A SMOKY BARBECUE FOR DAD: Must-try recipes for a Father’s Day BBQ feast

From pulled pork sandwiches and tender ribs, to smoky chicken or BBQ beef brisket, smoky meats make the ultimate Dad’s Day feast

Words and photos

By CINDA CHAVICH

I don’t think my dear dad was alive when I got hooked on the whole world of slow, smoky barbecued meats. But as a charcoal grill master himself — and a guy who knew his way around a great steak supper — I’m sure he would approve of a Father’s Day meal off of my home smoker.

We have one of the ceramic egg-shaped smokers (a version of the original Big Green Egg) and it’s the perfect vessel for smoking a big pork shoulder or several racks of back ribs. It’s tall enough to smoke chickens upright (beer can style) or stack racks for smoky chicken and sides of salmon.

Everything goes on my big egg-shaped ceramic smoker, from pork shoulder and ribs to chicken

We like to smoke some baked beans on the side, and you can add other vegetables to the smoker, too — smoked tomatoes and peppers are lovely to use in smoky salsa and sauces to serve alongside your smoked proteins.

I’ve included my recipes for Pulled Pork, smoky ribs and chicken, BBQ Beef Brisket, homestyle barbecue sauce and smoky beans.

Add a big bowl of crunchy cabbage slaw and my perfect potato salad, and your family Father’s Day dinner on the deck could not be finer!

The pink of the smoke ring on a rack of ribs comes from slow cooking with wood smoke

RECIPES FOR A FATHER'S DAY BARBECUE DINNER:

• BBQ Pulled Pork

• BBQ Pork Ribs or Chicken

• Slow-smoked BBQ Beef Brisket

• Rippin' Kickin' BBQ Sauce

• Baked Beans on the Smoker

• Perfect Potato Salad

• Classic Coleslaw

RECIPES:

BBQ PULLED PORK

Use this technique for cooking pork butt (shoulder) to create tender meat — “barbecue” in the South — for pulled pork sandwiches or smoky meat for tostadas and tacos.

Golden mustard sauce is popular on pulled pork sandwiches in parts of the American south but traditional tomato-based barbecue sauce also works.

Piled on a bun, smoky pulled pork makes the ultimate summer sandwich

1 pork butt or shoulder (about 3 lb/1.4 kg), bone in (leg is too lean)

1⁄4 cup (60 mL) regular ballpark-style mustard

DRY RUB

1⁄4 cup (60 mL) Hungarian paprika

(or other good-quality, sweet paprika)

1⁄4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar

2 tbsp (30 mL) each brown sugar, cumin, ground ginger, chili powder and black pepper

1 tbsp (15 mL) each granulated garlic, dry mustard and salt

6 to 8 crusty rolls

Rub the pork with the mustard to coat on all sides.

Combine the dry rub ingredients and massage generously into the pork. Leave the pork at room temperature for 10 minutes, for the rub to get tacky. The salt will draw some of the moisture out

of the meat, forming a crust as it cooks that will seal in the juices.

Preheat the smoker or barbecue. If you’re using coals, place the pork on a rack above the coals; toss some pre-soaked apple or mesquite wood chips on the coals to generate some smoke. If you’re using a gas grill, turn one burner off and place the roast on the unlit side of the grill. (Put the wet wood chips into a metal smoking box or a pouch of heavy foil, punched with holes, and set it right on top of the fire bricks or gas flame).

Keep heat constant and low (about 200 F to 225 F/107 C-121 C) and cook pork until the internal temperature reaches 190 F (88 C). It should be tender and falling apart, easy to “pull” into shreds with two forks. This will take 6 to 8 hours.

Shred the cooked pork and pile it on the crusty rolls. Serve the sandwiches drizzled with mustard sauce or bottled barbeque sauce, with coleslaw on the side or piled on the sandwich. Serves 6-8.

Mustard Sauce:

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1/4 cup mustard

1 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp Tabasco sauce

1 clove garlic, pressed

Combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and and whisk until warm and well-combined. Set aside.

VARIATION:

OVEN-BAKED PULLED PORK: If you don’t have a smoker or grill, you can cook the pork butt on a rack in a roasting pan in a low (225F/107C) oven for 6 to 8 hours, until the pork is so tender that it tears when you try to lift it with a fork. It won’t be the same, but you can add some smoked Spanish paprika to the rub or add some smoky barbecue sauce at the end for extra BBQ flavor.

BBQ PORK RIBS OR CHICKEN

Smoky Barbecue Chicken

This technique (and rub) also works well for slow-cooked barbecue ribs or chicken.

For BBQ back ribs, first pull off the skin/fell on the back of the rack before coating with the mustard and dry rub, and plan to smoke for 2 hours, then wrap in foil and continue to slow cookor 2 hours longer at 200 F.

Or plan to smoke bone-in, skin on chicken thighs or legs alongside the pork – coat all sides with mustard and dry rub, then smoke for 2 hours, until tender.

SLOW-SMOKED BARBECUE BEEF BRISKET

If you can afford to buy a big beef brisket, this is the ultimate meaty treat to slow cook on your home smoker or charcoal barbecue.

4-pound (2 kg) beef brisket

1 tsp each: freshly ground black pepper, dried sage, oregano and

crushed chilies

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp dry mustard

5 cloves garlic, minced

1-inch piece of ginger root, minced

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup each: molasses, red wine vinegar, tomato paste

Rub brisket with pepper and set aside. Heat oil over medium heat and add mustard, oregano, sage, chilies, garlic and ginger. Cook for 4 minutes then stir in 1 cup of water, ketchup, molasses, red wine vinegar and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature and pour marinade over meat. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days.

To smoke, light one burner on the gas grill or a small pile of lump wood charcoal on one side of a covered kettle barbecue. Place the meat, fat side up, on the unlit portion with a drip pan of water or beer below. Lower the lid and cook, maintaining a constant temperature of 200-225°F (100-110°C). If using charcoal, you will have to add one or two pieces from time to time. Add soaked wood chips (in a punctured foil packet if using gas) occasionally. Cook the brisket, turning every 2 hours, for 5-6 hours, until a meat thermometer reads 210°F (98°C). Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve with barbecue sauce and horseradish, on a bun or with roasted potatoes.

RIPPIN’ KICKIN’ BBQ SAUCE

Here’s a recipe that Chef Michael Allemeier CMC (Certified Master Chef) and a chef instructor at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), shared with me way back in the day as part of a Stampede Barbecue story.

This recipe makes a lot of barbecue sauce — enough to last the entire summer bbq season, or to share with all of the dads at your party!

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup honey

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 litres Big Rock traditional ale

4 tbsp chili powder

4 tbsp ground black pepper

4 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander

1 1/2 tbsp dry mustard

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp lemon pepper

1 tbsp powdered ginger

1/2 tbsp ground allspice

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 litres tomato ketchup

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.

Cool and chill.

Mix sauce with slow-cooked shredded beef brisket for barbecue beef sandwiches or slather on grilled burgers. Makes 3 L.

BAKED BEANS ON THE SMOKER

When you're smoking pork or chicken, try this easy recipe for baked beans to serve on the side. Start with good quality canned beans with bacon or vegetarian baked beans (I like Bush's Best with bacon or Heinz baked beans with molasses), and add a can of white cannellini beans or black beans.

If there's room in the smoker, place the pan of beans on a rack under the roast, and you'll get the added flavour of smoky pork drippings.

It's easy to combine a variety of canned beans to make baked beans on the home smoker

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 14-oz. cans baked beans with bacon (add extra cooked bacon if you like)

1 can white or black beans, drained and rinsed

1 small can chopped tomatoes (I like Rotel Tomatoes with added chilies for a kick of spice)

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

1 tablespoon barbecue rub

1-2 teaspoons hot sauce or Asian chili paste (to taste)

Sauté the onion in olive oil until tender. Mix with remaining ingredients and pour into in an ovenproof dish that you can place in the smoker (I use a shallow, enameled casserole that's easy to clean or a large bread pan). If you wrap the exterior of your pan in foil, it makes cleanup easier.

Smoke the beans, uncovered, on a rack in the smoker at 225 F (under or alongside the meat) for 2-3 hours, watching to make sure they don't burn.

To thicken the baked beans more, you can transfer to a saucepan and simmer for another 20-30 minutes after you take them off the smoker. Serves 6.

PERFECT POTATO SALAD

Creamy potato salad with lots of dill, crunchy radishes and sweet shelled peas

This salad works all year round but not like it does when the first summer veggies appear at the market. With baby new potatoes, fresh peas, radishes and dill, this potato salad is sublime, and simple. A keeper from The Girl Can’t Cook by Cinda Chavich.

2 pounds small new potatoes, scrubbed

1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream or plain yogurt

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon/15 ml dried dill weed, in a pinch)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

2-3 green onions, chopped

6 radishes, sliced

1/2 cup freshly shelled green peas, in season

Put a steamer basket in a large saucepan and add about 2 inches (5 cm) of water. Put the potatoes in the steamer basket and steam until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Cool and cut into large cubes.

In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream or yogurt, mustard, dill, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Add the warm chunks of potato to the bowl, and toss with the dressing to coat. Add the celery, green onions, radishes and peas and fold gently to combine, being careful not to break up the potatoes (the Girl hates mushy potato salads).

Serve immediately as a warm potato salad or chill for several hours. For a more substantial salad, add a few hard-boiled eggs, chopped.

Instead of the shelled peas, you can use chopped edible pod peas or lightly-steamed green beans, cut into small pieces.

Makes 6 servings.

CLASSIC COLESLAW

Coleslaw and Potato Salad — the best BBQ sides

This classic cabbage salad is the perfect side dish for pulled pork, fried chicken or burgers, and is an essential companion to fish and chips. Start from scratch or speed things up with a bag of pre-shredded cabbage and carrot salad from the supermarket. From The Guy Can’t Cook by Cinda Chavich.

1⁄3 cup fat-reduced mayonnaise

1⁄3 cup fat-free sour cream

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

1⁄4 tsp celery salt

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill or 2 tsp dried dillweed

1 apple, finely chopped or shredded

1 1⁄2-lb head of cabbage, finely shredded (about 6 cups)

3 green onions, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, shredded

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, sugar, vinegar, celery salt, and dill. Add the apple and mix well, the add the cabbage, green onion and carrot. Toss all the ingredients to thoroughly combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to serve. Serves 8.

MORE ABOUT SLOW BARBECUE

I learned all about the art of barbecue as a food and travel writer — visiting the smoky pits from Texas to the Carolina's in the American south, where beef and pork are king among the pit masters, and regions (even the east or west regions of a single state) argue about whose BBQ sauce or style is best. It's simple, hole-in-the-wall country cuisine, and has spawned an entire circuit of amateur home BBQ cooks (pro's really) who compete in sanctioned competitions across the US and Canada to qualify to enter big international cookoffs, including the Jack (Jack Daniels World Championship) in Tennessee and the American Royal in Kansas City, known as the "World Series of BBQ" and the largest competition in the world, hosting up to 400 teams during the annual livestock show and rodeo.

Calgary's BBQ on the Bow was the first such sanctioned competition in Canada, starting back in 1993 when I was a newspaper food editor there and covered the earliest events, and local teams. The keen newbies in the local food world organized BBQ cooking classes and brought in big burly American BBQ champions to teach us their smoker secrets and spread the gospel of low, slow, barbecued meats.

Once tasted, smoky barbecued meats are addictive and it's no surprise that those early introductions to this southern specialty soon spawned a phalanx of fans, and what's become an trend of BBQ restaurants across the country. Even here on the cool west coast, we have BBQ joints today, whether Victoria's Jones Bar-B-Q with it's Texas-style menu, The Brazen Fork in Cowichan Bay, or Vancouver's Memphis Blues BBQ.

Unlike grilling — what we once called the "backyard barbecue," at least in my part of the world — classic southern "barbecue" refers to low, slow cooking, meats cooked indirectly on fancy wood/charcoal smokers and barbecue pits with offset fire boxes, or more simply on bulbous covered charcoal grills. The cooking temperature is kept just below 225 F for many hours, and the meats are rubbed with secret spices and mopped with sauces until they emerge with a shiny glazed "bark" and a pink smoke ring.

The goal is to slowly cook the proteins to "fall off the bone" or "pull apart" tenderness, and that process of melting the interior collagen and breaking down connective fibres, without drying out the meat, takes many hours of carefully tending fires to maintain perfect temperatures.

There's a whole cult around the business of cooking and presenting the smoky meats for the competition circuit — each perfect slice of beef brisket or six meaty ribs neatly arranged in a styrofoam box on a bed of lettuce for the serious blind judging.

Competition teams start early in the morning (or even sleep overnight on site) to prepare their meats and smoke them to tender perfection for judging. Teams accumulate points by competing in sanctioned BBQ competitions, and the Team of the Year award is given by The Canadian BBQ Society to those with the most points across all four categories.

Beef brisket, pork ribs, pork butt and chicken are all part of the competition, and beyond the prizes, the cook-offs are designed to give the public a taste of the best BBQ.

Today, there are officially sanctioned barbecue competitions across Canada, including several in small town Alberta, but the biggest is Calgary's BBQ on the Bow (which was once set up along the Bow River downtown in Prince's Island Park but has since outgrown that locale).

Barbecue on the Bow is celebrating it's 35th anniversary in 2026, with the competition running Sept. 4-6 in Calgary, while the 125th American Royal competition, the largest in the world, runs September 30-October 4, 2026 in Kansas City, MO.

©CindaChavich2026