Here’s The Link To Purchase James River BBQ Sauce
I know it’s a Northeast thing. I also know it’s tough to find. But not any longer. we ordered a bundle of six bottles which probably won’t last long.
Currently I’m smoking a roast beef to make sandwiches for lunch.
I’m a three way kinda guy (sauce-cheese-mayo)
This is how you would get a New England Style Roast Beef Sandwich Three Way-
It had to be done.
Assemble the best ingredients known to mankind, cook it on a vintage cast iron hibachi using lump charcoal.
Finish with Cape Ann Sea Salt Co. Rosemary and Black Pepper Flake Sea Salt.
Lobster from Captain Joe & Sons Lobster.
Check out the video-
Last night’s dinner was a collaboration with my beautiful wife Kate. Quarantining has been pretty great when you love being with the ones you’re quarantined with.
Two lbs 80/20 chuck (if I had veal and pork I would have used those too)
Chopped Basil
Chopped parsley
Two Cloves Garlic Minced
2/3 cup Parmeseasn
2/3 cup Riccotta
2/3 Cup Panko
Red Pepper Flakes and Black Pepper
Indirect cook 400F for 30 minutes
Transfer to pot with Kate’s sugo to simmer for a half hour on the stove
Time to Eat!
Got home on the later side last night and was famished.
Sliced up some skinless/boneless chicken thighs into strips, dredged them in my favorite peanut sauce and skewered them for a quick cook. I prefer boneless/skinless thighs over the tenders or breast because it’s juicier and cheaper 9 times out of 10.
Note the dual prong skewers. I’m not a fan of single prong skewers because your meat or vegetables spin around when you try to flip the skewer. These raft skewers are way easier to handle and keep your food from flopping around and are only $7.32 on Amazon for a set of 4. Link to purchase here
I love this peanut sauce. You can order it online-
House Of Tsang Bangkok Peanut Sauce
First step marinate the country ribs in Chinese Rib Sauce for at least an hour preferably overnight. I got this Butcher Block Sauces Original Chinese Rib Sauce at Market Basket.
Set up your kettle for indirect heat. I used a slow n sear on the right and be sure to line the other side of the charcoal grate with foil as this sauce is STICKY!
Using a chimney of lit coals, choke down the top vent half way and bottom vent half way and adjust accordingly to achieve around 275 degrees. Once the kettle is up to temp place the marinated country ribs opposite the coals at 275 degree pit temp for an hour. Add fruit wood (peach, apple, cherry) if you got it for smoke.
Leave the lid closed for an hour . About 45 minutes into the cook add a half a beer into a foil pan. I only had a couple of small foil pans so I used about a quarter of a beer in each one and then about 8 oz of the Rib sauce into each pan and whisk it together so the rib sauce is less gooey. If you have one large on it will work just as well. This will be your braising liquid.
After one hour in the smoke pull the country style ribs one by one off the grate and dredge them in the braising liquid coating both sides and then put them in the foil pan with the juices you dredged them in. Once you have them all in the foil pans cover them with foil and place them back on the grill for another hour, opposite side of the coals.
After the second hour take the ribs out of the foil pans and place them directly over the coals and mop them with the remaining Chinese rib sauce. A couple of minutes on each side til the edges just start to burn. you don’t mind a little caramelization, it’s what makes it delicious. Pay attention though, there’s a ton of sugar in that sauce and if you let it go too long it will be black. So just keep an eye on it.
You take a cheap cut of meat and turn it into something outrageously delicious.
You won’t to be able to stop eating these, so yummy.
Used my sister’s White BBQ Sauce for finishing, recipe here
Rubbed Chuck roast with Worcestershire sauce and Trader Joe’s coffee and garlic rub.
Cut up red onion, orange and green bell peppers, garlic and added beef broth and more Worcestershire sauce to the tin that is laced under the Chuck on the grill.
Set up grill using snake method and have tray with veggies and beef broth under to collect drippings. Pit temp 265.
Hit the leftover mashed potatos and meatloaf with smoke for about a half hour in the Lodge Cast Iron Skillet with some charcoal and mesquite wood for smoke. when the edges just start to brown up, drizzle a little Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce and Shredded Cheddar and let it all melt on in there. A winner for sure.
The same treatment is great for leftover pizza as well-let it crisp up a bit and then hit it with the Sweet Baby Rays and let it go for another ten minutes or so. Yummy!
I set up the @WeberGrills kettle with the two charcoal baskets placed directly in the center of the bowl and loaded it up with 2/3 a chimney of red hot charcoal.
For the preparation of the chicken thighs I patted them down with a paper towel to remove any moisture or water (this helps to crisp the skin) . Then lightly brushed them with evoo.
After coating with the evoo six of the thighs got Paul Prudhomme dry rub and four got a sprinkling of coarse salt.
The exercise was to figure out how to get the best juicy inside/crispy skin chicken.
The chicken was arranged in the outside perimeter of the bowl indirect of the charcoal baskets which were placed in the middle. One chunk of mesquite wood was placed in the center over the coals for smoke. Top and bottom vents left wide open throughout the cook.
I used the Maverick 732 to monitor internal temps and once they hit 165 degrees I mopped 4 of the Prudhomme rubbed thighs and 4 of the salt rubbed with Sweet Baby Rays Sweet Chili Wing Sauce and Glaze. Two of the Prudhomme rubbed thighs were left unmpopped throughout the cook.
After mopping the wings, the cover was placed back on and left on for about five minutes to set the glaze. Internal temp 175 and pull the chicken off.
The results-
So the findings on the Sweet Baby Rays are a ten out of ten. The flavors are perfect. So damn good.
As for the results with mopping during the cook-
They were very very good but the ones that were left unmopped were more crispy skinned when eating.
So for the future I will prepare them this way:
Pat dry>light coat of EVOO>rub with Prudhomme Rub>cook indirectly with charcoal placed in center charcoal baskets and chicken outside perimeter>pull the chicken at 175 degrees internal temp>serve with sauce on the side.
Oh, and by the way it’s lobsterman “Johnny Action” Approved!
Available at The Strawberry Festival At Cape Ann Marina June 11th, 2016.
Also available at Passports Restaurant 110 Main St, Gloucester MA
Northeast BBQ 