Showing posts with label tailgate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tailgate. Show all posts

4th of July Special: Pig Roastin'

--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

It's that time of the year, my favorite holiday which would mean Happy 4th of July to all. Is there a better celebration? I don't think so. Not when its all about being outdoors, grilling, smokin' BBQ and drinking drinks and lighting fireworks and the only thing your supposed to do is have a good time, which isn't ever hard. There's going to be tons of smoke in the air this Sunday when people take to their parks and backyards and celebrate America's Independence day. I'm just starting to figure out whats going to be done for my festivities and so in the meantime I wanted to share the results of a recent pig roast party I went to down in Lasalle County thrown by my buddy Jim who is an avid smoker. There arent too many weekends that pass where Jim isn't smokin' some meats of some sort out in his backyard and having a High Life. Check out his adventures in the wide world of food right HERE.


Where the pig was made...a great one indeed

Jim got a 94 lb pig from a local butcher down in his county. It came head on, trotters removed, and butterflied. He roasted it whole using a La Caja China which is a specialty from down south in Miami used for roasting pigs and other meats of choice. You can see it pictured above and the pig goes in the box and is covered with the top which is layered with charcoal and it cooks for hours on end until the meat is ready. You can learn all about them from their website and might even want one in your collection. The night before Jim injected the whole pig with mojo and rubbed it with pineapple juice. it was then put it on ice until the party with some 70+ guests started the next Saturday morning. Even though this party was back in June it's what the fourth of July is all about and that's having a good old time. We had people from all over and all walks of life and a buffet and drinks bar that was as good as it gets. On top of the star of the show the roasted pig, we had everything from ABT's to grilled lobster to fresh made rum punch and it was a blast.


We had two types of ABT's, both were tailgate champion worthy

After the piggy went on at about 7a it was taken off around 2p and looked just perfect. I don't know if there's anything better than perfect but the pig was it.


Ready to roll


Looking good


Eat up

Great company and some glorious food made for a grand time and make sure that's how you spend your upcoming fourth of July holiday. Holiday. Check out my guy Jim's site right HERE.

Uncle John's Barbecue

-Grubbing in Chicago
Where the locals eat.

Mark today's stop as one of my favorite spots in the city. When it comes to BBQ, Uncle John's over on Calumet and 69th and its pitmaster Mack are the holy grail of smoked meats in the Windy City. Its a spot I was first put onto by my man G Wiv thru one of his posts about it over at LTHforum. In case you didn't know G Wiv is also the godfather of Chicago 'que and has written a book on making real deal BBQ the real deal way, low and slow. If there was one book you needed to own in your BBQ collection, this would be it. Uncle John's is where the boss of BBQ in this city eats his smoked meats and it's damn easy to see why. It is one of the best barbecue joints in not just the city but the country. It's been around for about four years now since Mack opened it up after working at another famous Chicago 'que joint. It has been getting lots of press of late since it is G Wiv's spot for good Chicago BBQ. Recently its been in the Tribune, on WGN news and discussed on all sorts of food forums and boards and featured in other articles. Just a couple weeks ago Gary aka G Wiv took Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods there for the Chicago taping. So its already getting loads of people from all over with plenty more coming after the episode airs and I'm about to send more.


Andrew Zimmern with G Wiv outside Uncle John's (pic by PhilW)

Let me start off by letting everyone know that if you have any hesitation about going to the neighborhood because you've never been south of 18th street to have that fear no more. It was a safe place when the spot was relatively unknown by northsiders and now that there's people coming from all over its still just as safe. The people that work with Mack, family and friends, are as nice and helpful as you can get. What's funny is, its the places like Uncle John's where I experience the best and most warm receptions from its employees. Its when I go to some trendy ass bar or hipster restaurant where I get snobby ass looks and actions from employees that are mad that I'm ordering alot of food and drinks and asking questions. Mack would love to share his knowledge of BBQ with you and is happy to answer questions about his specialty and what they do with it. As G Wiv put it "It's great to have Mack back and cooking BBQ, there are only a few real Pitmasters left in Chicago."


To the right as you walk in


The aquarium style smoker used at Uncle John's to smoke the meats

As you can see from the picture above, the meats are smoked at UJ's using an aquarium style smoker which is a custom piece of equipment very popular to the Chicagoland area. If you go over HERE you check out a thread from LTH about the history of the aquarium style smoker. Once again I will quote the Godfather of Chicago Barbecue on them in which he said "The Aquarium cooker seems to be Chicago specific, and they can be found all over Chicago, unfortunately few places still use them for anything but show or holding meat. Turning out good BBQ on an Aquarium style smoker is a dying art." Which is why UJ's is such a treasure to have and it's all about the 'que. As you do or don't know, I always order my BBQ with the sauce on the side. Its a way of being able to taste the smokiness and not drown the meat in sauce and changing the texture. The sauce is however phenomenal. It comes in a hot or mild variety and the hot is HOT. I always go with that.


Mack's HOT sauce

So what about the BBQ? what is it at Uncle John's that makes them one of the best yet? Well its all about the tips and links and everyone will tell you this. Don't discount the full slabs of ribs either because those too are great but in Chicago we love our rib tips. We also LOVE Mack's housemade hot links which are some of the best links you will ever come across. When you the pair the two of those together in a combo, you got a little taste of heaven.


XL Tips and Links Combo

Rib tips are Chicago's BBQ specialty. Memphis has the ribs, KC the sauce, Texas the brisket, Carolina's got pulled pork and Chicago's got its rib tips. I've basically grown up on the meaty end part of a spare rib slab that is cut off and smoked and then chopped, bones and all before serving. Tips when done right are full of flavor and provide a perfect balance of succulent smokey meat and crisp charred edges or bark as the pitmasters call it. While we still have 100's of places in Chicago that do up rib tips there arent as many that do a perfect job with them each and every time, which is the case over at Uncle John's. I just cant get enough rib tips from Mack and his staff. They got the perfect amount of smoke, fat and gristle in each and every bite and manage to make the outside nice and chewy in a good way while the meat inside is tender and melts on your tongue.


Nice piece of bark from a batch of Rib Tips

But you cant go there and just get the tips, you need to get the combo. The housemade hot links are simply outstanding. Quite easily some of the best sausage anywhere on the earth and as addictive as crack and facebook. Mack takes a very well coarse link that's perfect in texture and is seasoned with fresh spices and peppers and then smokes it to precision and once you dip it in some hot BBQ sauce it's called sheer perfection. In fact if you call ahead, which I always suggest you do, to make sure they're open, you can order Mack's hot links by the case and half case. Give them a day or two's notice but these are a must have for any tailgate or backyard BBQ party your planning on having this summer. It's hard to come up with anything better, all you need is the links, some wood and a little bit of time along with an ice cold beer.


Mack's housemade hot links on the Godfathers smoker

So if you were planning on taking a trip to Chicago this summer or taking a trip somewhere in your city for some good bbq, you now have your spot. The 'que even travels real well (make sure you get sauce on the side) so you can can make a call ahead order and take it over to Calumet Park and eat it along the lake or back home or at US Cell field for some tailgating eating or whatever the hell you want to do. Its all up to you, just know that all of us who have been, have done so a countless amount of times. Its one of those places that will be in your regular rotation, the rest of your life. Please note to call before your visit if you plan on making a trek to UJ's (which is well worth it) the hours can sometimes change and they, like the rest of us, like a vacation now and then too. Although every time I go by there, I feel like I'm on vacation eating the best bbq in the Midwest. If your planning on taking a food journey this summer, Uncle John's is your spot.


Inside of a hot link, a beautiful piece of art it is...

Uncle Johns
337 East 69th Street
Chicago, IL 60637-4638
(773) 892-1233

Uncle John's Barbecue on Urbanspoon

Greensbury Market: Steak Dinner

--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

What's up to all my loyal readers?!?!?! I have been livin' it up in Puerto Rico and just getting back to city life here and decided it was time for some grilling goodies with Memorial day weekend here. I'm excited that this post has finally come around because its been a long time coming. What seems like almost a year ago I was sent a package of beef from a wonderful place called Greensbury Market that is dedicated to serving online some of the best tasting most organic meats in the country. It was started by a team of four dudes who's ways go like this "We believe in supporting sustainable agriculture, family farms, and organic practices that produce healthy, environmentally friendly food. We’ve traveled all over the country to find meats that are not only organic, but also tender, juicy, and delicious. We’ve visited dozens of farms and built relationships with farmers who do things the old fashioned way - meaning they take care of the land and humanely raise animals without antibiotics, synthetic hormones, or synthetic pesticides." So they sent me a couple ribeyes, 2 skirts steaks and 2 chopped steak patties and wanted me to tell them what I thought.


Greensbury Market sent me one of each and I'll be ordering more...

Last night I finally got to try the beautifully marbled steaks which I had been waiting to do for what seems like ever. I'm actually skeptic when it comes to frozen meat but the people at Greensbury are pros who have been in this game for a while. The meats are cryovac'ed at their peak flavor point and have no freezer burn or anything wrong with them once thawed, in fact they were beautiful looking like they had just been cut by a butcher, which they were right before they were packaged for grilling enthusiasts like me and you. I was nice enough to share my gift from Greensbury with the fam so I went to work on both patties, both skirts and both ribeyes last night and this is what I came up with.


Ribeyes flaming away
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Simple Skirt Steak w/ Pickled Onions
Recipe from: The New Steak

2 Greensbury Market skirt steaks
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
salt & pepper
olive oil to rub steaks with

Pickled Onions

1 lg red onion (thinly sliced as a whole)
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp raw sugar
1 tbsp whole coriander
2 tbsp olive oil

1) sprinkle red pepper onto the steaks and then salt them and set aside. Rub with olive oil before grilling.

2) Peel and then slice the red onion as thinly as possible and place the onion rings in a bowl. Prepare a small pot by combing the water, red wine vinegar and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. When boiling pour the liquid over the raw onions and top with crushed whole coriander seeds and olive oil and let come to a cool.

3) Make sure your grill is nice and hot for your steaks and put the lubed steaks on the hottest part of your grill and sear for 3-5 minutes a side, and then move to a cooler part and cook to desired doneness. Use the finger poke method to test for doneness.

4) When steaks are ready to come off let them sit and cool down for five mins. and then slice against the grain and top with pickled onions and some juice from them.


So simple and so yummy when using Greensbury's full of flavor beef
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chibbqking Island Burgers: Two Ways
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Cuban Pressed Chopped Beeefsteak Burger

1 Greensbury Market Chopped Beef Patty
4 slices of sauteed ham
2 slices swiss cheese
half of a deli pickle, sliced in thin coins
mayo
mustard
fresh baked Kaiser bun, spread with chopped garlic and butter

1) Start by buttering a pan and sauteing up your ham until its got some nice color and then set aside. Lube your bun with chopped garlic and butter and bring that and a seasoned Greensbury pattys outside to the grill and throw the burger on a ell lubed spot on the grill and begin cooking to desired doneness.

2) When burger is almost done, place the bun on the grill and cook until it gets some toasted color. Take the bun and patty off and bring inside to prepare for topping.

3) Place the slices of ham on the top bun followed by the pickles and proceed to put the slices of swiss on the bottom. Add the patty to the bottom part and spread the mustard and mayo on it and then put it all together as one.


Your burger should like this before the finished patty goes on

4) Lube up a hot frying pan with butter and have another heavy pan that you can use to press your burger down and cook it on both sides until the bread is nice and colored and crispy.


chibbqking Cuban Pressed Burger

5) Once ready take it off and slice in half or in four to serve as app's like I did for my Greensbury Market grilled beef feast.


These were awesome...
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chibbqking Sweet & Spicy Jamaican Burgers Mon

1 Greensbury Market Chopped Beef Patty
2 slices of pineapple rings
2 slices pepper jack cheese
dried Jerk seasoning
Jamaican Jerk Sauce
fresh baked Kaiser bun, spread with chopped garlic and butter

1) Rub your patty with the dried jerk seasoning and do the same to your burger bun.Make sure grill is hot and bring both the patty, bun and pineapple rings outside and put the patty on first followed by the rings and then bun all timed so they come off when your burger is cooked to desired doneness.

2) Right before the burger comes off take some jerk sauce (not the paste) and spread it over your burger and apply the cheese on top followed by the pineapple rings and then place the top part of the bun and let the cheese melt.


Almost ready to come off

3) Scoop up your patty and build your burger accordingly by adding more sauce or whatever else floats your boat. I liked mine just the way seen below.


chibbqking Sweet & Spicy Jamaican Jerk Burger
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Chipotle Rubbed Ribeye
Recipe from: The New Steak

2 Greensbury Market Ribeyes
olive oil for rubbing
salt & pepper

Chipotle Rub

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp red chipotle powder
1 tbsp of olive oil
salt

Lime and Cilantro Butter

4 tbsp butter
1 shallot minced
1/2 lime juiced
1/2 cup well chopped cilantro


The final result

1) To make the Chipotle rub combine the ingredients listed and mix well and continue to spread the steaks with the rub.

2) To make butter, melt it in a saute pan over low heat and then add the shallot. Cook about 3 mins. and then add the lime juice and cilantro and stir and set aside.

3) Make sure your grill is nice and hot for your steaks and put the lubed steaks on the hottest part of your grill and sear for 3-5 minutes a side on the hottest part and then move to a cooler part and cook to desired doneness. It all depends on their thickness and the heat of your grill. Use the finger poke method to test for doneness.

4) Take off steaks when ready and let sit for about five minutes. Spread with the lime cilantro butter and slice them if you want. Continue to eat and enjoy like I did.
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Not a bad way to kick off whats always the start of summer in Chi (Memorial Day wkd) and I want to give a big ups to the people at Greensbury Market. They do a wonderful job with trying to do it the right way and they succeed greatly at doing so. I would highly encourage anyone who has big plans of lots og grilling all summer long to check out their online market and see everything they have to offer. Including some of the most lean, full of flavor and great textured beef I have had in a minute. Happy Grilling to all.


My Greensbury Market Steak Dinner Plate
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Greensbury Market Organic Meats

Website

chibbqking Sliders

--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

Oh yes one of my favorite little snacks of all time is the slider. I've done alot of reading, research and eating of my beloved mini hamburgers over the years. Sliders could be considered half cooked and half steamed amongst many other things as long as they're small people call them sliders but not all people agree with that assessment. Just as fuzzy as what the exact definition of what one is, is where the term came from. Some stories go that it was in the 40's or 50's when a U.S Navel officer coined the term for a small burger that slid down easily. However some people say it was White Castle (the first Hamburger chain ever) that popularized the word used to describe their trademark tiny steamed hamburgers. Over the years I have experimented in making perfect sliders and put to use the best tricks of the trade in my simply delicious and easy to prepare recipe. April showers bring May flowers. So if your stuck inside and cant grill this month, make up some sliders.

KingT's Sliders

Ingredients

1 lb good quality ground beef
1 package of dinner rolls or potato buns
3-4 onions grated with juice reserved
thinly sliced kosher pickle chips
a few slices of American cheese cut in fours (optional)

The key to making authentic at home sliders is all in the ingredients and preparation of them. Here are a few of the must do's when tackling this project at home. With all the April showers coming in this month, next time it storms outside will be the perfect time to whip up some sliders. Here's what you need to know.


1) The rolls/buns play a role

I used the Sarah Lee dinner rolls pictured above in my last batch but would recommend going with any fresh locally baked mini buns or my favorite bun for sliders...potato rolls.


2) You gotta used grated onions...lots

I use a medal cheese grater to finely grate my onions and I make sure I have more than enough when doing so. In my recipe I use a cup full just to steam the buns with on the side of the frying pan while the burgers cook away. I also like to put some around the patty's when they're being cooked.


3) Get the best quality beef you can grab

Since the recipe is so simple and there is little spicing used the freshness of the beef and the rest of the ingredients are an important factor in getting some real beefy taste to your sliders. If you have a local butcher that grinds their beef fresh on a regular basis than go to them for your ground beef if making sliders at home.


4) Form the beef into small balls like those seen above

You want your little balls of beef to be about the size of a racquetball and smaller than a tennis ball but bigger than a golf ball. Just make sure that when they are smashed down in the pan while cooking that they form into a size that fits the mini buns. Salt and pepper the balls of beef and use a little garlic powder if you want to as well. Fill a frying pan or flattop griddle with vegetable oil and allow it to become hot to the point where its near smoking.


5) Throw 3-4 balls of beef on at a time followed by a few spoonful's of onion

Once you have thrown the onions around the meat take a string spatula or something flat and smash the balls of beef into patties. Add a spoonful more of onions around the patties and then a cups worth along the side of the frying pan. Place your buns on top of the mound of onions off to the side and then flip your patties and cook the other sides and add cheese and let cook for another 30 seconds. You then take the bottom bun and place it on your plate and scoop up some onions from the mound and throw them on top each patty followed by the top part of the bun.


Serve with the pickle slices and try to east just one. I promise you that wont happen.

If you have any secret tricks of the trade that you care to share...when it comes to making sliders. Well then please by all means share with us your secrets to making this American classic.


a chibbqking slider
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Super Recipes for Super Bowl XLIV

--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

The food for the game game is all about making sure your cooking something that doesn't need to be prepared on call. You gotta make sure you are making stuff that can be made ahead so you aint sitting in the kitchen or at the grill when the games going on wondering what everyone is cheering about. So here I present to you 15+ recipes for GGG-Great Gameday Grub.

2010 Recipe Index (In Listed Order)

Coney Dogs
BMT's
Sconnie Sliders
Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Piggie Wings
Garlic BBQ Beer Wings
Grilled Italian Sausage Mosstacholi with Roasted Peppers
Super Steak Kabobs
Blackened Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Irish-Mexican Nachos
KingT's Tex-Mex Chili
Chili Cheese Fries
Chili Cheese 'dillas
White Trash Tacos
Sunday Gravy
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Coney Dog's

All across America you'll find Coney dog stands serving up hot dogs with coney sauce which is a chili like topping said to be created by a Greek guy in Detroit back in the day. Eventually the love for this style of dog spread out of Michigan and throughout the country. Everybody that loves coney dogs has a secret sauce recipe or a place thy go to that claims the same. Well in my research I found that in Flint, MI they use ground beef hearts and kidneys in the blend to give that regions coney's their unique flavor. I also read somewhere that you have to use shredded up cheap hot dogs when making the sauce. So one day I tried an impromptu recipe and was damn pleased with the results.


The blended Oscar Mayer hot dogs gave it an edge

chibbqking's Coney Sauce

-1/2 cup of chili powder
-1/4 cup cumin
-1/4 cup smoked paprika
-1/4 cup garlic powder
-4 Oscar Meyer hot dogs blended up like in the pic above
-2 to 3 pounds ground beef
-2 lg. onions sliced very fine or put thru a grater
-1 tablespoon vinegar
-1 eight ounce can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
-1 tablespoon Yellow mustard
-1/2 cup of chicken stock


Coney sauce should be near dry and not too soupy


Dogs on the griddle...cookin' in butter


Coney's traditionally come w/o cheese but I like mine with
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BMT's
-jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon


Ready for da smoker

One of the easiest and tastiest treats out there. Simply take a bunch of jalapenos and slice off the top part and remove the insides. Take your favorite BBQ rub and mix a tablespoon or two into some cream cheese and then stuff it in the jalapeno. Wrap the pepper in bacon and sprinkle some rub on it and smoke them in a smoker until the bacon is crisp.


Bomb ass BMT's
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'Sconnie Sliders
-a chibbqking tribute to WI & it's food

This years recipes all have a common bond and that's that they are all pretty simple to make. A Sconnie slider is simply Wisconsin beef summer sausage sliced into coins and grilled on both sides for a few minutes per. You then take them and toss the chips in your favorite BBQ sauce and serve them on warm dinner rolls. Simple and succulent. I like the combo of the charred beef chips and Open Pit BBQ sauce.


What you'll need along with some dinner rolls and BBQ sauce


Step 1) Grill


Step 2) Toss in BBQ sauce


Step 3) Place beef chips in warm rolls and eat
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chibbqking Buffalo Chix Sliders
-Buffalo wings on a bun minus the bones

I came up with this one when I had all the ingredients needed to make them and the idea just came to mind. To keep this recipe real simple, just buy a rotisserie chicken from your local grocer and remove the skin and shred the meat off and reserve it for the sandwiches.

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

- 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded apart into pieces
- 1 bottle of Franks buffalo sauce
- 1 jar of Bleau cheese dressing
- 1 stick of butter
- stalk of celery, chopped into small pieces
- 1 package dinner rolls (as many rolls as sandwiches wanted)


Bleu cheese and celery ready to go


Shredded cooked chicken is what you need to make the sammy's


Mix butter and buffalo sauce and simmer until heated thru


Build your buffalo chicken slider as shown above
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chibbqking Piggie Wings
-Chix Tenders wrapped in bacon

Need I explain any further?

Ingredients

-package of raw chicken tenders
-package of bacon
-your favorite BBQ rub and some brown sugar
-Ranch dressing

1) Remove tenders from package and rinse under water and pat dry. Sprinkle your favorite rub over the tenders then wrap it fully in bacon (like that seen in the pic below) insert a toothpick to keep it wrapped and then sprinkle the bacon with brown sugar.


Piggie Wing ready for grilling

2) Grill wings until the bacon is crisp on the outside but be careful to watch for flareups. Serve with ranch dressing.

3) Enjoy!


chibbqking's piggie wings
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KingT's Garlic BBQ Beer Wings


What you'll need for G-B-BBQ wings (plus wings and BBQ sauce)

Note: Old Bay, Chicken Rub or any other rub you like will work.

1) Take everything seen above and marinate wings for at least 24 hours.

Note: there is no exact recipe, just use 3 tablespoons of each the rub and chopped garlic and the entire bottle of your beer of choice.

2) Drain the garlic-beer liquid and pat wings dry. Grill wings until done. Take them off grill and toss in your favorite BBQ sauce (make sure sauce is at room temp or warm).

3) Enjoy!
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Grilled Italian Sausage Mostacholi with roasted peppers
-a chibbqking original recipe

Ingredients

2 pound's Italian sausage (grilled)
2 green bell peppers (roasted on grill and peeled)
1 large onion, chopped
6-8 cups spaghetti sauce (you can doctor up bottled stuff if you like)
1 – 16 ounce package mostacholi
4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

1) Cook the sausage on the grill, while sausage is grilling roast your green peppers. Once done take sausage off and set aside and place your pepper sin a brown paper bag and wrap it up so no air gets out.

2) If using homemade red sauce, simply take the chopped onion and saute it and then dump your sauce in the pot and let it simmer. If using bottled or jarred sauce then I would doctor it up with sauteed onions, garlic and peppers etc...

3) Cook the pasta according to the packages instructions. While pasta is cooking slice the sausage into single pieces. When finished rip off the skin of the roasted peppers and remove the insides and dice them up into pieces.


Grilled Hot Sausage from Nottoli on Harlem works great

4) Put small amount of sauce into the bottom of pan and spread it around. Layer some of the pasta over the sauce and add half of the sliced sausage and chopped peppers and add 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese and 2 cups of sauce. Repeat the layer once more and top with Parmesan cheese.

5) Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.


The grilled sausage and roasted green peppers add plenty of flavor
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Super Steak Kebabs

One of my favorite things to grill are steak kabob's. If you get the right pieces of meat for them and have a good marinade and can let them sit in it for 24+ hours they always taste great. Here is a marinade I came up with when I was experimenting with them a couple months back. I might have to make these at my party this year.

Super Steak Marinade

-1 cup vegetable oil
-1/3 cup light soy sauce
-1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
-1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- the juice from a lemon
- one small chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of Greek Oregano
- salt and pepper

Combine the ingredients and marinate meat for at least 24 hours. Grill with peppers and onions on skewers over live charcoal.


chibbqking Super Steak kabobs
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Blackened chicken alfredo pasta

-My ode to the Saints

You know many people out there are throwing New Orleans/Cajun themed super bowl parties this year. Here is an easy recipe for a blackened chicken alfredo. Easy to make and easy to make alot of. Go Saints. Recipes for this dish easy and crowd pleasing are all over the 'net. I like to use bowtie pasta in mine.


Who Dat?
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Irish-Mexican Nacho's
-a chibbqking original

You might remember these from a previous post. Irish-Mexican nachos is an ultimate gameday grub dish and sure to be a crowd pleaser. Many people end up at the article when searching google for "Irish Mexican nachos" or "potato nachos" and so on. Since its post back in March of '09 its gotten over 2,500 views mostly from google search. Take a look at the recipe for these HERE.


Irish-Mexican Nachos: as seen on chibbqking
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KingT's Tex-Mex Chili (The Champ is Here)

If you went to the Time Out Chicago chili cookoff this year, you didn't see me there. No worries though because I am still tweaking what will become my signature recipe and you might even catch me down south in Murphysboro, IL at the 17th street bar and grill's annual chili cookoff at the end of February.


Big Ole Bowl of Chili

I'm tweaking a little bit here and there and figuring out the perfect portion amounts but I am confident you will enjoy my "sharing" recipe, which is about as much as I'll share of it. This isn't a recipe for a small group of people or someone looking for a quick batch of chili, you need to make it in a big pot due to the amount of ingredients added in and its a two day process. You will be rewarded should you have at it.


KingT's Tex-Mex Chili
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chili cheese fries

Since the chili recipe above calls for alot to be made, you gotta have some stuff to do up with the leftovers. If you like chili cheese dogs, this chili makes a mean one. Here are a couple more ideas you can use the chili for. You can take some fries, fresh or frozen, and top them with the chili and shredded cheddar and add chopped onions on top for some fine chili cheese fries.


KingT's chili cheese fries
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chibbqking chili cheese 'dillas

You can also use the chili as a filling for quesadillas, just add chihuahua cheese and some peppers.


Step 1) fill her then grill her...


...and its done
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White Trash Tacos

Everyone knows how to make white trash tacos. Just follow the instructions on the taco seasoning mix and plop the ground beef on a tortilla and top with your favorite toppings. I like to get real trashy and use onions rings as a topping on mine.


White Trash tacos with onion rings on top
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Sunday Neckbone Gravy (Makes 16 Cups)

If you want to go all out this Super Sunday then you need to do it like all Italian families do every Sunday. Sunday red gravy is a tradition in many families and it starts first thing in the morning. I once read a recipe from Esquire that was truly super and decided to try it immediately. Over time I played around with it and then settled on this recipe for a great batch of marinara that wont cost you more than $20 to make.


Simmered neckbones out of the pot

Ingredients for Sauce

About ½ cup olive oil
6-8 pounds pork neckbones
4 lbs your favorite meatballs
2 medium Spanish onions, finely chopped
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 12-oz can tomato paste
2 2 oz containers of anchovies (mashed in oil)
5 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) with juices, crushed by hand until no whole tomatoes remain
3 bay leaves
Hefty pinch sugar
Salt to taste (about 2 to 3 tsp)

Ingredients for Meatballs

4 lbs meatloaf mixture (beef, pork, veal)
12 slices white bread, broken into small 1/2 inch pieces (or you can use rolls or any stale bread you have and want to use up)
4 eggs, slightly beaten
garlic powder to taste
Italian seasoning to taste
parsley flakes to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
olive oil or vegetable oil (for frying)

Instructions for Meatballs

~Mix all ingredients gently in a large bowl until well combined.

~Roll meatballs 1 1/2- 1 3/4" in diameter.

~Heat about 1/4" of oil over medium heat in a large frying pan.

~Fry meatballs in oil, rolling frequently, until evenly browned and juices run clear.

~Set meatballs aside to drop in sauce after its made.


Shredded neckbone meat

Instructions for Sauce

~Coat cooking surface of large heavy-bottomed stockpot (at least 12 qts — we're talking about a huge pot) with olive oil, place over medium-low heat, and working a few at a time brown the neckbones on all sides and leave them in the pot. (Add more olive oil as needed.)

~Add onions to pork bones and slowly brown, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and lightly brown, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes. Add mashed anchovies and stir occasionally.

~Add tomato paste and stir to coat onions, anchovies and pork bones. Slowly cook until paste begins to thicken and turn deep reddish brown, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, bay leaves, and sugar. Stir well, making sure you get down to the bottom, and bring to a low boil.

~Lower heat and simmer uncovered until sauce begins to thicken. After three hours, add meatballs. Continue to simmer until a layer of oil forms on top, about another hour. Season to taste with salt.

~Use a slotted spoon to transfer meat to serving platter. Shred off the meat of the neckbones and discard the bones. Remove the meat back to the pot. Use sauce in your favorite pasta.


Meat going back into the sauce


Super Sunday Gravy smothered over meatballs
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While my preseason prediction of a Chargers-Saints Super Bowl fell just short, I still hit on the Saints in the NFC and New Orleans is still my favorite US city outside Chicago. Who Dat? Saints 33 Colts 30. See y'all next week.