Kind Barbecue Sauce

Posted on September 19, 2011 by SlowDownAndCook with Meals not So Fast

This sauce is a hybrid from a number of sources and trial and error. The basic sauce is simple, but easy to ruin. I tried substituting cider vinegar for the Red Wine vinegar, and it was horrible.  If you are sensitive to heat, decrease the paprika; for a boost more heat, I love a squirt of the Asian hot sauce (Sriracha HOT Chili Sauce). Also, we finish with a stick mixer, but it is really not necessary.

In a medium sauce pan, combine:

  • 1 1/2 cups Ketchup
  • 1 cup Red Wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup soy
  • 1 cup brown sugar (adjustable)
  • 1 tblspn Wasabi (or use horseradish)
  • 4 tblspn Paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground Ginger
  • 3 slices Lemon
  • a touch of Olive Oil

Simmer over medium heat for at least ten minutes. stirring vigorously. Seal well, and store in the fridge.

Posted in Barbecue | 1 Comment

Sunday Breakfast

Posted on September 18, 2011 by SlowDownAndCook with Meals not So Fast

Is there anything in life better than harvesting food from the garden for a Sunday morning breakfast? Today, it was just a tomato; we made sandwiches of egg, bacon, and home-grown tomato, with dijon and mayonnaise. Too bad I had to work, or maybe a mimosa would have been found- coffee and juice had to suffice. It was a great, simple breakfast.

Posted in The Edible Garden, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Tomatoes Grilled Roger

Posted on September 18, 2011 by SlowDownAndCook with Meals not So Fast

The tomato matters. We made these while waiting for the grill to cool; we started the tomatoes in a quick foil boat over the super high heat.

  • Cut the top and bottom off of a few tomatoes- you want a flat bottom for the grill, and a flat top for the cheese;
  • Drip a little Worcestershire sauce in each tomato- very little;
  • Layer thin slices of aged cheese- any; we used Toma from a Bay Area maker: Point Reyes (worth every penny);
  • Put over hot coals. We started them in a simple foil boat, and left them in it until the tomatoes were bubbling hot, we then transferred them to the (very) hot grill, and closed the grill lid; within a few minutes, they were sizzling with browning cheese on top. Fantastic.
    • we let them cool, and ate them in little sandwiches of sourdough baguette. Fantastic.
Posted in Barbecue, The Edible Garden, Tomatoes | 1 Comment

Saturday Night Ribs

Posted on September 18, 2011 by SlowDownAndCook with Meals not So Fast

Saturday- I worked half the day, so extensive prep is out of the question. We have a system for last minute cooking: go to the good local store, and buy what’s on sale; tonight, it was English Ribs. I have just given them a rub, with a rub from the cupboard that we put together in June (I only know from the handwritten label: a date, and the words pork rub- and yes, we are using it on beef ribs, but, it is there, and it is getting late- don’t much care what’s in it). I am about to start the barbecue; we will cook them slowly, over indirect heat, for a couple of hours, and see what happens.  While it is cooking, I am going to make barbecue sauce- our own, the Kind Barbecue Sauce. Will write it up as we go.

Results: mixed, at best. The meat was really tasty, but not sufficiently tender. The ribs were on the grill about two hours, and it was not enough time. The flavor was great; the crusting was good, but the meat was just not tender.

That said, we had a very good dinner with the corn from the grill, good simple rice, and our Tomatoes Roger appy.

Sunday morning now; Saved the ribs:

This morning, put the ribs on a rack over a baking sheet; coated the ribs with our barbecue sauce, poured half a beer under the ribs, sealed the pan tightly with foil, and left them in a 275º oven for 2 hours, twenty minutes. Absolutely fantastic; moist, falling off the bone.

Posted in Beef | Leave a comment