Barbecue

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BBQ Oven Baked Rib for Gloria

A long time ago I had to stop eating fatty foods they started to do a number on my stomach. A few things made me decide to go for it this year, 4th of July with Lyn asking what are we going to BBQ and Gloria who recently found my site and wanted to know if I had any good rib recipes.  To be truthful the last few times I made them I bought the precooked and just reheated, added my own sauce and there you had it quick and easy but I used to cook these and still had the how in my head.  Last year I won a contest with my pulled pork and root beer BBQ sauce so I still have it in me. Then Wholefoods had St. Louis Style ribs on sale and I grabbed a slab, gave it a rub down and let it sit in the frig until yesterday.  Cooking ribs are relatively easy just time consuming that being said there is a true art to cooking the perfect rib and I am still trying to master that I lift my smoker lid to all those that have satisfied my taste bud in my travels. I remember the road trip my brother and I took bringing Mom and Dad’s car down to Florida for them we had ribs all the way down each a different taste treat. I have to say there was a gap of eating ribs for me after that trip.

Ingredients

  • 1 Slab of St Louis style ribs about 2 lbs.
  • Rub – had a can of smoke house rub

How:

Remove the white membrane from the bone side of slab peeling it off with your hands (optional)

If you did not remove the membrane poke several holes in the bone side

Liberally apply the rub of your choice to all sides and give it a good rub, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours, I prefer 24+ in this case it was 48 hours.

apply the rub

I take two sheets of aluminum foil and join along the sides to make one large one, repeat and lay the 2nd on top.

Place the slab meat side down and fold the tinfoil to make an air tight package. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 225 to 250 for around 2 hours – until tender and the meat is pulling off the end of bones.

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Remove from oven, open foil and drain the liquid.

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Now brush BBQ sauce of your choice on all sides, you don’t need a lot.

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Here you can either turn heat up to 350 and cook for about 20-35 minutes or as I did move the slab to the cool side of the gas or gas grill and cook flipping once or twice for about 10-20 minutes

I cut the slab in half before the grilling, making it easier to flip and remove.

I was grilling some swordfish also and one of the apple smoke chip cans smoking away. (Drives the neighbors up wind crazy)

Remove cover loosely with aluminum foil and let sit for about 5 minutes, goes for the swordfish also.

Server up take a snap chat and send to you Mike and Laurel who were driving to Indiana enjoying rest stop food.

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Pork Carnitas in a Pita Pocket
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Pork Carnitas in a Pita Pocket

With the warm weather sneaking in everyone started to talk about ribs, pulled pork and the likes. I love pulled pork, saw this recipe and pinned it for another time. Well today my last day of vacation was that another time. I am so glad I did, I did to have any taco or tortillas but we did have some pita pockets worked just fine. I will warn you this is a slow cooking meal and the smell is like a brisket on a cold winter day it fills the air and it is hard to keep your stomach quiet.  I made the double mistake of doing some outside choirs then walking into the house.

 Ingredients

  • 4 pound boneless pork butt, fat trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 onion, peeled and halved
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 2 Tb fresh lime juice
  • 2 C water
  • 1 medium orange, juiced and keep the spent halves

ingredients

How

1.  Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat to 300 degrees.  Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven, including the spent orange halves and juice.  Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered.  Once it simmers, cover pot and transfer it to the oven.  Cook until the meat falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours.

cut into 2 inch chunks add all ingredients to dutch oven

2.  Remove the pot from the oven and turn on the broiler.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan and place it on a large foil-lined jelly roll pan.  Remove and discard everything from the pot except for the cooking liquid.  Place pot over high heat on the stove and boil until thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes.  You should have about 1 C of liquid remaining when it is finished.

simmer for about 2 hours break into 3 eaqual parts

3.  While the liquid is reducing, use two forks to pull each cube of pork into three equal sized pieces.

reduce to about 1 cup break into 3 eaqual parts

Once the liquid has become a syrup, gently fold in the pieces of pork into the pot.  Try not to break up the pork any further.

fold meat back into sauce

Taste and add additional salt and pepper.

4.  Spread the pork back onto the foil lined pan and evenly spread the meat around so there is a single layer of meat.  Place the jelly roll pan on the lower middle rack of the oven and broil until the top of the meat is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes.

remove from pot to cookie sheetUsing a wide metal spatula, flip the pieces of meat and broil the other side until well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes.  Serve immediately in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings.

Serve2

I intially thought it would be too dry but that was not an issue this was moist and tender no topping required.

Note: I squeezed some extra lime juice on it just before serving.

Balsamic BBQ Sauce
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Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 cup good quality balsamic vinegar – I used my 18 year old
  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. Trader Joe’s Dijon – for that extra kick
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

bbq-chicken-full

How:

Combine the first 8 ingredients together in a small saucepan, and stir until all ingredients are incorporated. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by 1/3, about 15-20 minutes.

Recipe based on Giada DeLaurentiis

Smoked Wilfork Tender Brisket
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Smoked Wilfork Tender Brisket

I am still on the fend for yourself diet and very much against my promise to Lyn to eat healthy I could not resist the temptation when at BJs and there it was as if it had my name on it a full brisket sitting in an open space in the meat counter all by itself. It was calling me. I told her that I needed it for a Patriots game day recipe and besides most of the fat will render off. She begrudgingly let me win the discussion not only because the fat content in this cut of meat is not healthy for me but I feel more that she knew the aroma that spreads through the neighborhood and the house will be driving us crazy all day. I don’t know about you but there is something about cooking any style of slow cook meal that is tortuous. Go out for a little while and when you come back and enter the house OMG. And I never use that terminology. Think of last Turkeyday when you enter the house and you will know what I mean.

Remember this was a spur of the moment thing so I basically winged it.

Ingredients

  • 1 whole brisket about 8 lbs.
  • Favorite homemade or store bought rub
  • A few large onions chopped
  • Liquid your choice water, beer, broth

 

 

 

How

Presoak some wood chips when ready place in smoking tray. IF you do not have one I use two sheet of aluminum foil make a pouch and put some holes in it. I have used a disposable tin foil tray not covered place on the flame.

I dragged a sharp knife across the beef not going very deep and made a diamond pattern on both sides.

Then I rubbed the beef with my rub, see pulled pork receipe. Wrapped and refrigerate for 1 hour, overnight is much better.

Preheat oven to 225-250 degrees

Place chopped onions and liquid (your choice I only had one beer left so I used broth) enough to cover bottom of roasting pan and cover. If your roasting pan does not have tight cover, cover with aluminum foil tightly. I cook at this temp for about 4 hours

Towards the end prepare your grill. – I have an old gas grill that is only front and back so I cover one side with aluminum foil, poke a few drip holes and replace the grates. On the open side I place the woodchip pouch I made while the grill is heating up to high.

Place the meat on grill fat side up, over the aluminum foil side to get as close to cooking with indirect heat as I could. Next year I swear I will buy a new grill. Cook for another 3-6 hours checking the internal temperature toward the 3 hour mark see below for end temp 180-185. I also would watch the temp of the grill remember with smoking low and slow is the trick. I would open the grill cover from time to time to drop the temperature down around 225 degree.

Whn you reach the correct internal temp place the meat directly over flame and about cook 10 minutes each side.

When done place on platter cover loosely and let sit for about 15-20 minutes. Trim the fat off by running knife under it and put aside there is a lot of great meat and burnt ends in there.

You should have most of the fat removed, now cut thin slices ACROSS the grain.

Serve with your favorite BBQ sauce, coleslaw, corn and beverages in my case only one beer.

With the flat fat piece you remove trim all the meat out and chop it mix with BBQ sauce and serve on buns.

Remember you have to have a lot of will power because it is tortuous smelling this cooking all day.

 

What do they mean by Fork tender

Barbecue experts with years of cooking experience say a brisket is done when it’s “fork tender”, meaning that a fork or a probe thermometer goes in and out of the meat with little resistance. The problem is that both a properly cooked brisket and an overcooked one will both be “fork tender”. For most folks like you and me, it’s best to rely on internal meat temperature to determine when a brisket is properly cooked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What most everyone does agree on is that a properly cooked slice of brisket should pull apart easily, while still maintaining good texture. Technically the meat is done at 160°F but continue on for more tender meat. An overcooked slice will fall apart when picked up. 188°F and 190°F seem to be the most popular target temps. When I barbecue a brisket entirely I cook to an internal temp of 185-190°F. In this temperature range, the flat will be fork-tender and the slices cut from the flat will hold together. Remember Slow and Low is the trick.

 

Coffee and Spice Rubbed Boneless Chicken Breast with BBQ Raspberry Sauce.
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Coffee and Spice Rubbed Boneless Chicken Breast with BBQ Raspberry Sauce.

We bought this Coffee and Spice rub at Williams and Sonoma outlet store and tried it on Steak and fish but it just couldn’t find the right fit. For some reason the combination of this with chicken did not appeal to me so I never went there, but my wife did the other night and we both enjoyed it very much. So yesterday after returning home from Wholefoods with some air chilled chicken breasts I grab one and rubbed it with the Coffee rub, wrapped it and left in frig overnight.   I decided that I would use some of the Raspberry BBQ sauce as a last minute glaze and the combo was very good. Juicy, Tender, Melt in our mouth. This got the two heads bobbing approval from Lyn and I.

Ingredients

  • 1 boneless Chicken breast
  • Coffee and spice rub
  • Raspberry BBQ sauce (I had left over from the Rib Eye steak in the frig)

How

Liberally rub the chicken breast with the coffee rub, wrap and refrigerate. I refrigerated overnight but I think at least 3 hours would work.

Preheat and prepare the grill, I like to rub some olive oil on the grates to help with sticking

Place chicken breast on grill and grill for 4-5 minutes flip and repeat.

Brush on raspberry sauce and grill sauce side down for 1 to 1.5 minutes

Brush on remaining sauce and flip cook about 1 minute.

Note: each grill is different so you will have to determine the length for doneness.

Remove from grill and left sit loosely covered with tin foil for 8 minutes.

Slice and serve.

Won a contest!
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Won a contest!

I have never entered a contest except with myself always trying to out do the time before if you know what I mean but I was told about this and said what the heck. And the Universe continues to rain on me, 4 dollar lottery winner, free desert and coffee last night at dinner and to return home to this. Hey it’s the small things in life that make it interesting.
Hi Steve,
I am very happy to announce that you have won my Barbecue Contest!
Let me tell you, your pulled pork kicks butt (no pun intended)!!!  And
I absolutely loved the root beer barbecue sauce.  It is so delicious
and kind of surprising too – I’ve used Coke in a marinade, but never
root beer as an ingredient.
So thank you so much for passing on that recipe.  I just need your
address and I can send you your gift certificate for $25 to Omaha
Steaks.  And we will be announcing your winning recipe in my latest
e-newsletter.
Deb

The winner is annoucement

www.homestarcuisine.com

Pulled-Pork with Vinegar-based and/or Root Beer BBQ Sauce recipe wins Home Star Cuisine BBQ Contest

 Steve Saver, of Milford, Massachusetts, took home the gold in Home Star Cuisine’s Ethnic and Family Barbecue recipe contest. His Pulled Pork with Vinegar-based and/or Root Beer BBQ sauce earned him a $25 gift certificate to Omaha Steaks.
The first and second runner-ups are Richard Radovsky, of Brockton, Massachusetts, and Jonathan Richmond. Radovsky submitted a recipe that originated in the Peruvian Andes, Steak Anticuchos. Richmond entered his Man O Man Barbecued Ribs. Both will also receive a $25 gift certificate to Omaha Steaks.

If you would like to try the winning recipe, go to the

Thanks to all who entered our BBQ contest………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Pulled Pork with Vinegar-Based and/or Root Beer BBQ SaucePulledPork
By Steve Saver,

Ingredients

3 tablespoons smoked paprika

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

2 tablespoons sea salt

1 5-pound pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt

12 hamburger buns or 24 slider size rolls for serving (we prefer whole wheat)

Directions

Mix the spices and salt together in a small bowl and then rub the spice blend over the pork. Cover with plastic wrap overnight in the refrigerator. If you are in a hurry, let stand for at least one hour.

Preparing the sauce – Vinegar-based or Root Beer

Two methods: Oven and Grill

Oven Method

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Put the pork in a roasting pan and bake, covered, until it’s falling apart and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170 degrees (about 6-7 hours). Keep in mind the pot you are using (my heavy cast iron pan can reach 250 degrees). Remove the pork from the oven and transfer to a large platter and let rest for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle (warm), use two forks to shred the pork. Put the shredded pork in a bowl, add barbecue sauce, and mix well to coat. To serve, place several ounces of pork on a hamburger bun and top with Spicy Slaw (see below).

Grill Method

Bring grill temperature up to high, then reduce to medium, looking to get temp between 180 to 250 degrees. Cook slow and low – I have a gas grill so I use indirect heat method.

Prepare as in Oven method. Place pork in disposable tin foil pan that has a couple of holes in bottom on the side without the heat. Grill, covered, until it’s falling apart and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170 degrees, about 6-7 hours. Turn once or twice during the cooking process. On the side with the heat, place your smoker tray. Optional: if you want you can wrap in tin foil and cook as above. This gives you moister meat but does not absorb the smoke.

Choices, choices, choices.

Why not both do meat for one hour unwrapped and then wrap and finish cooking (I like to experiment)?

Barbecue sauce (vinegar-based)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ cup hot water

1½ cups apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

In a small saucepan, stir the brown sugar into the hot water until completely dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on low heat for approximately 5 minutes.

OK I like to make double the sauce ½ for pouring over the pulled pork and the other on the side. But I know some don’t like a vinegar sauce so I always have a bottle on the side.  Maybe, don’t do the vinegar sauce and just use the bottle. It’s up to you and the preferences of your guests.

Root Beer BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups root beer

2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

6 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

6 tbsp. light brown sugar

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine remaining ingredients; mix well and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes until sauce is reduced by half.

Serve with coleslaw, chips and grilled corn.
Fire Roasted Smoked tomatoes – Soup, Salsa, Pizza
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Fire Roasted Smoked tomatoes – Soup, Salsa, Pizza

I love the smell of smoking chips I swear I would turn on the grill and smoke some chips, sit on the deck and take it in.  When smoking I imagine the neighborhood up wind of me being instantly jealous as they exit their houses taking in the sweat smell of hickory or mesquite chips drifting past their nose. Smoking is a relaxing hobby it means that the mood has shifted to low and slow sit back enjoy a beer and good company, occasionally  getting up to adjust a vent or add more coals and chips. Hours of kicking back and waiting.

The other day we made of first trip the Kelly’s for some native corn and they had Roma tomatoes by the box.  Instantly to the tune of what do you do with a drunken sailor, my mind started singing and thinking. SO an hour later I had my first batch of roasted tomato basil soup on the stove, a batch of cucumber, tomato basil salad in the fridge and some fire roasted smoked tomatoes on the grill, which led to salsa and jar of smoke tomatoes.

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. Roma tomatoes slice in half length wise.
  • ¼ Olive Oil
  • Finely chopped fresh rosemary, oregano and basil, salt and pepper
  • Soaked wood chips

How

Place the halved tomatoes in large bowl add the oil and herbs, salt and pepper, mix to coat. Place cut on aluminum foil covered BBQ tray

Place wood chips in smoking tray, supposable aluminum tray, or make tinfoil pouch

Put chips in BBQ and heat to high about 15 minutes the chips should be smoking

Place tray of tomatoes and grill about 35-45 minutes until you think are done.

Salsa

Combine chipped smoked tomato, 1 scullion, some chopped red bell pepper, pinch of hot red pepper flakes and some oil let flavors come together. You can add whatever you want to this basically what’s in the fridge.

Gluten free Smoked tomatoes, broccoli, spinach and goat cheese pizza.

Chop some tomatoes and spread on UDI’s gluten free pizza crust, place broccoli and spinach and top with globs of goat cheese. Heat at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

BBQ Masala Yogurt Marinated Butterflied Leg of Lamb
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BBQ Masala Yogurt Marinated Butterflied Leg of Lamb

I forget where we were but Lyn picked up the butterflied leg of lamb and said this would be just right. So in the carriage it went and a hunting through the cook books when we return I went. Something different was on my mind. I found this in the Food Network cookbook but they called for 5-6 lbs. and I had a 3 pounder so I cut the recipe below in half. I had no idea what Masala was but the ingredients look good to me.

They called for broiling but I used the grill.

BTW – Masala means “blend”. There are many different kinds of masala but the term refers is some combination of black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, cardamom, dried chilies, fennel, mace and nutmeg.

Ingredients

  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 1 – 3” piece of peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 tsps. ground turmeric
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 – 3” cinnamon1 bay leaf
  • 1 Tbsp. ground coriander plus 2 tsps.
  • 1 Tbsp. ground cumin, plus 1 tsp.
  • 1 tsp. curry powder
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • ½ medium onion
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk yogurt (We used lactose free “Green Valley” check it out)
  • Zest of one orange
  • 1 butterflied leg of lamb 5-6 lbs.
  • 3 tsps. kosher salt
  • Grilled Naan flat bread

How

Process garlic, turmeric, ginger and water to a paste in small food processor. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Ass the cinnamon and bay leaf and stir fry until the cinnamon unfurls, about 30 seconds. Add the garlic paste, coriander, cumin, curry powder and cayenne and stir-fry until browned and almost dry, about 1 minute. Scrape the mixture into a large shallow baking dish and cool slightly. Using the large holes in a box grater, grate the onion into the paste. Whisk in yogurt and orange zest.

Pierce the lamb all over with a fork. Cut the lamb in half following the natural seam that runs across the center of the meat. Put the lamb in the marinade and coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, tuning occasionally if possible.

About 45 minutes before cooking, take the lamb from the frig. Depending on your grill and prep to get ready work preheat the grill to high. I like to place a sheet of tin foil over the grill while heating up, this burns off anything that was left on leaving ashes, then I scrap let it heat back up to desired temp and then wipe with oil on a paper towel or cloth, using tongs, just before placing anything on the grill.

When ready place the lamb on the grill turn the heat to medium, season with 1\2 the salt and grill until just charred, about 15 minutes. Turn the lamb season with a rest of salt and grill until meat reaches 1300 for medium rare. Transfer to platter cover loosely with tin foil and let sit rest for about 10 minutes.

Slice the lamb across the grain salt and pepper to taste server with flat bread.

My first bite I thought was too much curry but the second bite gave me the real flavor and it was not only moist, tasty and tender but a very good choice for something different.

Another 2 heads bobbing approval from Lyn and Steve.

Other lamb recipes from Steve

Leftover Lamb Flatbread Pizza drizzled with Pomegranate Molasses

Roast Leg of Lamb with Lemon, Garlic, and Rosemary

Lamb Stew with Spring Veggies

Pulled Pork
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Pulled Pork

Nothing better than a pulled pork sandwich with your son. Say no more!!

 

Ingredients

  •  3 tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dry mustard
  • 2 tablespoons sea salt
  • 1 5-pound pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt
  • 12 hamburger buns or 24 slider size rolls, for serving we prefer whole wheat.

How

Mix the spices and salt together in a small bowl, then rub the spice blend over the pork, cover with plastic wrap overnight in the refrigerator. IF you are in a hurry at least let stand for 1 hour

Prepare the sauce see below.

Preheat the oven to 300 ◦. Put the pork in a roasting pan and bake, covered, until it’s falling apart and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170 degrees, about 6-7 hours. Keep in mind the pot you are using my heavy cast iron pan I do 250◦ Remove the pork from the oven and transfer to a large platter and let rest for 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle (warm), use two forks to shred the pork. Put the shredded pork in a bowl, add barbecue sauce, and mix well to coat. To serve, place several ounces of pork on a hamburger bun and top with Spicy Slaw (below).

           

 

Barbecue sauce

  •  2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • ½ cup hot water
  • 1½ cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

In a small saucepan, stir the brown sugar into the hot water until completely dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on low heat for approximately 5 minutes.

OK I like to make double the sauce ½ for pouring over the pulled pork and the other on the side. But I know some don’t like a vinegar sauce so I always have a bottle on the side.  Maybe, don’t do the vinegar sauce and just use the bottle. You know you and or your guest.

Serve with coleslaw, chips, oven fired fies.