Crispy Barbecue Sides:
1. French Fries
2. Spicy Oven Fries
3. Beer-Battered Onion Rings
4. Buttermilk Batter-Fried Onion Rings
5. South-of-the-Border Onion Rings
6. Hush Puppies
7. Corn Soufflé Hush Puppies

Smart frying is essential to these delicious recipes. We found the double-fry method (cooking twice in the same oil at different temperatures) hard to beat for extra-crispy fries. To fry any of these sides, start with a good thermometer, and bring your oil to the proper temperature. Frying in small batches is the secret to even cooking, and a Dutch oven minimizes splatters. This batch technique may take a little longer, but it's worth it. Drain each batch on paper towels, and keep them in a warm oven (about 200° to 250°) until ready to serve.

Hush Puppies
These deep-fried balls of cornmeal batter are just plain good. Folks along the Gulf Coast pair them mostly with fried fish, while Kentuckians and Carolinians think of them as natural partners to any barbecue plate.

Cynthia Ann Briscoe hails from Kentucky but prefers pork and chicken over the traditional mutton barbecue she grew up eating.