The Famous BBQ Bacon Broccoli Salad

The Famous Bacon Broccoli Salad Recipe

The Famous Bacon Broccoli Salad Recipe

This is my "wow" go-to BBQ dish and it doesn't even go on the BBQ / grill. It sits next to whatever you have BBQed but everyone will remember this salad and it feels like people will forever be asking you if you are making this salad if you are attending or hosting a BBQ.

Seriously, I kid you not, this is the kind of dish to make you a local legend when it comes to BBQs.

This is a salad benefits from being made 24hrs before being served because the dressing uses a little chemistry magic to break down and pickle the broccoli lightly, changing it's texture to increase the crunch whilst making it softer to eat at the same time. It's some weird kind of magic that 'cell lysis' does in this recipe that makes it stand out in the salad world. When it comes to BBQing, making show-stopping side dishes is something I love doing because people who've not tried an exceptional side at a BBQ will be stopped in their tracks and come to experience BBQ in a completely different ... and I believe, more refined way.

Famous Bacon Broccoli Salad Ingredients

• 1000g of head of broccoli chopped into 1cm cubes
• 200g of smoked streaky bacon (cooked crispy & chopped up)
• 300g of shredded strong cheddar cheese
• 300g of diced celery
• 150g of diced red onion

Bacon Broccoli Salad Dressing 

• 100g of mayonnaise
• 50g of white wine vinegar
• 30 to 50g of sugar (depending on your taste)
• Black pepper

The dressing is rather heavy on sugar but it's works well to complement the saltiness of the bacon & cheddar in the recipe. You can always start with less sugar in the dressing and once it's mixed into the other ingredients and has worked it magic chemistry, taste it and add more sugar if you require.

Chop all the salad ingredients and place in mixing bowl or pot that will fit into your fridge. Mix the dressing ingredients in another dish, taste and add pepper / sugar to taste before pouring over the salad ingredients and leave overnight for the magic to happen.

Although this bacon broccoli salad recipe is already pretty damn amazing, I will sometimes at cashew nuts and cranberries if I'm looking to mix this up (and during the summer BBQ months, I am making this dish at least twice a month, so sometimes its fun to play around with it!)