BBQ Beef Brisket

1 5 to 6 pound beef brisket


 For Marinade:
1 cup Zinfandel wine
½ cups orange juice
½ cup of lime juice
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cumin

Mix marinade ingredients together and place brisket in a dish. Pour over marinade, cover and refrigerate overnight. If you can’t marinade overnight, then at least let the meat set in the  mixture for 2 hours.


For the sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ cups ketchup
½ cup sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy
2 tablespoons mustard
¼ cup Bourbon Whiskey
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon celery salt
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix all sauce ingredients together in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and allow to cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat until ready to use.

Trim most of the fat from brisket, leaving some for flavor.  Always start grilling, smoking or oven cooking with the fat side up. All smokers are different. Follow your smokers directions. Typically, meat smokes for about 4 to 6 hours at 230 to 250 degrees. Meat is done when the internal temperature reads 190 degrees. But this varies, so be sure to consult your smokers directions. BBQ sauce can typically be added when the smoking process is complete. For grilling, allow 3 to 4 hours to cook. Place on a hot grill and turn brisket every hour for even cooking. Add sauce about halfway through the grilling process and continue to mop with sauce every 30 to 40 minutes and when meat is turned. Slice brisket across the grain, at desired thickness. Brisket is better sliced on the thinner side.

If cooking in the oven, cover top of pan tightly in foil and cook at 300 degrees for 4 to 4 ½ hours.  Halfway through the cooking process, start basting the meat with the sauce, if desired. Or serve the sauce on the side.

California Girl's Pulled Pork & Poppyseed Apple Slaw

Serves 6 to 8

Pulled Pork
Ingredients:
Rub:

1 tablespoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Pork:
2 ½ to 3 pounds pork shoulder
2 cups water
Barbecue sauce

6 to 8 Poppy seed buns
Swiss or Pepper Jack Cheese

Directions:
Mix all spice rub ingredients in a bowl.

Cut pork shoulder into pieces to fit crock pot and place in a glass or plastic bowl. Sprinkle with spice mix and rub into meat. Cover with cling and allow to marinate in refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.

Remove pork from bowl and place in slow cooker with 2 cups of water. Turn temperature to low and cook for 7-8 hours, or until meat falls apart when pulled with a fork.

When done, place meat on a cutting board and pull apart using two forks. Return shredded pork to pot and add BBQ sauce to taste.

Make sandwiches.  



Poppy Seed Apple Slaw
Ingredients:
1 small head green cabbage, washed and shredded
¼ of a small red cabbage, washed and shredded
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced in thin match sticks with a knife
1 bottle poppy seed dressing
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Toss all ingredients in a large bowl with dressing, salt and pepper.






　

Happy Memorial Day!

 

Yummy Kabobs!  These are NO-BRAINERS, so you really don't need a recipe.  Just kabob sticks (local Wal Mart store), meat of your choice cubed up, veggies and fruit of your choice chopped to fit the sticks, oven or BBQ and lots of hungry people!

Here's what we did:
pork, cubed
chicken Breast, cubed
bell pepper, chopped
onion, chopped
fresh mango, cubed
fresh pineapple, cubed
fresh apples, cubed

( The fruit... because it's what we had on hand and it had amazing flavor all together.)

We dipped in Honey BBQ sauce and they were outrageously delicious! So, do your own thing according to your family's taste and enjoy!

We put about four pieces of meat per Kabob and split the rest alternating fruit and veggies. Cook about 30 to 40 minutes in the oven and until the meat is done on the grill.

Black Velvet Drum Sticks with Jalapeno Bits

Black Velvet Drum Sticks with Jalapeno Bits

I know, I know. It's still a bit early for BBQ. But some of us can't wait! So, here's a sneak peak at what's in store for the Summer grilling season. There's lots more great BBQ recipes, sauces, salads and deserts for the grill, so stay turned.  We gotta get through Easter goodies first. : )

This recipe is great for grilling or for an easy oven baked dinner. If you are grilling, now is the time to crank up the fire. If you're going the oven route, preheat the oven to 350 degrees about ten minutes before you will be using it.

Ingredients:

3 to 4 pounds chicken drum sticks, washed, pat dry and lay pieces in a baking dish and set aside.

For the sauce:

1 stick butter

2 to 3 jalapeno peppers, pith and seeds removed and minced
2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

2 cups ketchup

1 single bottle dark beer

1/2 cup champagne

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup sweet chili sauce

2 tablespoons orange juice

 Directions:

In a large sauce pan, melt butter on medium high heat.  Add minced jalapeno and cook until just tender.  whisk in remaining ingredients, starting with the spices and adding sauces and liquids. Once all ingredients are well incorporated, reduce heat to low and cook sauce for about 20 minutes or until you have a medium thick consistency.

Brush or spoon over drum sticks and place in a preheated oven for about 45 to 50 minutes, turning as needed. The internal temperature should read 160 degrees when done. For grilling, start with a clean, oiled grill.  DO NOT ADD SAUCE UNTIL THE LAST 7 TO 10 MINUTES OF COOKING TIME. Cook legs for about 20 minutes on each side, about 5 to 6 inches above direct heat. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the meat is cooked and registers 160 degrees internal temperature. Move chicken around on grill as needed; pushing the pieces that are the most done to the edges and rotating with those that need more cooking time to the middle of the grill, if using a charcoal grill. If using a gas grill, move cooked pieces to the side of the grill with the lowest heat, as necessary. When chicken is almost done, brush pieces liberally with sauce and allow to caramelize, but not burn.  Watch it close at this point.

Cooks Notes:

If you need less chicken and sauce, cut recipe in half or less. If you can't take the heat in the sauce, omit it or use less.  I never use this much sauce in one grilling unless I'm making several different meats at once. So, it's a good idea to pour a cup of sauce into a bowl to use and reserve the rest until you need it.  This way the sauce doesn't have to be discarded if you don't end up using it all.  You can refrigerate this sauce and it will keep a couple of weeks or more.