Have you just bought a new smoker and you want to put it to the test? Are you bored of making the same things in your smoker every summer? In need of some smoker inspiration?
If the answer to any of those questions is yes, you’ve come to the right place!
Smokers are a wonderful addition to any backyard. These versatile smoking machines offer us the opportunity to make the most amazing, mouth-wateringly good food all year round.
However, despite how versatile smokers are, it is very easy to get stuck in the rut of smoking the same foods time and time again.
Whilst there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, having more recipes at your disposal will help you get the most out of your smoker.
Today, we’re here to give you the best smoker recipes you should add to your repertoire. In this post, you’ll find a list of 15 awesome smoker recipes you need to try.
1. Texas Style Smoked Beef Short Ribs
We’ll kickstart our list with a gorgeous Texas-style smoked beef short ribs recipe. Despite being called short ribs, there’s nothing short about these meaty beef ribs.
Meaty, juicy, and incredibly tender, these smoked short ribs will be the star of the show at your next cookout.
Packed with immense flavors, these short ribs are seasoned with yellow mustard, pepper, salt, garlic powder, and chili flakes. After six hours, you’ll be left with the most amazing juicy ribs.
2. Smoked Pulled Pork
If you’ve never made smoked pulled pork on your smoker before you’re seriously missing out. Super tender, juicy, flavorful, and versatile, smoked pulled pork is extremely hard to beat.
This particular recipe shows you how to make smoked pulled pork with a rich BBQ flavor.
It is perfect for serving on a burger, in tacos, or in a sandwich. It will take you a whole day to make the pulled pork but the results are well worth the wait.
3. Bacon Explosion
This bacon explosion recipe from Cuts and Crumbles is a smoker recipe you’ll find yourself coming back to time and time again. It features crispy bacon crumbles stuffed inside a meaty Italian sausage.
The sausage is then wrapped with more bacon and smothered in a flavorful spice-filled rub. This really is every meat eater’s dream. The best thing about this recipe is how versatile it is.
You can stuff the filling with whatever you like. You could throw in hot sauce, cheese, and jalapenos. Of course, the bacon is then topped with a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce.
4. Smoked Mac And Cheese
This next recipe shows that you don’t always have to cook meat on your smoker.
You can also make a wide range of delicious sides and vegetarian dishes too. For us, mac and cheese are one of the best side dishes you can make with a smoker.
The intense smoked flavors the smoker imparts on the rich, gooey, and crispy cheeses are to die for.
This recipe shows you how to make smoked mac and cheese that is sweet, tangy, creamy, and rich.
5. Smoked Vegetables
Why not serve some smoked vegetables at your next BBQ party? Smoked vegetables are quick and easy to make, healthy, and more importantly delicious.
Easily the greatest thing about smoked vegetable recipes is that you don’t have to follow the recipes to the tee.
Instead, you can use any vegetables you like. This is also a dish to make if you have leftover veggies.
Simply throw the veggies you like in a tray, season them with salt and pepper, and coat them in oil. The smoker will do the rest.
6. Smoked Beef Jerky
In our opinion, making beef jerky in a smoker is the best way to make beef jerky.
Of course, you can buy some delicious beef jerky from your local store but nothing compares to the jerky you can make at home.
This recipe will help you make smoked peppery beef jerky that is infused with all those smoky flavors we love.
Some of the ingredients you need to make beef jerky include beef, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper.
7. Texas Twinkies
If you’re looking for a smoker recipe that packs a punch, look no further than this Texas twinkie recipe.
For those that haven’t tried Texas Twinkies before, they are a spicy, meaty, salty, and slightly sweet treat consisting of brisket-stuffed jalapenos.
The jalapenos are then wrapped in crispy bacon for good measure. As far as smoker recipes go, this ones quite quick to make. It will only take you just over 3 hours to make a batch of these tasty appetizers.
8. Smoked Corn On The Cob
The next recipe on our list is a super simple smoked corn-on-the-cob recipe. Corn on the cob is another food that tastes so much better when smoked.
Smoking corn on the cob makes it much crispier, juicier, and more flavorsome. The best part about smoked corn on the cob though is that it absorbs all the divine flavors without going mushy.
As if that wasn’t enough, the smoker imparts an intense smokey flavor on the corn that tastes awesome.
9. Smoked Pineapple
This next recipe might sound a little strange but until you’ve tried it, you can’t knock it.
Admittedly, we thought this recipe might be a bit strange at first, but we fell in love with it the second we tried it.
Smoking a pineapple leaves us with a beautifully caramelized, sweet dish that tastes unbelievably good.
Once caramelized, you can eat the caramelized pineapple on its own, with ice cream, or even throw it in a salad or burger.
10. Smoked Lamb Shoulder
Despite its popularity, lamb isn’t a meat that many people are familiar with when it comes to cooking.
This is particularly the case when it comes to cooking on a smoker. This recipe gives you the chance to give it a go.
Lamb shoulder meat is gamier and fattier than other meats, making it the perfect cut to smoke.
Seasoned with Mediterranean herbs and spices, you can use your smoked lamb shoulder to make juicy and meaty sandwiches with plenty of flavors.
11. Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
If you love bacon, there’s no doubt in our minds that you will fall in love with this smoked pork belly burnt ends recipe too.
These small bites of meat are ridiculously tender, delightfully juicy, and wonderfully full of flavor.
To make things even better, they are a simple dish to make. Smoke them low and slow before topping them with a tangy sweet and sticky BBQ sauce. These bite-sized pieces of heaven will leave your guests in awe.
12. BBQ Spatchcock Chicken
Cooking a spatchcock chicken comes with many benefits. For starters, it doesn’t require much work.
Secondly, it is a great option for larger gatherings and BBQ parties. Thirdly, it tastes great, and finally, you have more surface area to work with, which means more rub,
and more flavor.
Compared to other recipes, this smoker recipe has a shorter cook time. This is because the chicken is cooked at a higher temperature to avoid rubbery skin.
To give the chicken more flavor, season it with a poultry rub and coat it in BBQ sauce.
13. Smoked Sweet Potatoes
You can also make some tasty potato dishes using your smoker. Our favorite would have to be this smoked sweet potato recipe from Hey Grill Hey.
All you have to do to make this dish is season the sweet potatoes with salt and pepper before sticking them in your smoker.
Sweet and savory, these potatoes make a great side dish. If you want to take things to the next level, consider adding a spoonful of maple syrup butter to the top of your potatoes.
14. Smoked Turkey
The penultimate smoker recipe on our list is a smoked turkey recipe. If you’ve never smoked a turkey before, now’s your chance.
Smoking turkey can take relatively bland meat and turn it into something sensational. Crispy and golden on the outside, and juicy and tender on the inside, smoked turkey makes a great Thanksgiving centerpiece.
For the best results, season your turkey with thyme, parsley, rosemary, and lemon (see also “Best Meyer Lemon Recipes“).
15. Smoked Apples
The final smoker recipe on this list is a simple dessert recipe made using smoked apples. Simply hollow the apples out, stuff them with your choice of ingredients, and leave them on the smoker to cook.
To complete the dessert, serve the apples with ice cream, balsamic vinegar, or bourbon. Trust us, this is the ultimate BBQ dessert.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, 15 smoker recipes you can try today (see also “Best Ground Bison Recipes To Try Today“). As you can see from this list, smokers are versatile in the way we can use them to cook a wide range of different foods.
Whether you’re looking for a delicious meat recipe, a vegetarian side dish, a hearty mac and cheese recipe, or a simple dessert, there’s a recipe on our list for you.
All you have to do now is narrow the list down and decide what you want to make first.
This could be difficult as all the recipes on our list are delicious.
If you enjoyed this article, you might like our post ‘15 Best Kumquat Recipes To Try Today‘.
