Side Dish Recipes - From the perfect Potato Salad to Beans

No great barbecue or cookout is complete without a set of great side dishes. From the traditional BBQ beans and potato salads to vegetable dishes, these side dish recipes have been the most popular on my site. So whether you want a big bowl of spicy beans or corn on the cob make up a great side dish the next time you have a big cookout.

Pinquito Beans are native to the Santa Maria Valley in Southern California. They are a cross between a small pink and a small white bean. The are available for purchase online or you can substitute pinto beans. These beans are the traditional side dish of Santa Maria Barbecue.

This great coleslaw has a bite to it from the tart apples that make it better than most slaws. There is no cabbage in this salad so technically it isn't a coleslaw but it works just as well.

Not only is this coleslaw colorful, but very flavorful as well. The tartness of the Granny Smith apple combined with honey and Dijon mustard makes this slaw unique! Feel free to tone this recipe down or amp it up to your liking.

This is a quick and easy recipe for grilled potato skins. This dish is perfect for summer barbecues and Superbowl parties.

This grilled polenta side dish makes a wonderful addition to any grilled meats. Try it with grilled chicken or pork next time you have a cookout.

This is a simple candied yam recipe that you can make during the holidays or anytime you feel like eating them. Steaming them before grilling cuts down the actual grill.

This is what it says it is, "hot and spicy." You can tone it down a bit by reducing the spicy ingredients. This barbeque bean dish is a great side for beef brisket or pork ribs.

This delicious slaw recipe can be served as a side dish or on a pulled pork sandwich. You can add more or less cayenne to adjust the spiciness of this dish.

This delicious stuffed tomato recipe can be used as a side dish or it can stand alone as an entree.

This barbecue bean recipe is very simple and delicious. It is simmered for a long while in a slow cooker. You can add more or less hot sauce depending on how spicy you like it.

This is a nice twist to a traditional coleslaw. Remember that the secret to a great cole slaw is to keep it crisp and fresh for when you serve it.

These armadillo eggs are one of the best ideas I've seen recently. Spicy bratwurst sausage is molded around a jalapeño pepper stuffed with cream cheese to form an egg.

Judy wrote out the recipe for me, and I've altered it, using dried beans. The color will be lighter since you're starting with white beans, and the texture will be just a little firmer. You'll have to start a day early to soak the beans, but I guarantee the end result will be worth the extra time and effort.

This coleslaw has an Asian inspiration and makes a great light salad that's perfect with most any grilled dish, especially chicken.

This is a traditional Lexington, North Carolina Coleslaw recipe. It combines cabbage with cider vinegar and ketchup to make a great slaw that goes perfectly with pork barbecue or any cookout.

This cole slaw starts with red cabbage. A great way to add color to your plate.

These Carolina Style Barbecue Beans combine cider vinegar and ketchup to give them a Southern barbecue flavor. While this recipe calls for a can of pork and beans as a base you can use additional lima and kidney beans with some smoked pork to give it a great flavor.

In Texas Beans means Pinto Beans. These beans are cooked up with brisket burnt ends and barbecue sauce to make them the perfect side dish for barbecue brisket. If you don't have burnt ends try a grilled steak cooked well. You want smoky flavor for these barbecue beans.

There are probably a thousand recipes for Boston Baked Beans. This is mine, feel free to add or subtract anything you want to make it yours.

These beans get cooked for several hours so that all the flavors have time to blend.

Bruce D. Cook sent me this great recipe for barbecue beans, the necessary side dish for any great cookout.

To get that authentic smoked flavor into these beans use some of your own smoked meats. I always try to save something back from any smoke so I have this great flavor to add to soups, beans, and more. Burnts ends are the perfect meat for these beans.

This is a great cole slaw for topping of a pulled pork sandwich. You get a relatively dry slaw from this recipe so that it holds to the sandwich better. It is also mild enough not to overpower the smoked pork.

These baked beans get their great flavor from Brisket Burnt Ends. These are the dried out tips of a smoked brisket. A little tough on their own, but the perfect addition to so many things.

This is a great traditional "red" slaw that is perfect for all kinds of barbecue whether you put it on the side of pile it up on a pulled pork sandwich.

This is a classic cole slaw for topping pulled pork sandwiches.

This cole slaw is simple and perfect for topping Carolina style pulled pork sandwiches.