Tag: BBQ

BBQ chicken

I remembered to take a picture!

My dad likes to stock up on meat over the winter when he knows we are coming to visit in the summer…sorry(don’t want to be a Karen) story after the recipe.

Chicken – it doesn’t matter what kind. Get what you like. No skin, bones are fine.

BBQ sauce. See Best Fucking Ribs for a tirade on BBQ sauce.

Put chicken in a large pot (best is cast iron, like Le Creuset or Staub) with a lid. Add ½ a jar of BBQ sauce. Cook at 2500 F for 3 hours.

Let it cool off before you shred it. Then eat it on buns or with a fork or store it for the next day. Slaw also goes well with it. I tend to avoid slaw because it involves chopping…and my husband has a strong aversion to mayo so we don’t do store bought. Sometimes I have the “right” leftovers and I can make it work.*

As for my dad and his hording of meat: we are a family of 5 so yes we eat a lot of food. The kids keep growing (I can’t wait till they hit the teenage years and those food costs). My dad looks for meat on sale over the course of the year and freezes it. Which means that when I get here, I go through the freezer to figure out what we are eating for the next month. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I can finally fit frozen waffles or a pizza in the damn freezer. This year I have two exceptionally large packages of chicken thighs with the skin and bones. However, my kids are currently on a chicken strike. I have to “trick” them into eating it and I’m often not successful. I think it’s a texture/in-their-head thing. So, for the massive packages of like 9 thighs I pulled all the skin off and threw it in the Staub with BBQ sauce. My dad then shredded and de-boned it and put it in the fridge. Tonight, I’m reheating and boiling off the excess liquid and we will try BBQ sandwiches.  

*I also took the leftover spring roll veggies (carrots, cabbage, cilantro, green onion and celery), chopped them up (have I mentioned how much I love chopping?) and mixed lime and olive oil and salt into them. That is the extent I will do slaw. (My husband adores this, non-creamy slaw. Like, it’s kind of creepy how much he likes it.)

Update:

I’m so pleased. The oldest loved it and has now eaten the BBQ chicken for several meals. The other two hate life as we know it when they are forced to eat this. As I’ve said before, I’m a great mom.

chefmckean

Best Fucking Ribs

Here is the “recipe”:

Ribs – cook them (baby back are the best IMO) at 2000F for 5 hours

BBQ – don’t get the shitty kind and put it on the ribs after they have cooked

The trick to good ribs is cooking them low and slow… so like 5 hours at 2000 F. Wrap them in tin foil and no Karen it doesn’t matter how, just do it. Put them on a pan and put them in the oven. Go do your yoga or Pilates class you damn over achiever. As for me and my house, I’ll just keep shouting at my kids and laughing at their meltdowns (today was the 2-year-old crying how she doesn’t want to be 2 forever…her birthday is in a few days). Hopefully your house won’t burn down. just kidding at 2000F it won’t.

Now let us talk about BBQ sauce and no I don’t mean the shit next to the ketchup that is brown sugar mucus. Get good sauce from somewhere that knows BBQ. Texas, the Carolinas, Kansas City (no where else in Kansas) or St. Louis.  We like Old Mule that is made in South Carolina, my kids eat the shit out of it unless it’s a Wednesday or they are possessed. Oh except every 4th time. On the 4th time, “it’s too spicy!” (It’s not.)

A note on BBQ sauce. There are different kinds of BBQ. Some are ketchup based, some mustard based, and some vinegar based. These are particular to different geographical regions, and each location is convinced it has the best. Meh. Try different ones. If you really want to know more Google it.

After 5 or so hours (if you are in a “rush” 3 hours is barely sufficient) open the foil up and pour on the BBQ sauce. Not all of it cuz you’ll want some for later. Put the ribs back in the oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes depending on if the kids start fighting and you have to deal with their shit. Or for a quicker version (because the kids are starving) broil for 5ish min. Keep an eye on the damn thing or it will burn.

Take it out and eat. Sometimes I add sides like cucumbers or carrots because kids are supposed to eat veggies apparently.

chefmckean