Every year on May 16, Americans come together to celebrate National BBQ Day. Whether grilling at home with loved ones or grabbing BBQ cuisine at local restaurants, people from across the country take this day to indulge in mouthwatering barbecue flavors. However, because this iconic day is not considered a federal holiday, it’s unlikely that you’ll find stores decorated to suit the occasion. Even so, BBQ Day is still beloved by many.
If you’re planning to join the nationwide celebration this year, keep reading to learn more about this holiday and find decadent recipe ideas to try.
National Barbecue Day celebrates uniquely American-style cuisine, and many people continue the party throughout the month of May. While many might consider BBQs a modern concept, this couldn’t be further from the truth. In the United States, BBQ foods have a long, interesting history that dates back to before colonial times. There was even a BBQ grill excavated from a Revolutionary War-era shipwreck.
BBQs became a way to celebrate Independence Day and were even used to help garner votes for elected officials. As time passed, BBQs became an integral part of American history!
While you can indulge in the tasty menus offered by local BBQ restaurants, there are also other ways to celebrate the day. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
However you decide to celebrate the day, the key is to incorporate BBQ-style cuisine — whether alone or with loved ones.
Food is at the heart of this unique holiday, so we’ve rounded up some of the tastiest BBQ recipes for you to try. From smoky BBQ chicken recipes to hearty BBQ steak recipes, these quick and easy meals are a great way to honor the day.
These tasty bacon-wrapped chicken strips are an easy appetizer recipe to lay on the table. This recipe takes about 30 minutes to prepare, including prep time.
Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking tray with foil and set aside. Wrap a piece of bacon around John Soules Foods Sweet & Spicy BBQ Chicken Strips and secure with a toothpick. Prep the relevant number of chicken strips the same way and set aside.
Add 1 cup of brown sugar to a bowl, and roll each bacon-wrapped chicken strip in the sugar until completely coated. Place each strip on the baking tray. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve. Make sure to get out the BBQ sauce and ranch, too!
This BBQ chicken wrap recipe combines smoky flavors with hints of fresh chives and celery and is one of the easiest BBQ chicken recipes on our list. It will take about 10 minutes to prepare the ingredients and roughly 12 minutes to cook the chicken tenders.
Set your air fryer to 350 degrees F, and place John Soules Foods Sweet & Spicy BBQ Chicken Strips in a single layer inside the air fryer tray. Cook for 5-6 minutes, flip the tenders over and cook for another 5-6 minutes. These frozen chicken tenders are pre-cooked, so you’re just looking to heat them through.
Combine 3 cups of shredded purple cabbage with ½ cup of pre-cut matchstick carrots and 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of fresh chives, 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 ½ teaspoons of celery seed. Season with a pinch of salt and ground pepper, and mix everything together.
Place 2 chicken tenders on one side of a tortilla, and gently layer the cabbage and mayo mixture next to the chicken. Fold the sides of the tortilla, roll tightly and serve.
You can incorporate a hint of Mexican cuisine into your BBQ Day celebration with this mouthwatering BBQ chicken tamale casserole recipe. You won’t have to spend more than 35 minutes preparing this tasty main dish.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and use butter to grease a cast-iron skillet. Whisk together 3 cups of corn muffin mix, 1 egg, ½ cup of sour cream, ½ cup of corn kernels and 2 tablespoons of melted butter in a bowl. Mix until a smooth batter forms and pour into the skillet. Bake for 15 minutes or until the mixture is golden brown.
Layer a bag of thawed John Soules Foods Buffalo Style Chicken on top. Pour ½ cup of barbecue sauce and ¼ cup of shredded cheese over the chicken. Place the skillet back in the oven, and bake for 5-8 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Sprinkle ½ cup of chopped red onions and 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro over everything and serve.
This BBQ chicken tender nachos recipe is a tasty table filler packed with flavor. The recipe will take about 20 minutes to prepare.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place a layer of John Soules Foods Sweet & Spicy BBQ Chicken Strips in a cast-iron pan and bake for about 5-6 minutes. Flip the chicken over and bake for another 5-6 minutes.
Top with bacon and shredded cheese, and bake for another 2 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Add ¼ cup of sour cream and a ¼ cup of chunky mild salsa. Garnish with a few strips of sliced or diced green onion and serve.
While most enchilada recipes take up to an hour to prepare, this BBQ chicken enchilada recipe uses pre-cooked chicken, so you’ll need to set aside 35 minutes at most.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add 1 ¼ cups of BBQ sauce to a pan and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add a bag of John Soules Foods Chicken Fajitas and leave to simmer for another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a casserole dish with olive oil and brush a bit of BBQ sauce over the bottom of the dish.
Roll the prepared chicken and 5 ounces of soft and crumbly queso fresco in corn tortillas. Place each tortilla wrap in the casserole dish, ensuring a tight fit. Cover the tortillas with a layer of green enchilada sauce, sprinkle 5 more ounces of queso fresco on top and bake for 20 minutes. To brown the cheese, broil on high for 5 more minutes.
Calzone is an Italian-style dish featuring pizza or yeasted bread dough folded over to encase a tasty filling. This chicken variety gives calzone a sweet BBQ twist and takes only 20 minutes to prepare.
Start by preheating the oven to 450 degrees F and lining a baking tray with parchment paper. Then, combine a bag of thawed John Soules Foods Sweet & Spicy BBQ Chicken Strips with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, ½ cup of chopped spinach and ½ cup of ricotta cheese in a bowl.
Next, divide 1 pound of pizza dough into 6 balls. Roll each dough ball on a lightly floured surface to create thick, flat circles. Then, fill the center of the dough circles with the chicken mixture and fold the dough over, pinching the edges to seal the dough. Use a brush to coat each calzone with a layer of butter and place on the baking tray.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and serve with ranch dressing.
You can kick off your BBQ Day celebrations in the morning with this tasty BBQ chicken breakfast scramble dish. You’ll need about 35 minutes to prepare this recipe.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, and place 8 ounces of quartered baby potatoes and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl. Mix until the potatoes are evenly coated. Season with salt and ground pepper. Layer the potatoes alongside John Soules Foods Sweet & Spicy BBQ Chicken Strips on a baking tray and bake for about 30 minutes.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Next, add 1 chopped red bell pepper and ½ cup of chopped yellow onions. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Lightly beat 6 eggs in a bowl and add to the skillet to scramble. Remove from heat, toss in the chicken and potatoes, and top with guacamole and ¼ cup of BBQ sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
As a main or side dish, this loaded BBQ chicken quesadilla will satisfy your guests. The recipe combines spicy, wholesome flavors with hearty BBQ chicken. The best part? It will take only about 20 minutes to prepare.
Cut John Soules Foods Sweet & Spicy BBQ Chicken Strips in half. Split an even amount between 4 10-inch flour tortillas. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, rinsed black beans, chopped or sliced pickled jalapeno peppers, finely chopped red onion and sliced plum tomatoes. These ingredients should evenly cover the entire surface of the tortillas. Place a second tortilla on top as a final layer.
Heat a nonstick skillet or greased pan over medium heat and cook each tortilla for 2 minutes per side or until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are golden brown. Cut each quesadilla in quarters and serve with a side of BBQ sauce.
If you’re looking for a beefier recipe for BBQ Day, try this chipotle BBQ beef sandwich with apple slaw recipe. It will take a little over 10 minutes to prepare and is one of the easiest recipes on this list. You can substitute the beef fajitas with steak fajitas for an easy BBQ steak recipe.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together 1 ½ tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Add a pinch of salt and ground pepper and mix until smooth. Toss in 3 cups of shredded red cabbage, 1 chopped Granny Smith apple and ½ cup of shredded carrots and mix. Place this mixture in the refrigerator.
Heat a large skillet and add 1 ¼ cups of BBQ sauce and 1 tablespoon of Chipotle sauce. Bring the sauces to a simmer before adding John Soules Foods Angus Beef Fajitas. Allow to simmer for 4-6 minutes.
Slice a few brioche buns. Add the Chipotle beef, top with a generous helping of apple slaw, close the bun and serve.
These tater tot nachos (“totchos”) are another decadent appetizer or table filler that’s easy to prepare. This sweet and spicy BBQ totchos recipe takes about 40 minutes to prepare.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Place 1 pound of frozen tater tots in an even layer on the baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Top with 1 cup of shredded spicy pepper jack cheese, 3 chopped Roma tomatoes and 2 thinly sliced green onions. Add 1 cup of BBQ sauce and layer a bag of John Soules Foods Sweet & Spicy BBQ Chicken Strips. Sprinkle another cup of cheese over everything and bake for another 15 minutes.
Drizzle with BBQ sauce, garnish with some sliced green onion and enjoy.
Preparing wholesome BBQ Day recipes can take time, especially when using raw meat ingredients. Cooking a whole raw chicken can take over an hour, and raw beef can become chewy and dry when overcooked. With John Soules Foods’ pre-cooked frozen and refrigerated chicken and beef products, you can prepare indulgent meals in minutes. Because our products are fully cooked, there’s no need to learn any meat-cooking techniques or worry about not cooking your protein all the way through. Our fully cooked and fully seasoned meats only require heating.
Set the table with appetizers, mains and more using our delicious meats. Find a store near you that stocks our fully-cooked meat products to start planning your BBQ Day celebration today!