BBQ Essentials in Every US State Like WA, OR, & CA For Labor Day

Planning the ultimate Labor Day BBQ in Washington (WA), Oregon (OR), or California (CA)? When it comes to favorites, you can’t go wrong with classics like grilled burgers and hot dogs. But if you’re looking to elevate your feast, West Coast foodies often opt for locally sourced seafood like salmon or Dungeness crab. My grandkids insist on Papa's Smoked Pork Butt to make some delicious Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Tacos.

Vegetarian options like grilled Portobello mushrooms or vegetable skewers are also big hits. And let’s not forget the quintessential BBQ sides: coleslaw, potato salad, and baked beans are always crowd-pleasers. No Labor Day BBQ would be complete without refreshing beverages, so consider serving up craft beers from local breweries or west-coast wines to toast the end of summer.

I was shocked to see a study presented by Mosquito Joes that had Washington, Oregon, and California picking very similar BBQ dishes for backyard feasts. Most surprising to me was the side dish, which was one I'd never served at a barbecue. See what you think.

To find out which BBQ dish was the most “essential” in each state, they compiled a list of typical BBQ meats, side dishes, desserts, and BBQ sauces that one would typically devour at a summertime backyard BBQ. They looked at a total of 53 keywords across the four categories on Google Trends for the summer of 2022 (Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend).