The year is almost over (see ya, 2016) and it is major time for a recipe recap! I tracked down my top 10 recipes from this last year and thought I’d share them all round-up style. I’m sure there are a few favorites in here that you’ve already tried, and a few you need to put on your “must make” list. 2017 here we come!!

#1 The BEST Sweet Rub

Coming in with over 30,o00 pins on Pinterest, this recipe was the highest ranking on my site this year! For good reason too. Simple to make, perfect to have in the pantry, and delicious on practically everything.

#2 Cider Brined Pulled Pork

This is probably my top favorite recipe ever. Honestly. I love it so much I dedicated an entire Thursday Meat-up Facebook Live to this recipe. The perfect combo of sweet apple cider, savory pork, and delicate wood smoke gets me every time.

#3 How to Slice a Brisket

Now, this one was a bit of a surprise. I have a full 4 post series on smoking the perfect brisket. Brisket 101, How to Trim a Brisket, How to Smoke a Brisket, and How to Slice a Brisket. Of all of those posts, slicing a brisket seems to be the most Googled. I’m just happy I could be of service to those needing to get those briskets sliced right!

#4 Homemade Smoked Bacon

I’ve gotta give my readers credit, they know what is good. And this homemade bacon is gooooooooood. Slowly cured in either a maple or peppered blend of seasonings and then smoked. This is the best bacon ever. You’ll never go back to store bought, so proceed with that knowledge in mind.

#5 Red, White, and Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers

One of my favorite new recipes this year, these burgers are literally packed with flavor. Roasted red peppers and blue cheese are stuffed into big, juicy burger patties and grilled to perfection. This recipe came out right around the 4th of July and made for some super flavorful and festive backyard BBQs.

 

#6 Cayenne Caramels with a Pretzel Bacon Crust

This recipe was my biggest surprise this year! I have just started making videos for Facebook and asked a friend (Ashlee Marie) to make this one for me. She did the most amazing job and the video took off right before Christmas. It reached over 1.5 MILLION people and has been viewed over 430,000 times! Also, these caramels are dangerously addictive and so delicious!

#7 Apple Jalapeno Smoked Ribs

The ultimate in tasty BBQ ribs. These beauties are generously seasoned with my homemade sweet rub (see #1) and slow smoked before being wrapped with fresh jalapenos and apple juice. The real kicker to the ribs being awesome is the homemade apple jalapeno BBQ sauce. That stuff is like liquid gold. It goes on everything!

#8 Smoky Joe Tri-Tip

I feel like tri-tip had a good year all around in 2016. Definitely one of my favorite cuts of beef for it’s amazing natural flavor. This recipe just enhances that with the most delicious coffee based rub. No bitter coffee grounds here, the secret is in the type of coffee I use. Totally gonna leave you with a cliff hanger there so you click through and get the recipe. You’ll print that one out and frame it.

#9 BBQ Smoked Pork Belly

Pork belly had quite a long moment in the spotlight during 2016 and I sure hope it continues. These tasty little mouthfuls of slow smoked pork belly are my idea of meat heaven. Sweet, savory, soooooooooooo juicy. Oh man, my mouth is watering writing about this one.

#10 Brown Sugar Bacon Brussels Sprout Bites

I’ve gotta give it to my readers, you guys know what is good. These Brussels are wrapped in homemade bacon (#4) and coated in sweet rub (#1) before being roasted out on the grill. I feel like these bites haven’t finished their time in the spotlight, maybe we’ll see them again in 2017. Hopefully I will be seeing you around here in 2017 also. Thanks for making my 2016 an awesome one, and here is to more good food and great recipes next year!