Supercharged Sauces and Sides

From the low-and-slow-cooked Kansas City burnt ends and Hawaiian luau kalua pork to the grilled flavors of Jamaican jerk and braii (South African mixed grill), barbecue is all about the heritage recipes and traditional cooking techniques passed down from generation to generation. It is the type of cuisine that is a shared, interactive experience, allowing diners the ability to mix and match craveable sauces and iconic sides to create the perfect meal. And, nowadays, the nuances of the specific ingredients blended together for the marinades, sauces and rubs, and the equally important multitude of sides accompanying the main event are what define the ultimate barbecue dining experience.

The four major slow-smoked styles of American barbecue—Memphis, Texas, Kansas, and Carolina—are quite meat-centric, and served with very regional-style sauces, either tomato- or vinegar-based, sweet or tangy, and thick or thin. All these varieties pair perfectly with the most belly-satisfying sides you can think of, such as macaroni and cheese, baked beans, Texas toast and coleslaw. There are also the micro-barbecue styles such as Alabama barbecue that differentiates itself even further with a white mayonnaise-based sauce that can be used instead of blue cheese dressing for a twist on the classic wedge and cobb salads.

For some other side inspiration, one need only to look towards the sword-skewered meats of the Brazilian churrasco with its noteworthy selection of sides, such as salads, buttered Brazilian rice, the famed black bean dish, feijoada, deep fried bananas and chewy cheesy bread, pão de queijo. Sides play such a pivotal role in Korean barbecue that they’re essentially a category unto themselves. These small plates (banchan) include kimchi, other fermented vegetables, tiny fish and scallion pancakes—just to name a few—and can almost be eaten as a meal in and of itself.

Modern chefs have respectfully loosened the grip on time honored traditions, embracing the global pantry and modern cooking methods now available to them. And it shows, as a growing number of restaurants serve inventive twists on traditional barbecue fare.

In Tomball, Texas, Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue specializes in both barbecue and chocolate confections. On the savory side of the operation, the brand serves smoked meats and house-ground sausages, along with three signature sauces. In addition to a classic red sauce, Tejas Chocolate leans into Mexican cuisine: Salsa verde meets smoky barbecue thanks to the tomatillos in the green sauce, while the mole sauce is prepared with the brand’s own chocolate in a traditional cazuela. The selection of sides includes staples like mac salad, green beans and cornbread salad, as well as a carrot soufflé. And with the chocolate operation housed in the same building, guests can also grab bonbons and sipping chocolate for a most unusual barbecue accompaniment.

Kemuri Tatsu-ya in Austin, Texas, takes Asian-style barbecue to the next level, with an umami-packed miso barbecue sauce cropping up in dishes past and present, including a smoked salmon collar and a brisket. But in terms of visual cues, the cornbread is the showstopper. The whimsical cornmeal Taiyaki is a fish-shaped cornbread filled with sweet bean paste that is served with a honey sesame butter.

Also in Austin—and equally exciting—is KG BBQ’s Egyptian Cowboy, which transforms one of the most iconic barbecue sides into a rich entrée. Creamy mac and cheese is topped with pulled lamb shoulder, sumac-pickled onions, pomegranate-barbecue sauce and za’atar spice. In similar fashion, Brisket and Rice in Houston turns a side into a bowl base, albeit with a less common barbecue accompaniment—one that hardly crops up beyond Louisiana joints with dirty rice. The namesake dish features one-third pound of brisket atop fluffy jasmine rice, while the BBQ Fried Rice serves cubed brisket, eggs, and onion over wok-fried rice with Chinese sausage.

Far from barbecue country in Napa, Calif., newly opened Stateline Road Smokehouse can trace its brick-and-mortar origins back to a sauce. A decade ago, when chef and co-owner Darryl Bell was still working in Michelin starred-restaurants, he created 816 BBQ Sauce—inspired in flavor and name by Kansas City. Now, the sauce can be found in the restaurant’s pulled pork, while a dry-rub version, along with chive aïoli and bacon, seasons the curly fries crispy. Other sides at Stateline Road enjoy similar upgrades: the mac and cheese features aged cheddar Mornay, kale crisp and parsnip crumbles, while jicama makes an unlikely, but most welcome, appearance in the coleslaw.

As just these handful of examples demonstrate, the American barbecue scene is in the midst of a renaissance. As the lines between regional and even global styles reced, chefs have an unprecedented opportunity to explore different ingredients, cooking techniques and more. In terms of low risk and potentially high returns, sauces and sides are a good place to begin. Both are crucial to the flavor and presentation of barbecue offerings and can be easily adapted as menu developers explore new culinary horizons. After all, what modern barbecue seems to showcase most of all is the growing need to stir America’s proverbial melting pot.