The Crockpot Alchemist!

Farewell

2009-02-01T11:42:00.000-08:00

It has been a fun time writing this blog, though I will admit there were times when I was more into it than others. Unfortunately, I have moved to a new apartment where I won't be able to do crockpot cooking so I feel that this is a good time to wind down the blog. I will leave the blog up and hopefully some will come and find my recipes to be useful, but at this stage I think I am ready for a little break. Thank you to all who have read my post and shared their thoughts and experiences. I have always said that anyone can make great BBQ food in a crockpot and that still holds true. I have never been a great chef, but I still have been able to make food that people have enjoyed. Best of luck to all in their future cooking endeavors.

Best Regards,

-The Crockpot Alchemist

New Year's BBQ Brisket Sliders

2009-01-10T13:18:00.000-08:00

As promised. Here the recipe for the New Year's brisket sliders. I forgot to take more pics and before I knew it they were gone. I got some great shots of the beef with my digital camera though. I was clearly due for an upgrade from my old camera.

Ingredients
3-4 lbs of trimmed beef brisket
7-8 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ rub
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon of molasses
36 mini hamburger rolls
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Mix up the honey, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and water until evenly blended. Pour the mixture over the meat. Get in there with your hands and make sure all of the meat is evenly coated. Put it in the fridge and let it marinate overnight. You can let it sit for 24 hours if you have time.

I learned while watching the Food Network that putting salt on meat pulls moisture out of it and can cause it to dry out. For this reason I did not put any spices on my meat until right before I put in the crockpot. Not sure if it made a big difference, but I thought the brisket was even moister than usual.

Take out the meat apply your bbq rub until everything is evenly coated. Drop your meat in the crockpot and let it cook on low for 10-12 hours, depending on how hot your crock runs. If you are able to, turn over your meat half way through. I cooked this batch while I as at work so I didn't have a chance to do this. Particularly if you have two separate pieces of meat, I have found that the top piece is a little more dry than bottom piece that has spent most of the cooking time cooking in it's own juices.

Once you are done cooking, use two forks to shred up the brisket and pour in about 1/2 of your BBQ sauce and stir together. I found that the rub I used was a bit more salty than I had expected, but was able to correct this by adding an extra tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of molasses to kick up the sweetness of the meat. You can always make small changes even after the meat is finished cooking if you want to adjust your flavors.

All in all the sliders were a great success. Next time I need to remember to take more photos before all my food disappears.

Research

2008-12-28T14:17:00.001-08:00

I've been in a bit of rut the past couple weeks. I've been itching to make some bbq, but have not found the occasion to. I have been waiting eagerly for New Year's Eve so I can make some pulled pork sliders for a party I am going to. As always, I like to do a little field research to inspire some good BBQ mojo. I can think of no better place in NYC than Daisy May's BBQ on 46th Street and 11th Ave.

This place is just hands down the best barbeque in the city. It's location is a little unassuming in hell's kitchen, but it's food speaks volumes. I had the barbequed brisket with creamed spinach and brown sugar sweet potatoes.
The brisket was tender and had a sweet/spicy sauce that perfectly complemented the smoked meat. The sweet potatoes were smooth and creamy. I could eat these sweet potatoes all day long. The spinach was also quite creamy and provided a nice savory balance to the sweet potatoes.
My buddy got this amazing beef rib pictured above. This rib was Fred Flintstone size. I was fortunately that he could not finish it so I was able to get a taste. I was a little concerned that a rib of that size might be a little dry and stringy, but I was pleasantly surprised by how tender and flavorful the meat was. It just melted in your mouth. The sauce was similar to that of the beef brisket and worked well with the tender rib meat.

All in all an amazing BBQ experience. Daisy May's continues to deliver top notch barbeque food. I'm a little worried that their location holding them back, but they have been there a long time so I'm sure they will be alright. It's nice being able to go and not have to wait in the ridiculous lines that plague some of the other BBQ restaurants in the city. The funny thing is that crummy bbq joints like Dallas BBQ have no problem packing the place, just because they are located in times square.

I feel ready to begin putting together my sliders. Recipe to follow in the new year...

Mmmm... Sliders

2008-12-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I have my next cooking assignment. It isn't until New Years though so I will definitely be making something in between now and then. I'm going to be making some pulled pork sliders for a New Year's party I am going to. What is a slider you ask? It is essentially a miniature version of a hamburger. White Castle is a classic example of what a slider is (they are also called belly bombers by some). What is great about sliders is that you get all of the taste and flavors of a regular hamburger in a bite size package that can be enjoyed along with other appetizers.

Why not apply this concept to world of barbeque? Sure it is always good to have a giant pulled pork sandwich that will put you to sleep for the rest of the night. But New Years is about staying up late and if everyone eats a ton of barbeque, it is going to be hard to make it until midnight. With that said, I am going to be making some pulled pork sliders to ring in 2009 properly. I will be coming up with a special spice blend and depending on the timing, may try making my own barbeque sauce again, although after a lot of experimenting, I have concluded that the best and most affordable barbeque sauces you can get are sold in a bottle.

On a side note, while I was home in Boston for Thanksgiving I went back to The Village Smokehouse for some of their mammoth beef ribs. That place delivers every time. Hats off to the pit master over there for delivering unwavering quality in his barbeque.

A Tour of BBQ Sauces

2008-11-22T12:24:00.000-08:00

Over the years I have tried a lot of different types of BBQ sauce. I thought I would run through a little exercise for myself to decide which one is my favorite. If anyone would like to throw their two cents in, please feel free. I have broken down the competitors as follows:

1.) Memphis Style

A moderately thick, sweeter sauce made up tomato, vinegar and brown sugar base with additional spices ranging from mild to hot.

2.) Kansas City Style

A very thick and sweet sauce with a tomato and molasses base.

3.) St. Louis

A tomato and vinegar based sauce that is essentially a thinner, less sweet version of Kansas City style BBQ sauce.

4.) South Carolina

A mustard based based sauce that is generally paired with pulled pork.

Now I fully recognize that this list is far from complete. I have not yet had the privilege to travel to some of U.S BBQ hotbeds, something I'm hoping to do next summer. I am going off what I have the most experience with for this comparison.

Now I do like Memphis and Kansas City Style sauces a lot. The thicker texture and sweet flavor make both of them a nice complement to any meat. My only issue would be, and this does depend on the sauce, that these types of sauces can sometimes overwhelm the flavor of the rub and the meat and should be used sparingly so that they provide good flavor without masking the taste of the meat you have been cooking for 14 hours.

South Carolina is also a great sauce, especially with Pork, but is generally a little thinner and depending on the sauce can be a little too tangy for my tastes.

What I have found is that I like a good balance of texture, sweetness and just the right amount of tanginess (not sure if this is a word or not, but you see where I am going). In the end my conclusion is that I am a St. Louis BBQ sauce guy. It's not too thick, not too sweet and works well with pork, brisket, ribs and just about any other barbequed meat out there.

Bone in vs. Bone out Pork Shoulder

2008-11-09T09:58:00.001-08:00

I have read a lot of articles praising the value of cooking meat with the bone in. In addition to adding a lot of flavor, these sources indicate that cooking meat with the bone in can also help keep your meat moist during the cooking process. It is also pretty cool when the meat has finished cooking to be able to simply pull the bone right out without any type of resistance from the meat itself. Additionally, it is generally cheaper to buy meat with the bone in because it requires less labor by the butcher.

There are some caveats however to buying meat, especially pork shoulders, with the bone in. For one thing, depending on the size of your crockpot, it can be difficult to squeeze in as much meat because you have to contend with an immovable object that is the shoulder bone. I would also argue that while the bone in shoulders tend to be cheaper, you always have to consider that you are paying for the bone itself, which can account for a lot of weight. Buying pork shoulder with the bone in will also require more work on your part to trim away a lot of excess fat which has been left on.

I have made pork shoulder using deboned pork butts and bone in shoulders and couldn't say that I have noticed much of a difference in taste or moisture between the two. This could have a lot to do with nature of the crockpot itself, which keeps the meat moist throughout the entire cooking process. I am also a big fan of dry rubs and barbecue sauces, which could block out whatever subtle flavor that the bone provides to the meat. I'm hoping that someone can shed a little light on this debate for me as I am pretty well stumped.

Looking ahead

2008-10-19T07:12:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not making anything in awhile. I have had friends visiting the past few weekends, which generally leads to going out to eat a lot and not having time to plan out a meal. My thinking cap has been on however. It is starting to get cooler here in NYC, which opens up the door to soups, stews and pretty much anything that is hot. I have been reading a little about blended soups. That is, making some sort of soup and then pureeing it in a blender so it has a nice smooth consistency.

I am envisioning a BBQ bean blended soup with maybe some pulled pork or brisket mixed in there to give a little bit of texture variation. I really should be cooking more often because it is definitely a money saver over going out to eat, if you don't mind having leftovers.

BBQ Nirvana

2008-10-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

The Restaurant: RUB (Righteous Urban Barbecue)

While I am not a certified reviewer by any means, I will give you the quick and dirty on a scale for A-F.

Food: A- (Amazing BBQ meats more than compensate for relatively average side dishes)

Value: A- Quite affordable especially if you go the a la carte meat route

Service: B+ (Food came out quickly and waiter had solid knowledge of the food)

Overall: A-

A fellow BBQ enthusiast friend of mine was in town last night and we decided to venture out and try a new place in New York City. NYC is not exactly a BBQ hotbed, but there are some gems for sure. The place we went last night is called RUB, which stands for Righteous Urban Barbecue. I had heard that it could crowded so we went on the earlier side at 6:30pm and had no problems getting a table.

There were a lot of options to choose from, but the best choice in my opinion was to get meats a la carte. This is how BBQ really should be. Why get bogged down in a meal that traps you into ordering a couple of side dishes that take up valuable meat space? This place really had it right. I created a mix and match plate of BBQ burnt ends (these are the ends of the BBQ brisket), BBQ brisket and pulled pork (1/4 lb of each). My buddy got 1/2 lb of burnt ends and a quarter pound of the house sausage. We each also got a side of beans, which we had read in a review were good. We also split a 1/4 rack of baby ribs to ensure that we got a taste of everything.

The meats were all excellent. The burnt ends were really flavorful and did not need any sauce. The balance of meat, fat and goodness was just right. The brisket was also strong and exhibited the pink coloring that true smoked meats all have. The pulled pork, though not as strong as the brisket and burnt ends, was still good and paired well with the house sweet and smoky sauce. All the meat was served on butcher paper in the no frills way that makes BBQ such a great experience.

The sausage was excellent as well, with a crisp outside and a moist and well seasoned inside. The ribs were respectable, although they could have been a little bit more meaty. The beans were average, but I think a lot of that had to do with just how good the meats were on their own.

All in all a great experience. Certainly got some new ideas for things to make at home.

Caramel Crunch Bars

2008-10-06T17:33:00.001-07:00

I had taken a pretty long lay off from making desserts. I'm not really sure why, but it may have had something to do with it being summer and wanting to focus more on the BBQ meats. I was inspired to try to do a little spin on one of my favorite candy bars, Nestle Crunch. The question was whether or not I could make this delicacy for myself. I have to say this recipe met and exceeded my expectations. The only thing I need to worry about now is making sure I don't eat the whole thing. Fortunately, I can take a lot of my leftovers into the office where I have a solid group to help me eat all of this.

Ingredients
1 20z squeeze bottle of Caramel Sundae Syrup
2 single serving containers (4.6 oz total) of Cocoa Crispies
6 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Symphony bars (about 26 ounces total)

If you thought this was an easy recipe to make you were correct! Pour the cocoa crispies into the bottom of your crockpot and spread out evenly. Break up the chocolate bars into one or two square pieces and distribute evenly on top of the cereal. Set your crockpot to on hour on high.

After about 30 minutes take off the top and shift the the chocolate pieces around. Some will have melted a little more than others. After another 30 min all of the chocolate should be melted. Test it with a fork because it may still appear to retain some of it's shape even though it is completed melted. Stir the chocolate and cereal with a big spoon until the cereal is evenly coated. Spread the cereal out on a sheet of wax paper about 1/4 inch deep and put in the fridge for an hour to cool.

Top the now cooled mixture evenly with your caramel sauce and you are ready to go! As you can see, the caramel does get a little messy so if you are more of straight up crunch bar fan you may want to hold off.
The results actually tastes exactly like a nestle crunch bar, only more chocolaty thanks to the better chocolate and cocoa crispies. Enjoy!

Fond Memories

2008-09-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

In order to be a great cook it is essential to eat a lot. While this may seem counter intuitive, the inspiration and ideas that I have gotten from eating at BBQ restaurants have helped my cooking a lot.

I haven't written about a restaurant in awhile, but I can not continue to write this blog in good conscious without acknowledging my favorite BBQ place of all time. Whenever I come home to Boston my dad and I try to make at least one stop at the Village Smokehouse in Brookline, MA. We only order one thing there. The Beef Ribs!

These ribs are incredibly meaty and are slathered with a thick sweet and smokey BBQ sauce. They are then served with your choice of sides and baked beans for the table. The sides are delicious, but I rarely get to eat much of them because even three of these monster beef ribs is enough to put me away for the night. For two bucks more they'll give you another whole rib that you usually have to take home unless your stomach is a bottomless pit.

As you can see, the place is extremely low key and easy going. You pass the bar on your right as you walk in and then go right by the fire pit where the pitmasters are hard at work cooking beef ribs, baby backs, brisket and chicken. It's a home from away from home. It boggles my mind how anyone could go there and get a Caesar salad. I guess they just haven't had the opportunity to have the ribs yet.

Wings of Defeat

2008-09-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I tried to follow through with my original plan to make some buffalo wings for the game. I went to the grocery store with every intention of buying some wings. However, I have to admit I was pretty appalled that the delicious Sunday afternoon snack that I had enjoyed for many years actually looks pretty disgusting in the raw. The wings looked really pale and they still had the tips on them which really creeped me out. They were also set to expire the next day so I didn't feel great about that either.

In the end I scrapped my plan to make fresh wings, but I wanted to at least cook something in the crock so I bought a couple boxes of TGI Friday's pre-made buffalo wings. I tossed them in for about three hours on high. The apartment was filled with a buttery, spicy aroma. I was eagerly anticipating dipping these bad boys in some blue cheese and enjoying and afternoon of football.

Much to my dismay, although the wings looked nice, the texture was terrible. They were pretty soggy, which I guess I should have figured because the crockpot definitely is going to do that to whatever your making. I have to say that I have never really gotten a good handle on how to cook chicken in the crockpot. It never seems to come out the way I like it. I may stick to beef and pork for awhile after this experience.

Wings, Wings and more Wings

2008-09-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

Well it's football season, and what better time to enjoy a heaping plate of buffalo wings. As a patriots fan I'm reeling over the season ending knee injury to Tom Brady. But hope springs eternal, and I am optimistic that Matt Cassel (the backup QB for those of you who don't follow football) is going to be able to step in and do a good enough job that the Pats will still be able to contend. I'm also thrilled that the weather is starting to cool down. Most people never want summer to end, but fall is my favorite season by far. I'm looking forward to making some great stews and chili's soon.

In keeping with this feeling of optimism, I'm going to be cooking up some classic buffalo wings. Hopefully tomorrow, but my schedule has been a little hectic so I may need to hold off until next weekend when I'll have some more time. There is apparently quite a bit of history surrounding this Sunday afternoon delicacy. Buffalo wings were invented in, you guessed it, Buffalo, NY. According to Wikipedia, there are four legends on how Buffalo wings came to be. The most amusing of which is that Buffalo wings came to be as a result of the delivery of chicken wings as opposed to the backs and necks needed to make a restaurant's signature spaghetti sauce. However they came to be, the important thing is that they came to be.

I'm going to be keeping it traditional, although I do like teriyaki and BBQ wings, and make some classic buffalo style wings. Just need to find a place to get some top quality chicken wings now...

Touchdown Brisket Recipe

2008-09-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

Well the bad news is the batteries in my digital camera (yes I know I need a new camera) were dead and I didn't have time to run out and get new ones so there will be no photos unfortunately. As I had mentioned before I had been asked to prepare some BBQ goodness for my company's fantasy football draft which was held at the office. I precooked the meat at home and then packed it up and brought it into the office along with my crockpot because the thought of microwaving my food after spending 10 hours making it just didn't sit right with me.

The recipe for this is quite easy though and I'm sure you can imagine how it came out.

Ingredients
Touchdown Brisket Rub
6 lbs of beef brisket
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoons liquid smoke
3 tablespoons honey

In a small bowl, mix the Worcestershire sauce, honey and liquid smoke. In a larger bowl, pour the mixture over your brisket and turn over the brisket pieces until it's evenly coated. I bought three separate pieces so if you happen to buy one big piece make sure you cut it into pieces that are small enough to fit into your crockpot. Sprinkle the rub evenly over the brisket and massage it in to maximize the flavor.

Place the brisket in the crockpot and cook on low for 10 hours. About half way through I recommend rotating the brisket pieces around to ensure even cooking. From past experience I have learned that the pieces at the bottom of the crockpot tend to be more moist because they are submerged in the meat drippings for most of the cooking process. Switching the meat around will ensure more even cooking.

After 10 hours take out the brisket let it rest for 15 minutes before chopping it up into bite sized pieces. You could also slice it up as well, but that can get tricky because the meat will fall apart on you pretty easily.

All in all this recipe was a great success. I served it with my new favorite BBQ sauce from Dinosaur BBQ at my company's fantasy football draft and it got completely devoured. You know you have done well when all you are bringing back home are empty containers.

The Rub

2008-09-01T10:49:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the rub recipe for the beef brisket. Pretty basic recipe overall, but should get the job done. When you are making food for a fantasy football draft it is best to stick to the basics. Nothing fouls up a good fantasy draft like some funky food.

I also like to hit my meat with a quick mop consisting of 3 parts Worcestershire sauce, 1 part liquid smoke and 3 parts honey before applying the rub. It gives the rub something to stick to and also adds more flavor.

Touchdown Brisket Rub Recipe
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon granulated onion

I'm looking forward to football season. I see a lot pulled pork, ribs and wings in my future.

An Ode to Brisket

2008-08-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

Beef brisket is one of those cuts of meat that was destined for BBQ. It can be tender if prepared in the right way, but must be cooked slowly or will toughen up on you like no other. I never really had too much exposure to it, save the occasional passover brisket. A big part of what holds brisket back is that you need to dedicate a large amount of time to prepare it properly. Steaks can easily be thrown on the grill or even fried up in a pan and come out moist and tender. Brisket responds to this type of treatment by turning in shoe leather. It is for this reason that it makes relatively infrequent appearances as it's lack of convenience scares off many cooks.

However, have prepared brisket in the slow cooker a few times now, I can assure you it is worth the wait. Brisket has just the right amount of fat and breaks down magnificently as it slow cooks. The end result is a delicious, flavorful meal that will blow you away. So next time you are at the grocery store or butcher looking over some meats, grab a 4 lb brisket and cook it real slow. Your patience and perseverance will be well rewarded. I am eagerly anticipating my Fantasy Football draft brisket and will be concocting an original spice rub recipe as well out of respect for one of the most underrated cuts of beef out there.

Sorry

2008-08-26T16:08:00.001-07:00

I know it has been awhile so for those of you who have been reading I apologize. Between taking a vacation and work and the heat I haven't done much cooking at all. The truth is I really like cooking for big groups. I only have one roommate so making 5 lbs of pulled pork or brisket doesn't usually make much sense unless I'm going to be eating it for awhile. Nonetheless, I have neglected my blog and for that there is no excuse for that.

I really had every intention of making carne asada tacos. In fact I still have all the fixins for them, but I took a brief vacation and forgot to put my steak in the freezer. Needless to say I was greeted on my return by a brutal stench in my apartment. I definitely need to work on the planning aspect of my dishes a little more.

On a happier note, I will be "catering" my office's fantasy football draft. By catering I mean making a whole bunch of brisket and chowing down on it along with a few folks from my office while we take part in the time honored tradition of fantasy football. I really like the challenge of making food for a large group. I have also gotten really into making my own spice rubs so this will be a nice opportunity for that as well. Looking forward to getting back in the groove and with fall comes cooler temperatures and lots of great opportunities to make soups and stews. Stay tuned...

What the heck is Carne Asada Anyway?

2008-08-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a little while since I've done a "what the heck is that anyway" post so I figure it's high time to do some. I hear the term "Carne Asada" thrown around quite a bit by the likes of taco bell and other restaurants. I have often ordered it because it sounded good, but not really having any idea what made it different from a regular grilled steak.

Well, carne asada translates literally into "roasted meat." Not quite as spectacular as it sounds in Spanish. Thinner cuts of beef such as flank or skirt steak are generally used and are rubbed down with salt and pepper before being grilled or broiled. Now here is the tricky part. Since the term carne asada is so broad, there are many recipes for carne asada that are entirely different from each other.

Some recipes are just meat rubbed with some spices. Others involve much more complex marinades such as this one from Simply Recipes. One theme I noticed was that a lot of recipes use lemon and lime juice as part of the marinade. The sharp acidic taste of citrus sounds like a pretty good pairing for some juicy steaks. With that said I will attempt to conquer carne asada via the crockpot. Stay tuned for the recipe.

I think it's safe to say that if Pacman had the option, he would opt for tacos over dots.

Lazy Man's Hamburger Stew

2008-08-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

I got back from a brief trip to CT and while I wanted to make something, I wasn't really looking to put out a whole lot of thought and prep work and as a result, Lazy man's hamburger stew was born.

Ingredients
1 lb Ground Sirloin
10 mini Yukon gold potatoes (quartered)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 can beef broth
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

In a pan quickly brown the meat, drain and add to the crockpot along with the chopped onions and potatoes. In a separate bowl, combine the spices and stir together until evenly blended. Pour the spices onto the mixture and use a large spoon to spread them around. Add the can of beef broth and cook on low for 4 hours.
Spoon some into a bowl, hit it with some hot sauce and you are good to go. Not bad overall considering I didn't use any recipe for guidance and just kinda threw it together. I think a can of tomatoes would have given it a little bit more thickness, but it certainly wasn't bad as is. I guess if you are going to be lazy about cooking, you shouldn't set your standards to high.

Teriyaki Drumsticks

2008-07-27T09:25:00.001-07:00

Slight change of plans here. I was going to make teriyaki pulled pork, but then I got invited to a poker night. I thought it might be easier to play hold em with chicken drumstick in hand as opposed to trying to tackle a pulled pork sandwich, generally a two handed job. However, I stayed true to my mission of making it teriyaki style.

Ingredients
25 skinless chicken drumsticks
3 tablespoons Chinese five-spice powder
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 teaspoons alt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bottle thicker style teriyaki sauce

According to the label on the spice jar, Chinese five-spice powder is a blend of ginger, nutmeg, allspice cloves, pepper, thyme and star anise. Now I'm noticing that this appears to be six ingredients, but maybe I am missing something here. I also found it amusing that Iron Chef has rolled out a line of sauces (pictured above). Good to see that they are finding some other revenue opportunities. Mighty fine sauce though so it looks like they are on the right track, but back to business here.

Put all of the spices into a shallow container or dish and stir together. Roll each drumstick in the spice blend and then place into the crockpot. Cook on low for 7 hours. After 6 hours open the crockpot (cardinal sin here I know) and pour about 6 tablespoons of your teriyaki sauce over the top.

Cook for one more hour and then transfer cooked drumsticks with a tongs onto a place. Drizzle with a little more teriyaki sauce and then put in the fridge for a few hours before serving. I really think these are best served cold because the meat is almost falling off the bone when they are finished cooking and a little time in the fridge allows the meat not only to absorb a little more flavor but also to reconnect to the bone so it won't completely fall apart while you are eating it.

All in all the drumsticks were a hit and I got third place which meant I got my $20 buy in back so I can't complain.

Getting Ready!

2008-07-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

For cryin out loud will this heat just break already. This weather has really just gotten out of hand. I will not be stopped this weekend however. Mark it in your calenders I will be making some teriyaki style pulled pork this weekend. I know that the weather is not a good excuse, but it is hard to get motivated to cook anything when it is unbearably hot and your apartment has very little ventilation in general and no ventilation in the kitchen at all.

Enough of my whining though. Let's talk teriyaki. Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique that entails broiling or grilling foods in a sweet soy sauce marinade. I'm going to switching things up a little however. I'll be working with some pork loin with a Asian style spice rub topped off with some teriyaki sauce. Looking forward to hitting the grocery store and getting this show on the road finally.

Talkin about Spice Rubs

2008-07-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

When it comes to crockpot cooking or any kind of cooking for that matter the use of spice rubs is a surefire way to ratchet up your meat without having to add any additional fat. There are plenty of great store bought rubs to be had, but there is definitely a cool feeling about making it yourself. The downside of this is that there will be a little investment up front to put together a spice collection that will allow you to create a variety of different and tasty rubs. I have compiled a quick list of spices that will help get you started and shouldn't set you back too much.

The Spice Rub Shopping list
Smoked Paprika
Chili Powder
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Cumin
Granulated Onion
Granulated Garlic
Brown Sugar
Dry Mustard
Coriander
Dried Thyme
Dried Oregano

This list here will get you started and as you experiment with new rubs you can add more spices to your arsenal. The great thing is that spices have a pretty long shelf so you won't have to worry about spoilage. You may want to look through every year or so. Opinions vary a good deal, but the main thing is to check whether your spices still have a strong flavor and aroma to them. To get you started here is a solid recipe for a great Texas style dry rub I like to use on brisket.

1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons granulated onion
2 teaspoons granulated garlic

I would suggest finding a rub you really like and whipping up a good size batch so you don't have to remake every time you do BBQ.

Too hot for cooking today

2008-07-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

Was hoping to make a new Asian style pulled pork recipe today, but this heat is really challenging my will to cook. I don't have central air conditioning in my apartment and not too much airflow either and while I love the smell of pork, it can really hang around the apartment for awhile, especially in the heat. I hope everybody's kitchen is a little more forgiving and inviting. In the mean time, I'm kinda getting into this new angle for my blog though. More new ideas and recipes and breaking away a little from the tradition. I made a little sketch using a basic paint program to express this revolution. It's a pig in a Merlin-like costume stirring up a pot. My friend and I brainstormed that I should be calling this blog "The BBQ Alchemist." In a way crockpot cooking is kinda like alchemy, turning tough cuts of meat into gold, or rather better tasting meat anyway. Really can't draw that well, but it will have to do. Look for the Asian style pulled pork recipe this weekend.

Washington DC Recap

2008-07-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

Well, it wasn't the BBQ weekend I had planned, but a good weekend anyway. I had done a little bit of homework and found that while Washington, DC is not known for it's great BBQ restaurants, that there was one little spot in Chinatown called capital Q that I thought might have some potential. After carefully studying the menu, I decided that I would go with the brisket as the restaurant's website indicated that their focus on was on Texas BBQ, which is known for it's emphasis on beef.

I was looking forward to it all weekend, but made the regrettable decision of not checking the hours beforehand. Had I done so I would seen that they were not open on Sunday. However, all was not lost. My friend who I was staying with had a great book about BBQ with lots of different recipes for rubs, sauces and BBQ recipes. He gave me this book as a parting gift and I look forward to using to come up with some more interesting and exciting variations on BBQ cooking. So while I didn't to eat any BBQ while I was in DC, I did get some food for thought with a endless supply of new ideas to share.

Capitol City

2008-07-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

Heading down to Washington DC for the weekend. Hoping to find some good BBQ while I'm down there. I went to college in the area and I recall going to a place called Old Glory in Georgetown which was pretty good. This was long before my days of making my own BBQ. I do remember that they used to call their sides "heaping helpings" and ironically the sides were ultimately served in a tiny little dish with a portion that was hardly heaping.

Nonetheless I do remember the food being pretty so I may go there one night unless anyone has any suggestions. Granted I don't work in the restaurant business but sometimes I don't understand why restaurants try to nickel and dime you at the risk of having you leave unsatisfied and not coming back or worse yet not recommending it to others. One of the great things about cooking at home is that you can make as much as you want for much cheaper than going out to eat and the portions are always heaping.

Independance Day Brisket

2008-07-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well it does not get much more American than Beef Brisket on the 4th of July. This recipe is really easy and comes out tender and delicious. It was a great success at my friends BBQ and would be a welcome addition to any summer gathering.

I was a bit bleary eyed when I put in the crockpot (it was about 1 am), but the beauty of the crock is that you just put the meat in and forget about it and the crockpot will do all the heavy lifting for you.

Ingredients

5 lbs of beef brisket (trimmed of most of the exterior fat)
3 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
6 tablespoons of you favorite BBQ rub
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Do not fear if you do not have any store bought rub in the house. You can make your own rub really quick using this recipe:

2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon crushed oregano
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin

In a large bowl pour the Worcestershire sauce over the brisket and turn the meat over until it is evenly coated. Sprinkle your store bought or homemade rub evenly over the brisket and put in the fridge for 2 hours to marinate. Set your crockpot to 12 hours on low. No need to peek in the pot as the brisket will need the whole time to get nice and tender. Once 12 hours is up (which in my case was about 1 pm, but some of you earlier risers could probably make this same day) take the brisket carefully as it will start to fall apart as you try to lift it out. I use a tongs which seams to do the job. Let the meat rest for about 15 minutes and then use a sharp knife to slice the brisket into 1/4 inch think pieces.

Toss the slices onto a platter and you are good to go. I like my brisket on a roll doused with some of my favorite BBQ sauce. Dinosaur BBQ, where I went for dinner last week, makes a great sauce which is available at some grocery stores in NY and of course on line. Check my post for more details.

Brisket on the Brain

2008-07-03T15:23:00.001-07:00

I have been dreaming of making some succulent brisket this whole week. It has been hard to concentrate at work as I am scheming different variations and spice combinations. Fortunately for me July 4th is probably the biggest day for BBQ of the year. I'm going my friends apt in Brooklyn with 5 lbs of brisket in tow. I think I'm just going to keep things simple and basic this time. In the end that is really what BBQ is all about.

Another funny little tidbit I picked up was apparently "Memphis style" means with coleslaw on top. So, a pulled pork sandwich served Memphis Style is just a pull pork sandwich with a big dollop of slaw on top. Sounds like a pretty good combo to me. Probably gives the sandwich a nice crunch.

Dino-mite!

2008-06-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

I went to Dinosaur BBQ last night with a few friends for a late dinner. I'm usually starving by 6pm and our reservation wasn't until 9pm. Apparently, if you want to eat at a normal dinner time on the weekend at Dinosaur BBQ you need to make a reservation at least a week in advance. I was lucky that I had a piece of pizza after work to hold me over because we did not sit down to eat until close to 10pm. However, it was certainly worth the wait.

I got the pulled pork and brisket platter with baked beans and Syracuse Salt Potatoes. I had never heard of Syracuse Salt Potatoes before but they are essentially mini white potatoes with a salty butter sauce. The pork was excellent and the brisket was pretty good although my friend commented that it wasn't that flavorful.

This raises an interesting question that has been a long standing debate among BBQ enthusiasts whether it is appropriate to use sauce on your meat. Some will call it sacrilege to mask the natural flavors of your meat by slathering it in BBQ sauce while others will challenge that a good BBQ sauce can only enhance the experience. I am from the sauce camp and always put a lot of sauce on my meat.

Overall, Dinosaur BBQ is a great spot, but I would plan on having a snack before going so you aren't starving by the time the food comes. Check it out at http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/

If anybody has a favorite BBQ spot out there I would love to hear about it. One of these days I want to do a BBQ road trip and hit all the major areas such as North Carolina, Memphis and Kansas City.

Cherry Walnut Ginger Clusters

2008-06-26T20:00:00.001-07:00

It continues to be pretty hot in NYC which makes it hard to justify heating up the kitchen when there are lots of cheap alternatives on your block for dinner. However, I promised myself I would make something so I followed up on the recipe my coworker gave me. I have to admit I was a little skeptical about using ginger. I like ginger, but I usually think of it as what you get with sushi to cleanse your palate between pieces, which doesn't sound like it would be good when covered in chocolate. Crystallized ginger however, is a whole different ball game and makes for some pretty tasty candy if I don't say so myself. My office devoured these creations so you can expect that your coworkers or loved ones will do the same.

Ingredients
1/2 lb of crystallized ginger, chopped
1 lb of walnut pieces (don't bother buying the whole halves, waste of money if you ask me)
25 oz of Milk Chocolate (I chose Symphony bars because they were on sale)
10 oz of dried cherries

This is crystallized ginger for those such as myself who had never seen it before.

Chop the ginger into m&m size pieces. I know there is a better way to describe the size, but that is all that comes to mind right now. Add the walnuts, cherries and chopped ginger into your crockpot and mix together until evenly distributed. Break up your chocolate bars into it's individual squares and spread evenly on top of your other ingredients. Set your crockpot on low and leave it for 1-2 hours depending on if your chocolate is at room temperature. Keep a close eye on this though because it can burn if you aren't careful. Once you can see visible melting turn off the crock and stir your mixture. The chocolate should offer no resistance as you are stirring.

Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spread your mixture out evenly (about a half inch layer is good). Refrigerate overnight and break apart into whatever size you like and you are ready to go. If you want to get fancy you can toast the walnuts ahead of time in a 350 degree over for 15 minutes for a little extra flavor and crunch.

Variations to this recipe are endless. You can switch any type of dried fruit, nut or chocolate in and out. Now that I look at the picture of the candy I realized I got my feet in there at the bottom of the page. Photographer I am certainly not. Almost looks like the candies are bigger than my feet (which are size 13).

Cook's Block

2008-06-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

Having a hard time deciding what to make next. I do like making main courses like pulled pork and chili, but I also enjoy making desserts. I regret to say that a lot of the chili I made will be going in the freezer because a guy can only eat so much (I ate it for about a week straight).

A co-worker gave me an interesting recipe for some chocolate sour cherry, walnut and ginger clusters. A little more brainstorming led to the idea of soaking the cherries in port or some other sort of liquor. Desserts are great because even if you have leftovers you can bring them into the office and they will get taken care of so you don't feel like you have to eat them all.

Busy weekend with Birthdays and an Engagement party Sunday, but I think I can squeeze something in on Sunday hopefully.

Three Meat Chili

2008-06-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

The heat wave finally broke in NYC so it was high time to make some chili. This recipe has a larger number of ingredients than I usually use, but is quite simple to make.

Ingredients
1.5 lbs of ground meat (pork, veal, beef)
5 cloves of garlic chopped
2 medium onions chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 green pepper chopped
1 150z jar of pasta sauce
2 15oz cans of red beans drained
1 150z can of refried beans
1 150z can diced tomatoes with jalapenos
7 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce
6 oz of beer

In a pan, cook the onions, garlic, salt and pepper in the olive oil for about 3-4 minutes. Add in your meat (you can definitely use only beef or turkey here too) and cook until the meat is fully browned. Use your spatula to break up the meat into small pieces as you go. Once all the meat is browned remove from heat and set aside. I had planned to use only ground sirloin here, but when I saw the 3 meat pack at the grocery store I figured it was worth a shot.

In a large bowl, add all of the remaining ingredients and stir until fully blended. Add in your meat and onions and stir again until fully combined. Pour the mixture into your crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours.

Based on my research it seems that most folks advocate refrigerating your chili overnight to allow the flavors to meld together. I went with this recommendation and it was worth the wait.
Microwave a portion of chili for about 1.5 minutes. Top with some shredded cheese (I prefer cheddar) and microwave for another minute until the cheese is melted. If you like it a little more spicy add some hot sauce and you are good to go.

If there was ever a dish made for the crockpot it would have to be chili. The slow cooking really allowed all of the flavors to merge and resulted in a rich, meaty chili that will probably feed me for the next week or so. I'll definitely have to do some more experimenting with chili as I am a big fan of both turkey and white bean chili as well.

Riding out the heat wave

2008-06-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

While the heat wave in NYC rages on, with temperatures approaching 100 degrees, crockpotting is a bit of a challenge. However, that does not mean I can't plan and look ahead to when things will start to cool off later this week. I've had chili on brain for quite some time now. I had some great chili when I was out to dinner a few weeks ago. I paid about 15 bucks for it, which is somewhat steep considering I can make a couple quarts of chili for not too much more. That said, I will be making some chili this week.

While it is tough to make pulled pork or brisket into a healthy meal (they are both loaded with fat and cholesterol unfortunately), chili has the potential to be a pretty healthy alternative. At some point I will probably do a "what the heck is that anyway?" with chili, but for now I will focus on the task at hand as explaining the origins and different types of chili is quite a task that will involve a little more research.

The chili that most of us know and love is generally made up of ground meat (beef, turkey, etc) ,beans (red beans, kidney beans, white northern beans etc.), chili peppers of some sort and that's where the similarities pretty much end. There are a lot of recipes out there that use tomatoes, onions and a wide variety of spices. Perhaps the greatest challenge when making chili is getting that nice thick consistency that chili is known for.

I have elected ground sirloin as my base meat as it is both lean and flavorful with the right amount of fat. I also will use fresh vegetables whenever possible as they are key to making fresh and great tasting chili. Finally, I will make my own seasonings. I have used pre-made spice rubs a fair amount primarily because they are pretty cheap and have been pretty good. It is time for me to step out there and control my own flavor destiny. More to come on this once this heat wave breaks.

Big Apple BBQ Recap

2008-06-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

It was a scorcher out there today at the Big Apple BBQ at nearly 95 degrees. This did not stop folks from coming out to try some great BBQ from around the country, myself included. The lines were long, but the food was well worth the wait. I had set a goal to make sure that I ate pork, brisket and ribs before the day was done.

The first stop was Salt Lick BBQ from Austin Texas for some beef brisket.

Their offering was a plate consisting of a brisket sandwich, piece of smoked sausage and coleslaw:

The brisket had a great smokey flavor to it. I thought it could have been a little bit more tender, but it was definitely good. The sausage was juicy and had an almost crispy outer crust, making it the highlight of the plate. The coleslaw was vinegar based which I prefer to mayo based and was a great palate cleanser after eating the flavorful meats. The line for this was so long that I left my friends to go search for some pulled pork, leading me to to my next stop at Ubon's of
Yazoo, MS.

I'm sure the people of Yazoo City must eat well because the pork shoulder from Ubon's was amazing!

I quickly tossed away the roll because the meat was so delicious and flavorful that to interfere with it's goodness would have been criminal. The pork was moist and tender with a great spice rub and a dynamite sauce. The sauce was sweet and tangy, most likely from a combination of brown sugar and vinegar. I wish I could make it myself, but my guess would be that the folks at Ubon's keep that recipe safely guarded. The coleslaw was great too, with just the right amount of mayo.

Having gathered together our spoils of victory we sought out shade as quickly as possible as it had become unbearably hot. It was unfortunate that it wasn't a slightly cooler day because after awhile it was hard just to be outside. We took a pretty long breather at which point I summoned the energy to make one more trip out into the heat to complete the last leg of my mission, pork ribs. I made my way over to 17th Street Bar and Grill of Las Vegas, NV.

I had to wait about 30 minutes in line but I was rewarded with some top notch ribs and the best baked beans I have ever had in my life.

Again, I tossed the bread aside. I was already feeling pretty full and did not want to waste valuable room with bread. The ribs were outstanding, with the meat falling right off the bone and a smokey sweet flavor that did not require any BBQ sauce at all. The beans were a mix of many different kinds of beans in a tangy sauce which complemented the ribs perfectly.

Here are some other shots from the day:

A gorgeous beef brisket right out of the smoker waiting to be sliced and served.

A view inside the smoker of Salt Lick BBQ. Hats off to the pitmasters and crew who worked tirelessly to prepare and serve some great BBQ in scorching heat.

Racks of ribs rotating in the smoker at 17th Street Bar and Grill. The perfect end to a great day of BBQ.

While I love to make my own BBQ, it is always great to go out and sample BBQ from different places. It is an excellent to pick up new ideas and try things that you may not be able to make at home. I will certainly be back again next year, hopefully it won't be so not next time.

What the heck is Liquid Smoke anyway?

2008-06-05T17:34:00.001-07:00

If you are a crockpot cook you are well aware by now that giving your meats a smokey flavor without using some sort of flavoring is next to impossible. That said, you are given a number of options of how to compensate for this. Your primary weapon is your use of spices and sauces to give your meat flavor. Liquid smoke falls into this category and is the closest thing to actual smoke you can get when you are working with a crockpot. I have a bottle of liquid smoke and it has been effective in giving my meats a smokey flavor. However, as with everything I use, I want to make sure that I fully understand what is in liquid smoke.

Liquid smoke is made in a surprisingly straightforward way. I would have envisioned a complex blend of chemicals, but in fact liquid smoke is made by burning wood chips in a controlled setting and then using water vapor to absorb the smoke. The water vapor then condenses and presto, you've got liquid smoke. Another interesting aspect of liquid smoke is that during the preparation process significant amounts of tar and ash that are typically present in foods smoked over an open flame are removed during the process, greatly reducing the level of carcinogens food flavored with liquid smoke as opposed to foods smoked over burning wood.

There are many different types of liquid smoke, most of which focus on a particular type of wood such as hickory or mesquite. It really adds a great flavor to your meats and is a nice alternative for those who do not have the facilities to smoke their own meats. So give liquid smoke a shot next time you are making a marinade. You will not be disappointed

Big Apple BBQ 2008!!!

2008-06-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

It will be a great weekend for BBQ enthusiasts of New York City. The Annual Big Apple BBQ will be taking place. Pit Masters from all over the states will be setting up shop and providing their specialties. There will be brisket from Texas, pulled pork from North Carolina and ribs from Memphis and Kansas City.

www.bigapplebbq.org/2008/

If you live in NYC and are going to be in town this weekend it is really a must see. It can be a little crowded, but there are plenty of places to sit down once you get your food. $8 for a small plate may seem like a lot, but this is all top notch BBQ. I recommend going with a few friends and splitting many plates so you get a chance to taste everything.

Going Hog Wild

2008-06-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lapse between posts. Don't think I haven't been working on some new things though. As I mentioned before I planned to test out the concept of flavor injection. That is, using a syringe like device to inject liquid marinades deep into meat prior to cooking. With memorial day around the corner, I opted to go with the classics and make some pulled pork along with a homemade BBQ sauce.

I also was able to find a bone in pork shoulder at the supermarket. This was especially nice because I have heard a lot about how the bone flavor the meat during the cooking process. Let's start with the Pork.

Ingredients
1 bone in pork shoulder (about 4-5 lbs)
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of liquid smoke
1 tablespoon of water
1 tablespoon of honey
4+ tablespoons of your favorite bbq rub

You can make your own rub if you like. I usually buy my own because I'm pretty limited on space but I have made one quick recipe which works fine.

In a bowl or measuring cup, mix the Worcestershire sauce, water, liquid smoke and honey until even blended. Fill your flavor injector up as shown above and push the needle into a thick part of the pork shoulder and press down on the syringe to release the flavor into the meat. I recommend making about 5 to 6 insertions. Pour the remaining liquid over the meat and turn it a few times to make sure it is evenly coated. Apply your dry rub even over the meat and put the meat in your crockpot on low for 12 hours.

If you have been able to find a bone in pork shoulder (this recipe works fine with a pork butt or pork loin) you will be able to literally pull the shoulder bone out cleanly as can be seen above. Take the pork out of the crockpot (be careful as it will fall apart) and use two forks to shred the meat. Using a spoon or turkey baster, apply the juices left in your crockpot to the meat to add back little moisture.

You can pick up a flavor injector at any kitchen store for about $5-7 and it is definitely a worthwhile investment. If you don't have one on hand, pouring the mixture over the meat works fine as well.

Now for the sauce...

Ingredients
2.5 cups of ketchup
1.5 cups of brown sugar
5 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of molasses
1 tablespoon of honey
3 teaspoons hot sauce
1 small onion chopped

Saute the onion in a pan with olive oil. Mix together all the remaining ingredients until evenly blended. Pour the mixture over the onions and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir one final time and pour the sauce into a bowl and container and put in the fridge for a few hours to cool. Definitely a little wiggle room here. I like spicy food so if you prefer a sauce that is a little sweeter, you may want to cut back a little on the mustard and hot sauce and taste test your sauce until it suits you.

Here are my results. While I didn't wind up with any leftovers to take home, as long as people enjoyed it that is good enough for me.

Flavor Injection

2008-05-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't much reason or time to make anything of note lately. However, Memorial Day presents a golden opportunity to fire up the crockpot. A friend of mine is having a BBQ and what better way to celebrate than with some pulled pork.

Flavor injection is not something I have tried yet, but the concept in and of itself makes a lot of sense to me. It is hard to get the flavors of your rubs and sauces deep into your meat. Even after long periods of marinating you will not get all the way to the core of your pork butt or brisket. This is where I'm hoping flavor injection can help. Basically, I am going to get a syringe type device and inject my pork with some of my spices and marinating ingredients.

I seem to recall one of those late commercials for this rotating oven being pitched by Ron Popiel. One of the giveaways I remember was a flavor injector. In the ad, they used it to deposit garlic and spices deep into a roast beef. It seems logical that if you want your meet to have a lot of flavor that you should inject the center of the meet with the same rubs and sauces that you are using on the outside of it.

Here is a picture of Ron with the Showtime Rotisserie Grill. Can't say I have ever bought one of his products, but he certainly introduced me to the concept of flavor injection.

Sweet Inspiration

2008-05-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

Although I enjoy making my own BBQ at home, it is also nice to go out for BBQ sometimes and see what other folks are doing. There are definitely some big differences between crockpot BBQ and restaurant BBQ. For one thing, a traditional BBQ restaurant will cook their meats (pork, ribs, brisket etc.) in a smoker for anywhere from 12-24 hours using a variety of woods (hickory, apple etc.) to give the meat difference flavors. The pinkness that you may notice when you are eating pulled pork or chicken is a result of the smoking process and a sign that you are having quality BBQ. Going out and enjoying BBQ food prepared properly always inspires me to get back in there and make something new.

I went home to Boston this past weekend and no visit there is complete without stopping in to Blue Ribbon BBQ. I remember going there for lunch as a senior in high school and it hasn't changed much since. I got a Burnt Ends sandwich (this is the ends of the beef brisket which are chopped up) with coleslaw and black eyed corn for under $7. I think it may have been about $6 when I was in high school, but still an incredible value today.

I could really taste the variety of seasonings that they incorporate into both their BBQ rubs and sauces. There are other BBQ restaurants that make claims of being the best but Blue Ribbon is still hands down the best BBQ I have ever had. A 10 out of 10 in my book! If anyone reading is ever in Newton, MA, Blue Ribbon is a must eat (http://www.blueribbonbbq.com/).

Quick & Easy BBQ Sauce

2008-05-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

Saw a recipe on epicurious for BBQ sauce that looked pretty good. I made a few modifications to it and overall am pretty pleased with the results. Camera is on the fritz so no photos this time I'm afraid.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of butter
1 medium onion (chopped into small pieces)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
16 oz ketchup
1/3 of a cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Melt the butter down in a saucepan and saute the onion for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic in and cook for about another minute. Add in everything else except for the hot sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the hot sauce and give one final stir before transferring to a bowl.
Put the bowl in the fridge for about an hour to allow the sauce to thicken up an serve over your favorite meats.

Sweet and Smokey Pulled Pork

2008-05-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have to say this is my favorite creation so far. I really enjoy combining sweet and smoky flavors. You really can't go wrong using ingredients such as honey and brown sugar, which lend themselves especially well to pork. I think that using the pork butt (shoulder) also makes a big difference because it has just the right amount of fat to baste itself throughout the cooking process. If there was ever a meat that the crockpot was inspired by, it would have to be a toss up between pork butts and stew meat.

Ingredients
1 2lb Pork Butt
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 table spoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons of BBQ rub (I used Northwest Fire from Penzey's)
1 bottle of sweet and smoky style BBQ sauce (I used NOH Hawaiian BBQ sauce)

Directions
In a bowl mix together the liquid smoke, water, Worcestershire sauce, honey, brown and brown sugar until evenly mixed.

Place the pork butt in a large bowl and pour the liquid mixture over it, turning the pork a few times to ensure that it is fully covered. Pour out any excess liquid that has collected on the bottom of the bowl. Sprinkle the BBQ rub evenly over the meat and rotate until the meat is evenly coated. Pour about 4 tablespoons of BBQ sauce over the meat and once again (sorry for the repetitiveness here, I promise it will pay off) rotate the meat until it is fully covered.

Wrap the pork butt in 2 plastic bags doubled up so that nothing leaks out and leave in the fridge overnight to marinate (you do not have to do this, but marinating the meat for a few hours really will pay off).

Place the meat in the crockpot and cook for 10 hours on low (I just let cook while I was at work). While in this photo there appears to be some burning, the meat as just fine as you can see below.

Remove the meat from the crockpot and place in a large plastic container or bowl. Use two forks to shred the meat and add the rest of your BBQ sauce and give it a stir.
Serve on your favorite bread with some BBQ sauce and you are good to go! I wish I had picked up some coleslaw and pickles to go with this but the meat was delicious on it's own anyway.

Wrap Up:
I've come away from this recipe with a few thoughts.
1) for pulled pork, the pork butt is the only meat that should be used.
2) if you have the time to marinate, by all means marinate.
3) while I do still want to make my own BBQ sauce, if you look around the store a little bit and don't mind paying a little extra, there are plenty of good BBQ sauces out there.

Happy Cooking!

I must make sauce!

2008-05-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

The time has come for me to make my own BBQ sauce. For the last few months I have purchased store bought sauces that undoubtedly are made from many artificial additives and preservatives. I have the tools to make something myself and BBQ sauce be frozen so it will keep indefinitely. The next question is what type of sauce to make. I have always been a fan of ketchup based sauces with a sweet, smoky flavor. I have tried vinegar based sauces before and while I think they go pretty well with pork, Sweet and Smokey is the way to go in my book.

If anybody has had any success or recommended ingredients or recipes please let me know. I will work on this weekend. Tonight I will be making some pulled pork. Recipe will follow tomorrow!

Beef Basics

2008-05-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

Up until this point I have been relatively naive when it comes to the various cuts of beef and what their best uses are. With a slow cooker the general rule of them is that the slow cooking will tenderize even the toughest cuts of meat. However, my inclination would be that the better cut of meat you start out with, the better your results could potentially be. I think the main thing is you want to make sure you are using meat with a decent amount of fat in it which will allow it to become moist and tender during the cooking process.

The breakdown of the different cuts of meat and what they are used for can be found on Wikipedia and is a handy reference guide for what cuts of meat are best for what types of purposes. When I look back on what I have made so far I have found that my best results have come when I have used brisket and plate steaks (such as hanger or skirt). A lot of this has to do with the amount of fat that these cuts have, which compensates for them not being very tender and lends them so handily to slow cooking. Long story short, make sure that your meat has some fat on it to ensure you get a nice moist, tender result. Same holds true for pork where the pork butt (of the shoulder) has a pretty good amount of fat on it which helps baste and flavor the meat throughout the cooking process. Just talking about this is making me hungry!

Chipotle Style Beef

2008-04-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

I have been developing a love for spicy food, in particular I like adding hot sauce to pretty much anything that is not a dessert. I thought that hot sauces would be useful in the cooking process as well. I had used hot sauce successfully in a pork recipe , so I figured it would work just as well with beef. I used a chipotle style hot sauce called pick-a-pepper, which has a more smoky flavor. I'm also proud to say that I kept this recipe to four ingredients. Particularly when you are busy, the less prep and ingredients involved, the better. Save the really complicated recipes for the weekend.
Ingredients
1 lb beef stew meat
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons of "pick-a-pepper" sauce
2 tablespoons of Chipotle style BBQ rub (I got Northwoods Fire from Penzey's Spices)

Obviously you can substitute in your own sauce or spice rub. I really recommend these though. They are delicious and very inexpensive.

Put the meat in a bowl and add in the vinegar and pick-a-pepper sauce. Stir until evenly coated and sprinkle the rub on top, stirring again until all the meat is evenly coated.
Add in to your crockpot and cook on low for 8-9 hours (if you are making more than 2 lbs, I would adjust this 10-12 hours)

Remove the meat from the crockpot and shred using two forks. Add back in the remaining juices from the crockpot to return some moisture to the meat.

I served my meat with some Old Cape Cod Chipotle BBQ Sauce. Couldn't find a link for it, but most grocery stores carry it. You could also use some more pick-a-pepper sauce or your hot sauce will work great too.

Final Thoughts:
I thought my meat came out a little drier than usual. I think that was related to making a small amount of meat in a large crockpot, which prevent the juices from collecting and keeping the meat moist throughout the cooking process. I also think that I would have been better off with a a fattier cut of meat. The stew meat I used was pretty lean. That said, I definitely enjoyed my results and would make this recipe again in the future.

What the heck is Angus beef anyway?

2008-04-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

I've heard the term Angus beef thrown around a lot, particular by fast food chains attempting to entice customers to by their burgers there. But is Angus beef really better than "regular" beef or is it just a bunch of smoke and mirrors? Sure it sounds pretty good and makes you feel like "man's man (or woman)" when you order it or just say it's name, but does this translate into superior quality or flavor?

As usual, my go to for information such as this is Wikipedia. Angus is derived from Aberdeen-Angus, which was the name of Scottish breed of cattle. Angus (or Blank Angus) is the most popular breed of beef cattle in America. Interestingly, Angus cattle are used strictly for meat, due to their natural marbling (fat located within the meat), but are also used for cross breeding purposes with other types of cattle in order to improve both marbling and milking ability. Why Angus cattle are not used for milk is not elaborated on unfortunately.

During 2003 and 2004, Fast food restaurants created a PR campaign for the purposes of promoting the supposed superior quality of beef from Angus cattle. In fact, there is a American Angus Association who's primary purpose is to promote the idea that Angus beef is better than all other beef. I won't get into the 10 characteristics that must be met to be considered Angus cattle, but you can check it for yourself at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_cattle if you are interested.

I think the main thing that can be taken from this is that there is not significant evidence that Angus beef is any better or worse that other beef. There is certainly a lot more marketing and PR muscle behind it, but not a whole lot of definitive statistics to to back it up. I say buy beef that looks fresh and has good marbling. If it happens to be Angus, that is fine, but I would not choose one over the other solely based on the name.

Double Almond Apricot Clusters

2008-04-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

I apologize for taking so long to get this recipe out. It has been a hectic week for me with work and friends coming into town. I finally had a chance last night to put these together after thinking about them for nearly a week. I have to say I think these came out far better than the cranberry walnut clusters. Not that they were bad, but just that these came out so well.

Ingredients
25 oz (five 5 ounce bars) of Hershey's Special Dark chocolate
1 9oz can of smoked almonds
1 9oz can of roasted/salted almonds
1 16oz of dried apricots

Open both cans of almonds and pour them into the crockpot (I can't stress enough how easy this recipe is). Cut the dried apricots into halves. Add to the crockpot and mix the almonds and apricots together until they are evenly distributed.

Chop up the chocolate into small pieces (about 1/2 or 1/3 or an individual square. This is more work that just pouring a bag of chocolate chips, but I promise it is worth it because chocolate that is meant for eating on it's own is ideal for this recipe. Add the broken up chocolate on top of your other ingredients. Do not mix the ingredients together. You will want to have the chocolate on top so it melts slowly and doesn't burn.

Cook on low for about 1.5-2 hrs. Emphasis on the low here. Cooking on high for the half the time is not a good idea as I mentioned when I made the cran-walnut clusters. Chocolate likes to take it's time to melt, but your patience will pay off with some great tasting candy.

After about 2 hours turn off the crockpot, remove the lid and stir all of the ingredients together with a big spoon or spatula. Spoon the mixture onto a wax paper-lined pan and put in the fridge overnight. You can take it out sooner, but I recommend waiting so the chocolate can fully re-harden.

The next day take out that pan and break apart the block of candy. I put a cutting board on top of the candy and gave it a few good whacks with a hammer, but it will come apart pretty easily so you can even break apart with you hands if that is easier. You could also make it into bars if you prefer that over smaller pieces.

Wrap up: Using an eating chocolate such as Hershey's really made a huge difference for me. It melted down a lot more than semi-sweet chocolate chips I used in previous recipes and also tasted a little better as well. Using flavor almonds (smoked etc) also gives your candy a nice flavor in addition to a great crunch factor. Definitely room to grow in this area. I think you can go pretty much any direction you want when you think about how many kinds of nuts, dried fruits and chocolates there are. You can also use other snack foods such as pretzels and graham crackers instead of nuts.

Indian Style?

2008-04-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

Has anyone ever made Indian food in their Crockpot? It seems like it would really lend itself well to crockpot cooking. I have been thinking about this in part because I ate Indian food the last few days and thought that the texture is remarkably similar to how meats and vegetables come out of a slow cooker. I can't say I know too much about the different spices, but I would definitely like to give it a try. If anyone has any thoughts or recipes please share. I know I still I need to make the Almond apricot chocolate clusters. I do have all the ingredients, but haven't had time this week to make them yet. Hopefully tomorrow.

The endless possibilities of desserts

2008-04-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

Seeing the success of my dark chocolate cranberry walnut clusters has inspired me to do some more dried fruit and nut pairings. The possibilities are seemingly endless. I really like working with dark chocolate. It has such a nice rich flavor that is not too sweet. I know that many people enjoy milk and white chocolate as well, but for me dark chocolate is the stuff. I'm thinking almonds and apricots with dark chocolate would be a great combo of texture and flavor. I think I may need to build up some sort of listing of all the different types of nuts and dried fruits and just start experimenting with different combinations.

As far as chocolate goes I think I'm going to spring for some of the fancier dark chocolate. I think the semi-sweet chips are pretty good, but don't have quite enough of the cocoa flavor that I really enjoy. If anyone has any suggestions of good brands of dark chocolate please let me know. I'll do a thorough investigation tomorrow at the grocery store. I find that writing down my ideas in my blog is much easier that keeping stuff on paper. I tend to make my notes on little scraps of paper or on the back of an opened envelope and then inadvertently throw them away, losing the idea in the process. One of these days I'll get around to getting a notebook and start keeping things a little more organized.

Spring Chicken Stew

2008-04-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

Well I didn't quite end up making the Brunswick stew I had envisioned in previous posts. I just couldn't pull the trigger when I saw the Okra at the grocery store. It looked like it had been out there for awhile and while I don't mind having a meal not turn out as I planned, I will not use something that I don't believe is fresh or safe to eat.

Ingredients
1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes
1 11 oz can of corn
1 lb of white chicken tenders
40 baby carrots (not pictured)
30 pearl onions
20 small red potatoes
1 can of chicken broth (I used a envelope of instant chicken soup, but more on that later)
2 teaspoons of BBQ rub
Salt and Pepper to taste

Sprinkle some BBQ rub (or use your own spices if you prefer) evenly only the chicken tenders, turning them over a few times until they are evenly coated. Cook them over medium heat in a skillet with a little Pam or oil. Once the chicken has been cooked through, chop it up into bite size pieces and set aside.

Chop the onions in half and remove the skin. Rinse the potatoes and slice into thirds.
Drain the tomatoes and chop and half. I wasn't going to put this picture in but I thought it looked pretty grisly so I thought I would throw it in there.

Here is a layout of all of the ingredients. As you can see I am operating in somewhat limited quarters. Hopefully one day I'll actually have a kitchen where I can spread out.

Mix all of your ingredients together in your crockpot. Now, regarding the chicken broth. I opened up my can of broth and was overpowered by the odor that came from it. I checked the expiration date and it wasn't until 2009, but I just had a bad feeling about it so I improvised a little.

In a pinch I used an envelope of cup-a-soup. I boiled some water and made an 8oz serving and poured it over over my chicken and veggies. Salt and pepper to taste. I recommend adding in a few shakes of bbq rub or whatever your favorite spices are as well. Use a big spoon to to mix the ingredients together so that they are evenly distributed. Cook on low for 9 hours.

Here are the results. I've been working a little bit at my plating. A few blackberries and a toast English muffin are a great compliment. You may want to add some hot sauce as well. It gives the stew a nice spicy flavor.

What the heck is Okra anyway?

2008-04-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

Have to say I'm enjoying interjecting my recipe and cooking posts with brief descriptions of various foods that I had no idea what they really were beforehand. In order to make great food it is important to build your knowledge base by looking into things you have never cooked with before. I'm still on the fence about whether to add Okra to my upcoming Brunswick stew. It looks kinda funny and nobody has really had anything good to say about so far. I have seen it featured on the food network for it's thickening properties which sounds ideal for a stew.

Consulting Wikipedia Okra, also know as "lady's finger" (pretty funny looking finger if you ask me) originated West African and is widely used in thick stews of meat and vegetables. It also one of the most heat and drought tolerant vegetable species in the world. More recently, it has become popular at Japanese restaurants where it can be found fried up tempura style. The seeds themselves can even be roasted and ground to be used as a coffee substitute.

This all sounds good and well, but it appears do to the "mucilaginous" nature of the plant, that a goo of sorts is released when cooking, making it ideal for stir frying or pair with acidic fruits and vegetables (citrus, tomatoes etc.). Have to say I'm kinda undecided here. I like the idea of a good hearty stew, but anything described as having mucilaginous properties doesn't sound so great either. I will make this call when I'm the grocery, but I can't it's looking too promising.

Brunswick Stew

2008-04-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'm going to endeavor to make a Brunswick Stew. It is basically a hearty tomato based stew with different vegetables (corn, butterbeans, okra etc) and at least one type of meat. I like the idea of incorporating a couple different meats in there. According to Wikipedia, most authentic recipes use squirrel or rabbit meat. I think I will stick to either beef, pork or chicken. Not too sure where to get fresh rabbit and squirrel just doesn't sound too appealing. Always something new to try I suppose.

Dark Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Clusters

2008-04-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

Not feeling that great today, but I wanted to catch up on some recipes that I made over the weekend. Building off the success of my peanut bombs, I thought I would make a more adult version with dark chocolate, walnuts and cranberries.

I have to admit I have become quite comfortable with how the crockpots cook and believe that I have a pretty good feel for it. However, I made the error of trying to melt down the chocolate on the high setting rather than low because I wanted to get it to melt faster. I have always been a believer that you never can really mess up a recipe, you just might wind up making something different that you had intended. This is the perfect case of that.

Dark Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Clusters

Ingredients

2 12 ounce bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 16 oz bag of walnut pieces
10 oz of dried cranberries

Pour the walnuts and cranberries into the bottom of the crockpot and use your hands to mix them together. Top with the chocolate chips and set your crockpot to low for 1-2 hours. I am bolding this because I did not follow this advice and while my results were good, I think they would have been better if I had been a little more patient.

Once the chocolate has melted (note even though the chips might not completely melt the will quickly break apart when stirred so don't expect them to fully melt). Spoon the mixture out onto waxed paper and spread out to form a thin layer (about 1/3 inch or so) in the pan. Put into the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours (I recommend overnight to allow it to fully harden).

Break apart your sheet of chocolate walnuts and cranberries with you hands and put into a bowl or Tupperware.

I am please to say that my office once again enjoyed my results even more than my peanut bombs which surprised me because I thought I had ruined these initially. I also brought a small batch over for some friends of mine who had just gotten a new dog. A "dog warming" gift of sorts. Just goes to show that you can't give on a recipe just because it's not turning out the way you had originally visioned. If you roll with the punches you will do just fine.

Spicing Things Up

2008-04-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

In an effort to broaden my horizons a little bit (in retrospect Crockpot BBQ is a bit of a confining name so I may diverge into other areas now and then) I decided to make something spicy. While I was at the butcher I noticed that there was a great looking cut of meat called pork tenderloin. It is a lot leaner than the pork butt (top of the shoulder), so despite concerns that it would dry out while cooking, I went ahead and bought it anyway. I also only bought 1 lb instead of my usual 3 lbs. I like to make new things often and rather than have the food go to waste or get suck eating leftovers for a week I figure I will make smaller batches unless I'm expecting more company.

I had two customers for tonight so 1 lb was perfect . The whole lot of it got eaten so I won't be having any leftovers this time around.

Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Onions and Mushrooms

Ingredients:
1 lb of pork tenderloin
2 teaspoons of hot sauce
2 tablespoons of BBQ rub (I use a blend I got at Penzey's Spices)
2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce (I think Old Cape Cod Chipotle goes great)
1 Large Texas sweet onion
1 8 oz box of mushrooms (I used baby bellas, but any will do just fine)

In a small container or bowl pour the hot sauce over the meat and give it a couple turns to evenly coat it. Add in the BBQ seasonings and turn a few more times to evenly coat. Repeat the same process for with BBQ sauce.

Peel the onion and cut into 5 or 6 thick slices and put them at the bottom of the crockpot. Rinse and pull out the stems of the mushrooms. Cut the caps in half and toss on top of the onions. Lay the pork loin on top of the bed of onion and mushrooms.

Set your crockpot on low for 9 hours. Once 9 hours is up, remove the pork tenderloin and shred it using two forks (it should come apart easily). Using a fork or tongs to pull out the onions and mushrooms. There will be a little bit of liquid left at the bottom. Use a baster or just pour it over the meat. This adds back some flavor and returns some of the moistens the meat as well.

I like having the meat on some bread ( I used English muffins in this case), but it'll be just fine on it's own as well. I recommend topping your meat with some extra hot sauce and BBQ sauce as well.

I think my food presentation skills are starting to improve a little bit.

Sharing the Wealth

2008-04-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would be so excited and nervous about bringing in some of my "peanut bombs" into the office. I would probably still be in some sort of food coma had I kept them around the house and ate them all. I chopped them in halves and put them in a plastic container. On the way to work I schemed about when to put them out. I figured right around 11 would be perfect because most people are starting to think about lunch around then. However, when I came in, my group descended on me so I wound up putting them out at about 9:30 instead. Around 10:45 I put what was left (about half) back in the fridge and then put them back out a 12:30. Sure enough, they were all gone by about 2 pm.

It's much more satisfying to know that other people have enjoyed what you have prepared than if you just eat it yourself. Given that you have already invested some time and money into your meal you will probably eat anyway even if it isn't your best because of the effort you put into it. When other people eat, and enjoy what you have prepared it really means you made something good that an unbiased party deemed worthy of eating. It seems like lunch time makes the most sense for putting things out though. Or at least wait until 11. Some people may be ready to eat at 9, but I usually don't start thinking about my next meal until 1130 or so.

DD's Baked Beans

2008-03-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a good batch of baked beans to warm you up on a cold March evening. I'm really happy with how these came out. I have never been much of a baked bean person, but I think that a lot of that had to do with my primary experience being eating them from a can. In addition, when your rent is dangerously close to half your monthly income it is important to conserve where you can. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
3 15.5 oz cans of white beans
1 15.5 oz can of red kidney beans
1 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 medium onion rough chopped
12 slices of turkey bacon (or regular if preferred)
2 tablespoons of molasses
3/4 of a cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of BBQ seasonings (optional)

In a pan, cook the turkey bacon until crisp and set aside.

Pour the white and red beans into a strainer to drain out the majority of the liquid and add to the crockpot. Add in the tomatoes, onions, brown sugar and BBQ seasonings. Roughly crumble the bacon and top and stir the mixture until the ingredients are evenly mixed.

Set your crockpot to low and cook for 9 hours, giving it a quick stir after 4.5 hours.

If I got to do this over again I would have added 1/2 cup of ketchup for a little more flavor and texture. I think these bean go great as a side dish, but can also be the main even accompanied by some bread for dipping. I through a little hot sauce on mine for spice, but they are great as is if you like things a little more mild. Sour cream would also probably go well also.

This recipe will easily feed 4-6 people as a dinner and freeze and reheat really well.

Peanut Bombs

2008-03-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

A special thanks to http://mommascookbook.blogspot.com/ for inspiring this recipe. As promised, I am adding some desserts and sides to go along with the meats. I love BBQ as much as anyone, but even I can't eat pulled pork and brisket everyday for lunch and dinner. That in mind, I present my recipe for peanut bombs, and easy to make and great tasting dessert!

Ingredients
16 oz of salted peanuts
12 oz of milk chocolate chips
4 heaping tablespoons of smooth peanut butter
1 cup of m & m's
2 cups of mini marshmallows

Pour the peanuts into the crockpot and top with the 4 tablespoons of peanut butter. Add the chocolate chips on top and set your crockpot to 2 hours on low. I would recommend taking a look every 30 min or so to make sure you don't burn the the chocolate.

At the end of 2 hours (or sooner if your crockpot runs a little hotter) you should see something like this.

Although the chocolate chips may not appear be fully melted, they will coat the peanuts readily when stirred. Once you have stirred up the peanuts, add in the m & m's and stir again. Finally, add in the marshmallows and stir one more time. The marshmallows will disintegrate quickly, but will give the mixture a nice texture and color.

Using two spoons, form roughly rounded spheres of the mixture (make sure you turn your crockpot off to stop the chocolate from cooking any further) and place them on waxed paper to cool.

Put your tray into the fridge overnight to allow the peanut bombs to fully harden. You will be rewarded for you patience on this I promise.

After cooling down, your peanut bombs are ready to be enjoyed. The great thing about these is how flexible the recipe is. Dark or white chocolate can easily be swapped in as can all different types of nuts (almonds, cashews and walnuts to name a few). You can also easily swap out the m & m's and marshmallows for raisins, dried cranberries and other dried fruits. My roommate suggested I try graham cracker pieces for a smore like creation. As you can see, the combinations are endless.

What the heck is Molasses anyway?

2008-03-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I bought a jar of molasses, not so much because I knew what it was, but because it seems to be a staple of BBQ cooking. I always thought of it as a sort of sugar based version of honey, thick and sweet. I have vague recollections of my father putting it on his pancakes when I was a kid.

A quick check on wikipedia gave a pretty good description. Molasses is a by product from the processing of sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. The word is derived from the Portuguese word "melaco" which come from mel, the Portuguese word for honey. Some common uses of molasses are gingerbread, gingersnaps and other desserts. Plain molasses has a really sharp taste to it so I would say it is not really suited for eating as is. At least not the kind I bought anyway. There a couple grades of molasses ranging from 1st grade (sweeter) to Blackstrap (more bitter). For more details on molasses go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molasses

I bring this up only because my upcoming baked bean recipe will contain molasses and I had purchased this dark syrup product without having any idea as to what it was and what it should be used for.

In other news, I have completed my first dessert recipe that I have dubbed "peanut bombs." They are in the fridge right now cooling down, but I will be posting the results and recipe later on.

2 Crockpots are better than 1

2008-03-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

Given my rash of new ideas and expansion into the dessert and side dish arena, it seems logical that I buy an additional crockpot. For one, crockpots are really cheap (mine was about $40) and are extremely durable. Additionally, one draw back to crockpots is that you can any only make one thing at a time and each thing can take upwards of 10 hours to cook. It would have been handy a few weeks ago to have been able to cook the brisket in one pot and the sweet potatoes in the other. Everything could have been ready at the exact same time.

I may be going out on a limb here, but it seems like crockpots develop a inherent flavor after awhile. I always scrub out the bowl carefully, but I still feel like the meats sometimes leave a little flavor behind. This is not necessarily a bad thing unless you would like to make a dessert. Pork and brisket flavored chocolate peanut clusters don't sound like they would be that great. Most of the folks I have talked to use a two crock pot system, one for meats/savory and another for desserts/sweet. I don't really know where I'm going to fit another crockpot in my kitchen, but I'll just worry about that later I guess.

Mixing it up

2008-03-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

I have been making primarily meat lately, but I think I will try in incorporate more sides and even desserts going forward. I think of BBQ as a genre, as opposed to just the slow cooking of meats. Some of my favorite things at BBQ restaurants are the sides such as sweet potatoes, creamed spinach, cornbread and baked beans. Brisket or pulled pork without the sides wouldn't be the same. It is really important to try to incorporate a variety of flavors and textures in a meal.

Some things I will be making down the road include bourbon peaches, sweet cornbread with strawberries, and chocolate-peanut butter cashews. Looking forward to trying these new recipes out. Just need to find some folks to eat them so I don't eat the whole thing myself.

Easy BBQ Chicken

2008-03-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Having had great success with beef and pork I decided that I would give chicken a shot even though I had some reservations about the meat drying out. As it turns out, dark meat chicken has plenty of fat and moisture and works great in the crockpot.

Easy BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

8 boneless/skinless Chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 Tablespoons of BBQ rub of choice (store bought or homemade works great)
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar 1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Medium Onion, chopped
3-4 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ Sauce

In a large bowl, combine the chicken thighs with the Worcestershire sauce, honey, brown sugar and bbq rub and stir until the chicken is evenly coated.

Rough Chop the onion into bite size pieces and add to the chicken and top with your BBQ sauce of choice.

Give everything one final stir before setting your crockpot to low for 9 hours

After the meat has finished cooking remove the chicken and onions from the crock pot and put into a bowl or plastic container. Shred the chicken with two forks and spoon the juices left in the crock pot back onto the meat along with a little BBQ sauce if you so choose.

Stir everything together one last time. The chicken can be served on it's own or on a roll with BBQ sauce. A couple dashes of apple cider or white vinegar also gives it a nice flavor as well.

Quick and Easy BBQ spice rub

2008-03-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

In the event that you do not have access to a store that sells spice rubs, below is a pretty good recipe for a basic spice rub. This goes well with chicken and pork, but could be used with beef as well.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons of chili powder
2 tablespoons of black pepper
4 tablespoons of paprika
1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper

I would recommend buying pre-made rubs individually if they are available to you because they are pretty cheap and effective, but if you have a fully stocked spice cabinet, this works great to.

What cuts of pork work best?

2008-03-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

I would like to open up a discussion regarding what the best cuts of pork are for making pulled pork. I have always gone with the pork butt (the top of shoulder) because it is the right amount of fat to keep the pork moist and tender throughout the long cooking process. However, I have also seen recipes that use pork loin or other less fatty cuts. I would be interested to know if anyone has been able to keep their pulled pork tender despite not having a lot of fat to work with.

My main concern would be that the meat would become very dry or tough unless some other source of fat was introduced. This is the main reason why I haven't tried to make pulled chicken yet. My best guess would be that dark meat chicken with the skin on might have enough fat to keep the chicken moist and tender throughout the cooking process.

A few thoughts

2008-03-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

I have noticed that I have been doing a fair amount of restaurant reviewing and not as much crockpotting as of late. A lot of this has to do with having been on vacation the last few days, but I also am a huge enthusiast of BBQ food and enjoy having BBQ made the old fashioned way. However, based on my experiences and the feedback I have gotten from others, Crockpot BBQ is a solid alternative to going to a BBQ restaurant. Unless you are living in one of the major BBQ areas (Memphis, Kansas city, Austin etc.) you might not get the opportunity to enjoy really good BBQ. Additionally, BBQ food is not always cheap, even though the cuts of meat generally involved (pork shoulder, brisket) can be purchased for less than $5 a pound. There is also the risk of having bad BBQ, as I described in a prior entry.

I do think going out for BBQ food is a great opportunity to look for ways to improve your BBQ. The idea for my sweet potatoes was inspired by my visit to Daisy May's, which makes some excellent sweet potatoes. However, do not be fooled that you can 't make something great on your own. Though they do not get much press, Crockpots are a great way to make good food for a lot of people on the cheap. Case in point, for my dinner party I spent about $60 to feed 11 people and have enough leftovers for 6 more meals. Dinner at a BBQ restaurant for that many people would have cost considerably more and in my opinion would not have been significantly better either.

Sweet Redemption

2008-03-11T19:35:00.000-07:00

Having suffered through a pretty rough BBQ meal a few days ago I was looking to get myself back on track. I suppose the moral of this story is that you should do your homework before going out for BBQ, or better yet, just make it yourself.

That being said, on my last day in Massachusetts I headed to Blue Ribbon BBQ in Newton MA. I have been eating at this place since I was in high school, long before I got into making my own BBQ or even developed a real taste for BBQ food. The food is just plain awesome. I got the KC Burnt ends sandwich (that's the ends of of a BBQ brisket chopped up) with baked beans and coleslaw.

The meat was cooked perfectly and served in a great sauce on a kaiser roll. You can really tell that it had been smoked properly as it fell apart when you bit into it. I could taste the rub, but not the extent that it overpowered the flavor of the meat. The coleslaw had a little more mayo that I usually go for, but it tasted great nonetheless. The baked beans were solid as well, with plenty of chunks of pulled pork and brisket in them.

When you enter Blue Ribbon it is immediately apparent that this is a serious, no frills BBQ place. There aren't any tables, only a counter with stools. You go up to the front and all of the sandwich options are written on a blackboard. A sandwich with two sides will run you about $6.50 and unless you haven't eaten for a few days, you will not be able to finish everything.

Needless to say, I have calmed down considerably from Saturday and am looking forward to my next project.

http://www.blueribbonbbq.com/

Worst BBQ ever

2008-03-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

It is always disappointing to go to a BBQ restaurant looking forward to great food and getting something looks and tastes like it was made by a dilapidated Walrus. Such is the case with Jake's Winn Dixie Roadhouse in Waltham, MA.

Fresh off having made my own beef Brisket I was really eager to try some of the same thing made the old fashioned way by smoking it for 18-24 hours. This place had the gall to make allusions to smoking their meats using a variety of woods on their menu. I ordered the beef brisket and was presented with a plate of dry, tasteless brisket with about a tablespoon of average BBQ sauce. I knew right away I was in for a bad meal as I had some difficulty cutting through the meat right from the beginning. It was just blatantly obvious that this meat had not been prepared properly as it should have cut easily and been tender. I sampled my friends burnt ends which weren't terrible, but were also so doused in sauce that it would have been hard to tell if it was bad or not.

The Corn Bread was extremely dry borderline burnt. The baked beans and coleslaw weren't terrible, but that isn't why you go to a BBQ restaurant in the first place. One thing that I liked about the place was they served each meal with a slice of fresh watermelon. I think that is probably the perfect finisher to a BBQ meal as it is sweet, not too heavy and really refreshing. I would've needed a truckload of watermelon to get the taste of that crappy brisket out of my mouth. I will leave the link only in hopes that people will recognize the site and will not go here in the future. There are far too many good places out there to have to tolerate this kind of BBQ.

Brisket Recipe

2008-03-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

I don't know how I forgot to take a picture of the results of my brisket, but unfortunately there is nothing left to take a picture of. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed though.

24 Hour Marinaded BBQ Brisket

Ingredients
6 lbs of Beef Brisket
6 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ spice rub
4 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of liquid smoke
2 tablespoons of water
1 tablespoon of honey
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

The first step is to trim off any excess fat from the brisket. There tends to be a layer on the top that is about 1/4 inch thick. The meat has plenty of interior marbling so you will will still end up with moist brisket even if you trim off the top fat.

In a small bowl mix together the Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, water, honey and brown sugar until evenly blended. Put the brisket in a large bowl or pan and pour the liquid mixture over the meat, turning the meat multiple times until evenly coated. Pour out any excess liquid mixture that has not been absorbed by the meat. Add your dry rub liberally to the brisket (don't hold back, the more the merrier here) and make sure all sides are evenly covered. Put the brisket in a plastic bag (I would double up to make sure sauce doesn't drip into the fridge) and leave for 24 hours.

Put the brisket into your crockpot and set on low for 12 hours. Pour a little BBQ sauce on top of the meat and then let cook for 12 hours. Once completed, put the brisket in a pan and shred using 2 forks. There should be a decent amount of liquid left in the crockpot from the juices of the brisket. Using a large spoon, drizzle the 1/2 of the remaining juices over the meat (this adds some moisture back to the meat as well as flavor). Add the remainder of your BBQ sauce in and stir until evenly distributed.

I recommend putting the brisket in a 250 degree oven for about 20 minutes right before serving. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of your rub and drizzle some BBQ sauce on top to give it a a little more of crust.

Recipe For Sweet Potatoes

2008-03-03T15:48:00.001-08:00

As promised, I'm going to start putting my recipes from this past weekend's festivities up. We'll start off with the sweet potatoes.

JC's Sugared Sweet Potatoes (serves 7-10)

Ingredients
-6 Large Sweet Potatoes
-1 Cup of Brown Sugar
-2 tablespoons of butter
-3/4 of a cup of 2% milk
-2 teaspoons of Cinnamon

Rinse and peel the sweet potatoes and then cut width wise into about 6-7 smaller circular pieces. Chop these pieces further into 3 to four smaller stick like pieces. Throw out the end pieces which tend to be on the tougher side.

In your crockpot put down a layer of sweet potato pieces that just covers the bottom. Add about 1/4 of your brown sugar evenly over the top along with a few pieces of butter (I recommend using a knife to shave off thin strips of butter). Repeat this process until all of your sweet potatoes are in the crockpot (6 large ones should take it to about the top). Be liberal with the brown sugar and butter and add more on top if you run out before using all of the sweet potatoes.

Set your crockpot to either 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high depending on how much time you have. I don't think you lose a lot by cooking them on high so I would opt for that. After they are done cooking use a potato masher to break them down. If the potato masher doesn't go through the potatoes easily, they need to cook for longer until they are soft and easily mashed.

Mash the potatoes thoroughly (if you like lumpy sweet potatoes by all means mash less). Add in the milk, Cinnamon and a couple extra tablespoons of brown sugar and stir until all the ingredients have been mixed. Feel free to improvise with whole milk or cream if that is how you like it or add any honey, maple syrup or other sweeteners you have around.

I can't stress enough that using a crockpot allows you to take a recipe and make it your own.

Enjoy

Great Success

2008-03-02T12:35:00.000-08:00

Everything turned out great last night. I had been a little concerned about the timing of everything, but preparing the meat in advance really helped to balance out only having one crockpot. All it took was about 20 min in the oven at 200 degrees to warm it back up. One little problem occurred with the cornbread. Unlike the crockpot, 5 minutes makes a big difference in the oven. Long story short, my cornbread was of the crispy blackened variety. Fortunately in NY there is usually a convenience store within 1-2 blocks of anywhere. I was able to remake the cornbread with much better results.

Baking is not an area I excel at, but it seems the key is to check whatever you are baking often because factors such as oven temperatures (most ovens don't maintain the exact temperature on the dial) can burn your food even if you follow the exact instructions on the box.

The sweet potatoes came out great as well making the effort of peeling and chopping them well worth it. Recipes will follow. In the mean time, here are some photos of my results.

Potatoes and cornbread. Can't go wrong with that.

Brown sugar, cinnamon and a little milk helped to make the potatoes smooth and delicious

Corn Bread round #2. Note the lack of blackened pieces.

Dessert. I left this one to the experts. The perfect ending to a great meal.

Right on Schedule

2008-03-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

Everything is moving along well. As planned, I put the brisket in last night around 1 am and it was ready around 1 today. Initial samples indicate that is is going to be a winner. I got a bit of later start on the sweet potatoes due to the fact that I needed to wash, peel and chop them. The first two went fine but the chopping was a slow go with my crappy kitchen knife. Gotta get a better one if I'm going to do this again.

Another issue was that I had bought too many sweet potatoes to fit into the crockpot so I have a little extra that maybe I'll throw in the oven just so they don't go to waste. I'm a little bit behind so I may need to put the crockpot on high for a few hours in order to catch up. I don't think that it will have too much, if any effect on the sweet potatoes taste or texture wise. With meat I think the longer and lower temperature you cook it the better, but I think with potatoes it won't really make a big difference. I'll go through the recipes in more detail after I'm done because I'm pretty much making it up as I go along (another great thing about crockpots is that as long as you don't have bad ingredients the slow cooking process will make everything taste great).

Right now I'm getting ready to put the cornbread in. My goal is to have everything cooked ahead of time and then warm it up as it's gets closer to 8. Wish me luck...

Prep work

2008-02-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for the big dinner on Saturday. I stopped at Fairway and picked up 6 lbs of brisket, a bottle of liquid smoke (this is an experiment), 9 lbs of sweet potatoes and 6 boxes of jiffy cornbread mix. I'm going to need to do a little research on the sweet potato side to see what is going to work timing wise with only one crockpot. The plan is to cook the brisket overnight on Friday and then switch to sweet potatoes in the afternoon on Saturday.

First step is to trim most of the visible fat off the meat. You want a little bit to keep it moist during cooking, but most butchers leave a fair amount on. I just use a small knife and trim away as much fat as I can. With brisket, similar to pork shoulder, there is a layer of fat on top which can pretty close to 1/4 inch thick sometimes. Just cut it down as best you can and you'll be fine.

Marinating your meat for as long as possible can only make things better. For this reason I'm going to marinate my brisket for a full 24 hours in the below mixture:

3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons of liquid smoke
4 teaspoons of water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon of molasses (to be honest I really I'm not sure what molasses are, but it's a common ingredient in BBQ so I'm giving it a shot)

I put the brisket in a large bowl and then poured this mixture over the meat and turn it over 20 times to make sure it soaked up as much liquid as possible. I then drained the remaining liquid out and then liberally applied a good 3 or 4 tablespoons of the new rub I got a Penzey's in Grand Central (it is called American BBQ). Like marinating, be generous with the rub as it is pretty hard to have too much.

Once finished just wrap the meat up in two plastic bags (to avoid leaks) and marinate away until tomorrow when it will be time to cook.

Going Big Time

2008-02-25T19:07:00.000-08:00

This weekend I will be attempting to do a number of things including making BBQ for a large group and making a side dish using the Crockpot. The menu currently is:

BBQ Beef Brisket
Corn Bread
Sweet Potatoes

I purchased a new rub at Penzy's in Grand Central for the occasion. I will be cooking for 7-10 people so I will probably need 4-5 lbs of brisket along a couple boxes of cornbread mix (no I will not be making that from scratch) and a few pounds of sweet potatoes.

I'm thinking of doing sweet potatoes with some brown sugar and molasses for flavor. I will probably make them the night before the brisket and warm them in the oven on the day off. It is either that or get another crockpot which isn't that bad of an idea. I have been going through somewhat of a cook's block since unlike a lot of BBQ blogs, I do not operate a restaurant or have a side business that this blog promotes. Additionally, I don't usually cook for big groups and while I love BBQ as much as anyone, it is hard to swallow the idea of making 5 lbs of pulled pork knowing you will be eating it for next few weeks. I think that making side dishes will help as it will give me an opportunity to make different kinds of things while keeping a BBQ focus.

I will update as events occur...

Daisy May's

2008-02-16T10:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay between posts. I have been buried at work and haven't had time to make any BBQ lately. However, I happened to go one of the greatest BBQ joints in NYC last night. It is called Daisy May's and is located at 46th st and 11th avenue nestled between car dealerships and strip clubs. Don't let the surroundings fool you though, it is some of the best BBQ you will find in the city.

It is a very no frills type of place. You order your food at a counter up front and then sit down at one of 3 large tables to eat your meal after which you bus your own tray. The value is certainly there though as a mere $15 will get you a half rack of incredible ribs (your choice of dry or sticky rub) and your choice of two sides. I elected the sticky ribs with sweet potatoes and baked beans with beef brisket ends.

The ribs were phenomenal and it was apparent by the pinkish color of the meat that they have been smoked for at least 12 hours. The potatoes were great as well, whipped until smooth and combined with brown sugar for a sweet, creamy taste. The beans however, were a little underwhelming. The flavor was there, but the beans didn't seem like they had been cooked long enough and while they weren't like rocks, I usually would expect that they would be pretty soft. I probably should have gone with the corn bread.

Overall, great place at a great price. I had eaten there once before and been disappointed, but that may have been more to do with my relative inexperience in the world of BBQ. I had argued with my roommate about the food there, but I will be the first to admit that I was wrong in my initial assessment.

Things to come

2008-02-07T16:18:00.000-08:00

In the future I intend to explore the side dish spectrum of BBQ. There are a lot of really great BBQ sides that can be made in your crockpot. Things such as candied yams, baked beans and even cornbread can made in a crokpot.

I also will be making beef brisket using a combination of the broiler/crockpot. The broiler is really an incredible thing and makes a nice addition to the crockpot. Giving the meat a quick blast in the broiler and then a few hours in the crockpot is great combination.

In light of being dissatisfied with the BBQ sauce offerings at most retail stores (do to their heavy use of corn syrup and other additives) I will also try to make my own BBQ sauce. If anyone has any recipe suggestions please let me know. I will try to make about one bottle's worth and will keep around for future use.

On the blog side, I will be putting together a recipe section to allow easier access to recipes I've used/created. I will never put anything in that I haven't made myself and if I can make it, anybody can.

Great Ribs... Terrible Superbowl

2008-02-03T19:26:00.001-08:00

I am writing this entry in semi state of shock as I try to recover to the Pats crushing defeat to the Giants. This is compounded by the fact that I currently live in Manhattan and I will have this defeat rubbed in my face in the morning at work.

On a happier note the ribs were a great success. The basic recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:
3 lbs baby back ribs
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons (or more) or your favorite spice rub
1 jar of your favorite BBQ sauce

Directions:

1.) In a large bowl pour the apple cider vinegar over the ribs and turn the ribs over to apply and even coat.
2.) Pour the rub evenly over the ribs (make sure to apply it to both sides)
3.) Place the ribs on a preheated broiler pan and cook for 15 minutes (make sure to rotate and turn the slabs of ribs about every 3 minutes to avoid burning them)
4.) Take out the ribs and cut them into sets of 2 to 3 ribs (so they will fit in the crockpot)
5.) Put the cut up ribs into the crockpot and apply BBQ liberally
6.) Set the crockpot to 6 hours on high
7.) Every two hours add a little bit more BBQ sauce onto the ribs
8.) After 6 hours are complete, cook the ribs on low for one more hour and add more BBQ sauce
9.) Remove ribs and serve

Here are some photos of my results...

The results

The Aftermath

Great source for spice rubs and BBQ sauces

2008-02-02T13:57:00.000-08:00

Found a business card from the store I got the Char Crust rub when I was in California. The store itself was actually in the Monterey Bay area about 3 hours south of San Francisco, right near the aquarium. The place is called Slow Burn, (www.slowburning.com) and they have a ton of different hot sauces and spice rubs. Will have to remember to order from there in the future. Hard to find a better selection of natural BBQ sauces.

New Sauce and Rub

2008-02-01T17:40:00.000-08:00

In anticipation of making ribs for the Superbowl ( I bought about 3.5 lbs of baby back's) I thought I should try a new rub and BBQ sauce as well. Grand Central has a great spice store called Penzeys spices. They have a wide variety of spice blends, many specially tailored for BBQ. I chose the Galena Street Rib & Chicken rub (http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysgalena.html)

On the BBQ sauce front, I was disappointed to notice that brands you would think would use all natural ingredients such as Stubb's use corn syrup in their sauces. After reading a few label backs I found a winner in "The Original King Street Blues Mahogany Barbecue Sauce." On closer inspection I realize that in between natural ingredients such as brown sugar, molasses etc, they did sneak in some corn syrup. Will have to be more careful in the future or not be such a BBQ sauce snob.

Short and Sweet

2008-01-30T15:56:00.000-08:00

Have to say that my last post was a little on the long side. I will try to keep a little shorter in the future. After all, this Blog is about BBQ, not my life story. As I said in my last post if you made it till the end I will be making BBQ pork ribs (I prefer the St. Louis style which are a little more meaty than the baby backs) for the Superbowl.

I looked up some recipes and the basic formula is:

1.) Cook the ribs in the broiler for about 30 minutes

2.) Cut the ribs into serving size pieces

3.) Cook the ribs in your Crockpot on low for 7-10 hours on low

They also suggest cooking them in a bbq sauce, but I like to add the sauce after word so I will cook them with the just the rub.

Gotta find some good spice rubs. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

BBQ Beef Follow Up

2008-01-28T17:41:00.000-08:00

Have to say that all in all the BBQ beef was a great success. Both my girlfriend and roommate enjoyed it very much and I made enough that I was able to have it for dinner tonight. You really can never make enough BBQ. It tastes great, there are always people willing to eat it and it freezes well also. Case in point would be some BBQ that my roommates mom had made him had been in our freezer for well over 6 months. All it took was a zap in the microwave and it still tasted great. I bought about two pounds of beef, but now I really wish I had bought three. I'll know for next time.

I'm also encouraged that people have found my blog. I really still don't understand how blogger operates. I tried to find other BBQ blogs on Blogger, but I couldn't find a search function that would enable me to look for other people. If anyone has any thoughts about this, please share because I would like to read other BBQ blogs.

I wanted to put the recipe up for this in case somebody else wanted to try to make it. One really great thing about Crockpot BBQ is that you can pretty much make it up as you go along, adding different things and it pretty much always comes out great because the slow cooking process makes your meat taste unbelievable so as long as you are not adding things milk and pickle juice you will definitely get some good results. That being said here is the recipe for the BBQ beef I made in the last post.

BBQ Beef a la Budweiser
Ingredients
2lbs of Cubed Chuck Steak or stew meat
1 tablespoon (roughly) of Worcestershire sauce
1/3 of a cup of your favorite spice rub (enough to cover all of the meat)
1 tablespoon of honey
1/3 of a beer (I went with Bud, but I would bet that there are better options)
1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
Directions

1.)Put the beef cubes into a large bowl

2.)Pour the Worcestershire sauce and honey over the meat and stir it with a large spoon until the meat is evenly coated

3.)Sprinkle your rub on the meat and slowly stir it with a spoon (so it doesn't go flying everywhere) until evenly coated

4.)Pour the beef cubes into your crockpot and spread evenly along the bottom. Add the beer in as well.

5.)Cover your crockpot and set it for 12 hours on low

6.)Amuse yourself for 12 hours (going to work or sleeping are usually good options)

7.)Once 12 hours is up you will notice that a good amount of liquid has built up around the meat. I recommend draining the vast majority of it because the meat will already be very moist and does not need the additional fat.

8.)Using two forks, gently shred the beef (it will come apart very easily) and add your BBQ sauce

9.)Give it a good stir and you are ready to serve.

As you can see here the leftovers heat up just fine. I had a pretty good hunch I would be eating it soon so I kept it in the fridge, but the freezer works great too. On a side note the sugar snap peas over there are really good to. I bought them in the freezer section and they were actually really crisp and tasted fresh. Green Giant makes them (they are called Simply Steam). I gave mine a quick spray of pam and then a couple shakes of BBQ rub and they make a great addition to your meal without a whole lot of effort.

A few thoughts

In retrospect I somewhat regret buying the meat from Gristedes. Not that Gristedes is a bad supermarket or that my BBQ wasn't good, but when I was in Fairway (A New York grocery store that has an full butcher shop inside) I couldn't help but notice how much better everything looks. Since the cuts of meat primarily used in BBQ (Pork Shoulder, Chuck Steak, Brisket etc...) are so cheap (about $5 a lb) it might be worth paying a little extra for a higher quality product.

This also holds true for BBQ sauce as well. There is a whole lot of crap out there made by various food conglomerates and consisting primarily of corn syrup, artificial color and other stuff I can't even pronounce. You will really do yourself a favor if spend a little more on a quality product. Bonesuckin Sauce (http://www.bonesuckin.com/) is really great stuff, but there are a lot of others out there. The main thing to look for is that there is no corn syrup or other artificial stuff and that the sauce is made up things like molasses, brown sugar and the like. Be careful because there a lot of BBQ sauces that give the appearance of being all natural but in fact are made up of the same stuff that the Kraft BBQ sauce is made from.

Things to come...

With the Superbowl coming up I would like to try my hand at making ribs. For this I will use the oven for at least some of the cooking because I think the Crockpot would make them a little too moist and they would come apart too easily. I may try a combination of the two (crockpot and oven) but I'll see what has been written about this.

BBQ Beef

2008-01-27T13:16:00.000-08:00

Having made Pulled Pork a number of times already with pretty good success, I thought I would try my hand at BBQ Beef. I googled "crockpot BBQ beef" to try to get a few ideas, but my general formula for BBQ has been covering the meat with a spice rub (Grand Central market has a good spice store with a lot interesting spice combinations), adding a little Worcestershire sauce and I enjoy adding honey to give the meat a little bit of sweetness.

I had purchased a couple packs of stew meet from Gristedes on 85th and Columbus and I used "Char Crust", a spice rub I had purchase while I was in San Francisco a couple months ago, along with some Worcestershire sauce and honey. One change I made this time was I added a little bit of beer to the meat as I had read that it gives meat a nice flavor. I also happened to have a few beers left over from a party I had last week. I blended these things together in a bowl and then emptied them into my crockpot, setting it for 12 hours on low.

On a side note as to how easy and cheap it is to make your own BBQ, the meat ran me $10 for two pounds and I completed all of the above steps at about 4:30 in the morning after a night of drinking. I was greeted at noon with the smell of slow cooked meat, but I still had a few hours to go until it would be ready. My roommate's mom happens to make the best homemade pulled pork and BBQ beef I have ever tasted and I decided to try to emulate some of her techniques, adding the BBQ sauce ("Bone Suckin Sauce" in this case which surprisingly sold at Duane Reade) directly into the meet while I was shredding it.

The beef came apart easily with fork shredding although I wonder if maybe 12 hours was a little too long because it seemed a little overdone. The beef was also a lot less fatty than the usual pork shoulder that I use so I think that may be a factor as well. Nonetheless, it tastes pretty good but I'll wait until others try it before I make any final conclusions.

My faithful Crockpot which cost a whopping $40

Char Crust, a spice rub I bought in San Francisco

The guest star of today's meal

A sold BBQ sauce that is free of corn syrup and other artificial additives

The results. Although it looks sort of like peat moss I'm pretty sure it tastes better