</head>Barbecue food is the best food. Grilled meats, charred vegetables, salads that make liberal use of mayonnaise and questionable use of the word "salad." Plus, pie! Oh, the strawberry, blueberry, rhubarb, and cherry pie… But once the coals cool, then what? You're left with a heaping fridge full of grilled chicken, sausages, and more slaw than anyone should ever have on their person at one time. But don't despair! You're not relegated to eating it all cold, straight from Tupperware containers.
Bon Appétit digital food editor Dawn Perry has some ideas for giving your leftovers a bit of love. Taco-themed love, specifically. In fact, we believe that all leftovers are made better with the addition of taco shells. Here's your guide to taco-ifying all those cookout leftovers.
Leftover chicken is one of the most versatile barbecue leftovers you've got to work with, so embrace it. "The key with chicken is to keep it moist," says Perry. For that, fats are your friends; no one would be mad at you for melting a little cheese over shredded chicken; tacos and burritos make perfect sense here. But if you're going to go cheeseless, keep the meat cold or at room temperature, so it doesn't dry out. We like this recipe for grilled chicken tacos with cilantro, avocado, and radishes.
Everyone loves a good chicken salad, but to make it great, add a little oomph to your mayonnaise. Use a food processor or a whisk and make your own base mayo, or just doctor up your favorite store-bought variety with black pepper, lemon, and garlic.
And as anyone who's ever looked at a fast-casual restaurant menu knows, grilled chicken is something you can put on a salad. Try shredding it onto lettuces along with a lemony vinaigrette, or, for a full-on recipe, this chicken salad with grains and pistachios is at once a quick fix and a crowd pleaser.
Taco factor: Very high
Whatever you do, says Perry, "please don't reheat it." Just a few seemingly innocent minutes in a hot oven can turn a perfectly pink, medium-rare steak into a chewy, gray strip of leather. Instead, Perry suggests slicing it thinly on the bias and tossing it with raw greens and shavings of nutty, aged cheese, like Parmesan. Parsley would also be a great salad stand-in. Not digging on leafy greens? "Tacos," says Perry. "You can always make tacos. A burrito wouldn't be as good."
Taco factor: Quite high
Here's where you have a little more wiggle room with the art of the reheat. Think breakfast with this one: Sure, you can chop up leftover sausage and add it to an egg scramble, omelet, or frittata, but if you want to get creative, slice a full link in half lengthwise and crisp it, cut side-down, in a pan. It's lovely on a salad or eaten with fried eggs and toast.
Taco factor: Decent, but there are better choices you could make.
You're going to want to embrace leftover hot dogs for what they are—leftover hot dogs. (P.S., we're sorry that you have leftover hot dogs.) Go for franks and beans or hot dogs with macaroni and cheese. These would be borderline okay in a taco.
Taco factor: It's your life; do what you want.
Leftover grilled vegetables straight from the fridge aren't totally appealing. "Their texture is just not…great," says Perry (we say "slimy"). One of the most classic leftover veggie treatments is in a sandwich, so if you're going to go that route, at least warm them from their refrigerator chill. Plus, Perry once again vouches for the importance of melted cheese: it helps bind a veggie panini, for example. You can also make a frittata with leftover vegetables, but if you're going to put them in a raw salad, make sure you chop them into bite-size pieces. Perry explains why: "Nobody wants to dig into a salad and come up with a whole soggy spear of asparagus on their fork." Indeed. "Nuts," she adds, "are awesome with grilled veggies, too."
Taco factor: Medium-high; make sure to heat your veggies, and chop them for easier bites.
At our barbecue, we're all about heaping spoonfuls of slaw onto our plates and letting it cozy up next to our smoked pork shoulder, but when it comes to leftovers, let's make things a little special, shall we? "Leftover slaw really wants to go on a sandwich," says Perry. Like, say, this Fried Chicken Sandwich. Or maybe on a taco?
Taco factor: Pleasantly high, depending on the flavors of your slaw (cumin=good)
Here's one where we really encourage you to just keep things straight. Potato salad just wants to be potato salad, in all of its mayonnaise-y goodness, so just eat it straight from the fridge.
Taco factor: No
It's a fact: Leftover holiday desserts make the absolute best breakfasts—especially, says Perry, when it comes to pie. You can warm it up if you'd like, but really, the charm is all in the slightly congealed, sticky-sweet fruit filling. We'll take ours with whipped cream, please.
Taco factor: If you consider pie to be a fruit taco, then YES