Lip Smacking BBQ

All across America, BBQ season has arrived. Here are a few ideas worth trying this season. If you would like a healthy version of any of the listed sauces or side dishes, just reply and I will send you my recipe.

Dry Rubs and BBQ Sauces:

Memphis Style Dry Rub

Texas Style Dry Rub

St. Louis Country Style BBQ Sauce

Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce

Carolina Golden BBQ Sauce

Eastern North Carolina BBQ Sauce

Memphis Style Wet BBQ Sauce

Coffee BBQ Sauce

Dr. Pepper or Cola BBQ Sauce

Georgia BBQ Sauce

Texas Mopping Sauce

Park Lane BBQ Sauce

Sweet and Sticky Sauce

Popular Side dishes:

BBQ Baked Beans

Potato and Egg Salad

Classic Mayonnaise Coleslaw

North Carolina Red Slaw

Hush Puppies

Creamy or Vinaigrette Cucumber Salad

Corn and Cheese Casserole

Pickled Watermelon Rind

Carolina Style Banana Pudding

Traditional Cuts of Meat for BBQ:

Pork Spare Ribs: Taken from the pork belly, they are called “spare” because they are butchered in a manner to spare the bacon.

St. Louis Ribs: These are spare ribs that have been trimmed of the skirt meat, rib tips and pointed end, so the shape is a neat rectangle, yielding slender ribs with a good amount of meat.

Baby Back Ribs: Small curved ribs cut from the prized top-loin of the hog. Less meat than spare ribs, but leaner and more tender.

Country Style Ribs: Approximately one inch thick strips of pork cut from the shoulder end of the pork loin. Sometimes resembles a slim pork chop. They cook much faster than bone-in ribs.

Pork Butt: Sometimes boneless, but frequently this cut consists of the upper half of the shoulder, with the blade bone, and sometimes part of the leg bone still attached. A hefty cut weighing 5-10 pounds. Requires a few hours of slow cooking, great for pulled pork or slicing for Cuban sandwiches. (And that crispy skin, yum) To speed the cooking process, I sometimes slow-boil for two hours, then finish with a seasoned slow roast.

Beef Spare Ribs: These are the bones attached to prime ribs. Many catering halls, who serve boneless prime ribs, will start with bone-in prime ribs, then remove the bones after roasting. This yields a tender rib bone easy to season and finish in the oven or grill.

Beef Short Ribs: Slightly squared ribs, with good marbling come from the short plate-front belly of the steer, cut between the bone. Another style called Flanken, is thinner and cut across the bone.

Beef Brisket: A 1.5 to 2 inch cut of meat from the chest or lower breast of the steer. The brisket consists of two parts, the flat cut is leaner than the point cut which requires much more cooking time. The point cut is normally cooked for a few hours then slow smoked.

Chicken Wings, Thighs and Drum Sticks: Very popular cuts for BBQ, rich in flavor and easy to BBQ, yielding good crispy skin.

Spatchcocked Chicken: Whole chicken with the backbone, and breast plate removed. This allows the bird to lay flat during roasting or grilling, which produces even heat throughout the bird during cooking.