14 Absolute Best Sides To Eat With Smoked Brisket

The world of barbecue is filled with so many different proteins. You have your pulled pork, topped with a copious amount of barbecue sauce, brats brimming with juice, and the king of them all: brisket. This cut is rather thick, and due to its size and texture, it will need a long amount of time to cook through. Whether you're making a smoked brisket using a modified charcoal grill or trying a shortcut slow cooker barbecue brisket recipe, one thing is for certain: You will have a ton of extra time on your hands while your meat cooks. 

And, what better way to use up your spare time than to think ahead to what types of sides you plan to serve with this time-consuming cut? Luckily, you won't have to waste any of that precious time combing the internet for suggestions, as we've already done the hard work for you. We consulted with several barbecue experts, including BBQ specialist and recipe developer Nicole Johnson from Or Whatever You Do, former professional chef and recipe developer Dennis Littley from Ask Chef Dennis, and founder of Quiche My Grits, Debi Morgan, on some of the best side dishes for pairing with savory smoked brisket. While there are ways to tie back many of these recipes to the brisket using complementary flavor profiles and ingredients, all of these sides offer opportunities for customization and chances to add your own creative spin to them.

When you think of classic Southern sides, macaroni and cheese might be one that comes to mind almost immediately. And the pasta dish and brisket are simply a match made in heaven. "The creamy, cheesy sauce balances the smoky, rich flavor of the meat," explains former professional chef and recipe developer Dennis Littley. Littley mixes both Gruyére and sharp cheddar into his sauce, with a heavy hit of paprika, before baking it. Similarly, food blogger and recipe developer Debi Morgan uses Gouda, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese to offer her side dish a super creamy flavor that goes well with the brisket. 

Recipe developer Nicole Johnson recommends taking this side a step further and smoking it. She adds a cornflake crust to her variation of the recipe before tossing the entire thing into the smoker at 225 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes. Although it's an extra step, you'll be rewarded with an extra-tasty mac and cheese brimming with the same familiar smokey notes found in the brisket. 

Baked potatoes are a classic side dish pairing for hearty dinners, so there's no reason why the spuds wouldn't go equally as well with a hefty smoked brisket. Nicole Johnson recommends moving away from the ho-hum baked potato toppings, like butter, chives, and sour cream, and instead getting funky and creative. Instead of making plain baked potatoes, she takes things up a notch by pulling out her smoker and making loaded smoked taters. Not only do you get the hit of smoke from the potatoes, which are cooked on a pellet grill before being transferred to the smoker to finish off, but the toppings will also accentuate those unique aroma and flavor notes. She packs smoked bacon and caramelized onion butter onto her spuds. 

If you try to adapt this recipe to be cooked entirely outdoors — though you can cook them in the microwave or in the oven — you'll want to keep a keen eye on the temperature and doneness of your spuds. There's nothing worse than a spud that's overly hard or one that is so overcooked that it shrivels up, especially when paired with a succulent cut like brisket. 

Collard greens are a staple side that all Southern chefs should know how to make. And it's no surprise that the herbaceous, cruciferous, and slightly bitter flavor of this brassica pairs well with the succulent, smoky notes of the brisket. Plus, you can easily build a bridge between the smokiness of the brisket and the vegetal undertones of this side by integrating bacon into your collards recipe. Debi Morgan recommends cooking down the grits with the bacon itself to infuse it with flavor and also crumpling a little bit on the top for both texture and flavor. "Make a bed of collard greens and crumble brisket on top for a complete meal," she suggests. 

Dennis Littley cooks his collards down with smoked ham hock for added meatiness and flavor and adds a bit of apple cider vinegar for a bright punch of acidity. "A little hot sauce can also add a nice kick," he suggests. Morgan also uses hot sauce in her recipe, but notes that butter and garlic are two other secret ingredients that will make this a memorable side dish. 

You can't go to the South without trying grits, and nothing makes the duo better than bringing a little bit of cheese to the party. Debi Morgan notes that pairing grits, especially with cheese, is common for Southern barbecue — especially when brisket is involved. "Adding homemade pimento cheese makes them extra creamy and irresistible," she explains. For the uninitiated, pimento cheese is a hodgepodge of different ingredients, including cheddar cheese, cream cheese, bacon, mayonnaise, chives, spices, and, of course, pimento peppers. To make her recipe, Morgan adds her pimento cheese to the crock after the grits have finished cooking — and also throws on a spoonful before serving for good measure, too. Not only can you expect these grits to be extra creamy, thanks to the cream cheese and the mayonnaise, but you'll also get a more flavorful grits experience than eating them solo. 

Other ingredients to add for elevated grits include butter (preferably a high-fat kind that will yield a richer flavor) and whole milk. From there, you can customize your grits with add-ins that are well-suited to your palate. Regardless of what you select, just know the richness of this Southern side will make for a marvelous pairing with your succulent brisket. 

Cornbread — but make it tastier. On its lonesome, cornbread tends to lack much pizzazz besides the obvious, gritty consistency of the cornmeal. But when you start playing around with a hint of spice and add-ins like jalapeños, you'll have a side dish that's just as exciting as your main. As Dennis Littley notes, "Cornbread is a must-have with brisket." He shares that "The sweetness of the corn contrasts beautifully with the spice and smokiness of the brisket." It's easy to see how his suggestion of a few chopped-up green chiles and potentially a little bit of cheese could help take this side dish to the next level. 

The best part about cornbread is that there are so many boxed mixes out there, which means you can focus all of your energy on making your smoked brisket rather than tinkering with your oven and batter too much. Littley recommends serving your jalapeño-studded cornbread with a side of honey butter — for dipping or for schmearing. 

Whenever conversations emerge around what side dishes go well with a food, mashed potatoes always tend to pop up. And, we're not really mad about it. 

Nicole Johnson recommends keeping it simple when it comes to mashed potatoes and going with a garlic mash. Though, she adds a barbecue spin on the recipe by using smoked cream cheese and roasted garlic confit. After the spuds are boiled and mixed up with these tantalizing additions, she transfers the container into the smoker where it cooks until the top is perfectly golden brown. "[It's] perfect for a brisket bowl with barbecue sauce on top of everything," she explains.

Debi Morgan puts a spin on the classic mashed potato dish by making twice-baked mash. The potatoes are mixed with punchy flavors like bacon, green onions, and cheese before being tossed into a casserole dish and into the oven. While it might require a little more effort than just mashing up the spuds, it will render a homestyle side dish brimming with flavor.

Brisket can be a rather heavy meat. The flavor of it is complex; you'll get tons of umami and underlying sweet notes, along with the obvious savoriness that comes with smoking and the carefully curated spice rub adorning it. But what brisket is missing is a bit of acidity. And coleslaw is just one side dish that's there to offer it. 

Nicole Johnson loves pairing her brisket with a vinegar coleslaw. "It provides some welcome crunch and tang, and [I] pile it on top of a brisket sandwich with plenty of extra barbecue sauce on the meat," she explains. Debi Morgan recommends making a coleslaw with a bit of mayonnaise, presumably to offer a unique richness to complement the meat and "cool things down a bit." Her secret ingredient for coleslaw is celery seed, which she claims gives the dish "a little kick."

Coleslaw is a relatively easy side dish to modify based on the greens that you have in your fridge, as well as your preferred dressing of choice. You can boost the flavor of your coleslaw by trying your own homemade dressing or experimenting with uniquely textured ingredients like capers or sun-dried tomatoes.  

You've probably heard of potato salad before, but sweet potato salad might be a new one. The orange tubers will bring out the sweetness in the brisket, which makes the two an ideal pairing. 

The steps for making this salad are relatively simple, and if you've mastered a classic potato salad, you should have no problem making this easy swap. If you aren't a fan of the borderline mushy texture of sweet potatoes, you can always make the recipe with half baking potatoes (like russets), and the other half sweet potatoes. For a little bit of extra color, try seeking out purple sweet potatoes to add a bright, colorful contrast against the standard brown hue of your brisket. 

"I like to toss them in a tangy dressing made from Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, and a touch of honey," explains Dennis Littley. "Adding green onions and celery gives it a nice crunch and freshness."

There might not be a side dish out there as divisive as Brussels sprouts. Some people recoil when they see a bowl of them, but we would argue that if you don't like these cruciferous veggies, it may be because you just haven't had them prepared correctly. One way that Dennis Littley recommends making this dish more approachable is by bringing bacon to the party. "Brussels sprouts and bacon are a dynamic duo, and they shine alongside brisket," he claims. Littley first chars his sprouts until they're crisp and well-cooked before tossing them with bacon, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. "The bitterness of the sprouts and the salty bacon balance the richness of the brisket perfectly," he explains. Another ingredient that would pair well with the smokiness of the bacon and the brisket would be maple syrup, like in our maple roasted Brussels sprouts recipe. The best part about it is that it can be made on a sheet pan while your brisket cooks out back. 

If you want to better mesh the subtle sweetness of a well-smoked brisket with the slightly bitter sprouts, you may also consider an easy balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts recipe. The balsamic has both subtle sweet and savory qualities, making it a complex yet approachable pairing for both the sprouts and the brisket. 

Although baked beans may be considered a New England food, there's no reason you can't have some regional fusion when you combine it with classic Southern beef brisket. Dennis Littley's beans get a similar smoky profile to the brisket thanks to ingredients like brown sugar and bourbon. "The sweetness from the brown sugar and the depth from the bourbon make them a fantastic pairing with brisket," he notes. 

Debi Morgan pairs her brisket and beans with candied bacon, which is coated in a decadent brown sugar glaze. The sweetness from the barbecue sauce and apricot preserves she adds to the recipe really enhances the brisket and makes for a perfect bite filled with every flavor under the sun. 

Another way to really meld the brisket with this hearty side dish is to add whole pieces of brisket into the crock with the beans. The flavors, especially when accented with some spicy and complex ingredients like Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, and Dijon mustard, will take this dish to a new level and give you an extra avenue to use up your leftover brisket. 

Pickled red onions are an ingredient that is more versatile than you think. While regular red onions often hurt to eat (not to mention cause us to cry like a sad protagonist in a rom-com every time we cut them), pickled red onions have a much more subdued, slightly sweet flavor that makes them a pleasant, crunchy addition to sandwiches, salads, and more. Dennis Littley recommends eating pickled red onions alongside brisket. He explains that the allium is "a great, refreshing side that cuts through the richness of the brisket."

Making your own batch of pickled red onions is relatively simple, especially if you've experimented with classic pickled cucumbers before. Littley recommends submerging the sliced red onions in a solution of vinegar, sugar, and salt before topping them on your brisket. "They add a pop of color and a tangy crunch that's perfect for balancing heavier dishes," he shares. 

Once you have the standard recipe down, you can get creative and add complementary flavors to make this side dish a little more interesting. Fresh rosemary, garlic cloves, and more can help make certain flavor notes more prominent. You can also add more sugar (or honey) to give your onions a sweet edge that will complement the brisket even better. 

Although you may have never heard of corn pudding, all you need to know is that it's in the dictionary right next to "comfort food." 

"The best Southern cooks serve their brisket with creamy corn pudding," shares Debi Morgan. She goes on to explain that corn pudding is essentially made with sweet corn, straight off the cob, that's been blended down with seasoning, eggs, and cream. It's important to note that this pudding isn't technically a casserole because it gets the soufflé action thanks to the eggs. "The sweetness of the corn complements the smoky meat, while the creamy texture contrasts nicely," notes Dennis Littley. 

You don't have to just stick to making a basic corn pudding to serve with your brisket, either. Littley recommends adding both jalapeños for a little kick of spice, as well as a bit of cheddar cheese to make things extra ooey-gooey. If you're making brisket during the summer when fresh corn is abundant, stick to the classic recipe. But if you're doing some cold-weather smoking, when the corn crops have long gone past their peak, you can always use well-drained canned corn instead. 

Fried green tomatoes became a Southern staple thanks to Jewish immigrants, and now the dish has proliferated across the American South. Not only is this dish — which balances both elements of freshness and fried-ness quite well — the perfect summery accompaniment to your brisket, but it also gives you an opportunity to harvest those green tomatoes from your garden and make something entirely new (and delicious) out of them. 

"Their tart flavor with a dash of hot sauce makes a great accompaniment to any type of barbecue," explains Debi Morgan. Although the basic batter for this recipe is rather simple, consisting of only a dredge and breadcrumbs, you can always amp up the flavor with the help of herbs and spices. To ensure the best fry, Morgan coats her tomato slices in a thick layer of salt before cooking up the fruits. She uses black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne in her breading mix, but that's not to say you can't use the same spices as on your brisket to have a better connection between the two dishes. 

No cookout is complete without a tub of macaroni salad. The pasta dish is not only super easy to make at home, but it's also a great way to repurpose the extra, un-sauced noodles from dinner last night. Customize this recipe with whatever suits you and the extra ingredients in your fridge. Debi Morgan adds a pinch of sugar to her macaroni salad to highlight the sweetness, which will also be conveyed through the undertones of the smoked brisket. She chops up cucumber, tomato, red onion, and celery for a bit of crunch in every bite. 

What makes a creamy macaroni salad a great fit for brisket specifically? Well, you'll get the richness from the dressing, which is often made with thick mayonnaise, and in our recipe, sour cream. But, it also has the brightness and zestiness thanks to a splash of vinegar. Like brisket, macaroni salad is rather complex and easy to make uniquely your own.