Mashed Exclusive Poll Uncovers The Barbecue Side Fans Can't Live Without

Whether you're hosting a backyard cookout or ordering from a restaurant, a barbecue isn't complete without sides. Earlier this month, we here at Mashed asked our readers what their favorite barbecue sides are, and we received a whopping 38,000 responses. What was deemed the perfect barbecue pairing? That title goes to macaroni and cheese, which constituted 33% of votes. Potato salad was a close second with 30% of votes, followed by baked beans with 19% of votes. Coleslaw received 14% of votes, and in a large drop, green beans scraped up a mere 3% of votes.

The winner received rave reviews from our survey responders. One commenter stated, "if there ain't mac and cheese, it ain't a barbecue," and others agreed with this sentiment, saying, "So glad macaroni is winning." Overall, the poll included many comments that showed just how many different versions of a perfect barbecue there are. Still, if you're planning your own barbecue, there's one clear crowd-pleaser you'll want to include. As one commenter simply put it, you "gotta have the mac."

We all have a certain picture in our heads when we imagine the perfect barbecue, yet our survey proved just how many different barbecue sides are vital for different people. Some commenters believed the correct answer wasn't even included in the poll. A few of these less popular choices were white rice, corn on the cob, King's Hawaiian bread, and applesauce. Other commenters contributed sides that we never even thought to enjoy with barbecue, from Mexican street corn to fruit salad and French fries to garlic bread. Still, one commenter did bring up a barbecue necessity we can all surely agree on: "paper towels."

Along with the perfect sides, Mashed readers have other strongly held barbecue opinions. In March 2022, we conducted another survey asking what brand of barbecue sauce is best, according to 48% of people. Sweet Baby Ray's took the top spot, and in second was Jack Daniel's at 15.37%. KC Masterpiece received 12.07% of votes, followed by Stubb's, Kraft, Jones Bar-B-Que, and King's Hawaiian, in that order.