I found this recipe in the USA Weekend magazine in our local paper. It came from the '"Three Many Cooks" blog (threemanycooks.com) and it touted the use of a slow cooker to produce what sounded like a delicious pulled-beef barbecue dish. The list of ingredients was a little intimidating, but luckily we had most of them already. I admit that we didn't have any of the spices it called for (chili powder, cumin, oregano), though I'm not exactly sure why we didn't have them. So I went bold (for me) and substituted (gasp!) I found chili mix (for making chili, like taco seasoning) and used some of that, along with Butt Rub (a rub for grilled meat), and Italian seasoning. I figured that spices were spices, and barbecue always has a hint of something in it, so why not make it up?
The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of 'your favorite barbecue sauce.' Well, we d0n't really have a favorite, except for the last remnants of my all-time favorite, from Hog Heaven barbecue in Daytona Beach. So I found a bottle of raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce in the pantry and went with that. I figured with chipotle peppers in the mix (optional, but what the heck, right?), we would keep with the theme.
Putting the ingredients together was great. I did it the night before, letting them hang out together a bit. Then in the morning, before school, I put it all in the Crock Pot and off I went. When I got home there was an aroma (not a smell, an AROMA) in the house that was nearly divine. It actually smelled like barbecue - maybe this could work!
I pulled out the meat, let it cool, and pulled it apart. It fell apart in my hands. So far, so good! The trouble came when I had to 'reduce' the sauce to barbecue sauce consistency. See, the only 'reduce' tasks I know come from physics (reducing combination circuits with series and parallel segments to simple circuits) and RedOx processes in which electrons bond (or don't) with other electrons. I thought I would put the sauce on the stove and in a few minutes, it would be BBQ sauce. Wrong - an hour later I finally ran out of patience and dumped the meat back in to simmer. I was convinced it would turn out ok, even if it was a little bit runny. I was right.
I bought some nice hamburger buns (no time to go cheap at this point) and some 'ribbon fries' (curly potato chips, though unexpectedly, they turned out to be SWEET potato chips - still not bad) just like our favorite barbecue spot, and off we went! My first impression was that this was a winner. The meat was super tender and flavored really nicely. Only after the first few bites did those chipotle peppers rear their heads. Yes, it was a little spicy. Not too much for me, but my teenage kids were feeling the heat to be sure, and my wife graciously gave me half of her sandwich to finish. Next time, I'll simply omit the optional peppers, though they did bring a nice smokiness and kick to the dish. Quite simply, this was a hit all around. My whole family liked it (despite the heat) and I feel like I could and would make it again, even going so far as to bring it to a gathering. Best of all, the recipe claimed to make 8-10 servings, so we'll have leftovers tomorrow for lunch!
The verdict: a winner, but next time, hold the peppers.
Score:
Hits - 1
Misses - 1
Recipe:
1 beef chuck roast (about 3 lbs.)
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
3 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (VERY optional)
- note that 3 chilies is less than one small can
2 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups your favorite sweet BBQ sauce
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low until tender (6-8 hours)
Remove meat from cooker and let cook enough that you can handle it. Transfer sauce to a large saucepan and reduce to BBQ sauce thickness. Mix sauce with mean on a warm stovetop. Serves 8-10.
Enjoy!
The recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of 'your favorite barbecue sauce.' Well, we d0n't really have a favorite, except for the last remnants of my all-time favorite, from Hog Heaven barbecue in Daytona Beach. So I found a bottle of raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce in the pantry and went with that. I figured with chipotle peppers in the mix (optional, but what the heck, right?), we would keep with the theme.
Putting the ingredients together was great. I did it the night before, letting them hang out together a bit. Then in the morning, before school, I put it all in the Crock Pot and off I went. When I got home there was an aroma (not a smell, an AROMA) in the house that was nearly divine. It actually smelled like barbecue - maybe this could work!
I pulled out the meat, let it cool, and pulled it apart. It fell apart in my hands. So far, so good! The trouble came when I had to 'reduce' the sauce to barbecue sauce consistency. See, the only 'reduce' tasks I know come from physics (reducing combination circuits with series and parallel segments to simple circuits) and RedOx processes in which electrons bond (or don't) with other electrons. I thought I would put the sauce on the stove and in a few minutes, it would be BBQ sauce. Wrong - an hour later I finally ran out of patience and dumped the meat back in to simmer. I was convinced it would turn out ok, even if it was a little bit runny. I was right.
I bought some nice hamburger buns (no time to go cheap at this point) and some 'ribbon fries' (curly potato chips, though unexpectedly, they turned out to be SWEET potato chips - still not bad) just like our favorite barbecue spot, and off we went! My first impression was that this was a winner. The meat was super tender and flavored really nicely. Only after the first few bites did those chipotle peppers rear their heads. Yes, it was a little spicy. Not too much for me, but my teenage kids were feeling the heat to be sure, and my wife graciously gave me half of her sandwich to finish. Next time, I'll simply omit the optional peppers, though they did bring a nice smokiness and kick to the dish. Quite simply, this was a hit all around. My whole family liked it (despite the heat) and I feel like I could and would make it again, even going so far as to bring it to a gathering. Best of all, the recipe claimed to make 8-10 servings, so we'll have leftovers tomorrow for lunch!
The verdict: a winner, but next time, hold the peppers.
Score:
Hits - 1
Misses - 1
Recipe:
1 beef chuck roast (about 3 lbs.)
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
3 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (VERY optional)
- note that 3 chilies is less than one small can
2 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. oregano
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups your favorite sweet BBQ sauce
Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low until tender (6-8 hours)
Remove meat from cooker and let cook enough that you can handle it. Transfer sauce to a large saucepan and reduce to BBQ sauce thickness. Mix sauce with mean on a warm stovetop. Serves 8-10.
Enjoy!
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