  • an ice cream maker

Ingredients
  

  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cans evaporated milk 3 1/3 cups altogether
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • ~2 tbsp vanilla extract One tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt This is for the ice cream maker, optional.
  • 2 bags ice This is also for the ice cream maker, 20 pounds of ice total.

Instructions
 

  • Beat four eggs in a large bowl and then add two tall cans of evaporated milk, 2 cups of sugar, and 3 cups of whole milk that is pretty fresh.
  • Add one tablespoon plus two teaspoons of vanilla.
  • Whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Pour this into an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap.
  • Let rest for at least 30 minutes and pour into your ice maker, following the instructions. This makes a gallon of ice cream so it is great for a party and great in a large ice cream maker. This ice cream maker makes a whole gallon at a time. If you use this kind, you will need to surround it with ice and salt. Ice cream salt works really well, as does kosher salt. You should need about 1/4 teaspoon per batch.
  • It should take 20 - 30 minutes for your ice cream to be ready. Ideally, make your ice cream indoors in the air conditioning. If the air temperature is really hot, it will take longer for the ice cream to form and your ice will keep melting.

Notes

Our ice cream maker is a little smaller, only 1.5 quarts instead of 4. We have the white version, but I love that it now comes in a fun red color. If you have an ice cream maker similar to this one, you will need to do two batches that take about 15 - 20 minutes each.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 410kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 12gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 238mgPotassium: 424mgSugar: 64gVitamin A: 479IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 347mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.

Keyword icecream
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernbytes or tag #southernbytes!

About Kari

I am a WordPress Developer, Food Blogger, and Health Coach. I love to cook and experiment with fun new recipes. I hope you enjoy!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Felicia Austin

    Wow this is a perfora of yummy BBQ food! I've never had potato egg and bacon salad that looks sooo yummy!! Plus it looks easy enough even I can do it lol. Thank you for all of these amazing Ideas!

    Reply

  2. Colleen | Bakes & Blunders

    5 stars
    How do I choose which one to make first?! This all looks AMAZING.

    Reply

  3. Michele

    What a great menu! It all sounds perfect for a summer bash!

    Reply

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