5 Uses For Barbecue Sauce That Don't Involve Ribs

There are few things as comforting as spending a Southern summer in the backyard around a grill with friends and family. Although we would never ever turn down a juicy slab of ribs, we can't always pull off the dish for a weeknight meal. We've teamed up with our friends at Edley's Bar-B-Que in Nashville, Tennessee to bring you some killer barbecue recipes. Owned and founded by Will and Catherine Newman, this Nashville hot spot was opened to pay tribute to Will's grandfather, Edley Newman. Now, the business has expanded to three locations and has well-loved rubs and sauces. So, it's no wonder that these recipes will bring hungry bellies of all ages to the table. If you're pressed for time, swap in one of these simple, flavorful ideas for pork, chicken, or beef. From Mexican dishes to a spicy and savory take on chicken, we've got your barbecue cravings covered.

BBQ Chicken Enchilada Casserole

BBQ sauce and Mexican food? Yes, please! In this casserole, store-bought enchilada sauce mixes with Edley's original BBQ sauce for a spicy take on a family friendly dish.

Ingredients:

9 corn tortillas

1 1/2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded

1 cup fresh or frozen corn, defrosted

1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 Edley's barbecue sauce

1 cup red enchilada sauce

1 1/2 cups cheddar/monterey jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the rotisserie chicken, corn, black beans, and cilantro. In a separate dish, whisk together Edley's barbecue sauce and red enchilada sauce.To assemble, add 3 of the corn tortillas to the baking dish breaking them up as needed so the bottom of the dish is covered.

Next, you're going to layer up the casserole. Spread 1/3 of the chicken mixture evenly on top of the tortillas and top that with a 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat the layering process ending with chicken and cheese on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melty and bubbly.

WATCH: The South's Best BBQ Joints

The Best Barbecue Chicken Wings

Wings are the perfect crowd-pleasers. This BBQ wing recipe starts easily in the crockpot and ends under the broiler for the most tender, crispy wings you've ever put in your mouth.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

4 pounds chicken wings and drummettes, or chicken drumsticks, trimmed

1½ cups Edley's barbecue sauce, divided

Vegetable oil spray

Directions:

Mix up the spices! Mix paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper together. Place wings in the slow cooker, sprinkle spices over, and stir to coat. Pour ½ cup of Edley's barbecue sauce over chicken. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 3-4 hours on low for wings, 4-6 hours on low for drumsticks.

Place oven rack 10 inches from broiler element and heat on high. Coat an aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray then transfer the wings to prepared baking sheet.

Brush chicken with ½ cup more of Edley's barbecue sauce and broil until lightly charred and crisp (to your liking), about 10 minutes. Flip chicken over, brush with remaining ½ cup barbecue sauce, and continue to broil until lightly charred and crisp on second side, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Serve to your friends!

Barbecue Pork Loaded Nachos

Loaded with cheese, shredded pork, scallions, BBQ sauce, barbecue sauce, and sour cream, these nachos will take your taste buds for a ride.

Ingredients:

Nacho chips

Cheese sauce

Pulled pork

Edley's barbecue sauce

Green pepper

Red onion

Tomatoes

Sour cream

Scallions

Directions:

Pile toppings on nachos as desired, and consume!

Barbecue Meatballs

Everybody loves meatballs – turkey, beef, chicken, veal, pork, or a mixture of any listed. But this sweet yet spicy sauce is what makes these irresistible.

Ingredients:

1 cup Edley's barbecue sauce

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

5-6 dates, pitted

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 lb. pre-made beef meatballs

Parsley for garnish

Directions:

Put the Edley's barbecue sauce, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, dates, and salt into a blender and mix until well-blended. Put meatballs and sauce in slow cooker and stir. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, then serve!

TIP: You can use pre-made beef meatballs to speed up the recipe, but our homemade meatballs are a mean competitor.

Barbecue Bacon Chicken Bombs with Goat Cheese

With spicy jalapeño, creamy goat cheese, savory bacon and BBQ sauce, these chicken bombs are great for an appetizer or a main course.

Ingredients:

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 10 fillets

5 jalapenos, deseeded and sliced in half lengthwise

4 ounces goat cheese, softened

1 cup cheese, shredded (we used a mixture of cheddar and monterey jack)

salt and pepper to taste

20 slices bacon

1 cup Edley's barbecue sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If using chicken breasts, cut them lengthwise into thin fillets; each fillet will make one bomb. Pound chicken fillets between parchment paper until about ¼ inch thin, and season with salt and pepper. Wash jalapenos, cut stem off, slice lengthwise, remove seeds and clean out center. Then, rinse again.

In a mixing bowl, combine goat cheese and cheddar/monterey jack cheese until well blended. Fill each jalapeno half with about 1 Tbsp. or little more of cheese mixture.

Place filled jalapeno half, cheese side down on chicken fillets and roll chicken around jalapeno. Note that it might not close up nicely, but the bacon will bring it all together!

Wrap two pieces of bacon (one at a time) tightly around the rolled chicken, start at one end, wrap half the fillet and finish the 2nd half with the other piece of bacon. Tuck the bacon into itself to seal ends closed. Don't worry about using toothpicks; the bacon holds it together.

Place chicken bombs on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and place chicken bombs on a new aluminum foil-lined baking sheet, then brush with Edley's barbecue sauce on all sides. Return to oven for 5-6 more minutes.

Remove from oven, and brush with more barbecue sauce. Put them back in the oven under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to get the bacon nice and crispy. Remove from the oven and let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with extra goat cheese. Slice into ½-1-inch slices and enjoy!

Who knew barbecue sauce could be so versatile?