Top 10 Menu Ideas for BBQ Restaurants

Known for its slow cooking methods and incredibly complex flavors, barbecue is one of the most popular cuisines. If you’re thinking about starting a business that offers grilled and smoked delicacies, this list of the top 10 menu ideas for BBQ restaurants will help develop an offering that you, your customers and your bank account will love.

Ribs

A quintessential part of American barbecue, ribs should definitely be on your menu. Whether you flavor them with a dry rub or sweet sauce, they always turn out super flavorful because the fat renders into the meat during cooking and gives it a ton of flavor. Even though “ribs” is generally understood to be pork ribs, you might want to clarify that on your menu since people following kosher or halal diets can’t eat pork products.

Pulled Pork

Although pulled pork is the signature sandwich of Memphis-style barbecue joints, these sandwiches are a part of other regional barbecue traditions, too. If you want to stand out from other pitmasters in your area, take inspiration from Eastern North Carolina and serve chopped pork shoulder with a spicy, vinegar-based mop sauce: it’s perfect for customers who don’t like overly sweet barbecue sauces.

Brisket

Along with pork ribs and sausages, beef brisket is part of the “Texas Trinity” that appears on the menus of Texas-style barbecue restaurants. While the traditional seasoning of salt and pepper is rather basic, much of the flavor comes from the 12-plus hours of smoking. If you’re not sure how to develop brisket bark, the crispy crust on the outside of the meat that people love, spritzing with Worcestershire sauce during cooking can help. 

Steak

If you’re looking for menu ideas for BBQ restaurants, steak is one of the best. Barbecue fare is often very pork-heavy, so serving ribeye or New York strip is a good way to switch things up. And since most people see steak as a luxury, they’re willing to pay a higher price, making a very profitable item for your business.

Chicken

From saucy wings to fried tenders, putting chicken on your barbecue restaurant’s menu is another way of catering to people who don’t eat pork. Even though a standard Kansas City or Memphis-style barbecue sauce would impart a lot of flavor, using mayonnaise-based Alabama white sauce as a marinade and dipping sauce would be sure to attract curious customers.

Meatless Options

With more people following plant-based diets, don’t forget about putting at least a few meatless options on your barbecue joint’s menu. From grilled cauliflower to mushroom steaks, there are a lot of plant-based menu items that you can offer, allowing vegans and vegetarians to enjoy your special rub or secret sauce: just make sure you designate a meat-free area of your kitchen to avoid cross-contamination.

Coleslaw

The cool, creamy texture of coleslaw is the perfect counterbalance to spicy or tangy sauce, so be sure to put it on your BBQ restaurant’s menu. Even though offering vinegar-laden North Carolina slaw or the mustard-rich South Carolina version are good ways to switch things up, consider taking inspiration from Caribbean restaurant menus and adding raisins to differentiate your food from that of competitors. 

Mac & Cheese

Regarded as the king of comfort food, mac and cheese is a common side on barbecue restaurant menus. Although it’s good to have a plain version for vegetarians, you may also consider serving a version with pulled pork and rib tips: besides being filling enough for a main course, it’s also a good way to repurpose trimmings, making it a profitable BBQ menu item.

Baked Beans

If you’re looking for more ways to use your signature sauce, try baked beans. The small, white beans don’t have much flavor on their own, so they’re the perfect backdrop for showcasing the depth and complexity of your barbecue sauce. To tie the side dish to your main theme even more, try adding brisket burnt ends to impart a nice beefy flavor.

Peach Cobbler

No list of menu ideas for BBQ restaurants would be complete without dessert–and because of American barbecue’s southern origins, peach cobbler is ideal. The fruity flavor is light and refreshing, making it the perfect end to a heavy meal. And since July and August is when fruit is at its peak, be sure to promote peach cobbler as part of your restaurant’s summer menu.