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BBQ on a Shoestring: 8 Budget-Friendly Recipes That Won’t Break the Bank

Whiskey-Brined Pork Shoulder

Food prices have seen dramatic rises in the past year—meat, eggs, vegetables, grains, and fruit. But backyard barbeques don’t have to be budget busters. To help frugal grill masters, here are 8 budget-friendly BBQ recipes. For more money-saving tips, click on the links below.

8 Budget-Friendly BBQ Recipes

1. Dutch Baby Pancake

This Dutch baby pancake is a great way to incorporate grilling into breakfast. This cousin of the popover and Yorkshire pudding puffs dramatically on a hot grill. Plus, it will wow your guests.

Mile-High Pancake

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2. Squash and Black Bean Pizza with Queso Fresco

A backyard pizza party is a festive but inexpensive.way.to feed a crowd. Set out balls of pizza dough, bowls of toppings, and invite gusts to make their own pizza pies. Make your own dough using Steven’s favorite recipe, or buy it from your local shop.

Squash and Black Bean Pizza with Queso Fresco - Budget-Friendly BBQ Recipes

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3. Smoked-Roasted Buffalo Chicken Dip

This appetizer capitalizes on one of America’s favorite flavors! Buy chicken when it’s on sale, or pick up a package of chicken leg quarters to get the most bang for your buck.

Smoked Roasted Buffalo Chicken Dip

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4. Double Whiskey-Smoked Turkey

Because turkeys are harvested in late fall, you are likely to find good prices on frozen birds at your local market. One 12- to 14-pounder will yield a feast for eight with leftovers. We also like to make a savory broth from the carcass, making this a very economical bird indeed.

Double Whiskey-Smoked Turkey

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5. Tex-Mex Turkey Burgers

The turkey burger arose in an effort to enjoy the lusciousness of a hamburger with the clean conscience that comes with eating low-cholesterol and lowfat meat. These turkey burgers light up your mouth with chile powder, jalapeño pepper, and cilantro. In keeping with the Tex-Mex theme, serve the burgers on flour tortillas along with avocado and slivered jicama.

TURKEY BURGER Recipe - Budget-Friendly BBQ Recipes

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6. Whiskey-Brined Pork Shoulder

Pork shoulder (often sold as pork butt or Boston butt) is one of the most forgiving barbecued meats there is. Although it can be sliced, most pitmasters prefer to barbecue it until the collagen and connective tissue break down sufficiently to “pull” it into meaty shreds.

Whiskey-Brined Pork Shoulder

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7. Best Barbecued Beans on the Planet

Inventor, restaurateur, rub manufacturer, and winner of barbecue contests too numerous to mention, “Oklahoma” Joe Davidson isn’t given to false modesty. So when the Oklahoma pit master proclaims these to be the “best barbecued beans on the planet,” you’d best sit up and take notice. Joe’s secret is to start with a mix of beans—baked, red, and black—then cook them in a smoker. Enriching the beans with a pound of chopped smoked beef or porkk doesn’t hurt either!

Barbecue Baked Beans

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8. Smoked Stuffed Potatoes

If you like smoke, you’re going to love these smoked potatoes. The flavor comes at you from all directions—smoky bacon, smoked cheddar cheese, pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika), and of course, smoke-roasting the whole potatoes on the grill.

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