🍖🔥 … Which One Are You Choosing?

Look at this plate. Seriously. Which item would you sacrifice? 😱

There’s smoked meat, crispy fries, creamy sides, sausage, and plenty of barbecue sauce. It’s the kind of platter that makes choosing just one item feel almost impossible.

But if you absolutely had to remove ONE thing, what would it be?

👀 Your choices:

A — Macaroni Salad
Creamy, cold, and slightly sweet, macaroni salad is a classic barbecue side. Some people love the contrast it provides next to smoky meats, while others think it has no place on a loaded BBQ tray.

B — Fried Chicken 🍗
Golden, crispy, and juicy, fried chicken brings a completely different style of comfort food to the platter. But does it belong on a plate already packed with smoked meats?

C — French Fries 🍟
Crispy fries are hard to hate, but they’re arguably the easiest item on this plate to replace. Would you really miss them when there is this much barbecue waiting underneath?

D — Coleslaw 🥬
Creamy, crunchy, and refreshing, coleslaw brings some much-needed contrast to rich smoked meats. Coleslaw is a particularly common BBQ pairing because its crunch and acidity can balance heavier foods. (exploringbbq.com)

E — Smoked Chicken 🍗
Tender smoked chicken brings a milder flavor compared with some of the richer meats on the tray. Would you keep it, or is it the first meat you’d sacrifice?

F — Brisket 🥩
Now we’re getting serious. Brisket is one of the defining stars of a barbecue platter, prized for its smoky bark, tender texture, and rich flavor. For many BBQ lovers, removing the brisket would be completely unacceptable. Brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and sausage are among the classic meats found on mixed BBQ platters. (Tasting Table)

G — Pulled Pork 🐷
Tender, smoky, and falling apart into juicy strands, pulled pork is another BBQ favorite. It also pairs beautifully with slaw, which gives the rich pork a fresh, crunchy contrast. (exploringbbq.com)

H — Smoked Sausage 🌭
Smoky, savory, juicy, and packed with flavor. Sausage is a staple on many BBQ combination plates and brings a completely different texture from brisket and pulled pork. (Find Real BBQ)

🤔 So Which One Would I Remove?

If I had to choose one, I’d probably remove C — the French fries.

Not because fries aren’t delicious! 🍟 They’re fantastic.

But this plate already has so much going on. The smoked meats are the stars, while the coleslaw and creamy side provide contrast. Fries are the item I’d personally miss the least.

And that’s what makes this question fun: there really isn’t a wrong answer.

Some people will immediately say:

“BRISKET?! Absolutely NOT!” 😂

Others will say:

“Take the coleslaw. I don’t need it.”

And someone out there is definitely looking at this plate thinking:

“Why would I remove anything? I’ll just eat it all!” 😆

🍖 Why BBQ Plates Are So Hard to Choose From

A great barbecue platter isn’t just about piling meat onto a tray. The sides can provide cooling, crunch, acidity, creaminess, or a change in texture that keeps the meal from becoming monotonous. BBQ pairing guides commonly recommend using sides to balance the richness of brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and sausage. (exploringbbq.com)

That’s why removing one item can actually change the entire plate.

Take away the coleslaw, and you lose some freshness and crunch.

Take away the fries, and you lose the crispy element.

Take away the brisket, and you’ve removed one of the biggest stars.

Take away the sausage, and you’ve lost that smoky, savory bite.

Take away the pulled pork, and you’ve lost that tender, shredded texture.

Take away the fried chicken, and suddenly the platter becomes much more traditional BBQ-focused.

And if you remove the macaroni salad, some people will celebrate while others will immediately ask, “Who took my mac salad?” 😂

🏆 My BBQ Plate Ranking

If I had to rank the items based purely on how difficult they would be for me to remove:

🥇 Brisket — staying
🥈 Pulled pork — staying
🥉 Smoked sausage — staying
4️⃣ Coleslaw — probably staying
5️⃣ Smoked chicken
6️⃣ Fried chicken
7️⃣ Macaroni salad
8️⃣ French fries — sorry, C! 😂

But everyone’s perfect BBQ plate is different.

Regional barbecue traditions also vary enormously, so what counts as an essential can depend on where you grew up and what kind of BBQ you love. (aarp.org)

🔥 YOUR TURN!

You can only keep 7 items. ONE has to go.

Which one are you removing?

A — Macaroni Salad
B — Fried Chicken
C — French Fries
D — Coleslaw
E — Smoked Chicken
F — Brisket
G — Pulled Pork
H — Smoked Sausage

👇 Drop your letter in the comments!

And no judging… unless you remove the brisket. Then we might have to talk. 😂🥩🔥