At a barn shindig, serve a hearty meal with plenty of napkins to mop up the finger-licking good eats.
Start the meal off with a spicy appetizer in the form of shrimp with barbecue seasonings. Slow-cooked beef brisket is a savory, smoky, and scrumptious entree. It's also the perfect cut of meat to affordably feed a crowd.
Classic cowboy sides — barbecue "baked beans" and crisp apple coleslaw — round out the mouthwatering menu. To look at these recipes, read more.

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet Pimentón de la Vera (Spanish smoked paprika)
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 pounds large shrimp, deveined but not shelled
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 scallions, thinly sliced
Directions
- In a large bowl, mix the paprika with the ancho chile powder, brown sugar, cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic. Add the shrimp and toss to coat in the spices.
- Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in 2 large skillets until shimmering. Add the shrimp to the skillets and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until curled and white throughout, about 4 minutes.
- Add half of the butter and scallions to each skillet and swirl them in. Transfer the shrimp to a platter and serve.
Serves 6.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups paprika
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons onion powder
3 tablespoons garlic salt
1 tablespoons celery salt
1 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 trimmed brisket, about 5 to 6 pounds
Directions
- In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients and blend well.
- Trim the brisket, leaving about 1/4-inch of fat. Season the brisket with about 1/4-cup of the rub. You don't want such a thick crust that the smoke won't penetrate the meat. Let the brisket marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
- Preheat your grill to 250°F using charcoal and hickory.
- Using indirect heat, cook the brisket for 3 1/2 hours and flip. Cook another 3 1/2 hours, cooking for a total of 7 hours. (About 1 1/2 hours per pound.) The brisket should cook to an internal temperature of 185 degrees F.
- Rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board before slicing. Slice brisket against the grain.
Serve 6-10.

Ingredients
1 pound dried navy beans, or great Northern beans
4 ounces salt pork, or thick-cut bacon
1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups tomato juice
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons prepared yellow or Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
10 dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
- Put beans in a large bowl; cover with cold water by 2 inches. Loosely cover beans with plastic wrap, and let soak at room temperature 7 to 10 hours.
- Drain beans; transfer to a large saucepan. Cover with cold water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, covered, until beans are very tender, about 1 hour. Drain beans, reserving cooking liquid; set beans and liquid aside.
- If using salt pork, trim meat from the rind, and cut meat into 1/4-inch dice. Score rind with a knife. If using bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice. Transfer salt pork (meat and rind) or bacon to a large Dutch oven or stockpot.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and meat is browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer meat to a large bowl using a slotted spoon, leaving rind and rendered fat in the Dutch oven. Add onion and garlic to the Dutch oven. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in tomato juice, tomato paste, molasses, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, turmeric, hot sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, the beans, and 4 cups reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat. Cover, and cook at a bare simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 1 hour.
- Uncover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 hours and 45 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper. If not serving immediately, let cool completely, and refrigerate in an airtight container, up to 2 days. Reheat beans over medium-low heat before serving.
Makes about 7 cups.

Ingredients
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar or malt vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons coarse-grain brown mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups coarsely shredded cabbage
2 medium tart red and/or green apples, cored and chopped
3 large dill pickles, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 cup green or red seedless grapes, halved
1/4 cup chopped onion
Directions
- In a small bowl stir together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- In a large bowl combine the cabbage, apples, pickles, grapes, and onion.
- Add the mayonnaise mixture to the cabbage mixture; toss to coat. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 6 hours before serving. Stir before serving.
Serves 6 to 8.
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