Pork Barbecue Sandwiches with Coleslaw

Barbecue Sauce:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 1/3 cups cider vinegar
• 1 1/3 cups ketchup
• 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Dry Seasoning Rub:

• 3 tablespoons coarsely ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Barbecue Mop:

• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• Coleslaw

Pork:

• 2 untrimmed boneless halves of pork shoulder (also known as Boston butt; about 6 pounds total weight)

• 4 cups hickory wood (smoke) chips
• 1 20-pound sack charcoal briquettes

• 12 soft hamburger buns with sesame seeds, warm

For Barbecue Sauce:
Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is reduced to 2 2/3 cups, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Sauce can be prepared 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

For Dry Seasoning Rub:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight.)

For Barbecue Mop:
Mix all ingredients in bowl. Set aside until ready to use.

For Pork:
Place pork, fat side up, on work surface. Cut each pork piece lengthwise in half, forming total of 4 long strips. Place pork on baking sheet. Sprinkle Dry Seasoning Rub all over pork; rub into pork, covering completely. Cover and chill at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.

Place wood chips in large bowl. Cover with cold water and let stand 30 minutes. Place handful of torn newspaper into bottom of charcoal chimney.* Top with 25 charcoal briquettes. Remove upper rack from barbecue grill. Place chimney on lower grill rack. Light newspaper and let charcoal burn until gray ash color, about 30 minutes.

Open 1 bottom grill vent. Turn out hot charcoal onto 1 side of lower rack. Using metal spatula, spread charcoal to cover approximately 1/3 of rack. Remove 1 cup of wood chips from water and drain (keep remaining chips in water). Scatter over coals (avoid using too many wet chips, which may douse the fire). Fill foil loaf pan halfway with water and place on lower grill rack on opposite side of coals.

Place upper grill rack on barbecue. Arrange pork, fat side up, on upper grill rack above loaf pan. Cover grill with lid, positioning top vent directly over pork. Place stem of candy thermometer through top vent, with gauge on outside and tip near pork (thermometer should not touch meat or grill rack); leave in place during cooking. Check temperature after 5 minutes. Use top and bottom vents to maintain temperature range between 225°F. and 250°F., opening vents wider to increase heat and closing to decrease heat. Leave any other vents closed.

After 30 minutes, use technique described above to light an additional 15 charcoal briquettes in same charcoal chimney set atop bricks, cement or other nonflammable surface.

When cooking temperature of barbecue falls below 225°F., use oven mitts to lift off upper grill rack with pork and place on heatproof surface. Using tongs, add half of hot gray charcoal to bottom rack. Sprinkle about 1 cup drained wood chips over charcoal. Reposition upper rack on barbecue with pork above loaf pan. Brush pork lightly with Barbecue Mop. Cover with lid.

About once an hour, light more charcoal in chimney and replenish charcoal and wood chips as necessary to maintain temperature between 225°F. and 250°F., brushing pork lightly with Barbecue Mop each time grill is opened. Open grill only when necessary and cover as quickly as possible to minimize loss of heat and smoke. Cook pork until meat thermometer inserted into center of meat registers between 165°F. and 170°F., turning occasionally, about 3 hours total.

Transfer pork to baking sheet. Let stand 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, shred pork into bite-size pieces, discarding any fat. Mix any meat juices accumulated on baking sheet into pork. Spoon pork onto bottom halves of buns. Drizzle with Barbecue Sauce. Top with Coleslaw and bun tops.

*Available at many cookware stores and some hardware stores.

Brisket BBQ Recipe

shopping list
# 1 4 to 5lb boneless beef brisket, trimmed
# 1 small onion, finely chopped
# 1/2c catsup
# 1/4c vinegar
# 1T worcestershire sauce
# 1 1/2tsp liquid smoke
# 1/4tsp pepper
# 1 bay leaf
# 1 1/2tsp salt

    * Preheat both sides of grill on HIGH for 10 minutes.
    * Rub beef with 1 1/2 tsp salt.
    * Place on a 20 x 18 inch piece of double heavy foil.
    * Combine remaining ingredients; pour over.
    * Wrap securely in foil.
    * Turn one side of grill off; turn other side to MEDIUM (350 degrees).
    * Place brisket on off side of grill.
    * Close hood; cook for 1 1/2 hours or till done.
    * Serves 12.

Grilled Sea Bass with Garlic Butter

This is a wonderful yet simple way to prepare sea bass. The garlic butter sauce blends nicely with this mild flavor of this light and flaky fish.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds sea bass
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• lemon pepper and salt to taste

Preparation:

Combine onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, lemon pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle on both sides of fish. To prepare butter sauce, combine butter, garlic, and parsley, in a small saucepan. Remove from heat once butter has melted. Preheat grill for medium high heat. Place fish on lightly oiled grate, cook for 7 minutes. Turn fish and coat with butter sauce. Cook for 7 more minutes. Once fish flakes easily, remove from heat, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

BBQ Steelhead Trout

A steelhead is really just a rainbow trout that has been to either one of the Great Lakes or to the ocean for most of its life and has returned to it's birthplace to spawn. This is a twisted way to serve steelhead or any other trout or salmon. It may sound odd, but this is a delicious dish.

Ingredients

* 2 pounds steelhead trout fillets

* 1/4 cup butter, melted

* 2 tablespoons lemon juice

* 1/4 teaspoon paprika

* 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

* 1/4 cup bbq sauce

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grate.

2. Arrange the trout fillets on large piece of aluminum foil. Whisk together the butter, lemon juice, paprika, and cayenne pepper; brush the mixture onto the fillets.

3. Cook on the preheated grill until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes; brush the fillets with the barbeque sauce; cook another 2 minutes.

Better BBQ Chicken Legs

Remember those chicken drumsticks your Dad used to cook up on Saturday afternoons in the summer? Well these are an improvement on those. Brined to be moist and tender and slow grilled with a classic BBQ sauce to give them flavor and leave sticky sauce on your fingers.
Prep Time: 4 hours
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours, 35 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients:

* 2 pounds chicken drumsticks
* For Brine:
* 2 quarts cold water
* 1 cup hot water
* 1/2 cup salt
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1 teaspoon cayenne
* For BBQ Sauce:
* 1 cup ketchup
* 1/4 cup white vinegar
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons paprika
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon cayenne

Preparation:
To make brine combine salt, white sugar and hot water in a large plastic or glass container that you can cover. Stir to mix. Add to 2 quarts cold water. Add cayenne. Continue stirring to dissolve. Add chicken drumsticks, cover and refrigerator for 4 hours. Meanwhile makes sauce by combining all BBQ sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

After 4 hours remove chicken legs from brine and discard brine. Rinse chicken thoroughly to remove all traces of the brine from the surface. Place on preheated grill over a medium low heat (around 275 degrees F.) Grill for about 20 minutes turning occasionally. As the chicken nears doneness begin brushing sauce over the surface every 5 minutes until chicken is done and sauce has cooked down to a sticky consistency. Remember, chicken is done when the meat has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. You can typically tell because the internal juices are clear and watery.

Free Tickets to the Rangers Home Opener!

OK, to be precise, it's only two free tickets.

They're being awarded through a sweepstakes drawing later this month.

The winner gets lots of other stuff, too, including a night at the Crowne Plaza Suites in Arlington , two tickets on American Airlines, a rental car, two tickets to Six Flags Over Texas, and a $50 gift certificate to BoomerJack's Grill and Bar.

But most importantly, the winner gets two tickets to what's become the hottest upcoming event in town: The Texas Rangers' opening day game aginst the Boston Red Sox on April 1.

To enter, go here.

I'd say good luck, but I plan on winning myself.

Savory BBQ Sauce

This is a very simple Carolina style vinegar based BBQ sauce. A friend of the family gave us this recipe several years ago and after a few tweaks and additions, this is the best BBQ sauce that I've ever had. You combine all of the ingredients and then enjoy. This is easily scaled up or down.
Ingredients

* 1 quart apple cider vinegar
* 1 (20 ounce) bottle ketchup
* 1/4 cup paprika
* 1 pound dark brown sugar
* 1/4 cup salt
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
* 1 tablespoon garlic powder
* 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 cup lemon juice

Directions

1. In a large container, mix together the apple cider vinegar, ketchup, paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice. Pour into an empty vinegar bottle, ketchup bottle or other container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.