Upgrade Your Next Cookout With A BBQ Charcuterie Board

Are charcuterie boards still a thing? Well, the term itself may not be as trendy as in its heyday, but deli meat platters still make good party fare. A barbecue charcuterie board also makes for a fun appetizer to serve at an outdoor event such as a cookout or picnic.

So, how do you construct a barbecue board? Well, for the meats to fit on a board smaller than a door (or a platter, if you prefer guaranteed-splinter-free dining), you may want to stick to smaller portions. These may include individual barbecue wings, baby back ribs that have been separated rather than served as a slab, and small bowls of pulled pork.

Accessorize with mini biscuits, corn muffins, or small slider buns as well as itty-bitty bowls of dipping sauce, mac and cheese bites, and single-serve cups of baked beans, then arrange everything in an artistically rustic style. Call it a charcuterie board if you will, although be prepared to defend against linguistic purists who may insist that true charcuterie consists of cured meats. Still, a thematically appropriate appetizer by any other name will be just as photogenic, although it won't last long if it tastes as good as it looks.

The best way to justify calling a barbecue sampler a charcuterie board, besides plonking it on a plank, would be to include something that does fall within the definition of charcuterie. Smoked sausage fits the bill while remaining barbecue-appropriate. For platter purposes, you could slice the sausage into coins, stick a toothpick in each one, and provide a bowl of spicy mustard for dipping.

If you have a smoker grill, you could go even further toward marrying the concepts of barbecue and charcuterie. If you're truly ambitious, you can always try making your own smoked salami or pepperoni from scratch. If you're not willing to put in that much effort, though, throwing the store-bought stuff on the smoker for a few hours could yield intensely flavorful results.

It's also possible to smoke sliced deli meats such as turkey or pastrami, while even hot dogs magically transform into delicious smoked sausages after a few hours' worth of wood smoke. You can also smoke cheese to add to the platter; although it's technically not charcuterie, it's frequently found on such boards. If you don't want to DIY your smoked cheese, you could always buy a variety such as smoked cheddar or gouda and use it to supplement the smoked or barbecued meats.