Texas Chilipiquin BBQ Sauce

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The wild chiles called chiltepins in Mexico and the Southwest are known as chilipiquins in Texas. We always have some of the berry-like pods available because we grow them as perennials, but they’re difficult to find in markets. So substitute any pequin or small, extremely hot chile. This is a finishing sauce for grilled or smoked beef, chicken, or pork to be applied before serving or served on the side.

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons butter, margarine, or vegetable oil

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 cups catsup

  • ½ cup cider vinegar

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 3 teaspoons crushed chilipiquins, or other small, hot dried chiles

  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • Salt to taste

Instructions

In a small skillet, saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes.

Combine all the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and whisk to blend. Bring to a boil over high heat and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Thai Lemon Grass Marinade

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Lemon grass makes a nice houseplant and a continuous supplier of lemony stalks–simply root a stalk in water and then plant it in a pot. Put it in partial sun and it will grow and separate. This marinade is excellent with chicken and fish. Warning: the marinade tastes so good your will want to drink it. Go ahead, call it lemon grass tea. Use this marinade for poultry, fish, or pork, or as a dressing for a salad. Dave serves it over noodles and calls it a pseudo-curry.

Ingredients

  • 1 stalk lemon grass

  • ½ cup coconut milk

  • 8 Thai chiles, stems removed, chopped (or substitute 4 serrano chiles)

  • 2 ½ tablespoons lime juice, fresh preferred

  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar

  • 1 shallot, sliced

  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger

Instructions

Cut off and discard the green top of the lemon grass and the root end, leaving about a 6-inch stalk. Remove any tough outer leaves, cut the stalk into 1-inch pieces, lightly pound the stalks with the knife handle to release the flavor .

Combine the lemon grass with the coconut milk in a saucepan and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Do not let it boil. Remove from the heat and strain. Discard the lemon grass and reserve the milk.

Place all the ingredients, including the milk, in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

Genuine, Authentic, South of the Border Chile Rub

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Yeah, right. Okay, this is our spin on Mexican flavorings that would work on goat, as in cabrito, pit roasted goat. Can’t find goat at Winn-Dixie? Use this rub for either grilling or smoking beef, pork, and lamb.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons ground ancho chile

  • 2 teaspoons ground chile de arbol

  • 2 teaspoons ground chipotle chile

  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano, Mexican preferred

  • 2 teaspoons onion salt

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 teaspoon powdered garlic

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Store any unused rub in a sealed container in the freezer.

Texas-Style Beef Brisket

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This easy, basic recipe uses the combination of a rub and a sauce to create the taste of a traditional barbecue for those who don’t have a pit or a smoker.

Ingredients

  • 1 4 to 6-pound beef brisket
  • 1 jar barbecue rub
  • 2 to 3 cups barbecue sauce

Instructions

Trim the fat on the brisket to 1/4-inch. Rub the barbecue rub evenly and thickly over the brisket. After coating, wrap in plastic or seal in a plastic bag and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Light the grill.

Place the brisket, fat side up, in a disposable aluminum pan or on a large piece of foil. Add ½ cup of water and cover tightly with another piece of foil. Place the pan in the center of the grill over a very slow fire of briquettes.

Cover the cooker and cook for 5 hours, turning the brisket every 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Pour off the fat in the pan as it accumulates and add water, ½ cup at a time, as needed.

Remove the brisket and reserve the remaining pan juices. Place the meat directly on the grill.

Combine the drippings with the barbecue sauce and brush over the brisket. Replace the cover on the cooker and cook for 1 additional hour, basting occasionally with the sauce. Simmer the remaining sauce mixture 10 to 15 minutes.

Slice the brisket diagonally across the grain into thin slices and serve with the sauce.

Fourth of July Barbecue Baked Beans

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White “Haricot Beans” include types such as Great Northern, navy, cannellini, white kidney, and small white beans, and they comprise the most versatile of the common beans. Serve these as a hot replacement for the traditional baked beans at your next picnic or barbecue.

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons New Mexican chile powder
  • 4 slices uncooked bacon, cut in ½-inch pieces
  • 1-1/2 cups barbecue sauce
  • 1/4 cup beer or water
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 3 cups cooked Great Northern beans

Instructions

Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until they are soft.

Combine the onion mixture, chile powder, bacon, barbecue sauce, beer, sugar and mustard. Mix this sauce with the beans.

Cover and bake the beans in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour or until the beans are heated through and coated with the sauce.