5 Best Sides for the Summer BBQ
It’s no secret that gathering with friends and family is what I see as the best and most important part of any good life. For holidays and special occasions year round, folks come together to celebrate with their favorite dishes in hand. Where there is an abundance of food and friends, there is true wealth.
We appreciate you sharing our recipes with your friends and family!
This upcoming weekend is America’s Independence Day. Traditionally, Americans spend the day with friends and family around a grill or fire pit while kids run around and play – usually by swimming or splashing around with the hose. At the end of the day, fireworks dance across the sky, exclaiming our freedom to the heavens.
This week’s episode is a collection of great side dishes that you can bring to the cookout. We also recommend you take a look at our tailgate appetizers, and check out our grilling category for ideas for the main courses while you’re at it.
Cowboy Summer Cocktail
This simple cocktail is just what you need at the end of a long hot day of food and friendship. Crown Royal Blackberry Whisky, Lemonade, and a splash of lemon lime soda. Mix well, shake up with some ice, and enjoy responsibly.
Root Beer Baked Beans
Now, traditional baked beans can involve soaking dried beans overnight, and many family recipes that have been handed down for generations do it this way. These are wonderful, and if that’s what you do, keep on doing it. This recipe is something you can throw together in less time that has incredible homemade flavor.
Using drained cans of pork and beans and ranch style beans, dress these up with some diced onion cooked in bacon grease, Sweet & Spicy Mustard, Red River Mud BBQ Sauce, crumbled bacon, and some Root Beer. Don’t worry if you don’t have our mustard or bbq sauce – you just use your favorite varieties of both and it’ll be delicious.
Cook in a slow cooker on high for 30-45 minutes. Turn it down on low or simmer once it starts to get bubbly. Don’t forget to bring a serving spoon!
Used in Root Beer Baked Beans
Root Beer Baked Beans – Cowboy Kent Rollins
Ingredients
- 6 pieces thick-cut bacon
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 lb. 10 oz can ranch style beans, drained
- 1 lb. 12 oz can pork and beans, drained
- 2 tablespoons Kent’s Sweet and Spicy Mustard or Dijon or yellow mustard
- 1/3 cup Kent’s Red River Mud BBQ sauce or your favorite blend or more to taste
- 1 to 2 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chopped optional
- ¼ cup root beer soda or dr. pepper/coke
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the bacon over medium-high heat. Remove from the skillet and chop. Set aside. Reserve the bacon grease.
- Return to the skillet with the grease, and add the onion. Cook over medium heat until the onions soften and brown, slightly.
- In a large bowl, combine the beans, mustard and BBQ sauce. Taste the mixture and adjust the ingredients to taste. Stir in the onions and bacon. Slowly stir in the soda. You don’t want to much, which will make the mixture too runny.
- Add to a crock pot and cook on high for about 40 minutes, or until warmed through and bubbling, stirring occasionally. Serve warm.
Loaded Tater Tot Potato Salad
Everyone expects potato salad at an Independence Day cookout, but what if we upgraded this to a Tater Tot Tater Salad? Get your crispiest tater tots, mix up the dressing, add bacon, green onions, pickled jalapenos. and cheese. All of the extra crispy flavor from the tater tots will make this an absolute favorite recipe for years to come. It’s a game changer!
Tip: Mix up the dressing ahead of time, but don’t mix it in with the tater tots until right before serving. This way, the tots will still be crispy when folks get to eating.
Loaded Tater Tot Potato Salad – Cowboy Kent Rollins
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. frozen seasoned tater tots thawed
- Oil for frying
- Bacon grease
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ sour cream
- .4 oz Ranch packet
- 2 to 4 tablespoons pickled jalapeno juice or pickle juice
- ½ cup sliced pickled jalapenos
- 8 slices thick-cut bacon
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup chopped green onion
Instructions
- Add enough oil to a deep fryer or Dutch oven to deep fry and heat to 350 degrees F. For even more flavor, melt in about ½ cup of leftover bacon grease.
- Fry the tater tots, in batches, until golden brown and crispy. Drain on a wire rack. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch packet and jalapeno juice. Adjust the ingredients to taste.
- Add the tater tots to a large bowl. Stir in the bacon, cheese and green onion. Toss in the dressing mixture. Serve within 30 minutes. Tip: You can mix all the ingredients together, except the dressing. Add the dressing right before serving so the tots don’t get soggy.
Cowboy Caviar
Cowboy caviar is a big hit when I’m cooking on ranches. It’s a salsa made with blackeyed peas, roasted corn, kidney beans, tomatoes, onion, Hatch green chilies, apple cider vinegar, avocado oil, sugar, and lime juice. Mix together and put in the ice box for about an hour before serving.
Serve cowboy caviar with tortilla chips (or just eat it with a spoon!).
Cowboy Caviar Salsa – Cowboy Kent Rollins
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz can kidney beans drained (or black beans rinsed well)
- 1 16 oz can black eyed peas drained
- 1 medium purple onion diced
- 3 Roma tomatoes chopped
- 1 large avocado chopped
- 1 16 oz can whole corn drained, or 3 ears grilled
- 2 4 oz cans diced green chiles
- Dressing
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Juice of 2 limes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the dressing.
- In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and toss into the salad.
- Cover and chill at least 1 hour.
- Enjoy with chips, with tacos or over a salad.
Grilled Romaine Lettuce
Grilled romaine hearts are one of my favorite ways to get my daily greens in. Romaine tastes so delicious charred on the grill. These are simple – baste the lettuce with avocado oil, season with Original Seasoning or seasoned salt, and grill for two or three minutes on each side. These go great served with our Sweet Onion Dressing or coleslaw dressing.
Used in Grilled Romaine
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Original Seasoning
Price range: $9.50 through $22.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Grilled Romaine Lettuce – Cowboy Kent Rollins
Ingredients
- 3 heads romaine lettuce
- Avocado or olive oil for basting
- Kent’s Original Seasoning or your favorite all-purpose blend
- 1 lemon
- 1- 1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup bacon bits
- Kent’s Onion Dressing or see substitution below
Instructions
- Rinse the lettuce thoroughly and cut down the center, lengthwise. Generously baste both sides of the lettuce with the avocado or olive oil. Sprinkle the lettuce with the seasoning.
- Heat your grill to medium-high heat. Place the lettuce, cut side down on the grill. Give the lettuce a slight mash with a spatula and grill until the lettuce begins to wilt slightly and char. Flip over and grill the same.
- Sprinkle the top with lemon juice and the parmesan cheese.
- Remove from the grill and top with bacon bits and dressing. Serve warm.
Notes
Or use: 1/4 cup mayonnaise zest and juice of 1 lemon 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced coarse ground black pepper, to taste
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