When most people think of the Char-Broil Big Easy, they picture the big show-stoppers: a perfectly browned Thanksgiving turkey, a juicy whole chicken with crispy skin, or a pork roast that just falls apart. And yes, it absolutely crushes all of that. That’s what I bought mine for years ago and it’s still what it’s famous for.
But after cooking on my Big Easy for over a decade now here at Life’s A Tomato, I can tell you this with total confidence: Don’t sleep on the side dishes. In fact, some of my family’s most-requested recipes from the Big Easy aren’t the mains at all — they’re the sides that come out of that oil-less fryer.
The Do-Everything Cooker
The Char-Broil Big Easy is basically a super-hot, infrared, oil-less roaster, and that design makes it an absolute weapon for side dishes. It roasts, bakes, crisps, and caramelizes without heating up your entire kitchen, without a ton of added oil, and with almost zero babysitting. You just load up your cooking basket or a small pan, lower it in, close the lid, and let that TRU-Infrared heat do its magic.
That’s a game-changer, especially in the summer here in the Midwest. I don’t have to crank my indoor oven to 400 degrees and heat up the whole house just to get crispy Roasted Garlic Parmesan Potatoes or sweet, caramelized Roasted Carrots. I can do fresh corn on the cob, Twice-Baked Potatoes loaded with cheese, and even crispy French Fries from frozen right outside on the patio, right alongside whatever main I’m cooking.
Accessorize!
It’s also way more versatile than people realize once you add a couple of inexpensive accessories. I use those disposable mini meatloaf pans for almost all of my saucy sides like my Pimento Cheese Scalloped Potatoes and my Spicy Barbecue-and-Bacon Baked Beans — they fit perfectly in the standard basket and make cleanup a breeze. If I’m cooking for a crowd, I break out the Bunk Bed baskets so I can stack two or three different sides at once and time everything to finish right when the main course is ready.
Over the years I’ve made dozens and dozens of side dishes in the Big Easy, from smoky Apple Pie Baked Beans to herby Roasted Mushrooms, crispy golden Hash Brown Patties, tender Roasted Cauliflower with just a hint of bacon smokiness, and spicy Cajun Corn on the Cob. What follows are the tried-and-true winners — the recipes my family asks for again and again.
So if you’ve only been using your Big Easy for the turkey or the chicken, it’s time to let the side dishes have their moment. Here are my all-time favorite Big Easy side dish recipes that prove this cooker really can do just about everything.
The List
- Expands the cooking space of The Big Easy
- Perfect for cooking two chickens at once
