Broccoli Raisin Salad Recipe: No, really, it's very tasty!

When I first saw broccoli raisin salad on a salad bar, I wanted to, well, hurt. I mean, I can get my arms around a broccoli salad with bacon, but a broccoli salad with raisins? Seriously?

This Broccoli Raisin Salad Recipe is by no means as common as coleslaw, but, made with fresh ingredients, it is a great alternative. (I actually blindfolded my kids in order to try this,and even after the blindfold was removed they had no problem cleaning their plates!)

Recipe:

1 lb. Broccoli crowns
12 cups water
4 Tb. Salt

Bring water and salt to a boil. Add the broccoli. Cook for 3 minutes until al dente. Cool.

This seems like a great deal of salt, but this just serves to season the broccoli. In fact, if you are on a diet, stop here as this is a great recipe for broccoli. You can eat it like it is and it's great cold. No added fat. We add the fat below!

• 3/4 cup raisins, plumped in hot water for 15 minutes.
• 3 Tb. diced onion (1/4" dice)
• 3 oz. diced cooked bacon, or bacon bits. (real bacon please)

Dressing:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• rind of 1 lemon
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• Black pepper

Direction:

1. Mix the dressing ingredients together. Adjust seasoning.
2. Add the broccoli, onions, raisins and bacon together. Toss with dressing.
3. For a great treat, cook the bacon and add the bacon while still hot to the salad and serve! 

Southern Collard Greens Recipe

This Southern collard greens recipe, using collards is really delicious. In fact, it is the best that I've had- I used to avoid any type of greens like the plague. Greens are not common with bbq in many areas, but are common in the South, especially great served alongside smoked pork!

Many people don't know how to cook greens, but it is really very simple- the trick, like making great soups, or braises- is having a highly flavorful liquid base. This helps tremendously as the greens are a bit tough and bitter, so the liquid combined with the right cooking time takes them and makes them flavorful

In many recipes, collard greens are combined with some sort of pork, and like any soul food worth its salt bumped up with spice. The recipe here is the same and adds a bit of sweet and an acidic component - vinegar here- to cut through and brighten the flavor.

As with other greens recipes,the "potlikker" or the broth left over is highly flavorful and can be eaten separately, have corn bread dunked in it, or added to a soup base- so don't throw it away!

Southern Collard Greens Recipe

• 3 lbs. collard greens, mustard greens or turnip greens, cut into 1" ribbons or your preference
• 8 oz. bacon cubed or sliced
• 10 cups water
• 1/2 onion left whole (to facilitate removal later)
• 1 tsp salt
• Add bacon to water and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Remove bacon.
• Add greens and 1/2 onion and salt. Simmer greens uncovered on low heat for 1 hour. Turn off heat.

To Finish:

• 1/2 large onion diced
• 1 Tb. Bacon fat, butter or oil
• 1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 Tb. Honey
• 2 Tb Apple Cider vinegar

Direction:

1. Saute onion in hot bacon fat until brown. Add the greens and potlikker. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat through.
2. Test for salt, pepper, sweet and sour. You can adjust to your taste. Also, if the greens are too "brothy" bring to a slow boil and reduce to your liking. Don't worry it is hard to overcook these!

Serve with your favorite bbq and corn bread for dunking!

Serves 6-8.

Coleslaw Recipe: Amazing what you can do with a little cabbage and a little vinegar...

Coleslaw is one of the most common of the BBQ side dish recipes and is truly easy (and cheap!)

It's kind of funny to think of it also as one of the "vegetable" side dish recipes- but that's what it is. Each region puts its own spin on slaw, the dressing, and even how they cut the cabbage.

At the base level, slaw is a salad made from green cabbage, dressed with a vinegar-based dressing, that over time- 1/2 hour and up- allows the cabbage to wilt and give up some liquid, making it tender and adding to the dressing. Simple.

But before we go through some of the more classic slaw recipes, here is my out and out favorite:

Rey's Chipotle Coleslaw:

1 lb. finely shredded cabbage (mix green, purple and shredded carrots if you like for color)

3/4 c. mayonnaise

2/3 c. chipotle vinegar (see below)

1 Tb. sugar

Mix all ingredients except the cabbage together. Do not worry if it is a bit lumpy. It will all work out in the wash. Add cabbage, toss and let sit for at least 1/2 hour to get to know each other. Toss again just before serving. Keeps 24 hours nicely. After that, it loses some of its oomph but is still good.

Chipotle Vinegar:

1/2 gallon seasoned rice vinegar

1 can (7oz) chipotles en adobo

Puree in a blender or Cuisinart until blended. Keeps indefinitely in the fridge. Great on this slaw as well as for pickled onions for tacos. I'm dead serious, this simple little vinegar rocks!

Now back to the other BBQ regions and recipes:

As with other aspects of BBQ, the Carolinas tend to have a very distinct method of preparing coleslaw and other side dishes. This is probably due to the fact that this is one of the earliest settlements and so methods of preparation recall those beliefs.

Eastern North Carolina Slaw #1

1 pound green cabbage "mulched" - (chopped very fine a la Kentucky Fried Chicken) 3 Tb cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup mayonnaise

1 Tb mustard

celery salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except the cabbage together. Add cabbage, toss and let sit for at least 1/2 hour to get to know each other. Toss again just before serving. Keeps 24 hours nicely.

Western North Carolina (Piedmont) "Red Coleslaw"

1 Pound Green Cabbage chopped fine

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup ketchup

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Tb red pepper flakes (optional)

Mix all ingredients except the cabbage together. Add cabbage, toss and let sit for at least 1/2 hour to get to know each other. Toss again just before serving. Keeps 24 hours nicely.

Classic Creamy Mayonnaise Coleslaw:

1 pound Green Cabbage julienned

3/4 cup cider vinegar

1 cup mayonnaise

2Tb sugar

1 teaspoon celery seeds

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except the cabbage together. Add cabbage, toss and let sit for at least 1/2 hour. Toss again just before serving. Keeps 24 hours nicely.

Debbie's chichi California Coleslaw:

1 pound Purple Cabbage julienned

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup mayonnaise

2Tb sugar

1/2 bunch green onions chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except the cabbage together. Do not worry if it is a bit lumpy. It will all work out in the wash. Add cabbage, toss and let sit for at least 1/2 hour to get to know each other. 

Toss again just before serving. Keeps 24 hours nicely. After that, it loses some of this oomph but is still good.

This Sweet Tea Recipe is a Must with Authentic BBQ!

A sweet tea recipe (a.k.a. southern sweet tea), and unsweetened iced tea are ubiquitous beverages for an authentic bbq meal. It would seem relatively simple to make a glass of tea, but with the influx of automatic brewing machines, and yes, tea from a soda machine, the quality is being lost.

Thankfully it is easy to make, and cheap! It's all about letting the iced tea steep, making sure the water is not too hot, mixing in the sugar while the tea is hot, and cooling it down before you add ice, so the tea strength remains strong enough. Here we go:

Recipe:

• Makes 1.25 gallons
• 3 oz. iced tea packets, such as Lipton
• 1 qt. sugar
• Bring 8 cups of water to a boil.
• Turn off heat and let the water cool to approximately 180 degrees.

Direction:

1. Add tea bags, and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove bags from water using a slotted spoon or strainer and let bags drain.
2. Add 1 quart of sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add cold water or ice cubes (they will melt and dilute as well as cool down at the same time) to make 1.25 gallons.

This magical southern "crack" will hold for 1 day, after that it will become stale and bitter.

BBQ Pizza Recipe : an addictive bbq pizza recipe that can use leftover chicken and be done in as little as 15 minutes!

BBQ Pizza, in most cases chicken is easy and addictive. This bbq pizza recipe uses the oven, but you can easily use a bbq grill. Also, this barbecue pizza uses a fresh dough as seen in the pictures below, but if you don't have the time or you are just that lazy, use a pre-packaged pizza shell like Boboli, or focaccia.

If you use a pre-packaged shell, this recipe can be done in as little as 15 minutes. No matter which dough you choose, you will still have that kitchen pizza smell that will get the kids running.

Plus, this bbq pizza uses a secret ingredient- a creamy garlic sauce that blends with the bbq sauce- really, really, good.

**If you do not have one, I highly recommend a pizza stone- they really improve the finished product.

Recipe: Pizza Dough (skip down if using a pre-done shell)

• 8 oz. warm water (100 degrees)
• 1 package yeast
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 tsp sugar or honey
• 3 cups flour

DIRECTION:

1. Mix yeast and water and sugar together until dissolved. Let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes until a froth forms
2. Put the rest of the ingredients in a food processor bowl. Process while pouring in the water.The mixture should form a sticky ball that pulls away from the sides- this should take about 30 seconds. Remove the dough to an oiled bowl and let rest in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
3. Remove and cut the dough into two equal pieces. Work the dough in your hands to form a ball. Set balls again to rest for 20 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. If your oven goes higher, do it! The pizza below was cooked at 550 degrees.
5. On a floured surface roll the balls into approximately 12" discs, or ovals, or amoebas. Who cares? It's your pizza.

Now let's top the bbq pizza:

Barbecue Pizza toppings:

• 1.5 cups cooked bbq chicken or any leftover cooked chicken, mixed with approximately 1/2 cup of your favorite bbq sauce
• Sliced red onions (very thin)
• 2 cups mozzarella or jack cheese
• BBQ sauce ( approx 2/3 cup)
• Garlic Sauce (optional)
• (For garlic sauce, mix 3 cloves crushed garlic with about 1 cup mayonnaise. Thin out with about 2-3Tb. water)
• cilantro

As seen above, put about 2/3 cup of bbq sauce on the shell and follow with about 1/3 cup of the garlic sauce. I use squeeze bottles as they make it easier, but you can use a spoon or your fingers. It should look like a Jackson Pollack painting.

Next lay down the cheese, sprinkle the chicken on top and finish with the onions. The onions will cook and not be very sharp but put as much as you'd like. Slide your pizza into the oven and bake.

For the raw dough: Bake 12 minutes at 550 degrees.
For a pre-cooked shell, Bake about 8 minutes.

It's your pie, so let it go as long as you'd like.

Remove and sprinkle with cilantro!

Beef Brisket Tips for Bovine Bliss

Tip#1 Find the right meat. Of all the beef brisket tips, this is probably the most important. Brisket cooking in a smoker means using a packer brisket. It should include the deckle- the top piece. Also, it should have a large fat cap that covers almost the entire brisket.

Tip#2 Use the right wood. Brisket, which has a lot of mass, and takes quite a bit of time, needs an assertive wood. I prefer a mixture of oak, hickory, and pecan. For a big piece of meat like this, you could use mesquite and its very strong smoke.

This is probably one of the only cases where I would use mesquite to smoke, although I use it regularly for grilling.

Generally, though, I use what is local if possible- it keeps the cost down.

The only woods I avoid are fruit wood like the apple that is brilliant with ribs and bacon, but way too mild for brisket. And, it goes without saying to avoid woods with the pitch- right?

Tip#3 Smoke at the right temperature. Unless you have a super-deluxe gas assisted thermostat controlled smoker, making bbq at home is an exercise in controlling the heat and smoke of your fire.

I will go into more depth about controlling the fire in coming pages but ideally, you'd like to smoke the brisket at an average temperature of 200 degrees. It can fluctuate but try to keep it in this window.

Tip#4 Use the right rub. The right rub is the rub you like- after all- you are doing the work. I have said it before and I will again, the only rub for brisket that I use is KOSHER SALT and medium grind BLACK PEPPER.

Period.

This is one of the more surprising beef brisket tips that I give out. People just want to use a funky rub concoction.

I use the salt and pepper in a ratio of 1 part pepper for every 2 parts salt. Normally I put it in a Tupperware container, mix it up and apply.

Tip#5 Use enough rub. Don't be chicken. Remember: there is a lot of fat you are going to trim way. Also, there is a lot of areas to cover!

If you use enough rub, you will not need to apply any other seasoning after cooking, because as you slice the brisket, you will get a nicely seasoned crust along with the interior of the meat (unless you are making burnt ends and use some of this crust)

Tip#6 Do not turn your brisket. EVER! This is the easiest of the beef brisket tips. You need the fat on top to melt through the meat and keep it moist.

(Once in the early days of my second restaurant one of our less than intelligent workers smoked a whole case (70lbs) of brisket upside down. We had tho toss all of it in the trash- way too dry.

Tip#7 You really don't need to mop the brisket. If you want to, fine. But unless you are introducing a whole new flavor why bother? You have more than enough fat to lubricate the meat. And really, what are you basing? The fat cap?

Tip#8 Rub your meat (oh the jokes I could make) up to 24 hours in advance. In the restaurant setting, this rarely happens, and it doesn't make a huge difference anyway.

Tip#9 If you are making burnt ends, great. Love 'em. I would encourage you to use the deckle for this and the flat portion underneath for regular sliced plates. There are a lot of folks who just want plain sliced lean beef.

So, I use the deckle and it's ample amount of crust-to-meat ratio and its yes, lovely fatty meat, to do burnt ends.

Tip#10 You must serve your brisket plates with pickles and onions. If you're not from Texas, this will sound weird. But it works. Take a bit of brisket on your fork with a piece of pickle and onion. The acidity in the pickles and sharpness of the white onion temper the fat in the meat.

Tip#11 When making brisket sandwiches, you can use either a hamburger bun or a hoagie roll, or any bread really as long as it's white. (please don't ever think of wheat bread for this.)

I like to spread mine with butter and toast it on the griddle. This adds insult to injury. And for me, I like to "white trash it up a bit" and spread mayo on the toasted bun. Then step back and let the magic happen.

Tip#12 You can reheat brisket! It is great. (one of the beef brisket tips most restaurants never admit to)

Any large leftover pieces, once cold, should be wrapped in saran wrap first and then foil. In a 300 degree oven it takes a whole piece about 3 hours to heat up, so that is about an hour for every 2 pounds or so, I think.

Also, if you have the slices left- vacuum seal them. I like to take any big chunks and trim and cut them after they are cold. Then I seal and freeze them for later.

Tip #13 How much to serve? 4 oz. of cooked meat for a sandwich is fine.

8 oz. of cooked meat for a standard bbq plate with 2 sides is plenty.

If you have other meats or sides you will have to re-figure this, especially whether it is lunch or dinner.

I typically allow 8 oz (total) of meat and 2 sides for a hungry person at dinner. If I had ribs as well, It would be 6 oz of meat and 1 rib.

Godspeed my Beef Brothers and Sisters.

Cutting Pork Ribs: Spareribs

Cutting pork ribs- spareribs to be exact? Easy Peasy

You will notice (hopefully, it's a bit small) that the rack below is a whole rack of "4 and down" pork spare ribs. It has the telltale rainbow arch of the brisket portion (small cartilage bones)next to the tip of the knife:

If we remove this-- in effect "squaring off" the rack, we end up with "St. Louis cut ribs." See the picture below:

Why is this popular? Well, what you are left with is the leanest, meatiest portion of the rack. You then simply cut straight down to separate the ribs.

Or almost straight.

As you get to the smaller ribs, the bones curve. I recommend turning the rack over as shown below so you can follow the bones more easily:

One nice thing about making your own St Louis cut spare ribs, is that the ribs will be a bit more "even" and if you have kids at your house the brisket bones- some times marketed as "rib bits" are a perfect size for kids. See the little "cubes" on top of the main rack below?

Q: What if you don't want to make your own St. Louis cut?

(I am in this camp as I am like Jack Sprat's wife. I love all things fatty and chewy, and those little pieces of brisket cartilage are right up my alley.)

A: Simple, you just leave this cartilage section on. Some restaurants do this as it gives a bigger rib and more implied value. It should look like this on a typical "1/3 rack" rib plate with two side dishes. A bit blurry as it was the cocktail hour at the photo shoot!: