BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich

 

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 lbs of chicken)

Place broth, seasoning salt, garlic powder and pepper into the Instant Pot inner pot. Stir.

Add the chicken breasts and put the lid on.

Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. (15 for frozen chicken.) It will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and start counting down. Once the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. 

Open the lid and drain about half of the liquid. Shred the chicken breasts with the remaining liquid in the pot and serve as desired. To freeze, let cool to room temperature before placing in freezer bags.

For the BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich:

Drain the liquid off. (It's ok to leave a little behind.) Add a cup or so of BBQ Sauce. I use my Memphis Style Sweet Heat BBQ Sauce. Set the instant pot for 5 minutes. Let it cool. While it cools, toast buns. Top the toasted bottom with the drained BBQ chicken mixture. Add slaw and top with bread and butter pickles.

Mama's slaw link...  <---- Click Here! 

3 Ingredient Cocktail Wieners

These cocktail wieners are always a huge hit at any event! The fact that they are so simple and easy is just a plus! 

3 Ingredient Cocktail Wieners

2 packages Cocktail Links 

1 cup BBQ Sauce
½ cup Grape Jelly

Simply add your ingredients into a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

For big events, I multiple the recipe by 4 or more depending on the number of guests!

St Louis Style Spare Ribs

 

Everyone does bar-b-que different. For that matter, everyone spells... BBQ different. If you want some good bbq, but you don't have a big fancy smoker or grill, you can make some good bbq in the oven. I usually use baby back pork ribs, but the online shopping service I used substituted St Louis Style Spare Ribs. 

2 lbs pork spare ribs
liquid smoke
apple cider vinegar
garlic powder
salt & pepper
bbq sauce of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat ribs with a few shakes of liquid smoke and vinegar. Sprinkle garlic, salt and pepper on all sides of the ribs. Place in a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for about 2 hours. Remove foil and cook for about 20 or 30 minutes or until the ribs are golden brown. Slather with sauce and  cook another 20 to 30 minutes. 

Be sure to watch and not let the ribs burn once you put the sauce on them. Most bbq sauces have a good amount of sugar in them and have a tendency to burn if left too long. (I've even burnt bbq sauce in a crock pot, and I didn't think that was possible!!!)

Southern Whole Hog Bar-B-Que & Rice and Hash

The Elliott family always has a big BBQ for big occasions around the holidays. Years back they were held at "The Cabin", way back in the swamp behind my parent's and Grandparent's homes. Oh, the memories that it all brings back. The men would get together early in the morning and BBQ a whole hog over live coals.  

That's what we call a "Pig Pickin"!

Whole Hog BBQ

 The "good" meat under the ribs!

When I was growing up we had hog head hash. It is made with the head, heart, and the liver... no part of the hog was wasted. Now, I use Boston Butts. (which is a cut of pork that comes from the upper part of the shoulder from the front leg and may contain the blade bone)

In pre-revolutionary New England and into the American Revolutionary War, some pork cuts (not those highly valued, or "high on the hog," like loin and ham) were packed into casks or barrels (also known as "butts") for storage and shipment. The way the hog shoulder was cut in the Boston area became known in other regions as "Boston butt".

3lbs pork butt*

1/2lb liver, cooked (optional)

1lb peeled potatoes

1 onion

juice from cooking the pork

and a great BBQ sauce (like "Daddy's Bar-B-Que Sauce")

Bake pork (seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder), covered until it falls apart. (about 3-4 hours at 350 degrees) Save the renderings/broth. In a pot, boil your potatoes and a finely minced onion seasoned with salt. Run meat (fat and all), liver, potato and onion mixture through a meat grinder. (Or grind in food chopper or processor) Place ground mixture back in the broth, add BBQ sauce to consistence of a very thick gravy. Let simmer at a low temp for another hour or two. Serve over white rice.

* Reserve or cook an extra couple of pounds of meat to shred and add sauce to for the BBQ plate or for sandwiches.

If you don't have the sauce or don't know how much seasoning, try this recipe for making it in the crockpot... what can be easier? I still prefer to grind the meat and not chop to get a smoother texture, but that's just me!

CrockPot Hash

5 to 6 lbs Boston butt roasts
1lb. liver
3 large baking potatoes, peeled and diced
3 medium onions, peeled and diced

Seasonings: (use only as a guide...)
5 Tbl white vinegar
2 Tbl spicy brown mustard
2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 Tbl tomato paste
1 stick butter
2 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Step 1: In a 5-quart crock pot on high. Rub both roasts with salt and cracked pepper, then place in the crock pot. Add the diced potatoes and onions, and then fill the pot with hot water or stock and cover. Let it cook 6 to 7 hours until the meat falls apart. Keep check on the water level.

Step 2: Remove the meat from the pot and pull apart to let cool. Next remove the bone, fat, and connective tissue. Pull the meat apart in small pieces and then give it a light chop. Break up the potatoes and onions in the pot with a potato masher. Return the meat to the pot. Add the butter and reduce heat to the lowest setting. Let it cook another hour or until it is the consistency you like.

Step 3: Add your seasonings one at a time and taste as you go. Add a little BBQ sauce for a kick or...

Step 4: Serve over your choice of white rice pour sauce over the rice and hash.

Canned Goods for Sale!

I have 9 different varieties of canned goods for sale:
3 varieties of Pickles
2 varieties of relish
3 varieties of BBQ Sauce
1 type of Jam (I'll be adding another jam when my figs ripen)

If you are interested, choose the varieties you would like to purchase from the drop-down list above the "Buy Now" button. I use the USPS's medium flat rate boxes, and their shipping is $12. I can fit up to 5, maybe 6 jars in each box. When you order, there is nothing to join or sign up, and your information is secure! Thanks!

Minimum Order of 2 Jars for Shipping

Dill Pickles $5.00 USD Garlic Dill Pickles $5.00 USD Bread and Butter Pickles $5.00 USD Red Onion Jam $4.00 USD Vidalia Onion Relish $4.00 USD Caramelized Onion Relish $4.00 USD Daddy's BBQ for Pulled Pork $6.00 USD Memphis~Style BBQ Sauce $6.00 USD Memphis~Style Hot BBQ Sauce $6.00 USD

Pull Pork for Sandwiches

Whole Boston Butt
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Pour about 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar over the pork, and then coat with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Bake  the Boston Butt at 250 degrees for about 6-8 hours uncovered... until the bone slides out easily and clean. I picked the fat off, and it actually fell apart easily... no fork shredding necessary! Then I added Daddy's BBQ Sauce to it.

This time I used a Hamilton Beach Automatic Roasting Oven that my step-mother, Pixie gave me. I put the pork in it on 225 degrees at 12 midnight, and the Hubby cut it off when he left for work.

Remove the bones. They should slide out clean. Take two forks and "pull" the meat apart or shred it. Add "Daddy's BBQ Sauce" to taste!

If you don't have any sauce you can order some here...

Daddy's BBQ Sauce for Pulled pork
A Box set of 2 pint Jars

Pork Shanks from Sunny Cedars Farm

I sent my hubby over to our farmer friend, Russell at Sunny Cedar's Farm to pick up the shanks that he had for me! For those that are not familiar with shanks, I'll fill you in...

The pork shank is a cut of meat taken from the lower portion of a ham. Traditionally, the word “ham” is reserved for a pig’s back thighs. The leg region usually comes in three sections, the shank, the hock and the foot. Ham is usually a tender, juicy piece of meat, but this isn't always true where the shank is concerned. This cut usually contains a lot of muscle and connective tissue, which can make it somewhat tough when cooked improperly. However, the shanks are less expensive and if cooked right, they can be just as flavorful and juicy as a ham. Slow roasting, braising in a crockpot and simmering are some of the ways to cook this type of meat. As far as pork products go, the shank portion tends to be relatively inexpensive and can be an economical option for many cooks.

Braising is one of the most popular cooking methods. Cooks start out by searing the outside of the meat, usually in a skillet, then putting it in a deep, covered pot with some amount of liquid. Water will work, but stock, broth, or wine can make the dish more interesting. The whole thing is then slow cooked on the stovetop for several hours. A counter top slow cooker appliance, or crockpot, can also be used for this method. This is the way I chose to cook mine...

I put the two shanks in the crockpot very late on Friday night. I poured what was left of a bottle of Palmetto Red Wine over them and added garlic cloves, salt and pepper. I turned it on high and let it cook all night! Do you think they are done? LOL

To finish them off, I made a bbq sauce to top the meat...

Sauce:

1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp butter
1 cup ketsup
1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Texas Pete hot sauce
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce

Saute onion and garlic in butter in a large pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes. Spoon the sauce heavily over the pork shanks. Place the pork in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens and sets, and the shanks are warmed through. (Be careful not to let the sauce burn!)

If you want to get some shanks to try for the first time, or cook with that favorite family recipe, contact my friend Russell at Sunny Cedars Farm!

My plate!

Memphis Style BBQ Sauce for Chicken

1 Chicken, cut up
Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle chicken pieces with seasonings. Place in a casserole dish and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown and juices run clear.

Sauce:

1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp butter
1 cup ketsup
1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Texas Pete hot sauce
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce

Saute onion and garlic in butter in a large pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes. Spoon the sauce heavily over the chicken pieces. Return to the oven for 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens and sets. (Be careful not to let the sauce burn!)

Southern Hash and Rice

Southern Bar-B-Que & Rice and Hash

When I was growing up we had hog head hash. It is made with the head, heart, and the liver... no part of the hog was wasted. Now, I use Boston Butts. (which is a cut of pork that comes from the upper part of the shoulder from the front leg and may contain the blade bone)

In pre-revolutionary New England and into the American Revolutionary War, some pork cuts (not those highly valued, or "high on the hog," like loin and ham) were packed into casks or barrels (also known as "butts") for storage and shipment. The way the hog shoulder was cut in the Boston area became known in other regions as "Boston butt".

3lbs pork butt*

1/2lb liver, cooked (optional)

1lb peeled potatoes

1 onion

juice from cooking the pork

and a great BBQ sauce (like "Daddy's Bar-B-Que Sauce")

Bake pork (seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder), covered until it falls apart. (about 3-4 hours at 350 degrees) Save the renderings/broth. In a pot, boil your potatoes and a finely minced onion seasoned with salt. Run meat (fat and all), liver, potato and onion mixture through a meat grinder. (Or grind in food chopper or processor) Place ground mixture back in the broth, add BBQ sauce to consistence of a very thick gravy. Let simmer at a low temp for another hour or two. Serve over white rice.

* Reserve or cook an extra couple of pounds of meat to shred and add sauce for the BBQ plate or for sandwiches.

If you don't have the sauce or don't know how much seasoning, try this recipe for making it in the crockpot... what can be easier? I still prefer to grind the meat and not chop to get a smoother texture, but that's just me!

CrockPot Hash

5 to 6 lbs Boston butt roasts
1lb. liver
3 large baking potatoes, peeled and diced
3 medium onions, peeled and diced

Step 1: In a 5 quart crock pot on high. Rub both roasts with salt and cracked pepper, then place in the crock pot. Add the diced potatoes and onions, and then fill the pot with hot water or stock and cover. Let it cook 6 to 7 hours until the meat falls apart. Keep check on the water level.

Step 2: Remove the meat from the pot and pull apart to let cool. Next remove the bone, fat, and connective tissue, leaving all the juices in the crock pot. Pull the meat apart in small pieces and then give it a light chop. Break up the potatoes and onions in the pot with a potato masher. Return the vegetables and meat to the pot. Add the butter and reduce heat to the lowest setting. Let it cook another hour or until it is the consistency you like.

Step 3: Add your seasonings one at a time and taste as you go. Add a little BBQ sauce for a kick or... Daddy's BBQ Sauce.

Step 4: Serve over your choice of white rice pour sauce over the rice and hash.

Lit'l Smokies from Hillshire Farms... Go Meat!

Sorry, I could not resist... It never fails. Every time I cater an event, these little things find there way onto the table in some form or fashion. Lit'l Smokies can sometimes be found in different flavors, including cheddar or chipotle pepper, and different recipes such as Pigs in a Blanket. They are generally made of beef and/or pork and have a smoked flavor. However, this recipe is the go to recipe for these little gems!

1 lb. Little Smokies (sausage)

1 c. grape jelly
1 c. BBQ sauce
3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. mustard

Mix ingredients in crock pot. Cook on high for 2 hours, stirring occasionally; then reduce to low and simmer. A great party snack for any occasion.