BBQ (30)
The term "BBQ" can mean a lot of different things, depending on the region. There is Carolina BBQ, Memphis BBQ, St Louis BBQ, Kansas City BBQ, Kentucky BBQ, and about 4 or 5 variations called Texas BBQ. Variations can include a Dry Rub or a Wet Sauce, various cuts of Beef or Pork, the type of wood used to smoke the meat, the presence of vinegar in a Wet Sauce, the use of Tomato sauce or Mustard as the base for a Wet Sauce, the inclusion of Hot Peppers; the variations seem unlimited. Perhaps the most unique BBQ is called Alabama White BBQ Sauce, a Mayonnaise mixture, used as a finishing sauce on smoked chicken, shredded pork shoulder, roasted turkey, ribs, or even a dipping sauce for french fries.
Pork Ribs come in two different cuts: Baby Backs and Spare Ribs. Baby Back Ribs are pork ribs that that are found near the spine. This meat is leaner and more tender. St Louis Ribs (also called Spare Ribs) are found nearer to the belly of the pig. They typically include more meat but they are also more fatty and the meat is more tough, requiring a longer cook time. These Ribs can be cooked in the Slow Cooker or a Sous Vide and then finished under a broiler.
"Pork Tenderloin" is NOT the same cut of meat as "Pork Loin." The Pork Tenderloin is the Pork version of Beef Tenderloin, which would be used to make the Chateaubriand or, when cut into steaks, the Filet Mignon. This Pork Tenderloin preperation is fast, easy, and tasty, with a time to table of less than 2 hours.
These Boneless Beef Short Ribs are easy to prepare. The sweet spicy flavor will make this a favorite dish.
Country Style Pork Ribs come from the same cut as the Boston Butt or the Picnic Roast and does not contain any actual rib meat. Country Style Ribs can be boneless or they can be bone-in when the shoulder bone is included. Like the Boston Butt, Country-style Pork Ribs should be cooked at a low temperature, for several hours to render the fat and add flavor to the meat, while providing the "fall-apart tenderness" rib-like experience. Choose your favorite store-bought or home-made BBQ sauce and finish the meat with a final broil to form the perfect char. This recipe provides guidance for multiple preparation methods: Sous Vide, Conventional Oven, Instant Pot, and the Slow Cooker.
Boneless Chuck Ribs can go by a lot of names: Boneless Chuck Ribs, Country Style Boneless Ribs, Texas Style Boneless Ribs, Chuck Short Ribs, Boneless Braising Ribs, Boneless Short Ribs, Chuck Boneless Short Ribs, English Short Ribs, Middle Ribs, Chuck Flat, or Shoulder Ribs, to name a few. Whatever they are called, Boneless Chuck Ribs are an inexpensive substitute for the beef rib. Chuck ribs require a longer cooking time, but the finished ribs can be worth the wait. Cover the ribs with salt and refrigerate for 24 hours or so, to allow the salt to permeate into the meat. Slow-roast the meat using a Sous Vide, a Conventional Oven, or a Slow Cooker. Slather with your favorite BBQ sauce and then oven broil on high for a few minutes to get the perfect char.
Beef Brisket is a cut of meat taken from the chest of the cow. The Brisket can be a tough meat and should typically be cooked for a longer period to become more tender. Instead of 7 to 10 hours in the Oven, Slow Cooker, or BBQ Pit, this recipe provides a tasty, juicy meat after only about 75 to 90 minutes in the Instant Pot. This recipe also includes a Finishing Sauce, which is a sauce that is used in the final preparations of a meal, or prepared and then used when serving the meal.
This is an easy BBQ dish that requires very little effort and can be on the table in less than 1 hour. I am not a fan of cooked Chicken Skin, so I typically remove the skin. This allows all the flavor of your BBQ to soak into the meat and not just the skin. Cooking the drumsticks with the skin on may require additional cooking, so if you don't want to remove the skin, you may need to experiment with the cooking time. I like to use a Carolina Mustard style sauce, but you can use any store bought or homemade BBQ sauce.
Chinese Style BBQ Ribs are a traditional dish that can take hours to prepare. Fortunately, with the inclusion of an Instant Pot to cook the ribs, you can make tender, fall off the bone ribs, without sacrificing flavor or time.
Baby Back Ribs are pork ribs that that are found near the spine. This meat is leaner and more tender. St Louis Ribs (also called Spare Ribs) are found nearer to the belly of the pig. They typically include more meat but they are also more fatty and the meat is more tough, requiring a longer cook time. These Ribs can be cooked in the Slow Cooker or a Sous Vide and then finished under a broiler.
The sweet salty flavor of this BBQ sauce works particularly well with pork.
The term "BBQ" can mean a lot of different things, depending on the region. There is Carolina BBQ, Memphis BBQ, St Louis BBQ, Kansas City BBQ, Kentucky BBQ, and about 4 or 5 variations called Texas BBQ. Variations can include a Dry Rub or a Wet Sauce, various cuts of Beef or Pork, the type of wood used to smoke the meat, the presence of vinegar in a Wet Sauce, the use of Tomato sauce or Mustard as the base for a Wet Sauce, the inclusion of Hot Peppers... the variations seem unlimited. This recipe is for a sweet Tomato-based Wet Sauce with a mild vinegar taste.
Barbacoa (Shredded Beef Roast) is the classic Sunday afternoon family dinner meal. However, roast beef is not always the easiest meal to make. An under-cooked roast won't shred properly, and an overcooked roast will be dry and tasteless. But fear not! With this simple recipe, a consistently perfect shredded Chuck Roast is easy to achieve. Marinade the roast, give it a nice sear, and add it to the Slow Cooker for about 8 hours. Shred the finished beef and add back into the flavorful au jus for the perfect Barbacoa, every time!
The "whole brisket" can be divided into two sub-primal cuts: The "flat" brisket and the "point" brisket. A flat brisket is a more fatty cut. The point brisket is a lean, tough, cut that is ideal for a long cooking interval at a low temperature. While both cuts can be perfectly prepared in a Sous Vide, the higher fat content of the flat brisket sub-primal works better with a slightly higher temperature, to render the fat. The brisket is finished by slathering it with sauce, then baking it for 3 hours to produce the traditional "bark" that covers the meat. Serve with more sauce.
"Char Siu" (or "Chashu") is a Cantonese word meaning "fork roast". The meat is traditionally skewered with long forks and rotated over an open fire or in an oven. Char Sui Pork Roast is traditionally dyed red (as the color red symbolizes good luck) using a red bean paste or even red food coloring.
I recommend using a boneless Boston Butt, or another fatty pork cut, for this recipe. The Boston Butt, sometimes called just "Pork Butt", comes from the front shoulder of the pig and provides a juicy, flavorful roast. The Pork Tenderloin is too lean and will not give the same end result.
For a cheaper and easier marinade, simply add 1 Apple Cider Vinegar and Red Food Coloring to 2 Cups of a commercial Hoisin/Soy sauce mix.
This fresh summer salad is a perfect companion for any BBQ. Putting it together the day before and refrigerating overnight will permit the flavors to blend throughout the salad.
The Chicago Style Hot Dog is a heavily traditioned meal, prepared in a very specific way. Chicago Dogs are typically steamed or boiled (and then sold by the Street Vendor). A Char Dog, is a Chicago Dog that is grilled. Although "Chicago Style Dog" ingredients are difficult to locate in other parts of the country, most of them can be constructed with supplies that are readily available. Poppy Seeds can be attached to a hot dog bun, by spraying a small amount of oil, in a fine mist, over the top of the bun, then gently rolling it in Poppy Seeds. Any sweet pickle relish can be used, just add a drop of green food coloring, and mix well. I have never found a suitable replacement for the Pickled Sport Peppers. Unfortunately, if those are not available locally, you may have to purchase them online. And Celery Salt is just a 1:1 mixture of Ground Celery Seed and Kosher Salt.
Chicken Souvlaki is a flavorful meal. Oftentimes served with a Pita, Basmati Rice, and Tzatziki. This recipe follows the the Keystone Approach diet. As a result, the Yogurt-based Tzatziki has been replaced with an Avocado-based sauce.
The Flanken Rib cut is typically about 1/4 inch thick, cut as a cross-section of the ribs so that you end up with a cut of meat that is embedded with medallion-shaped bones. "Flanken Ribs" can be cut from two VERY different cuts: the Chuck primal - which the top of the ribs near the shoulder or the Plate primal (typically called Flanken Cut Short Ribs) - located closer to the underside of the chest, usually ribs 6, 7, and 8. Chuck Ribs will typically require a much shorter cook time than their Plate counterparts, so make sure that you are using Chuck Ribs, NOT Short Ribs for this recipe. In my experience, the Sous Vide preparation results ribs that are much juicier and far more flavorful.
Carnitas (meaning "little meat") is a traditional Latino pork dish made using a French cooking method called "confit", where the meat is slowly deep fried (over several hours) in seasoned hot oil (usually lard). Alternatively, you can make Carnitas by cutting the meat in to smaller pieces and then slowly stewing (or braising) the meat, then frying in lard. The Sous Vide produces a tender and juicy meat. And then frying the pork will provide the crispy crunch associated with traditional Carnitas. After the Carnitas have been fried, allow them to cool and then shred (pull) the pork. Lard can be refrigerated for a few weeks or frozen for 6 months and reused across multiple batches of Carnitas.
Huli Huli - Hawaiian for "Turn turn" refers to the need for the Chef to constantly rotate the chicken over the fire to ensure it cooks evenly. Huli Huli Chicken is a staple of traditional Hawaiian cuisine. Serve with Hawaiian Coconut Pineapple Rice.
This syrup can be made with any type of berries. I prefer to use frozen berries, but you can also use fresh berries. Use this syrup as a Grenadine replacement, drizzle it over your favorite desert, or use as a Pancake Syrup replacement. This recipe will yield about 14 to 16 ounces of Raspberry Syrup.
Sous Vide (pronounced /Soo·Vee/) is a cooking process that involves placing the food in a hermetically sealed bag and submersing it in water. The water can be heated to a specific temperature for long periods, resulting in a final product that is juicy and tender. This article provides general guidelines on using a Sous Vide to prepare various cuts of meat. The Cooking Temperature will determine the "doneness" of the meat. To ensure food safety, never use a cooking time/temperature that is lower than the value on the Pasteurization Chart listed below. Any whole fowl should be spatchcocked or quartered before cooking by Sous Vide. The recommendations listed here are based on my own experiences. Your mileage may vary.
Bulgogi Beef (meaning "fire meat" ) is a tender, flavorful dish that is traditionally cooked on a grill. In this recipe, the Baking Soda is used to tenderize the meat, without turning the outer layer into mush as a longer exposure to acid based tenderizers tend to do. The Soy Sauce, garlic, and sugar adds a wonderful Bulgogi salty sweetness. Traditionally, Bulgogi Beef uses the Rebeye cut, but I have had equal success with Top Sirloin, Flank Steak, Skirt Steak, or even Shoulder Roast. The meat should be sliced paper thin while still raw.
Boneless Beef Ribs should not be confused with Country Style Boneless Beef Ribs. BBQ boneless ribs have all the benefits of a good rack of ribs, without the bones. Country Style "Ribs", also called Shoulder Cut Ribs are not actually rib meat, but typically strips of beef cut from the tougher Chuck Eye Steak. Country Style ribs require a considerably longer cooking time.
Pickled Onions are a versitile condiment that can go on your Hot Dog or your Tacos. Use them on Burgers, Nachos, you name it.
Pulled pork is usually quite dry, requiring a high quantity of BBQ sauce to make it edible. Cooking the pork in a Sous Vide will produce a tender and juicy pulled pork that is full of flavor and fall-apart tender. If you don't have a Sous Vide, you can roast the pork in a Dutch Oven for similar results. Pulled pork can be used in a variety of dishes, from tacos, to nachos, or pulled pork sandwiches.
The meat of choice for the new San Antonio style BBQ is Chicken. This culinary delight, also called Pollo de Norteña, originates from Monteray, Mexico (located in northern Mexico). Preperation of San Antonio BBQ Chicken involves both a rub (Achiote Paste) AND a citrus-based marinade. The rub is a traditional paste that is available at many grocery stores or Latino grocery stores. If you cannot find a commercially available Achiote Paste, a "from scratch" rub recipe is also provided below. Cover the meat with the rub and refrigerate for about 24 hours. Then add the marinade and refrigerate for another 4 to 6 hours. Traditionally, this BBQ would be cooked over a wood-fired grill, but a standard oven can be used as a suitable replacement with the addition of a vertical spit. Serve with Corn Tortillas and lots of Verde Sauce.
This is an easy Pork recipe, designed for the Sous Vide. You can prepare beforehand and freeze in a vacuum-sealed bag up to 6 months. Just drop the bag in your Sous Vide pot and walk away. Your main course will be ready to eat a few hours later.
Pork Tenderloin is not the same as Pork Loin. The Tenderloin is a tender cut of meat, taken from the lower back of the pig. The Sous Vide will produce a juicy roast. Marinading the Tenderloin, then slathering with a finishing sauce will produce a flavorful roast.
