Give Your Potato Salad A Smoky Twist With Barbecue Sauce

Next to hamburgers, hot dogs, and zesty coleslaw, nothing makes spring and summer cookouts more complete than a delicious potato salad. Comprised of cooked potatoes and a mixture of mayonnaise, mustard, spices, and various veggies or sweet and tangy extras, a classic potato salad can be made into several varieties depending on the adjoining meal or side dishes. While most classic recipes today are doctored variations of traditional German potato salad – which consists of cooked potatoes, bacon, onion, and a sharper mustard flavor — feel free to tailor-make your next batch of creamy potatoes into more of a smoky-flavored delight.

Let's say you're hosting an outdoor dinner party and gearing up to make all your meaty favorites like pork ribs and slow cooker pulled pork. What better way to make your potato salad more barbecue-friendly than to add some barbecue sauce to the mix? Instead of changing your classic recipe entirely, par down on the mayo, add a dash of barbecue sauce to your potato salad ingredients, and mix. And if you're looking for a more substantial change, make further adjustments. You can transform your usual potato salad into a tasty, unconventional side dish by enhancing your standard list of ingredients and using complementary add-ins.

Before you adjust your potato salad recipe with a dash of sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, consider the type of flavor upgrade you're after. Based on the guide to regional barbecue sauces, you can opt for a thinner sauce with more vinegar, a sweet and full-bodied sauce made with ketchup and brown sugar, or choose a variety with added mustard or a bit of Worcestershire sauce for a balance of sweet and salty flavors.

Upon choosing the right sauce, determine the ideal ratio of condiments for your ultimate potato salad. For a more noticeable barbecue taste, par down creamier ingredients like mayonnaise. To infuse the taste of both ingredients into one easy-to-use dressing, you may want to consider making your own Alabama BBQ sauce, which combines mayonnaise, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar with a little cayenne pepper.  After mixing in a squirt of your chosen sauce, consider adding a few other dressings to give your potato-based dish a more developed taste. Some options are spicy mustard and sherry vinegar. You can also add some residual juice from a jar of pickled ​​jalapeños. Play around with different ingredients until you find the right balance of flavors. The variety of barbecue sauce you use in your next batch of potato salad also impacts your choice of added components and extra seasonings.

Since barbecue sauce can be sweet, tangy, or spicy, choose the right combination of ingredients to craft a delicious batch of potato salad. If using a sweeter barbecue sauce, add some pickled red onions to give your potato salad a contrasting taste. Add raw chopped, candied, or pickled jalapeños for a spicy salad. Increase the heat by using a few chopped chilis in adobo sauce.

Regardless of the barbecue sauce you choose, this flavorful condiment pairs well with popular meat-heavy dishes from the South. Add cooked chopped bacon to your barbecue-infused potato salad to get the best of both worlds. You can also incorporate diced pulled pork and turn your potato salad into a fully-fledged meal.

For a themed side dish, try this take as a Southwestern potato salad. Beyond adding tangy barbecue sauce, throw in some yellow corn, canned black beans, and fresh avocado. Use fresh herbs like cilantro and parsley for a bright dose of color. Next to using a variety of fresh produce, experiment with different seasonings like smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder to give this upgraded side an extra smoky flavor. Use the complex taste of your chosen barbecue sauce to experiment with different options to create a unique barbecue-inspired potato salad.