Sweet Baby Ray's Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

This recipe popped up on Facebook last week and it was shared by no fewer than four of my friends. And, since we have an Armageddon-ready stock of Sweet Baby Ray's and (obviously) love BBQ, it was our post-yard work Sunday Funday dinner. It was nearly as easy as my three-ingredient pulled pork, and is definitely a keeper.

The chicken wasn't just fork tender, it literally fell apart. I'm thinking I cooked it too long, since the photos that were posted with it previously all showed perfectly intact pieces of chicken. Regardless, it was really tasty. Between the red pepper flakes in the chicken and the chipotle in the Southwest Quinoa Salad we had with it, there was definitely some heat going on...perfect for the start of yet another heat wave, right?!

Ingredients:

• 4 - 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used 4, which were a little less than 2 pounds)
• 1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
• 1/4 C red wine vinegar
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in crock pot.
2. Add chicken, coating with sauce on all sides.
3. Cook on low 4 - 6 hours. (I cooked ours for 5 hours - they probably could have come out after 4)

Three-Ingredient Pulled Pork

This was quite simply one of the easiest, most delicious meals I've made in a long time. Thanks to my friend Erin, I can now serve up authentic Pulled Pork Sandwiches with just three simple ingredients (plus rolls, of course).

I love that you can use a lean, high quality pork roast for this. I trimmed the roast before cooking it and any fat that was left slid off easily when it came out of the crock pot.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lb. boneless, center cut pork roast, fat trimmed
• 12 oz. root beer soda
• BBQ sauce to taste (plus extra for serving, if desired)

Method:

1. Season roast all over with salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker.
2. Pour soda around roast.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
4. Remove pork from slow cooker. Remove any remaining fat from pork.
5. Shred pork with two forks.
6. Place shredded pork into medium sauce pan.
7. Stir in desired amount of BBQ sauce (I used about 1 C) and 2 TBSP of the soda from the crock pot.
8. Heat gently until ready to serve.

Spicy and Sweet Baked Beans

I follow a number of great blogs, food and otherwise. If you have a minute, take a look at some of my favorites...they are right over there, listed on the right-hand side of this page.

One of my favorite food blogs is The Wicked Noodle. Kristy, the writer, has a wonderful take on the day-to-day ups and downs, challenges and small triumphs we all face, and she makes some really great food in the process. Check her out. These beans are her recipe, and they are delish - just like I suspect all of her recipes are.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce 
• 2 (28-ounce) cans baked beans, both drained of liquid on top of can after first opening

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots; sauté 4 minutes or until golden. Add cumin and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and oil, and cook for 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add honey and the next 5 ingredients (through chiles). Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Combine beans and shallot mixture in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 300° for 1 hour or until thick and bubbly.

Source: The Wicked Noodle

I wasn't terribly prepared when I made these beans. And these were some important beans - I was serving them at our first official party in our new home. Despite my scrambling and frantic measuring, they came out wonderfully...and they were a huge, spicy hit! So much so...that I neglected to get a photo.  But, they look like you expect baked beans would look and Kristy has some nice shots on her page is you really need to see them.

Game on!

Brian and I have been talking about making ribs for ages. I love the flavor of barbecue and my favorite is pulled pork; Brian has developed a taste for ribs. So, for our Super Bowl Sunday Funday, we invited his mom and dad over and decided to give barbecue ribs a try.

(I say "we" pretty euphemistically - I was definitely the sous chef for this meal.)

We went to Arnold's for the ribs and Brian spoke at length with one of the butchers about the best cut of meat and the best way to prepare them. We left with six pounds of spare ribs, freshly cut.

After speaking with the butcher and investigating different recipes online, this is how he prepared them...

First, a dry rub:

• 3/4c. brown sugar
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. paprika
• 3 Tbsp. kosher salt
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. black pepper
• 4 tsp. garlic powder,
• 4 tsp. onion powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. cayenne red pepper.

After rubbing spices in, place rack of ribs fat side up in a large disposable aluminum roasting pan.  Cover tightly with foil and marinate for 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 300. Cook ribs covered in pan for 1.5 - 2 hours. Remove from oven, pour one bottle of the barbecue sause of your choice over the ribs, recover with foil, and roast for another 1.5 - 2 hours. Remove from oven, turn oven to broil, remove ribs from roasting pan and place on an aluminum-foil lined cookie sheet, and broil 10 - 15 minutes, or until caramelized. Watch closely so they do not burn!

The ribs were literally falling off the bone! In fact, as we moved them to a cutting board, some of the bones actually fell out...so delicious!  We each had 2 ribs and there were 4 large ribs leftover.

Brian's mom brough the most delicious cole slaw - soooo much better than the Boston Market variety I had considered buying!  Maybe if we ask nicely, she'll share the recipe with us...hint, hint...

My contribution to the feast were these Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits from another fun blog I've found. I've never eaten at Red Lobster, but if these gems are any indication of their food, I just might seek one out! I used the heart-healthy (aka low fat) Bisquick, fat free cheese, and fat free half and half. Anything made with Bisquick I've found to be heavy and dense - not so with these biscuits. They were fluffy and delicious. Blend just until all ingredients are combined - be careful not to over mix. I had one with soup tonight for dinner and it was almost as good as it was frest out of the oven.

We had a fun, finger-licking good time - great food, great company, and "my team" won the game!  Not a bad way to start the week!