May is National BBQ Month!

It's time to fire up the grill! Well, hold on a second. If we're going to be technically sound on this one, it's time to fire up the smoker! While most of us think of Barbecue as grilling, it's actually about smoking. Real barbecue involves cooking things slow & low over indirect heat, usually smoke from an aromatic wood like hickory, mesquite, apple or cherry.

Even though summer hasn't started yet and it's been raining like crazy across the country, that doesn't mean we can't get into a sunny mood by eating some great barbecue. We all have our favorites: Ribs, Brisket, Chicken, and Pulled Pork. Top those tender meats with your favorite BBQ sauce and serve it alongside some bread for sopping up the gravy and tasty sides like beans, greens and salads.

To help you find the best Barbecue dishes for any occasion, we fired up the FoodPair search engine and found a handful of delicious dishes from across the Web.

Hank's Barbecue Sauce
No matter what you make, you're gonna need sauce for slathering.
Ingredients: butter, lemon juice, brown sugar, ketchup, serrano chile, salt, apple cider vinegar, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, yellow onion, molasses, Kentucky bourbon whiskey

Memphis-Style Barbecued Pork Ribs
Memphis delivers a flavorful dry rub and vinegar-based sauce.
Ingredients: kosher salt, barbecue sauce, pork ribs, barbecue seasoning

Barbecued Tri-Tip with Caramelized Onions
The West Coast loves Tri-Tip and you will too!
Ingredients: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, butter, red onion, chive, salt, black pepper, kosher salt, barbecue sauce, garlic powder, tri-tip steak

Honey-Mustard Barbecued Chicken
Don't forget about tasty chicken dishes like this one.
Ingredients: honey, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, ketchup, lemon zest, black pepper, chicken drumsticks, orange juice, oregano, whole grain mustard

Collard Greens with Bacon
Savory sides are just what the doctor ordered.
Ingredients: garlic, bacon, sugar, collard greens, black pepper, apple cider vinegar, kosher salt, chicken broth, yellow onion, hot sauce

Tangy Barbecue Baked Beans
BBQ chefs really know how to make beans sing!
Ingredients: honey, mustard, ketchup, pinto beans, water, sea salt, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce


Let's get cooking!

Any other favorite ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section or on our Facebook page! And while you're at it, "Like" us on Facebook to get helpful updates in your news feed.