Showing posts with label Barbecue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barbecue. Show all posts

6/30/2022

BBQ Pork Tenderloin with Romaine and Red Cabbage Slaw

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Are you looking for an easy, no-fuss meal that has all of the flavors of a summer bbq without slaving over the grill?? This recipe will be your answer.

Tender pork tenderloin cooked to perfection on the stove top with a side of crisp and crunchy slaw is perfect for a weeknight dinner or part of a weekend menu for entertaining (recipe can easily be doubled). It is also an excellent summer meal for those of you who might not have access to a grill.
 
Barbecue sauce is the highlight ingredient for the sauce and dressing.  I like to use my Western Carolina Tomato-Based Sauce, but you can use whatever bbq sauce your taste buds prefer.  Since the original recipe used cilantro in the slaw, I like to kick up the barbecue flavor with some chipotle in adobe.  It's optional of course, but it's really, really good! (See my tip HERE about how to store leftover chipotle peppers and adobe sauce.) I also add a bit of mayo for a creamier dressing and I add some chopped scallions to complete the flavor profile for the salad.

If you do decide to make this for entraining a crowd, might I recommend my Mango Guacamole as an appetizer and for dessert...stay tuned.

12/01/2021

Turkey and Cranberry Barbecue Pizza

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How many of you still have leftovers lurking in your refrigerator? Even after leftover plates, sandwiches (turkey, cranberry, and mayo with a pinch of salt on a homemade roll is my all time favorite!) and gumbo on Sunday, I still have just a wee-bit of turkey and cranberry sauce to put to good use.  

I found this recipe last year, but I didn't try it because I was, sadly, out of my barbecue sauce (how that is even possible, I don't know).  Thankfully, I booked marked it and the culinary stars were aligned this year.  If you follow me on FB, you'll know that I made a hickory smoked pulled pork poutine. With that said, I thankfully had some of my barbecue sauce on hand. 🤩 

I like to use my homemade pizza dough   my leftover whole berry cranberry sauce and my tomato-based barbecue sauce, but of course, you can use any good quality store bought ingredients.  Chihuahua cheese excellent for its flavor and melting properties, but Monterey Jack would be a nice substitute. I used only breast meat on my pie, but if you prefer the dark meat of the thigh, then go for it. Red onion and cilantro add a nice fresh flavor, but the real kick to this recipe is the thinly sliced jalapeño. If you are sensitive to anything on the Scoville scale, I would just omit it.  But, you might want to give it just a little taste test first.  Sometimes they can be as mild as a green bell pepper and others, well, they can be 🔥. If you can handle a little heat, but not too much, then I would removing the seeds and ribs of the pepper and chopping it into a fine dice. If you are on board with a little zap to the taste buds and maybe a little nose run, then go for the whole slices! 

It seems like it is an odd combination of flavors, but it gets an even two thumbs up 👍👍 in our house. 

6/13/2014

Barbecued Pulled Chicken

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Well, I found my blogging britches...sort of.  But they are in dire need of some cleaning and repairs.  Actually, I could use a fresh new pair for a new look, but I'll have to make do for now.  One would think with summer vacation underway, I would have more time to blog.  Not!  Twice this week I had intentions to write this post, but instead I was busy with, "Mom, what are we going to do today?" and "Mom, can we paint my room?" and "Mom, we need new clothes" and "Mom, can we brush the dogs' teeth?"(--say what? Yeah, we have two dogs).  Not to mention driving to and from friends' houses and soccer practice (yep, still going) around a town where it seems that every other street is either blocked or closed due to construction and a weekend festival going on (grrr--sorry for the venting)!  And it probably didn't help that any free time that I did have it was spent with my nose in a book-- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is a twisted good read.

Anyway, here I am sharing a recipe because I need to, I want to, and because it is really darn good!  You know that I am a big fan of smoked meats.  But sometimes that whole process of smoking can be quite labor intensive (which is why I usually make it in large batches and freeze it).  However, this recipe is not.  Tender, dark chicken leg quarter meat is smoked with wood chunks instead of logs.  The whole cooking process takes about an hour, unlike the 9 to 11 hours that other smoked meats can take.  Bonus for a weeknight dinner or when you just want to enjoy all the outdoor weekend festivities.  Pile up the finished product on some good homemade or bakery buns and serve with some creamy coleslaw, a few chips or even some sweet summer corn-on-the-cob.  This is a meal fit for a king-- the king of the house for Father's Day that is!

3/09/2014

Sunday Dinner

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Brunswick Stew

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cheesecake


Dream with me for a moment... A warm and sunny summer day, sitting in the backyard, sipping a cold beverage, and tending fire to my grill.  The image almost brings a tear to my eye.  Or maybe that tear is because I am using up the last of my hickory smoked pulled pork from the freezer.  Or maybe it's because I know I won't be smoking any meat anytime soon because my grill is still covered in several feet of snow!  Yeah... the latter is the tear jerker.

The only thing that can make me feel better at this point is a Sunday dinner that is reminiscent of summer barbecues and flavors.  Cue the southern classic-- Brunswick Stew.  It is a thick vegetable stew with various meats.  It is more commonly served as a side dish, but with all those veggies and meats, I like serve it as a main dish.  The meats can range anywhere from chicken to squirrel.  I'm not quite so sure about the squirrel, but I do use chicken and I raided my freezer for the last of the pork.  As far as the vegetables, I use the traditional tomatoes, lima beans, and corn.   What really makes this recipe stand out is the addition of hickory barbecue sauce to the base.  It makes it very rich in flavor and helps thicken the sauce.  Season with some good hot sauce to taste and keep dreaming of those warm summer days with every bite.

7/20/2012

Barbecue Chicken Kebabs with Bacon Rub

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I have never been a fan of meat and vegetable kebabs.  Not because I don't like the meat or veggies, but because the vegetables aren't cooked to my liking by the time the meat is done.  If I get just meat or just veggies on one skewer, I am all in, especially when bacon and barbecue sauce are involved ☺.  

This is a great recipe that can easily be doubled or even tripled (I did this recently for a family gathering) to feed a hungry crowd.  You can use breast meat, thigh meat or both, as I do in my house to cater to everyone's oh so delicate palette.

Normally I put the smoke flavor in my barbecue sauce, but in this recipe that great smoky flavor comes from the bacon in the rub.  How do you get the bacon in the rub, you ask?  It is pureed in the food processor until it forms a paste.  Mmm... bacon paste (said in my best Homer Simpson voice). Mix it with some sweet and smoky spices and massage it into the chicken.  It is messy and you might think that it is never going to combine, but keep at it or hand it over to the kids and let them have at it.


These make an excellent meal when paired with the zucchini slaw. Leftovers make for a yummy barbecue chicken sandwich.

6/21/2012

Hickory Smoked Beef Brisket

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Have you ever wanted to start a grill in the morning?  Do you ever think or say "Yeah, I find the idea of devoting most of a day to tending to hickory logs and smelling like smoke appealing"?  Smoking your own beef brisket is not a choice.  It is a lifestyle, at least for a day.  Oh, but is it ever rewarding.  Having a man in your life who likes to tend fire and have a few beers in the sun helps, too☺.  The resulting meat is why God created fire, meat, and our taste buds.  Seriously, look at that smoke ring!

If you are still reading, chances are that you might want to attempt this sort of undertaking.  Even if you are not sure that you are ready or willing to take on the task, you can read on for the rub and/or sauce recipes.  The sauce is great on a burger or chicken, so get on with your bad self and make your own sauce.  I'm telling you-- making your own sauce has its own magic.   

8/02/2011

Grilled Pork Chops with a Blackberry-Wine Barbecue Sauce

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With summer berries at their peak and the weather perfect for grilling, I wanted to share a unique and delicious recipe that uses both. (Wonder Twins Power activate! In the shape of-- Berries! In the form of Grilling Weather! Can you tell what I watched on Saturday mornings as a kid?!) Initially one might think this would be an odd combination, but berries, barbecue sauce, and pork really compliment one another. The chops are first rubbed with a good Dijon mustard and spice mixture that adds great flavor to a rather blank canvas cut of meat. The sauce is made by simmering together fresh blackberries, a little red wine, and some barbecue sauce. The end result is a sweet and savory combo with a tangy and smoky finish from the sauce.  

We enjoyed these a few Sundays ago, but they are simple enough to be made on a weeknight. In fact, the chops can be prepared with the mustard and spice rub up to a day in advance. The barbecue sauce can be made the day before as well. The only work left to do the next day is grilling the chops and warming the sauce.  

The original recipe strained the berries from the sauce, but I like to keep the plump jewels in for taste and texture.  I also like to use my own tomato-based barbecue sauce, but any quality bottled brand will do.  Garnished with a few fresh sage leaves from the garden, this is a delightfully seasonal dish.  

7/01/2011

Hickory Smoked Pulled Pork

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Another American holiday grilling weekend is around the corner and I wanted to share with you my rendition of the smoked pulled pork I grew up with.  I will start with a disclaimer and say that I am by no means a barbecue expert.  I don't have serious smoking equipment and tools, but I do have a great love for this smoked meat.  I will tell you what I use and the technique I employ to ensure a juicy smoked pork shoulder with a perfectly pink smoke ring.

After 6 hours on the grill
I use a Chargriller grill with a side smoke box.  I start my fire with a chimney starter and lump hardwood charcoal (no briquettes or lighter fluid in my backyard).  I soak my hickory logs overnight in five gallon buckets that I get from the hardware store.  That way they smolder and smoke just right.  I use a rub and a mop and then cook it low and slow for a total of about ten hours until it is moist and meltingly tender.


Serve it plate style with coleslaw and beans or serve it on a good bun. Start with a little bit of the Western Carolina Red Sauce on the bottom of the bun, load up a generous pile of the shredded pork, a little more sauce on top with a couple of squirts of the "liquid gold" for a kick and then top if with a serving of coleslaw-- mmm, now I am drooling!



Condiments and Sides

6/30/2011

South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce

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Here it is-- my version of South Carolina's mustard sauce for those of us who like a little kick with our barbecue.  Most barbecue lovers will tell you that the meat and its smoke-infused flavor should be able to stand on its own.  I have no argument with this opinion.  I would guess, however, that most of us would like a bit of augmentation in the flavor department when sinking our teeth into juicy barbecued meats. 

This recipe is simple to prepare.  It is slightly sweet with the right amount of heat.  It is like flicking the nitro switch, but in a flavor drag race.  It's the extra flavor that pushes your body back into the seat.  Pour a bit of this liquid gold into your tank and let me know if you don't slap yourself silly.  It is delicious with chicken, but it is made for pork.  Having said that, who is ready for some pulled pork?!

6/28/2011

Western Carolina Tomato-Based Barbecue Sauce

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Mmm--  Carolina barbecue sauce!   There are many regional sauces that taste great in their own special ways, but I was raised on this sweet, savory, smoky concoction and I place it right there at the top of the list.  My first memories of it were when my grandparents would take us to the mountain town of Linville, North Carolina.  There was a hole-in-the-wall storefront where we would stop for a chopped barbecue sandwich.  I can still taste it.  Then there is Henry's Smokehouse on Wade Hampton Blvd. in Greenville, South Carolina-- whole hog sandwich please!  Unfortunately, I live far away from those smoky spots, so I have been forced (with great pleasure) to recreate those flavors. 

I make multiple batches of this sauce throughout the year.  I use it during the warmer months, then freeze it to have on hand when it is no longer grill season.  I like to use it on chicken and turkey.   If every drop of this sauce had it's way, however, I'm sure it would want to go on some pulled pork. The recipe I am sharing calls for real smoke drippings, but you can certainly use liquid smoke instead.  Just add to your taste.  This sauce is so good, I eat it all by itself on toast.

Note-- *If you are from the Carolinas, you can probably figure out what the yellow sauce in the background is, so stay tuned for another recipe.