summer

35 Ridiculously Delicious Side Dishes to Serve with Ribs

updated Jul 17, 2024
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overhead shot of cowboy beans in a large dutch oven with a wooden spoon stirring the beans.
Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: James Park

Summer’s here, and that means one thing: it’s rib season! Whether you cook ribs in the oven, in the slow cooker, in an Instant Pot, or on the grill, they’re always the first to go at a summer cookout. While the ribs are cooking, there’s plenty of time to make tasty side dishes that are just as delicious as the ribs themselves.

If you’re wondering what to serve to round out the meal, know that there are so many delicious options. You can never go wrong with any of the classic BBQ side dishes like baked beans, grilled corn on the cob, pasta salad, or potato salad. Plus don’t forget the sweet and tangy condiments like cowboy candy or chow chow! Here are 35 of our absolute favorite side dishes to serve with ribs.

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Bacon BBQ Baked Beans

In this classic BBQ side dish, bacon, barbecue sauce, and a handful of pantry spices go a long way in transforming an ordinary can of beans.

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Coleslaw

Coleslaw is the ultimate summer side dish to serve with smoked ribs.

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Cornbread

This easy cornbread has crispy edges and a moist and fluffy center, and is packed with rich, buttery flavor (it's better than Jiffy mix!). We also have a savory cast-iron skillet version if you like your cornbread less sweet.

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Classic Potato Salad

There are plenty of riffs on potato salad, but really this classic recipe with briny pickles, crunchy celery, and hard-boiled eggs is the only one you'll need.

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Grilled Corn on the Cob

Simple and classic grilled corn on the cob is the perfect side to serve with ribs at your next summer cookout.

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Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese Casserole

This mac and cheese casserole is the creamiest, cheesiest, best-ever recipe. It calls for only two different cheeses that are easy to find: sharp cheddar for the flavor and mozzarella for the gooeyness.

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Cabbage and Apple Slaw with Honey-Lime Dressing

Great slaw can upstage salad whenever it gets a chance. This one, full of sweet and crisp apples and dressed with honey and lime, is familiar yet not run-of-the-mill. Serve it alongside smoked ribs or add it to your pulled pork sandwich for some crunch!

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Fried Corn

Fried corn is a classic Southern dish where fresh corn kernels are cooked in a cast iron skillet with bacon fat and butter. It’s reminiscent of creamed corn, minus the cream and the can.

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Classic Macaroni Salad

This classic macaroni salad is perfect for picnics and potlucks. It’s an all-in-one side dish made of cool and creamy noodles tossed with punchy quick-pickled veggies, fresh herbs, and gems of sharp cheddar cheese.

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Cucumber Salad

Cucumber salad is the perfect thing to make when you want something lighter on the table that still brings serious flavor. This is the side you’re going to want at every summer cookout to serve with smoked ribs.

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Creamed Corn

Sweet corn kernels simmered in butter and heavy cream is better than anything from a can.

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Broccoli Salad

Broccoli is a great base for a make-ahead BBQ side because it holds up well to dressing without sacrificing crunch. Crispy bacon, cheddar, dried cranberries, and toasted sunflower seeds add major flavor.

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Butter Biscuits

These from-scratch tangy buttermilk biscuits come together in just one bowl, don’t require any fancy techniques, and come out perfectly pillowy every single time. The secret? The simple homemade biscuit dough is baked atop a stick of melted butter.

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Esquites (Mexican Corn Salad)

It has all the sweet, fresh corn flavor you want in a BBQ side dish.

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Cowboy Candy

Cowboy candy (also known as candied jalapeños) is the best thing to happen to summer cookouts. If you like pickled jalapeños and bread & butter pickles, you’re going to love cowboy candy.

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Collard Greens

Collard greens are a staple on Southern tables, but regardless of where you live, this is one green you should be serving too. Learn how to slow-cook the greens in smoky and garlicky ham broth until the ribbons of collards are silky and tender.

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Butter Bath Corn

There are plenty of ways to cook corn on the cob, but this will be your new favorite way. Cooking ears of fresh corn in a pot of boiling water seasoned with milk, creamy butter, and salt infuses every single kernel with sweet, buttery flavor.

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Salt and Vinegar Cucumbers

A recipe for tangy salt and vinegar cucumber salad, which can be made ahead of time and travels well for a picnic or summer cookout.

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Cowboy Pasta Salad

This BBQ side dish combines everything you love about summery cowboy caviar with pasta salad.

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Avocado-Corn Salad

Fresh sweet corn, creamy avocado, and juicy tomatoes shine in this flavorful summer side dish.

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Cowboy Beans

This classic BBQ side dish utilizes pantry staples and comes together in just one pot.

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Cajun Fries

Few things are better than a really good french fry, except maybe a french fry dusted with a savory and spicy homemade Cajun seasoning. With a few tricks, you can easily make restaurant-quality Cajun fries at home that are fluffy on the inside and perfectly golden-brown and crispy on the outside.

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Maque Choux

For a taste of the South, a creamy bowl of grits, a basket of fluffy buttermilk biscuits, or crispy fried chicken may be the first foods to come to mind. But a Southern cook’s table is often filled with a colorful variety of vegetables like maque choux, a warm sauté of corn, peppers, and onion enriched with heavy cream and topped with crispy bacon.

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Pickled Red Onions

These zippy, quick pickled onions come together in just five minutes. Serve them with smoked ribs and cornbread muffins at your next cookout.

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Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Muffins

Spicy, savory corn muffins that are flecked with sharp cheddar and spicy jalapeños — perfect as an accompaniment to smoked ribs.

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Elote (Mexican Street Corn)

Don't let the summer cookout season pass without making elote (a.k.a. Mexican street corn), a glorious mess of crema, mayonnaise, and cotija cheese.

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Fried Green Tomatoes with Remoulade Sauce

Ruby-red tomatoes may be the crown jewel of summer, but we say that fried green tomatoes are the season’s unsung hero. Turn stubbornly unripe green tomatoes into a crunchy Southern specialty.

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5-Ingredient Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

Baked macaroni and cheese is undeniably a treat, but this stovetop recipe is equally as delightful and requires way less work. Here's our no-roux method for a faster (and tastier!) macaroni and cheese on the stovetop, made with just 5 ingredients.

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Tangy Pickled Cucumber Salad

A light, fresh summer salad of quick-pickled cucumbers and chopped fresh chives that's perfect for your next summer cookout.

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Chow Chow

Tart, sweet, crunchy, and spicy, this classic Southern condiment is simply irresistible served alongside smoked ribs and macaroni & cheese.

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Southern Hush Puppies

Serve these golden, deep-fried hush puppies with your smoked ribs at your next cookout. They have a crisp golden coating and a tender, moist cornbread interior.

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Hawaiian Plate Lunch Mac Salad

This Hawaiian-style macaroni salad is creamy, with just the right amount of tang (thanks to pickle juice and apple cider vinegar!). It's a creamy blend of elbow macaroni, green onions, grated carrot, and a creamy mayonnaise dressing.

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Green Beans with Bacon

There is something quite magical about the marriage of crisp green beans and nuggets of crispy bacon, tossed in bacon fat and a little butter.

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Fried Okra

This recipe for crispy, beer-battered fried okra features two equally delicious ways to prepare fresh okra.

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Succotash

A big platter of succotash is a celebration of all the vibrant vegetables coming into season: sweet corn, baby lima beans, ripe red tomatoes, and tender okra.

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