City Barbecue Banana Pudding Is Easy To Achieve At Home, According To Employees On Reddit

Those dedicated to recreating signature dishes from their favorite chain restaurants can usually count on finding several copycat recipes online, but it is rarer to find one that comes straight from the source. Fortunately for fans of City Barbecue, it appears an erstwhile employee of the Ohio-founded chain has revealed the secrets behind its acclaimed banana pudding on Reddit. Now, those who love this classic and comforting Southern dessert can achieve a worthy imitation at home.

A post on the subreddit r/TopSecretRecipes pleads, "I would give my left pinkie toe for the recipe for City BBQ's Banana Pudding (or a decent dupe)." This prompted another Redditor identified as a former City Barbecue worker, to claim they used to make the pudding daily. According to the recipe outlined, it comprises vanilla pudding powder mixed with milk, with chopped bananas and Nilla wafers incorporated into the mix. The user noted that for the crumble, City Barbecue crushes then bakes the wafers with a mixture of butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Finally, the chain's dessert is topped with Smucker's Caramel Sundae Sauce and whipped cream. However, a subsequent reply from another user, who also claimed to have worked as a City Barbecue prep cook, added they were "98% sure" the cream should be a mix of heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar.

While the recipe posted on Reddit provides the basic ingredients and some idea of City Barbecue's method, there are a few things it leaves out. Though it is not revealed what brand of pudding powder City Barbecue employs, it is hard to go wrong with the iconic Jell-O instant pudding mix, which is favored by banana pudding experts from Aretha Franklin to New York's Magnolia Bakery, and to many is synonymous with the dessert.

As the recipe does not provide measurements, you may wish to consult our recipe for a classic banana pudding and adapt it accordingly. For the Nilla wafer crumble, simply smash some wafers up with a little sugar and melted butter, plus a sprinkle of cinnamon, then bake in the oven for around 10-15 minutes until golden and a little bit crunchy. The beauty of this is you can use as much or as little as you please.

While revelations like the one found of Reddit will be of great utility to those chasing the most authentic recreation possible, one of the many wonderful things about this Southern staple is how adaptable it is. If you're interested in ways to upgrade your banana pudding, consider swapping the wafers for vanilla pound cake, adding cream cheese or sweetened condensed milk for extra richness, spiking it with a little bourbon or rum, or even flambéing your fruit a la bananas Foster.