There are mornings when a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast simply is not going to get the job done. Sometimes you want a breakfast that is hot, hearty, smoky, cheesy, and packed with enough flavor to make you look forward to getting out of bed.

That is exactly what this BBQ Breakfast Skillet delivers.

Imagine crispy golden potatoes covered with smoky bacon, savory breakfast sausage, tender peppers and onions, melted cheddar cheese, eggs, and a drizzle of your favorite barbecue sauce. Everything comes together in one skillet for a breakfast that combines classic country-style comfort food with the bold flavors of a backyard barbecue.

This is not a light little breakfast.

It is the kind of meal you make on a Saturday morning when you have time to sit down and enjoy breakfast. It is perfect for feeding the family, serving at brunch, making before a busy day, or turning leftover barbecue into something completely different the next morning.

Best of all, the recipe is incredibly flexible. You can make it exactly as written or load it up with pulled pork, brisket, chicken, jalapeños, extra cheese, or whatever else you happen to have waiting in the refrigerator.

If you love big breakfasts and barbecue, today’s Breakfast of the Day brings the two together in one seriously satisfying skillet.

Why a BBQ Breakfast Skillet Works So Well

Breakfast skillets are already one of the easiest ways to combine several breakfast favorites into one meal.

You get potatoes.

You get eggs.

You get meat.

You get vegetables.

And, of course, you get plenty of melted cheese.

Adding barbecue sauce takes those familiar breakfast ingredients in a completely different direction.

The sweetness, smokiness, and tanginess of barbecue sauce pair particularly well with sausage, bacon, potatoes, onions, and cheddar cheese. Instead of tasting like an ordinary breakfast skillet, every bite has a little bit of backyard barbecue flavor.

The potatoes soak up some of the sauce while remaining crispy around the edges, and the melted cheese helps bring everything together.

Then you break into one of the eggs and let the warm yolk run into the potatoes and meat.

That is when this breakfast really comes together.

BBQ Breakfast Skillet

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30–35 minutes
Total Time: About 50 minutes
Servings: 4–6

Ingredients

• 1 pound baby potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 8 ounces breakfast sausage
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, if needed
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, plus additional sauce for serving
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 4–6 large eggs
• 2 green onions, sliced
• Chopped fresh parsley, optional
• Sliced jalapeños, optional

How to Make the BBQ Breakfast Skillet

Step 1: Cook the Bacon

Place a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat.

Add the chopped bacon and cook until it becomes brown and crispy.

Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, but leave a little of the bacon grease in the skillet.

That bacon grease is going to add tremendous flavor to the potatoes.

Step 2: Brown the Sausage

Add the breakfast sausage to the same skillet.

Break it into small pieces with a spatula and cook until completely browned.

Remove the sausage from the skillet and place it alongside the bacon.

You should now have the foundation of a seriously good breakfast.

Step 3: Crisp the Potatoes

Add the diced potatoes to the skillet.

If there is not enough bacon grease remaining, add about a tablespoon of olive oil.

Season the potatoes with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.

Cook for approximately 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

You want the potatoes tender on the inside while developing crispy golden edges on the outside.

Try not to constantly stir them. Giving the potatoes a few uninterrupted minutes against the hot skillet allows that beautiful crust to develop.

Step 4: Add the Vegetables

Once the potatoes are nearly tender, add the diced onion and bell peppers.

Cook for another 5–7 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the minced garlic during the final minute.

Your kitchen should smell pretty incredible by now.

Step 5: Bring Back the Meat

Return the cooked sausage and bacon to the skillet.

Stir everything together.

Pour approximately 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce over the mixture and gently toss until the potatoes, vegetables, sausage, and bacon are lightly coated.

Do not completely drown the skillet in barbecue sauce.

You want enough sauce to add smoky-sweet flavor without overpowering everything else.

You can always add more at the table.

Time for the Cheese

Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese evenly across the skillet.

Cheddar is an excellent choice because its sharpness balances the sweetness of barbecue sauce.

You can also use pepper jack, Monterey Jack, smoked gouda, Colby Jack, or a combination of cheeses.

Allow the cheese to begin melting into all those potatoes and pieces of sausage.

Now comes the final breakfast essential.

The eggs.

Add the Eggs

Use the back of a spoon to create four to six small wells in the skillet mixture.

Crack one egg into each well.

Season the eggs lightly with salt and pepper.

Transfer the oven-safe skillet to an oven preheated to 375°F.

Bake for approximately 8–12 minutes, depending on how you prefer your eggs.

For runnier yolks, remove the skillet sooner.

For completely cooked yolks, leave it in a little longer.

Keep an eye on the eggs because they can go from soft to completely set relatively quickly.

Finish and Serve

Carefully remove the skillet from the oven.

Remember that the skillet handle will be extremely hot.

Sprinkle sliced green onions over the top and add chopped parsley if desired.

For anyone who enjoys a little heat, scatter some sliced jalapeños across the skillet.

Finish everything with a light drizzle of additional barbecue sauce.

Then bring the skillet directly to the table.

It looks impressive, smells incredible, and everyone gets to scoop out their favorite combination of crispy potatoes, sausage, bacon, cheese, vegetables, barbecue sauce, and eggs.

Take It to Another Level With Pulled Pork

Want to make this breakfast even more barbecue-inspired?

Add leftover pulled pork.

It might sound unusual to anyone who has never eaten barbecue for breakfast, but pulled pork and eggs work incredibly well together.

Reduce the breakfast sausage slightly and add about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of cooked pulled pork when you return the bacon to the skillet.

You can even skip the sausage completely.

Pulled pork, potatoes, eggs, cheddar, onions, and barbecue sauce make an outstanding breakfast combination.

Try It With Leftover Brisket

If you happen to have leftover brisket from dinner, you may have the ingredients for an even better breakfast the next morning.

Dice the brisket into bite-sized pieces and add it toward the end of cooking.

You do not want to cook brisket for another 20 minutes because it can dry out. You are simply trying to warm it through.

Brisket adds a deep smoky beef flavor that transforms this skillet into something that could easily be served at a barbecue restaurant.

Other BBQ Meats You Can Use

One of the best things about this recipe is how easily you can change it.

Instead of sausage and bacon, try:

Smoked chicken: Chop leftover smoked chicken and add it during the final few minutes.

BBQ chicken: Leftover barbecue chicken works especially well with cheddar cheese and potatoes.

Pulled pork: One of the best choices for a true barbecue breakfast.

Brisket: Perfect when you want something especially hearty.

Smoked sausage: Slice it into rounds and brown them before adding the potatoes.

Ham: Diced smoked ham gives you a slightly more traditional breakfast flavor while still pairing beautifully with barbecue sauce.

You can even combine several meats if you are feeding a hungry crowd.

Make It Spicy

If you prefer breakfast with some heat, there are plenty of ways to turn up the temperature.

Add diced jalapeños with the bell peppers.

Use pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar.

Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the potatoes.

Drizzle hot sauce over the finished skillet.

Or use a spicy barbecue sauce.

You can also add sliced pickled jalapeños right before serving. Their acidity cuts through the richness of the cheese, eggs, and meat surprisingly well.

Choosing the Right BBQ Sauce

The barbecue sauce can dramatically change the final flavor.

A sweet barbecue sauce gives the skillet a richer, sweeter flavor that works beautifully with bacon.

A smoky barbecue sauce reinforces the grilled flavor of the sausage and potatoes.

A spicy barbecue sauce provides some heat without requiring additional peppers.

A tangy vinegar-based sauce keeps the skillet from becoming too rich.

A honey barbecue sauce works especially well if you enjoy the combination of sweet and savory breakfast foods.

Use whatever barbecue sauce you already love.

That is usually the best choice.

Don’t Forget the Crispy Potatoes

The potatoes may not receive as much attention as the bacon, sausage, eggs, and cheese, but they are one of the most important parts of this breakfast.

The goal is crispy outside and fluffy inside.

Cutting your potatoes into relatively small, evenly sized pieces helps them cook at roughly the same speed.

Another important trick is avoiding an overcrowded skillet.

When potatoes are packed too tightly together, they tend to steam rather than brown.

A large cast-iron skillet works particularly well because it holds heat and helps develop those crispy edges.

What to Serve With a BBQ Breakfast Skillet

This skillet can easily be an entire breakfast by itself, but you can turn it into a larger brunch spread.

Serve it with warm biscuits and butter.

Add toast or English muffins for soaking up the egg yolks.

Fresh fruit provides a refreshing contrast to the heavier skillet.

You could also serve pancakes or waffles alongside it if you want the ultimate weekend breakfast.

And don’t underestimate the combination of barbecue and biscuits.

Scoop some of the skillet onto a warm biscuit, add a little barbecue sauce, and you basically have a BBQ breakfast sandwich.

Turn It Into Breakfast Burritos

Have leftovers?

They may be even better the next morning.

Warm the skillet mixture and spoon it into large flour tortillas.

Add additional scrambled eggs if needed, sprinkle in some cheese, drizzle with barbecue sauce, and roll everything into burritos.

You can also add avocado, salsa, jalapeños, or sour cream.

Wrap the burritos individually for an easy grab-and-go breakfast.

Make It Your Own

Recipes like this should be treated as a starting point rather than a strict set of rules.

Have mushrooms in the refrigerator?

Throw them in.

Have leftover corn from last night’s barbecue?

Add it.

Want extra onions?

Go for it.

Prefer hash browns instead of diced potatoes?

That works too.

Want twice the cheese?

Nobody is going to stop you.

Some of the best skillet meals come from looking through the refrigerator and figuring out how to turn what you already have into breakfast.

Perfect for a Weekend Morning

There is something different about weekend breakfast.

During the week, breakfast is often about convenience. You grab something quickly, pour another cup of coffee, and get moving.

Weekend breakfast can be something you actually slow down and enjoy.

The sound of bacon sizzling.

Potatoes browning in a cast-iron skillet.

Coffee brewing.

Eggs cooking.

Cheese melting.

Barbecue sauce warming against smoky sausage and crispy potatoes.

Those simple things can turn an ordinary morning into something worth remembering.

You do not need a special occasion.

Sometimes making a big breakfast is the occasion.

Breakfast of the Day

Today’s BBQ Breakfast Skillet is everything a hearty breakfast should be: warm, filling, comforting, customizable, and packed with flavor.

You have crispy potatoes on the bottom, smoky bacon and sausage throughout, peppers and onions for extra flavor, barbecue sauce bringing everything together, plenty of melted cheddar cheese, and eggs cooked right on top.

Make the classic version or raid the refrigerator for leftover pulled pork, brisket, smoked chicken, or whatever else you have available.

Put the skillet in the middle of the table, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and let everyone dig in.

Because sometimes breakfast does not need to be complicated.

It just needs to be big, hot, cheesy, smoky, and delicious.

What would you add to your BBQ Breakfast Skillet—bacon and sausage, pulled pork, brisket, smoked chicken, or a combination of everything?