BBQ Trail
intro
A smoky, hearty trail-inspired BBQ platter of sauced ribs, smoked sausage, and charred veggies, ideal for casual outdoor summer gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and season proteins
Pat 900g trimmed baby back ribs and 340g sausage links completely dry with paper towels. Rub 2 tablespoons of the BBQ dry rub evenly over all surfaces of the ribs, pressing gently to adhere; sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon dry rub over the sausage links. Let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes while you preheat the grill.
Preheat two-zone grill
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to establish two cooking zones: heat the indirect cool zone to 180C (350F), and the direct hot sear zone to 230C (450F). Lightly oil the clean grill grates with a paper towel dipped in 1 teaspoon of the olive oil to prevent food from sticking.
Slow cook the ribs
Place the seasoned ribs bone-side down on the indirect cool zone of the grill, close the lid, and cook for 45 minutes, maintaining a steady internal grill temperature of 180C (350F). Avoid opening the lid for the first 30 minutes to trap smoke and preserve consistent cooking heat.
Grill the seasoned veggies
While the ribs cook, toss 450g potato wedges, halved corn cobs, and bell pepper chunks with the remaining 60ml olive oil in a large mixing bowl. After the ribs have cooked for 45 minutes, arrange the veggies on the direct hot zone, cook for 10 minutes total, flipping every 3 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender with charred edges and corn has distinct dark grill marks.
Sauce and finish proteins
Move the partially cooked ribs to the direct hot zone, brush all surfaces with 120ml (1/2 cup) of the BBQ sauce, and add the seasoned sausage links to the hot zone. Cook for 8 minutes total, flipping ribs and sausage every 2 minutes, brushing with the remaining 60ml (1/4 cup) BBQ sauce, until ribs reach an internal temperature of 74C (165F) and sausage casings are crisp and caramelized.
Rest and serve platter
Transfer all cooked ribs, sausage, and grilled veggies to a large reclaimed wooden serving platter. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes to lock in juices, then slice the ribs between the bones into individual portions before serving.
Tips
2.Wait to apply BBQ sauce until the final 8 minutes of grilling: the high sugar content in most BBQ sauces burns quickly over direct high heat, leading to a charred, bitter coating instead of a sticky, sweet glaze.
3.If you do not have an outdoor grill available, you can bake the dry-rubbed ribs on a wire rack set over a baking sheet at 180C (350F) for 45 minutes, then sear the veggies, sausage, and sauced ribs in a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat to finish.
OMG this BBQ Trail recipe was the star of our weekend family cookout! My kids devoured two servings each before I even got a second helping. SO good, I’ll be making this for every potluck this summer for sure. The cook time was totally spot on, no surprises there.
Tried this for my weekly meal prep and it held up perfectly all week in the fridge! I was worried the medium difficulty would mean I’d mess something up, but the steps were super straightforward even for a guy who usually burns hot dogs. 10/10.
Brought this to our neighborhood block party last weekend and literally every single person asked for the recipe. The smoky flavor is unreal, way better than the boring BBQ dishes I usually make. Game changer for summer gatherings!
Made this before our day hike on the local trail and it was the perfect portable, hearty meal! Packed so much flavor, didn’t get soggy in the cooler, and kept us full for miles. Only note is I added a little extra hot sauce for a kick, would recommend.
As someone who’s still learning to cook, I was intimidated by the medium difficulty rating but this turned out so much better than I expected! Took me a little longer than the 1 hour 20 minutes because I prepped slow, but the end result was totally worth it. My roommate said it tasted like restaurant BBQ.
Wait, has anyone tried making this with a charcoal grill instead of a gas one? I only have charcoal at my place and don’t wanna mess up the cook time or temp. Looks too good to flop!
This is our new go-to Sunday dinner! My picky 7 year old who hates all BBQ food asked for seconds, which is basically a miracle in our house. I did swap the regular sauce for a honey BBQ version to make it a little sweeter for the kids.
Cook time was exactly as listed for me, which never happens with online recipes! Usually I have to add 20+ minutes to everything, but 1 hour 20 minutes start to finish and it was perfectly done. Flavor is chef’s kiss.
Made this on our last glamping trip over the campfire grate and it slapped so hard. We ate the whole pan in one sitting between 4 people, no leftovers at all. Would 100% make this for every camping trip from now on.
I was worried this would require a bunch of fancy expensive ingredients, but I had almost everything in my pantry already! Total win for weeknight cooking when I don’t feel like running to the grocery store after work.
Made this for our college football tailgate last weekend and people were coming back for thirds. Beat all the basic burgers and dogs everyone else brought, I was the MVP of the parking lot for sure.
Tasty base recipe, but I added a diced jalapeño and a dash of cayenne to give it some heat, and it was perfect for my taste. If you don’t like spice it’s great as written, but the extra kick took it up a notch for me.
Help! I tried making this yesterday and my meat came out a little tougher than I wanted. Did I cook it too hot? I was so excited for this and was bummed it didn’t turn out like the photos.
Has anyone tried making this with plant-based pulled pork for a vegetarian version? My sister is vegetarian and I’m hosting a family BBQ next weekend, wanna make something she can eat too that the rest of the family will love.
How long do the leftovers last in the fridge? I wanna make a big batch for work lunches this week but don’t want it to go bad before I can eat it all. Also, does it freeze well?
Y’all, this BBQ Trail recipe is better than my grandma’s BBQ recipe and I thought that was impossible. I was skeptical at first because grandma’s recipe is sacred in our family, but even she asked for a copy of this one! Game. Changer.
Saw this BBQ Trail recipe pop up this morning and decided to throw it together for dinner tonight, total last minute call. The whole house smelled amazing while it was cooking, and even my teen who only eats takeout said it was “actually fire”. Win for dad tonight!