Fifty-plus amazing Southern-style Barbecue Recipes for your grill, oven, slow cooker, smoker, and Instant Pot.
Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it's a start.
~ Anthony Bourdain
A while back, Mr B and I had the chance to fly down to Tennessee to attend the retirement of one of his old Navy buddies, after 37 years of service. (Just when he and I became old enough to have "old buddies" is beyond me!) While we were there, we got to attend a fancy Naval "Change of Command & Retirement Ceremony," experience a little more of the South, and spend some quality time with Mr B's best friends from his Navy days.

Beverly's (Super Easy) Slow Cooker Spicy BBQ Recipe
As part of the retirement festivities, Mr B and I were treated to healthy portions of both Southern hospitality and delicious barbecue. The barbecue was so good, in fact, that once we got home to Oregon, I took a big step out of my comfort zone.
You see, many of my own family roots are in the South, and I am painfully aware and deeply respectful of how tightly some of those old family recipes are kept. But that barbecue...
So I sent a message to our hostess (who, as you may remember, I had only just met):
Hi Beverly - ...I’m starting to write my travel posts from our Tennessee trip, and decided to include a round-up of BBQ recipes. I’d love to headline it with your delicious slow-cooker Spicy BBQ, and I’m wondering if you would be willing to share the recipe with me. If it’s a secret family recipe, or you just aren’t up to sharing it for any reason at all, I totally understand...
After I hit send, I set back and crossed my fingers that my new friend wouldn't think I was being too presumptuous. Here is her graciously candid reply:
Hi Renée - ...confession is good for the soul lol. My sister cooked a Boston Butt roast overnight in the crockpot. Took it out in the morning, covered it and let it cool, cut it up and eliminated any excess fat and froze it. We took it out of the freezer bags, put it in the crockpot and added Corkys BBQ sauce.
That was it in a nutshell. Sis likes to add a bunch of other stuff like brown Sugar, green peppers, onion, pancake syrup and bbq sauce. I’m not a fan of sweet BBQ so chose not to add the sugar or syrup, just Corkys Spicy BBQ and Regular BBQ in two separate crock pots.
No secret recipe, but since it’s Corkys you can certainly feel free to give a Shout out to a Memphis tradition.
Well then, all I can say to that is: first, thanks to Beverly for her kindness, her sense of humor, her candor, and her recipe. And second - I am totally on board with the Corky's Spicy BBQ!!
Let's hear it for Memphis tradition: I imagine Corky's (or some other bottle) is behind a lot of those "secret," closely guarded Southern barbecue recipes!
Fifty-plus amazing Southern-style barbecue recipes, sauces, and rubs for your Grill, Oven, Slow cooker, Smoker, and Instant Pot. Amazing, baby back ribs in the oven – made with a smoky paprika rub, then broiled with a sweet bbq sauce. So delicious, easy, and one of the best rib recipes I’ve had! This Kansas City-style smoked pulled pork has a deeply flavorful bark, a smoky flavor all the way through, and is so tender and juicy that it will shred with just your hands. The best part? It’s low maintenance and besides watching your smoker, you can set it and forget it until it’s done! Barbecue. There’s the easy way — and the right way. For those who want accolade, admiration and the moniker “Pit-Master”, this one is for you. This is the EASIEST recipe for delicious Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs. Who cares what the weather is doing out there, you can make ribs indoors, in about an hour! Barbecue chicken has never been easier or more delicious! Beer Brined Spatchcock BBQ Chicken comes out juicy, flavorful and evenly cooked every time – perfect for summer cookouts! (nut-free, dairy-free) Turn on your slow cooker for this delicious melt in your mouth, slow cooker BBQ Beef Brisket! Homemade Spice Rub and Homemade BBQ sauce makes this drool worthy brisket a family favorite. Grilled low and slow yields Fall off the Bone BBQ Ribs, brush with a tangy bbq sauce for lip-smacking deliciousness. Perfect for summertime entertaining! (Oven option too) These Oven Baked Beef Ribs are so easy! Dry rubbed with simple seasonings that are baked slowly to yield fall of the bone, tender, juicy, meaty ribs. They will be the hit of any BBQ, game day party or casual dinner all in less than 15 minutes of actual effort! Tri tips smothered in BBQ sauce and topped with caramelized onions! You can make the sauce a couple of days in advance. These Chicken Kabobs are the perfect summer night dinner. The homemade BBQ sauce is full of bright flavors like mango, jalapeño, and tomato, balanced with the deep smoky flavor of chili powder and smoked paprika. These amazing Instant Pot BBQ baby back ribs are truly fall off the bone! They are better then the ribs at the restaurant! This Instant Pot Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork is an incredibly easy and crowd pleasing meal. With only 4 ingredients and a few simple steps you'll have a delicious and versatile shredded pork that can be used in so many delicious ways! You’re gonna love these easy peazy, mouth-watering Instant Pot Ribs! They’re made in minutes not hours with your beloved pressure cooker! It’s easy to make this recipe for Keto Instant Pot Country Style Ribs. Also includes a delicious low carb homemade BBQ sauce with a paleo version. For a great tasting, super easy recipe that is perfect for feeding a crowd, meal planning, or Game Day, try Instant Pot Barbecue Beef. Use the meat for barbecue beef sandwiches, or over rice or on potatoes. Pulled pork is one of the easiest and most versatile meats. Make this pressure cooker pulled pork into a pulled pork sandwich with rainbow coleslaw and pineapple to make a truly delicious summer entertaining meal. The easiest ribs you will ever make, these Instant Pot Pork ribs are on the table in less than 1 hour. Finished on the grill with the most amazing sweet and tangy homemade BBQ sauce, you’re going to want to eat a whole rack all by yourself! The Barbecued Ribs are so simple to prepare and the juicy meat literally falls off the bone. These Easy Oven Baked Ribs are one of the easiest recipes ever. Cooked low and slow, which makes them so flavorful and fall off the bone tender. This oven roasted pork loin takes a l-o-w and s-l-o-w approach. The low temperature and slow, long cooking process make the pork easy to shred as it becomes tender over the hours. The result: perfectly moist yet slightly crispy crust and super savory pulled pork. As an appetizer or main event, or whether baking, barbecuing or slow cooking, these Sweet Bar-B-Barn Ribs are guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. Enjoy! Pulled pork in under 2 hours with only 15 minutes effort and 4 ingredients! This is a perfect recipe for serving a crowd. It makes a lot and doesn’t require much attention. Need an easy recipe for pulled pork? This Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork recipe is so simple, and is sure to satisfy your craving for tender pulled pork! Keto Instant Pot Country Style Ribs It’s easy to make this recipe for Keto Instant Pot Country Style Ribs. Also includes a delicious low carb homemade BBQ sauce with a paleo version. Learn how to make the easiest fall-off-the-bone slow cooker ribs that will have everyone licking their fingers & plates! This is the best method for fixing bbq ribs if you don't own a smoker or it's cold outside. The best ever BBQ Pulled Pork in the slow cooker for perfectly tender shredded pork coated with an easy, flavorful sauce. This easy Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sandwich is the perfect meal for those busy weeknights. This super easy Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken is something you can throw into your crockpot, set it and forget it! Use your favorite barbecue sauce, pick up some buns and the store, set some rice in a rice cooker, make some quick coleslaw, and you’ve got dinner when you get home from work! This easy Slow Cooker Pineapple Pulled Pork has tons of tropical flavor that is perfect for any summer BBQ! Piled high with barbecue sauce an a slice of pineapple, it makes great tacos or even sliders! Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs are tender, fall-of-the-bone ribs, coated in a sweet BBQ sauce. It’s an easy Crock Pot recipe that makes a great weeknight dinner or a potluck recipe for parties. Easy baby back ribs smothered with a homemade rub and sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. Cooked to perfection in the crockpot and fall off the bone delicious. These are the best slow cooker ribs! Slow cooker root beer pulled pork is juicy, flavorful, and provides the perfect base for mixing in your favorite barbecue sauce or using in other recipes! Takes only 5 minutes to prep. Everyone will love this smoked pulled pork! It is so much more flavorful than just throwing the pork in the crockpot! Best part? You don't need a smoker to do it. You can even do it with same process in the oven, if it's raining! This Simple Shredded BBQ Chicken made in the slow cooker is a perfect weeknight dinner especially when eating needs to be in “shifts’ thanks to practice, dance lessons and more. Bonus: leftovers are the best! Smokey, sweet, and amazingly tender, these bites of pork belly goodness are an awesome alternative to traditional brisket burnt ends. Imagine the amazing taste of bacon, but even juicier and covered in a combination of honey and your favorite BBQ sauce – these are truly meat candy! There’s something about crackling wood or charcoal that just takes an otherwise plain piece of meat to amazingly delicious levels. Everyone deserves to know how to smoke ribs on a charcoal grill. Our Barbecued Smoked Ribs are dry rubbed, smoked over hickory chips, then sauced with our homemade Bourbon Barbecue Sauce! Now, these are good eating! In the Carolinas, vinegar based barbecue sauce and pulled pork go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. This Whiskey BBQ Sauce From Scratch is smokey, sweet, and tangy. It’s the perfect BBQ sauce for any meat you want to throw on the grill! Learn how to make Homemade Grill & BBQ Dry Rub, use this preservative-free, easy, and inexpensive BBQ rub on chicken, beef, pork, or corn on the cob! Sweet and tangy mustard-based South Carolina BBQ sauce is my favorite sauce for pulled pork! Try it – you won’t look back! This homemade Texas-style barbecue sauce is thick, a little spicy, a little sweet and a little smoky. Made with no ketchup and no refined sugar, it’s the perfect BBQ sauce for all of your summer grilling needs! Alabama White BBQ Sauce is a tangy, creamy twist on traditional barbecue sauce recipe. It’s delicious on grilled chicken, pulled pork, fish, burgers, and lots more! Smoky, tangy, and sweet -- this bold BBQ sauce is better than store-bought and pairs well with pulled pork, chicken, and ribs. The key to making this a low carb and keto sauce is using a sugar-free sweetener in place of regular sugar. A delicious keto BBQ sauce is an essential during grilling season and for dipping all year long. This low carb dipping sauce recipe is healthier and tastier than store bought! Sweet, tangy, peach-based BBQ sauce is delicious on pork ribs or chicken. This homemade mustard dry rub recipe is fantastic on ham, chicken, pork tenderloin, ribs or brisket. Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce is a little sweet from honey, a little tangy from apple cider vinegar, and a little spicy from red pepper flakes. This Healthy BBQ Sauce Recipe is lower in sugar and salt, and has no unnecessary ingredients. Once you try this epic homemade BBQ sauce, you’ll never want to have the bottled BBQ sauce ever again! This barbecue sauce has so much soul, such deep flavor, so finger-lickin’ good! Who knew homemade BBQ sauce was so easy to make?! Plus it tastes amazing with the perfect sweet and spicy flavor. Ditch the store-bought stuff and make this simple recipe at home! This sauce is perfect for chicken, ribs or one of my favorite non-grilled meals, pulled pork and used as a dipping sauce with these chicken tenders or chicken nuggets. Blackened Seasoning (also called blackening spice or Cajun seasoning), is a spice mixture used to traditionally season fish, shellfish, meat, and poultry. 50+ Southern BBQ Recipes, Sauces & Rubs
Baby Back Ribs [Oven]
Kansas City-Style Smoked Pulled Pork [Smoker]
Tender Hickory-Smoked Ribs [Smoker]
Baby Back Ribs [Instant Pot]
Beer Brined Spatchcock BBQ Chicken [Grill]
BBQ Beef Brisket [Slow Cooker]
Fall of the Bone Tender BBQ Ribs [Grill]
BBQ Beef Ribs [Oven]
Tri-Tip with Pomegranate BBQ Sauce [Grill]
Chicken Kabobs with Mango Jalapeno BBQ Sauce [Grill]
Best Ever BBQ Baby Back Pork Ribs [Instant Pot]
Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork [Instant Pot]
Easy Beef Ribs [Instant Pot]
Keto Country Style Ribs [Instant Pot]
Barbecue Beef Roast [Instant Pot]
Pulled Pork [Pressure Cooker]
Pork Ribs [Instant Pot]
Barbecued Ribs [Oven]
BBQ Baked Ribs Recipe [Oven]
Pork Loin Pulled Pork [Oven]
Sweet Bar-B-Barn Ribs [Oven]
Easy Pulled Pork [Pressure Cooker]
Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork [Slow Cooker]
Pork Ribs With Killer Barbecue Sauce [Slow Cooker]
Easy Crock-Pot BBQ Ribs [Slow Cooker]
BBQ Pulled Pork [Slow Cooker]
BBQ Chicken Sandwich [Slow Cooker]
Pulled Chicken [Slow Cooker]
Pineapple Pulled Pork [Slow Cooker]
BBQ Ribs [Slow Cooker]
Baby Back Ribs [Slow Cooker]
Root Beer Pulled Pork [Slow Cooker]
Smoked Pulled Pork [Oven/Slow Cooker Finished]
Super Simple Shredded BBQ Chicken [Slow Cooker]
Pork Belly Burnt Ends Recipe [Smoker]
How to Smoke Ribs on Charcoal [Grill]
Best Barbecued Smoked Ribs [Grill]
Carolina Barbecue Sauce [Sauces & Rubs]
Whiskey BBQ Sauce From Scratch [Sauces & Rubs]
Homemade Grill & BBQ Dry Rub [Sauces & Rubs]
Mustard-Based South Carolina BBQ Sauce [Sauces & Rubs]
Homemade Texas Style Barbecue Sauce [Sauces & Rubs]
Alabama White BBQ Sauce [Sauces & Rubs]
Keto BBQ Sauce 1 [Sauces & Rubs]
Keto BBQ Sauce 2 [Sauces & Rubs]
Peach BBQ Sauce Recipe [Sauces & Rubs]
Homemade Mustard Dry Rub [Sauces & Rubs]
Carolina Mustard BBQ Sauce [Sauces & Rubs]
Healthy BBQ Sauce [Sauces & Rubs]
Best Ever Homemade BBQ Barbecue Sauce [Sauces & Rubs]
Homemade BBQ Sauce [Sauces & Rubs]
BBQ Sauce [Sauces & Rubs]
Blackened Seasoning | Cajun Seasoning [Sauces & Rubs]
Tim Nelson says
Thanks so much for including my pork belly burnt ends on this wonderful list!
Renée ♥ says
You are so welcome, Tim - thanks for sharing them with us! They look delicious!
Wanda Lopez says
I haven't met a BBQ dish I don't love. Now, I have to try and make as many of this recipes as I can. I'm sure we'll love them all. Thanks for putting this collection of recipes together.
Diana Johnson says
Great round up! There's nothing like really good bbq.
Michelle Goth says
I could not agree more. BBQ is such a culturally rich experience; I never miss a chance for it!
Marlynn | Urban Bliss Life says
Whoa. So many different BBQ options. I love it! This is the one and only BBQ recipe round up I'll ever need to reference over and over again. Thanks, Renee!
Renée ♥ says
Thanks, Marlynn! ?
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Well now I'm drooling a little on my keyboard! So many great recipes to try!
Renée ♥ says
?
Luci says
OMG, all this barbecue is making me hungry. It has to be one of my favorite types of foods. I'm going to have to try some of the recipes.
Kelly Anthony says
I love this collection! So much so that the screen is making me pret-ty hungry. Ha! And thank you so much for including one of my recipes in your beautiful roundup!
Renée ♥ says
Thanks so much for sharing with us, Kelly!
Bethany | A Simple Palate says
Thank you for sharing my recipe! These all look SO delicious - perfect to have all of these for BBQ season!
Renée ♥ says
Thanks for sharing with us, Bethany!