10 BBQ Recipes to Celebrate Black History Month — This Month & Beyond

• So much of modern BBQ is rooted in Black history, its rich heritage reaching through the years to influence many of our favorite dishes today. In fact, American cuisine as a whole is often shaped by Black culture, from Creole customs and Soul food to regional BBQ in the Carolinas and beloved dishes like Buffalo wings. To celebrate the Black community’s role in BBQ, we’ve gathered 10 of our favorite recipes that exemplify these traditions and draw on personal experiences to carry that flame into the next generation. Let’s recognize Black BBQ the way these creators intended — around the grill, sharing good food and good times.

• 

• Grilled Filet Mignon, Lobster, & Shrimp Surf & Turf

  by: Rasheed Philips

  The beautiful bounty before you is from the brilliant culinary mind of Rasheed Philips, Jamaican-born pit master at Philips Barbeque Co. in Atlanta. Key aspects of this succulent surf ‘n’ turf recipe — command of dual-zone grilling, clever application of compound butters, the downright mouthwatering visuals — are what make Rasheed a hit on Netflix’s “The American BBQ Showdown,” as well as a rising Black creator and entrepreneur.

• 

• Blackened Chicken Mozzarella Po-Boy

  by: Chef Kenneth Temple

  You won’t find many people more well-versed in Southern and Creole cooking than Chef Kenneth Temple, a New Orleans native who literally wrote a cookbook featuring those cuisines. With his usual flair for storytelling through food, the 2017 “Chopped” champion blends both cooking styles in a delicious po-boy recipe that promises to “bring a tear to your eye and a second line to your palate.” Let the good times roll, Chef Kenneth!

• 

• Beer Can Chicken

  by: Chuck's Flavor Train

  For as much boisterous joy as TikTok sensation Chuck Matto brings to his culinary creations, it’s no wonder his beer can chicken tastes like a party (though the beer might have a little something to do with that). Either way, it takes just a few ingredients and even less effort to enjoy this authentic BBQ dish from the legendary Chuck’s Flavor Train. We’d end this description with a clever rhyme, but that’s kind of Chuck’s thing.

• 

• Smoked Jamaican Oxtail Stew

  by: Rasheed Philips

  Born in Jamaica and based in Atlanta, Philips Barbeque Co. pit master Rasheed Philips believes that BBQ is all about heritage. It certainly shows in this smoked Jamaican oxtail stew, a delicious homage to his grandmother’s cooking and the art of layering flavors native to the island. The fresh aromatics blend with pecan wood smoke and tangy-but-hot Scotch bonnet peppers to deliver an authentic experience generations in the making.

• 

• Seared Chicken Thighs & Collard Green Pesto

  by: Chef Josh Lee

  Looking for authentic Southern and Soul food? Then Chef Josh Lee is your guy. Case in point: this elevated twist on a classic dish, which incorporates Soul-staple collard greens as a pesto topping for seared Southern chicken thighs. It’s that kind of creative yet time-honored cooking that has allowed Chef Josh to make waves as the co-owner of Atlanta’s Lake & Oak BBQ and as an entrepreneur with The Soulful Company Restaurant Group.

• 

• Grilled Alligator Sausage

  by: Chef Tasha

  Southern cuisine is often associated with comfort food, and Chef Tasha delivers on that promise in a big way with typical New Orleans charm and flavor. The Executive Chef for catering company Seasons of Louisiana hits all the right notes here: a certifiably Southern grilled gator sausage, served over corn grits and topped with a smoked gouda crawfish cream sauce. Got all that down? We see you loosening your belt in preparation.

• 

• Smoked Pork Ribs

  by: Chuck's Flavor Train

  What’s better than a delicious rack of pork ribs? One that needs just a BBQ rub and a couple spritzes to reach the flavor station. Who else to take you there but Chuck’s Flavor Train, the TikTok trailblazer who simplifies this classic BBQ dish without sacrificing fall-off-the-bone results. Chuck believes food is about family and putting your essence into something shareable, and this easy pork ribs recipe lives up to that standard.

• 

• Grilled Crispy Lemon Scotch Bonnet Pepper Wings

  by: Rasheed Philips

  Once again putting his Jamaican heritage front and center, Rasheed Philips elevates traditional hot wings with the tangy heat of Scotch bonnet peppers, which are native to the Caribbean. The Atlanta pit master layers in even more flavor with pecan wood smoke and repeated citrus notes, finishing them over direct heat to provide that satisfying crunch every wing needs. Just be careful with those Scotch bonnets at first — they’re hot!

• 

• Smoked Rack of Lamb with Risotto & Demi Glace

  by: Chuck's Flavor Train

  Whether it’s date night or a treat-yourself kind of occasion, this lovely lamb dish is a great way to use your smoker for more refined cooking. Chuck Matto makes it as simple as always, with a quick risotto and demi-glace tandem that’ll have you wondering why you never gave them a try before. When you’ve finished feasting on your handiwork, why not give Chuck’s Flavor Train a follow on TikTok? Trust us: you won’t be disappointed.

• 

• Smoked Tamarind-Pineapple Double Bone-In Pork Chop

  by: Erica Blaire Roby

  Erica Blaire Roby, BBQ competitor and “BBQ Brawl” Season 2 Master of ‘Cue, will be the first to tell you her heritage is a “mixed bag”: some Southern, some Cuban, some North African. She channels those rich and diverse cultures into everything she cooks, and this vibrant pork chop is a shining example. With effortless exhibitions like the tangy tamarind-pineapple marinade used here, it’s no wonder Erica wowed her Food Network judges!