The Cookout

BBQ Recipes

Cooking for the whole local. These recipes were built to feed a crowd of brothers and sisters off the grill, the smoker, or the picnic table.

Smoked 'Solidarity' Brisket
Featured Recipe

Smoked 'Solidarity' Brisket

12 hrs Serves 10–12

A 12-hour low-and-slow masterpiece for the whole neighborhood. The secret is the coffee-based rub.

Ingredients

  • · 1 whole packer brisket (12–14 lb)
  • · 1/4 cup coarse black pepper
  • · 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • · 2 tbsp ground espresso
  • · 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • · Post oak or hickory wood

Method

  1. Trim fat cap to 1/4 inch. Combine rub and coat brisket heavily.
  2. Smoke at 225°F until bark sets and internal hits 165°F (~6 hrs).
  3. Wrap in butcher paper. Return to smoker until probe slides like butter at 203°F.
  4. Rest in a dry cooler for 90 minutes. Slice against the grain.
Picket-Line Baby Back Ribs
Pork5 hrs • Serves 6

Picket-Line Baby Back Ribs

The 3-2-1 method, perfected by a thousand union locals' Fourth of July cookouts.

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Ingredients
  • · 2 racks baby back ribs
  • · 1/2 cup yellow mustard
  • · 1/2 cup brown sugar BBQ rub
  • · 1 cup apple juice
  • · 1 cup BBQ sauce
Method
  1. Slather ribs with mustard, dust heavily with rub. Smoke at 225°F for 3 hours.
  2. Wrap in foil with apple juice. Return to smoker for 2 hours.
  3. Unwrap, glaze with sauce, finish 1 hour until tacky and tender.
Union Hall Grilled Corn
Veggies20 min • Serves 8

Union Hall Grilled Corn

Sweet, charred, and finished with chili butter. Sells out at every potluck.

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Ingredients
  • · 8 ears sweet corn, husked
  • · 1 stick butter, softened
  • · 1 tsp chili powder
  • · Zest of 1 lime
  • · Flaky salt
Method
  1. Grill corn over high heat, turning, until charred (~10 min).
  2. Mix butter with chili powder and lime zest.
  3. Slather hot corn, finish with flaky salt.
Shop Steward Potato Salad
Sides1 hr • Serves 10

Shop Steward Potato Salad

Cold-side picnic perfection — dill, mustard, and a sharp bite of red onion.

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Ingredients
  • · 3 lb Yukon gold potatoes
  • · 1 cup mayonnaise
  • · 2 tbsp whole-grain mustard
  • · 1/2 red onion, finely diced
  • · 1/4 cup fresh dill
  • · Salt, pepper, vinegar to taste
Method
  1. Boil potatoes whole until fork-tender. Cool, peel, cube.
  2. Splash with vinegar while warm.
  3. Fold in mayo, mustard, onion, and dill. Chill at least 1 hour.
The Eight-Hour Burger
Beef15 min • Serves 4

The Eight-Hour Burger

Honest beef, sharp cheddar, and a buttered brioche bun. Named for the work week that was.

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Ingredients
  • · 1.5 lb 80/20 ground chuck
  • · 4 slices sharp cheddar
  • · 4 brioche buns, buttered
  • · Lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onion
  • · Salt, pepper
Method
  1. Form 4 loose patties. Season generously.
  2. Sear on a screaming-hot cast iron 2 min per side. Cheese in the last minute.
  3. Toast buns. Build with crisp toppings.
Wildcat Slaw
Sides20 min • Serves 8

Wildcat Slaw

Crunchy, vinegary, never soggy. The right side for any smoked meat.

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Ingredients
  • · 1 head green cabbage, shredded
  • · 2 carrots, julienned
  • · 1/2 red cabbage, shredded
  • · 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • · 1 tbsp celery seed, sugar to taste
Method
  1. Whisk dressing.
  2. Toss with cabbages and carrots.
  3. Let sit 15 min before serving for max crunch.