Cooker’s Pot

You’ll Need:

2 to 4 pounds meat or poultry
1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup prepared smoked barbecue sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper

Procedure:

Put ribs in a heavy greased pan with a lid. Bake uncovered in a 400 degrees F oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees F. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over ribs, cover, and return to oven. Bake about one hour or longer at 325 degrees F. This sauce is very, very good on country style ribs, pork chops and chicken.

You’ll Need:

1/3 cup Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (2 1/2 pound) chuck roast

Procedure:

Combine whiskey, brown sugar, soy sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and garlic powder, mix well. Place roast into a plastic bag; add marinade (saving some back for basting) and seal. Place in a dish; refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally. Grill over medium coals (with Jack Daniel’s Barrel Chips, soaked in water - if you can find them), about 20 to 25 minutes per side for medium. Baste occasionally with extra marinade. To serve, cut into thin slices.

Serves 4 to 6.

You’ll Need:

1 beef top round steak, cut 3/4 to
1-inch thick (about 2 pound

Marinade
1/2 cup steak sauce
1 (1/2 ounce) package hickory marinade mix
1/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 medium jalape�o, seeded, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Procedure:

Place marinade ingredients in blender container. Cover; process until smooth. Place steak and marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn steak to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 20 minutes. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Place steak on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill 3/4-inch thick steak, uncovered, 8 to 9 minutes (1-inch thick steak 16 to 18 minutes) for medium rare doneness, turning occasionally. Carve steak into thin slices.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

You’ll Need:

Serves 4 to 6.

1 large yellow onion, sliced
4 jalape�o peppers, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 (1 1/2 pound) racks baby back ribs
2 tablespoons Bone Dust BBQ Spice (see below)
3 limes, sliced
2 cans beer
2 cups gourmet BBQ sauce

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a bowl, combine onion, jalape�o peppers, and garlic. Spread mixture in a roasting pan. Using a sharp knife, score the membrane on the backside of the ribs in a diamond pattern. Rub with Bone Dust BBQ Spice, pressing seasoning into meat. Lay ribs meat side down on top of onion mixture. Lay three or four lime slices on the back of each rib. Pour in beer. Cover tightly with lid or foil. Braise ribs for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until tender. Let cool slightly. Remove ribs from pan and set aside. Pour onion-beer mixture into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce liquid by half, stirring occasionally. Add BBQ sauce. Return to boil, then remove from heat. In a blender or food processor, pur�e sauce until smooth. Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium-high. Grill ribs for 6 to 8 minutes per side, basting with sauce. Cut between every third rib and serve. Bone Dust BBQ Spice Makes about 2 1/2 cups. 1/2 cup paprika 1/4 cup chili powder 3 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons ground coriander 2 tablespoons garlic powder 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 tablespoons curry powder 2 tablespoons hot dry mustard 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon dried basil 1 tablespoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper Mix together paprika, chili powder, salt, coriander, garlic powder, sugar, curry powder, dry mustard, black pepper, basil, thyme, cumin, any cayenne. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place away from heat and light.

You’ll Need:

1/4 cup cilantro or parsley, chopped
1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapeno peppers, chopped
4 rib eye steaks, about 1/2 pound each
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (comino)

Procedure:

Prepare grill or broiler. Combine cilantro and jalapenos in a bowl. Cut a pocket in the side of each steak, without cutting all the way through. Stuff pockets with cilantro mixture and secure closed with wooden picks. Combine remaining ingredients and pepper to taste in a bowl and rub over outside of steaks. Grill or broil about 5 inches from heat source 4 to 5 minutes per side, or longer for more well done meat. Remove wooden picks before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

You’ll Need:

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (at least 31-40 count)
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1 fresh jalapeno pepper
2 ounces Monterey jack cheese
12 slices bacon, cut into thirds
6 bamboo Skewers

Procedure:

Butterfly shrimp by removing shell except for last tail segment. On underside of shrimp tails, cut nearly all the way through. Marinate in dressing for 10 minutes; reserve marinade for basting on the grill. Slice pepper in half lengthwise; remove seeds and slice into very thin “matchsticks”; set aside. Slice cheese into “matchsticks”; set aside. Place 1 strip of pepper and 1 strip of cheese in the center of each shrimp. Close shrimp, wrap with 1/2 slice bacon, and thread onto skewers (about six shrimp per skewer). Grill shrimp over medium heat for 5 minutes, turning and basting once. Shrimp are done when opaque throughout.

You’ll Need:

1 cup brewed coffee
4 slabs pork spareribs, �St. Louis cut� (trimmed of the chine
bone and brisket flap), each 3 pounds or less
1 recipe Java Rub (recipe follows)
1 recipe Classic Kansas City Sauce or other tomato-based
barbecue sauce (recipe follows)

Java Rub
6 tablespoons ground coffee beans
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar or
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt or other coarse salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons dried ginger

Combine ingredients in small bowl.

Classic Kansas City Sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup canned tomato puree
3/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon yellow ballpark mustard
1 tablespoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon pure liquid hickory smoke, optional

Procedure:

In a nonreactive saucepan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Mix in the remaining ingredients, reduce the heat to low, and cook the mixture until it thickens, approximately 30 minutes. Stir frequently. If the consistency is thicker than you prefer, add a little water. Use the sauce warm or chilled. It keeps, covered and refrigerated, for several weeks. Makes about 2 1/2 cups. For the ribs: At least 8 hours and up to 24 hours before you plan to grill, bake the ribs. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Drizzle the coffee over the ribs and rub it in thoroughly. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl and coat the ribs liberally with the spice mixture. Wrap the ribs tightly in two layers of foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Cool the ribs, opening the foil to speed the process. Re-wrap the ribs in the foil and refrigerate them for at least 6 hours. Fire up the grill, bringing the temperature to medium (4 to 5 seconds with the hand test). Remove the ribs from the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Grill the ribs uncovered over medium heat for 30 to 35 minutes, turning every 8 to 10 minutes. Brush the ribs with sauce in the last 5 minutes of cooking. The ribs are done when very tender with a surface that�s crisp in some spots and gooey with glaze in others.

Serves: 4

You’ll Need:

1 (5 pound) beef brisket
1 tablespoon tenderizer (optional)
2 to 4 tablespoons Liquid Smoke
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup brown sugar
Worcestershire sauce, to taste

Procedure:

The night before cooking, sprinkle brisket with tenderizer, Liquid Smoke, salt, pepper, celery salt, onion salt and garlic salt. Wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. The next day add nutmeg, paprika, brown sugar and Worcestershire. Wrap well with aluminum foil � this is important. Cook 5 hours at 275 degrees F. Slice thin on the diagonal. Serve with homemade barbecue sauce and buns.

You’ll Need:

4 slabs skinned baby back ribs (about
1 1/2 to 2 pounds each)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup seasoned salt
1/4 cup garlic salt
1/4 cup celery salt
1/4 cup onion salt
1/2 cup paprika
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
2 tablespoons dried sage
1 teaspoon dried mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Procedure:

Prepare the dry rub by sifting together the sugar, seasoned salt, garlic, celery and onion salts, paprika, chili powder, black, cayenne and lemon peppers, sage, mustard and thyme in a large glass mixing bowl. Store in an airtight container, preferably a glass jar, and utilize as a dry rub for this recipe and other barbecued meals, also. Prepare your grill to maintain a temperature of 230 degrees F to 250 degrees F while cooking the ribs. You may use oak, hickory or apple-flavored wood chips. If you do, soak the bag of wood chips in a bucket of water next to your grill and add them as you grill the baby back ribs. This water-soaked method helps release the full essence of the smoky flavor from the wood chips in the steam and smoke created on the grill. Blot ribs with a paper towel to remove excess moisture, then sprinkle both sides of the ribs with the dry rub. Arrange slabs on the grill and prepare to cook the ribs for 4 to 6 hours, adding more coals as necessary to maintain the heat. Halfway through cooking, turn the ribs. The ribs are done when you can gently pull them apart with gloved hands. Transfer ribs to the cutting board and allow them to cool slightly before cutting and serving. Serve with your favorite warmed barbecue sauce on the side, or return the cut ribs to the grill and bathe them in your favorite barbecue sauce as you grill for about 10 minutes more, being sure to turn them once, then serve. NOTE: You can reduce the grilling time by precooking or parboiling the baby back ribs. Either parboil them in a large stock pot until they are gray, or bake in a moderate 350 degrees F oven until lightly browned. Apply dry rub as directed. You may also want to mix up and keep ready a light basting liquid of 1 cup water, 1/2 cup olive oil and 3 tablespoons dry rub just in case the ribs start drying out on the grill. Total cooking time will be about 1 or 2 hours, depending on the thickness of the ribs.

You’ll Need:

4 pounds beef short ribs
1 medium onion, peeled and minced
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup catsup
1 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons dry mustard powder
1 teaspoon chili powder

Procedure:

Set ribs out of the refrigerator to warm to room temperature. Preheat grill. Meanwhile, make sauce. Saute onion and garlic in butter in a skillet until onion is clear, then add remaining ingredients and simmer 20 minutes, stirring from time to time. Dip ribs into hot barbecue sauce, then place on the grill. Feed fire small pieces of aromatic twigs, fruit cuttings, grape or hickory. Cover and barbecue until ribs are done, about 1 1/2 hours, keeping fire low, turning from time to time and basting with reserved sauce. Douse any flame-ups. Serve at once.

Makes 8 servings.