Rubbed Pulled Pork Recipe Tri Tip Style

Pulled Pork Sandwich

During the summer months or just about any time a good pulled pork sandwich is hard to beat.  And over the last 4 or 5 years pulled pork has become one of the go to favorites for folks heading to the Southern parts of the country as they make their sojourn through the meccas of fine barbecue dining.  Just like all those intrepid travelers we too look for the sights, smells and tempting features of a good pulled pork sandwich.  But one can’t always hop a plane and land in Barbecue Land so we thought we’d pull the cork on one of our very best pulled pork recipes.  We call it Tri Tip Rubbed Pull Pork.  We call this a simple recipe because to make it all you have to have is a Crock Pot or something that will simulate the low temperatures of a Crock Pot like a metal container held in an oven.  As far as external cooking process that will be all you’ll need. 

As you may know we’re on the Central Coast of California just a few leisurely miles from where Tri-Tip was made famous around a then small town known as Santa Maria, California.  Since the creation of that sumptuous meal it seems that all parts of the country have been working their hardest to recreate it.  We’ve succeeded many times over and now have branched off into combining styles and versions to create some at home favorites for our customers. 

So, let’s spend some time working through the steps to make this wonderful Tri-Tip Rubbed Pulled Pork creation.  We’ll get you started with some basics that you’ll need and need to know to realize your dream. 

Here’s what you’ll need to get your Tri Tip Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork ready for grilling. 

Ingredients:

• 1-2 Pound Pork Loin trimmed of fat
• 8 Tablespoons Jake's Tri Tip Steak and Rib Rub
• 1 Cup of Jake's Famous Original or Medium Hot Barbecue Sauce Sauce
• 1-2 Medium Onions
• 2-4 Hamburger buns or ciabatta bread
• Sliced Pickles
• 1 Gallon Zip Lock bag
• 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Water
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• 12 Hours of Cooking Time

We’ll be using Pork Loin or Pork Butt.  This meat is relatively easy to get at most chain grocery stores.  And to get our Loin ready you’ll need to take the follow steps:

 

1. If Pork loin/butt is untrimmed then trim off any excess fat. Fat is a necessary component in a tender pulled pork but too much fat can spoil the flavor of the finished product. You’ll need to be the judge at determining your level of fat on the loin.

2. Once the pork is trimmed cut the loin/butt in half. This increases the cooking surface and shortens the time it takes to cook the meat. A single pork loin is of course better but depending on the size of your Crock Pot you’ll need to consider the time it takes to make the pork and the size of your Crock Pot. 

3. Rub the loin/butt complete with Jake's Tri Tip, Steak and Rib Dry Rub. Jake’s Famous Tri Tip Steak and Rib Rub was created for steaks, ribs and tri-tip.  This all-purpose dry rub contains key ingredients like, garlic, onions, smoked hickory salt, parsley, brown sugar and onion to your pulled pork the flavor it deserves.  Coat the pork generously then allow the meat to rest in the pork in a zip lock bag.  Store the pork in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and 2 if you can do it. 

4. Prepare the Crock Pot by taking the garlic cloves and crushing with the flat side of a kitchen knife. Once crushed place the garlic cloves evenly around the bottom of the Crock Pot. Our purpose is to allow the garlic to flavor the meat from the bottom up as it cooks in the Crock Pot.  Take the onions and cut them into halves then slice the onion into sizes of about 1/8 inch by 1/8 inch. Spread 1 whole sectioned onion around the Crock Pot on top of the garlic. Pour in the red wine vinegar. Add the water into the Crock Pot. 

5. Begin the heating process for the Crockpot by turning the heat setting to High for 10 minutes. 

6. After 10 minutes turn the Crock Pot on Low. Take the marinated dry rubbed pork from the zip lock bag and place onto the onions. Sprinkle the salt over the pork. Take the second sliced onion and place on top of the pork.

7. Place the lid on the Crock Pot and let cook for 11 hours. After cooking cover the pork in the BBQ Sauce. We suggest Jake’s Famous because the sauce contains a higher level of fine vinegar that the standard sauces.  The addition of vinegar will deeply marinated the pork assisting in breaking down the connective tissues which make the pork tender.  I addition to the vinegar notes we’ve taken out things like corn syrup and flavor enhancers like MSG.  Instead you get a clean, natural flavored barbecue sauce that enhances the results of your pulled pork.  Now close the lid and allow the Crock Pot to continue cooking for 1 more hour. 

8. Take hamburger or ciabatta type rolls and cut in half if not already split. Coat the buns with olive oil or butter and brown on an open faced grill or cast iron pan. When done set aside and hold. Take two standard table forks and shred the pork in the Crock Pot mixing the meat in with the BBQ Sauce as you go.

9. Scoop out enough pulled pork to cover the open face of the bun.

10. Serve with Add pickles, coleslaw, chips, beans or more pickles. 

If you make more pulled pork than you need just store the remainder in a 1 gallon plastic lockable bag.  The pork will stay fresh in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.  You can also store it in your freezer just keep in mind that freezing will draw water out of the meat and with thawing the meat won’t be as fresh as initially cooked. 

Oven pulled pork is made in the exact same ways as above.  Substitute Crock Pot for the container type of your choice.  Then marinade and slow cook following the instructions above.  When completed use hamburger or ciabatta bread and layer on coleslaw or pickles to complete the meal. 

We at Jake’s Famous thank you for taking time out to read our post.  As our way of saying thank you, take advantage of our special on Jake’s Famous Dry Rubs for sale, bbq sauces and condiments going on right now.  You can Use Code 1707200910 with any item and receive a 10% discount right now.   Just use code: 1707200910 at Checkout to receive your discount on our Famous BBQ Sauces, Dry Rubs and Condiments. 

Faux Brisket Tri-Tip, Is it Really Possible?

Faux Brisket Recipe Tri-Tip

I'd often wonder about the many ways and uses for Tri-Tip.  I knew basically, that Tri-Tip could be smoked, roasted or grilled until medium or medium well then turned into some of the best tasting meat possible.  And with living on the Central Coast of California we are all familiar with the much regaled Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip Roast.  For those who don't know that's when seasoned Tri-Tip is seared and roasted over large barbecue grates then pulled off about medium rare and served with large slices of garlic bread and pinquito beans.  Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

But with the Brisket being such a large part of the current barbecue scene we thought we'd take a look at making brisket.  Now we don't have to tell you that it's literally impossible to get a small sized brisket.  But if you have access to an old fashioned butcher location then you may be able to get your hands on a Brisket point or flat which shouldn't be too much for one person.  The other side of the equation is the cost of Brisket.  Brisket is not a cheap item and if you're not familiar with the barbecue or cooking process you could end up with about 10 pounds of completely worthless, tough meat.

That's about the time I thought what if you could make a Tri-Tip just like a brisket.  Essentially they are both beef and come somewhat near to each other on the animal.  But unlike Brisket, Tri-Tip doesn't have the high collagen content which is why it does so well after two on three hours on the grill.  And that's why the best Tri-Tip cooking results come when the meat is barbecued to about medium well.  The meat ends up just juicy enough but also tender enough for sandwiches or main table dishes.

So, if we were really serious about grilling or barbecuing a Tri-Tip like a Brisket what then would we need to do?  Having worked through this process many times before with steaks that were not exactly top of the line it became obvious....tenderizing is required.

I've spent considerable time working with various marinades to break down meat tissues towards making steaks and roasts more tender.  A really simple combination I've been working with lately has been a citrus blend of Guava and Apple Juice.  Guava alone is an excellent marinade and certainly apple has been known for many years to have excellent marinating properties.  So rather than placing the meat in a container then following up by submerging the meat I thought we would focus injection.  We've been using injection for the last year or so and have been able to capture some pretty decent results.  So, we'll start by blending our marinade in a 70/30 mixture of Guava to Apple Juice.  I find that when there is more Guava in the blend than Apple Juice the results tend to improve in flavor as well as shortened time for marination.

Now with our 70/30 marinade blend we'll inject that along three grids of the tri-tip about 1 inch apart.  We want to inject somewhere near the middle of the tri-tip leaving about and ounce of the marinade in each injection.  We won't need to turn the tri-tip over but instead will inject the upper facing side.

Trimming the tri-tip is not as necessary as the standard Santa Maria process.  We will keep most of the fat cap on the bottom of the tri-tip.  You can trim off just enough to give yourself a clean surface area.  But make sure you don't take off any more than 1/3 of the available fat cap.  We keep the fat cap to aid in the retention of moisture.  As mentioned earlier Tri-Tip doesn't have the same level of collagen as Brisket so to return moisture we'll use the fat cap as sort of a guard as we'll be indirectly roasting the tri-tip on the cap. It's also a good time to think about seasoning the tri-tip with your favorite dry rub.  We like using Jake's Famous Pure Santa Maria Dry Rub.  Jake's Pure Santa Maria dry rub besides being a dry rub for sale is a simple yet elegant blend of coarse ground black pepper, smoked kosher salt, granulated garlic, parsley and two key ingredients that act to build flavor both in tartness and in flavor enhancement.  The Santa Maria Dry rub is a natural dry rub without any MSG or artificial flavor enhancers.  You may have your own homemade version or store bought favorite.  For those who don't we've added in a link at the bottom of this post to help you get the dry rub you want.

Now with the tri-tip injected and with limited trimming you'll want to allow the marinade to do it's job.  Let's place the meat in a sealing container.  Allow the marinade to work on the tri-tip for a minimum of 4 hours, more if you can allow it to rest.  In fact if you can marinate the tri-tip overnight that would even be better.  It shouldn't have to be said but let's say it anyway...make sure the meat is refrigerated during the marinating process.

Now comes the setup process to begin smoking the tri-tip to turn it into the faux brisket that you desire.  What's important here is the temperature and time available.  Also, the type of wood that should be used during the smoking process.  So many people now have those completely electronic smoking systems that can be adjusted or dialed in right to the temperature they want.  It kinda takes the fun out of the process but it does deliver even results.  Now if you're an Old School griller like me then you'll need to begin arranging your charcoal for a long cook cycle.  Expect that this process will take about 7 hours.  You can expect about 1-1/2 hours per pound of meat so if you have a 3 pound Tri-Tip then you'll be grilling for about 4-1/2 hours not including the resting time of an additional 1 hour for a total of 5 hours.  But this process will also require some adjusting and use of foil so that additional time will put you closer to 5-1/2 hours depending on the heat produced by the grill and the outside temperature.

Now if using charcoal heat you'll need at least an hour to get your desired cooking temperature dialed in.  We like using the Snake Method which lays out two or three briquettes next to each other in a ring that follows around the grill.  We can pretty much get to the cooking temperature with this method.  Now for charcoal, or gas, or pellet systems we'll want to dial in a cook temperature of 225 degrees.  Pellet smokers already have their smoking woods as part of the cooking process. For gas grill adding smoke may be a bit tougher but there are smoke boxes you can buy or if you have a small metal pie pan you can add smoking chips to the pan and place them on the grill over a low burner which will start the smoke process. Keep an eye on the smoke chips to ensure that they burn normally.  For those with charcoal add wood chips along side the briquettes.  As the briquettes burn we'll want the lit charcoals to ignite the wood chips.  Since dry chips will raise the temperature of a charcoal grill in an unbalanced way I suggest you soak the wood chips for at least an hour before use.  Soak the chips in water which will slow down the burning process and will allow a nicer pattern of wood smoke.

Wood types we like to use for this Faux Brisket are Red Oak, Cherry Wood, Hickory and Mesquite.  We find that Red Oak works best as it pairs nicely with the flavors of the meat.  The other woods will also deliver a nice level of smoke so it's really up to you to decide.

Time for the meat.  About 30 minutes before putting the meat on the grill pull it out of the fridge and let rest on the kitchen counter.  This will warm up the meat and will require less heat energy to drive the meat to the desired cooking temperature.

Place the meat on the grill opposite the primary flame no matter if you're using gas, pellet or charcoal we'll be focusing on indirect grilling.  If you have an electronic thermometer insert the probe now.  Place the lid on the grill with the vents either over the meat or as near to the meat as possible.  Ensure that the grill vents are wide open on the top and bottom of the grill.

After about 30 minutes monitor the temperature of the grill.  Either through your readable thermometer or a manual thermometer we want to be as close to the 225 to 250 degree range as possible.  Resist removing the barbecue lid if at all possible.  Each time the lid is removed you will lose all that stored heat and essentially you restart the cooking process which takes time driving the finish process from 5 to 7 hours.

We'll be using the 3-2-1 method with our Faux Brisket.  After 3 hours we'll take the brisket off the grill and will double wrap it in two sheets of aluminum foil. Heat tip: After the meat is removed make sure you place the lid back on the grill.  When we bring the meat back we'll want to be as close to the cooking temperature as possible.  As for the aluminum foil we use aluminum foil because the wrap process will produce excess moisture.  If you were to use Butcher paper the paper would become completely soaked and would tear through with movement.  Leaking from the butcher paper would actually put out your charcoals so let's wrap in aluminum foil and the same goes for gas or pellet grills.

When wrapping let's add about 3/4 cup of beef broth with a sliced apple around the tri-tip.  Now carefully wrap the tri-tip and place it back on the grill.  Insert your temperature probe through the aluminum foil into the meat.  Get the lid closed as soon as possible and begin reading the temperature measurements once the heat has been restored which usually takes about 8-10 minutes for a charcoal grill.  If the temperature is closer to 250 degrees that's fine we've got the layers of aluminum foil to act as a barrier to excessive heat.  But keep an eye on the heat to make sure it doesn't get over 275 degrees, if so then start adjusting the airflow on the bottom vent first.  Monitor the bottom vent checking in 5 minute intervals to see if your manual adjustments have had the desired effect and if so by how much.  If you notice the temperature drops quickly by 10 degrees or more then adjust the vent open by one quarter open to get more air in.

After 1-1/2 hours start paying close attention to the meat.  We want the internal temperature to reach 203 degrees.  Once reached remove the meat in foil into a pan or dish.  Place the meat in foil in the oven and let rest for a minimum 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes remove the Tri-Tip and open the foil.  You'll immediately notice at least three times the amount of liquid surrounding the tri-tip.  This is moisture loss and also moisture transfer from the apples and the added marinade liquid.  Place the meat on a cutting board and make two cuts across the differing grained sections of the tri-tip to produce three individual sections of tri-tip.  Now cut directly across the grain or as we say perpendicular to the grain to produce 1/4 inch segments of sliced meat.

Making Faux Brisket Tri Tip Recipe

Right away you'll notice just how tender and juicy the tri-tip will be.  The cooked meat has magically taken on the appearance of Brisket.  The resulting taste and chew is eerily similar to that of Brisket.  And with the addition the Guava and Apple marinade the meat has a really fresh taste.  The end result a wonderful taste treat the easily comes within 95% of the texture of brisket at about 20% of the cost of brisket.

To get you on your way to making this wonderful treat I've added in a couple of our seasoning blends that we use when making tri-tip and our Faux Brisket.  We add the seasoning onto the meat and allow it to rest for about an hour or more before the marinade and grilling process.   To help you get a leg up on the process we're offering a 10% discount on these and all of our other products. Use code: 1707200910 at checkout to take your discount now.

When properly paired with wood smoke a dry rub can impart a sense of luxury and extravagance to the meat.  We've paired our best dry rubs for sale with some key wood types to help you in your decision making.  See our listing below as a guide.

Tri Tip Steak and Rib Rub  (Almond, Red Oak, Cherry, Peach, Plum, Maple)

Santa Maria Dry Rub (Almond, Peach, Red Oak, Mesquite, Hickory, Lemon)

California Chipotle Dry Rub (Peach, Plum, Cherry, Apple, Grapevine, Red Oak, Almond)

California Chicken Dry Rub (Almond, Red Oak, Mesquite, Cherry, Apple, Grapevine, Maple, Mulberry)


Of course these dry rubs are designed to impart just the right amount of flavor at just the right time. But the real test is in the results you will receive.

Thanks for reading,

Jake's Famous Foods

How To Cook Brisket for One or more....

Brisket making can be simple and easy or hard depending on the time and attention to detail that one pays.  We've made a number of briskets over the years and while we can't say that we are the Grand Champions, we can say that our brisket has been loved by hundreds of followers and friends.  To that end we wanted to give you our simple process for making brisket.  Brisket is very popular now but an average cut of brisket can weigh in the 10 to 20 pound range costing upwards of $50 to $100.  It's great if you're an average family of 4 or 5 but what if it's just you and maybe one other person.  That would mean that 20 pound brisket would last you for a couple of weeks and after about three days I can tell you that you will be completely done with having brisket.

So, let's spend some time on a process we call "Brisket for One" or maybe "Two".  First things first, select the best brisket you can find.  One key point we want known is that we believe that brisket responds better when it is chilled.  If the brisket is brought to room temperature the meat can get a bit mushy making it harder to cut especially where the fat is concern.

 Using standard terms a brisket is typically divided into two main sections, the flat and the point.  The point is usually the thicker, fatter segment of the brisket with the thinner segment being known as the point.  Depending on the amount of fat on the backside of the brisket you will need to trim at least a 1/4 inch of the fat.  Then trim the silver skin on the other side of the brisket.  If there is a section known as the "deckle" which is technically the pointy section on the top of the point which in some ways looks like a fin on a fish.  You will want to trim back about 1/2 of that deckle.  This section is usually where "burnt ends" come from.  But for our purposes most of that section will be removed and discarded.

When you've taken off about all the fat that you think is necessary now comes the decision point.  As a comment we want to make sure that you don't completely skin the brisket.  Brisket like tri-tip needs some fat to work through the grilling process.  If you remove too much fat then you make the meat more vulnerable to burning even with the rub added.  So, let's be careful about the amount of trimming that goes on.

Let's get to the Brisket for One step.  This is where we divide the brisket into two sections.  Let's take the brisket and check for the transition point between the point and the flat.  Right about that point let's use a very sharp knife to cut across the brisket to segment it into two.  The second decision point is deciding which segment of brisket you will actually barbecue.  In the truest sense of the word barbecue because we are going to barbecue the meat for a relatively long period.  In fact we will be barbecuing the meat at the rate of 1-1/2 hours per pound.  So, if we've got a 10 pound brisket and we cut the meat about half way across leaving 5 pounds on either side then we will need at least 7-1/2 hours to barbecue our brisket.

So, let's prep both sides of the brisket.  Actually you can prep the brisket with dry rub before cutting it in half.  No matter, we'll be using our long standing favorite Jake's Famous Pure Santa Maria Dry Rub.  This is a simple dry rub that uses Kosher smoked salt, Coarse ground black pepper, Granulated Garlic and Parsley.  This Santa Maria Style rub is spread evenly over the entire brisket.  Now, for best results we'll be pressing the rub into the meat.  We won't necessarily be rubbing the meat but we will be pressing the dry rub in all the same.

Now with the segment you've chosen to save you can bag or wrap that up and store it in your freezer.  Remember once this brisket is done it will last at least 4 to 5 days especially if you're one person.

Earlier we mentioned that the brisket will take about 7-1/2 hours to barbecue.  Just some simple calculations will tell you that without resting time we should consider getting the brisket going around 7 AM.  We'll want to have a temperature in the grill at 250 degrees.  We will also want to have some smoke added into the cooking process. But let's not over do it with smoke.  We've found that smoke is the best when there's about 5 to 8 ounces of wood chips laid across the coals during the cooking process. We prefer Red Oak but you can use Pecan or Hickory or Peach whatever your favorite wood.

Moisture, it's a good idea to think about moisture as well.  Brisket can get dry if not properly managed especially if your fire gets too hot.  A special item to keep an eye on is noting that when the wood burns it will drive up the temperature by a minimum of 10 degrees.  One way to slow the rising temperature is by soaking the wood chips for about an hour before usage.  Additionally let's get a small metal pan or bowl filled with water placed next to the brisket and near the heat but not directly over the heat.  We want nice rising steam not bubbling steam.  Bubbling will dry the water  out which will mean that you'll need to keep raising or removing the lid to restore fresh water.  The other downside to bubbling is that the more times you remove the lid the more times you remove heat from the grill.  Just think of adding 10 minutes to the cook process each time the lid is removed.

Additional forms of moisture come from a spray bottle filled with either Worcestershire sauce and water a 50/50 mix or a mixture of Apple Cider vinegar, apple juice and water.  I like using the Apple Juice and orange juice combination.  The combination mixes well and doesn't overpower the flavor of the meat.

We touched lightly on the heat but we're going to spend a little more time with it here.  We'll be using an 18 inch Weber grill.  This is a charcoal grill and as we say "old school" barbecue method.  We very much enjoy the real process of managing the charcoals and the timing of the meats this way.  Let's focus in on using the "snake method" of laying out the charcoals.  This method means that you'll be laying down three unit triangles of charcoals with two on the bottom and one on the top.  So, we'll layer out the charcoals with the two units about 3/4 of the way around the grill.  Then we'll follow that by placing one charcoal briquette on top of each two unit section of briquettes until they effectively form triangles.  Leave about 8 inches clear between the start of the charcoal snake and the tail of the snake.

Now take about 10 briquettes and place those in a charcoal chimney if you have one.  Use standard newspaper to start the charcoal.  Let the charcoal burn down until you start to see the red hot glow between the briquettes.  This charcoal process will take about 25 minutes to burn down.  Once ready pour out the charcoal in the center of the grill.  With long tongs one by one place the charcoal at the head of the snake building on additional rows.  Once completed allow the charcoal to burn for about 5 minutes without the lid on the grill.  After 5 minutes add a temperature probe to the grill then place the lid on the grill.  With the vents wide open on the bottom and top of the grill begin checking the temperature after about 8 to 10 minutes.  This 10 minutes window will give the newly added charcoal time to settle in while the adjacent charcoal begins to burn.  Keep in mind we are looking for a grill temperature of 250 degrees.

Note, sometimes the fire might burn hotter than planned.  There are a couple of ways to manage the excessive heat.  The first standard way is by limiting the amount of air circulating in the grill.  You can notch down the bottom vents by 1/2 to starve the charcoals of oxygen thus lowering the overall temperature.  Second you can notch down the top vents which will burn up all of the oxygen contained in the grill which will ultimately lower the temperature of the grill.  I find the fastest and simplest way to lower the start up heat is to just remove 1/2 of the charcoal we started with.  Take out about 5 coals and place them in a metal container.  Allow those charcoals to burn down away from the grill.  Do not place the charcoal in paper, plastic or any other container that will melt or burn or will transfer high heat without protection.

With the temperature at 250 degrees let's get the brisket on the grill.  One thing before we move that brisket is to say that we like resting the meat at room temperature about 1/2 hour before the grill process.  This gives the meat time to relax and makes it easier to start into the grill process.  Colder meat will take longer to grill.  Now, we suggest placing the brisket opposite the main fire with the fat side up.  Put the water tray as close to the brisket as possible but not completely over the coals.  Now place the second temperature probe into the brisket.  Set your clock for 7-1/2 hours.  Keep in mind that if the temperature rises too much you'll need to adjust the vents to manage the airflow.  It's also a good idea to check the water pan in about 2 hours.  Depending on the size of the water pan you may need to check the pan more frequently, say every hour.  Each time you remove the lid to check the temperature remember to add 10 minutes into the cooking time.

With the lid off it's also a good time to add external moisture to the meat.  Take your sprayer and spritz the meat all around.  Do not turn the meat over just spritz enough liquid to add back some flavor.

At about 5 hours in check the status of the charcoal and the placement of the brisket.  As the snake burns around re-position the brisket away from the heat source.  Adjust the position of the water pan and keep an eye on the internal temperature of the meat.

Our desired internal temperature is 195 to 200 degrees.  Sometimes in the cooking process you can encounter the "stall".  That is commonly know as the point at which tissue and fats transition in the meat.  The actual stall can be measured by noting that the meat will reach about 150 degrees and won't climb one degree more for sometimes an hour or so.  Eventually this stall will break down and higher temperatures will occur.  That's why it's so important to have a good moisture source when grilling.

Note, if you burn through more charcoal and still have time left either on the internal temperature or you've run out of charcoal then add in more charcoal.  Move the grill plate aside and add in about 20 briquettes.  Try to stack them in a similar fashion but keep in mind you're adding them at the back end of the snake.  This additional charcoal will add about 1 to two more hours in the grilling session.  If more are needed simply add more as necessary.

Now with the internal temperature reached comes a really important step....resting.  Remove the brisket and wrap in butcher paper or aluminum foil and place in a cool dry place like your oven.  Crack the door open just slightly and allow the brisket to rest for a minimum of 1 hour to 2 hours.  After the resting period remove the brisket.

With the brisket removed place on a cutting board or long tray.  Take a sharp knife and cut across the brisket inspecting the smoke ring and the level of doneness throughout the first cuts.  Continue slicing as desired until you have enough of the meat on your plate.

Now comes the really good part.  Taste the meat to see if you've achieved brisket nirvana.  The meat should be amazingly tender with a wonderful peppery, salty, smoky taste.  The end result should be absolute perfection.

As for sides, we like potato salad, coleslaw, salsa, or Chimichurri sauce.  Additional compliments are barbecue sauce, garlic bread, asparagus and a host of other items.

We hope you've enjoyed this discussion and recipe for brisket for One or Two.  If you don't have your own dry rub for brisket or brisket sauce you can always get ours.  We make lots of products and dry rubs and brisket sauce are among our specialties.  Check out our selection of brisket sauces and dry rubs below.  Add our special code 1707200910 at checkout and receive 10% automatically off your order.

Tri Tip Steak and Rib Rub

Santa Barbara Rub

San Ysidro Rub

Santa Maria Dry Rub

Memphis Dry Rub

California Chipotle Dry Rub

California Chicken Dry Rub

Really Good Mild Barbecue Sauce

Really Nice Medium Hot Barbecue Sauce

Really Hot Barbecue Sauce

Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Memphis Blues Barbecue Sauce

Texas Style Inspired Barbecue Sauce

Just when you think it's over we've added in a video on making your own bbq sauces.  Nothing is finer when you make things yourself except in the cases when you can't then we hope you look to Jake's Famous Foods.

BBQ Sauce Recipes - That Work Right Now!

BBQ Sauce Recipes...That Work Right Now!

Ingredient filled bbq sauce recipe

The hunt for the perfect bbq sauce has been as storied as the search for the monster of the blue lagoon.  It seems every corner of the United States is famous for producing some sort of barbeque sauce and why not, the term bbq sauce, and barbecue sauce are the highest searched terms in the world of barbecue.  The bbq sauce term is so highly prized that companies who run Pay Per Click campaigns during the month of June through September 2018 pay vast sums just to be listed on the front page of Google’s bbq sauce page. 

We at Jake's Famous Foods been building and selling bbq sauce and bbq sauce recipes for the past 16 years now. And because we believe that everyone should have freedom of choice we've put together a collection of 10 of our most popular bbq sauce recipes.

Barbecue and bbq is very personal and when you invest time and energy into the process you want to ensure that the end result justifies the effort that went into the process.  For this post we did not start out to put out long stories or discussions of wet versus dry barbecue sauce.  Instead what we’ve done is collect 10 of the best BBQ Sauce Recipes we’ve ever made.  And because you’re so nice…we’ve added in some Bonus bbq sauce recipes that can be made with typical everyday kitchen ingredients.  One thing that doesn't get enough attention is having a recipe that can be made with simple everyday ingredients.  If you've got black pepper, salt, garlic and some form of syrup or tomato paste or ketchup you can make these recipes.  So, next time you decide to barbecue print or list the ingredients in one of these favorite recipes then build your bbq sauce from scratch.   

One thing we will also tell you is that each of these recipes is taken directly from sources in the region.  We at Jake’s make all natural products so some of the ingredients like whole bottle Ketchup and Corn Syrup you’ll never seen built into our recipes.  Instead what you will see is our versions of these classic favorites that we sell everyday.  Take for example our  Ball Park Ketchup is a deconstructed version of that very famous brand Ketchup with a few major exceptions.  The fact is we've taken out the controversial notes like Corn Syrup and chemical additives and instead have made our version gluten and MSG (Mono Sodium Glutamate) Free, you won't find those ingredients in our sauces.  The result a cleaner, better tasting, more natural brand of Ketchup.  And with that you'll be making a cleaner, better tasting bbq sauce recipe for you and your friends and family.

While it seems no one can nail down the exact origins in which the first barbecue sauce was created we do have some historical data on when it was first sold.  Many believe the first barbecue type sauce was created in the 15th century about the time that Christopher Columbus sailed the planet bringing back a multi spiced, liquid combination from Hispaniola.  Others say the sauces were first collected in the 17th century somewhere in the American colonies. 

Jumping ahead the first commercially produced barbecue sauce was made by the Georgia Barbecue Sauce Company out of Atlanta and advertised in the Atlanta Constitution, January, 1909.  Heinz released its first version of barbecue sauce in 1940 followed by Kraft who took the novel approach of producing spices and oils which could be combined together into bags.

Regarding the appropriate use of barbecue, barbecue or barbque, we’ve found it all depends on where your from.  In most cases barbecue, barbeque, and barbque all mean the same thing referencing the act of cooking and grilling while bbq, tends to reference a meal or event.

The bbq sauce recipes we've included here as mentioned are regional style.  The first in the styles is Memphis Style BBQ Sauce.  What would life be like if Memphis Barbecue Sauce wasn’t invented?  I think our taste buds would be the big losers if such a thing had ever happened.  Memphis always reminds me of a creamy sauce blended with celery and garlic and a whole host of other fine ingredients. 

Memphis Style BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder 
• 1 tablespoon chili powder 
• 1 tablespoon onion powder 
• 2 cups ketchup 
• ⅔ cup apple cider vinegar 
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
• ½ cup brown sugar 
• ½ cup molasses 
• ½ cup yellow mustard
• ½ tablespoon ground black pepper 
• ½ tablespoon salt 
• ½ tablespoon ground celery

Carolina Style The richness of red and black pepper all blended together into a vinegary base is all you need to know about good Carolina BBQ Sauce. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper 
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar 
• ¼ cup ketchup ½ cup water

Smokehouse style One of my all-time favorites, a nice bite with a gentle sweetness that compliments almost any meat. 

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 Cups Tomato Puree 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar  
• 4 Tablespoons Molasses 
• 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar  
• 1 Tablespoon Honey 
• ½ Tablespoon Liquid Smoke Flavor 
• ¾ bottle Budweiser beer 
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika 
• 1 teaspoon smoked Chipotle powder 
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 1 tablespoon onion powder 
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder cracked black pepper to taste

Red Wine BBQ Sauce Rich wine tannins complement the fullness to tomatoes and brown Sugar.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 Cups Tomato Puree 
• 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar  
• 4 Tablespoons Molasses 
• 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar  
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
•  ½ Tablespoon Liquid Smoke Flavor 
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce 
• 1 cup red wine 
• 2 cloves minced garlic 
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely chopped 
• ½ teaspoon fresh thyme

Asian Style BBQ Sauce -A fantastic blend utilizing soy, rice wine and ginger.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 Cups Tomato Puree 
• 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar  
• 4 Tablespoons Molasses 
• 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar  
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• ½ Tablespoon Liquid Smoke Flavor 
• ¼ cup soy sauce 
• 2 tablespoons Mirin rice wine 
• ½ tablespoon ginger powder

Chicago Sweet Style Who can forget the flavors of Old Chicago.  Subtle and bold all at the same time. 

Ingredients

• 1-6oz. can tomato paste 
• 1-1/2 Cups water 
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons. canned pineapple juice 
• 1/2 heaping teaspoons. kosher salt 
• 1/2 Teaspoon. garlic powder 
• ¾ Teaspoon. liquid smoke 
• 1/4 Cup white vinegar 
• ¾ Tablespoons. fresh squeezed lemon juice 
• 4 Tablespoons molasses 
• 3 Tablespoons light corn syrup 
• 3 Tablespoons Brown sugar 
• 3 Tablespoons cold water  
• 1 Tablespoons corn starch for slurry to thicken sauce

Kansas Style BBQ Sauce A wonderful sauce combined with savory butter, molasses, garlic, brown sugar and more.   

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Ketchup 
• 2 Cups Tomato Sauce 
• 1-1/4 Cups Brown sugar 
• 1-1/4 Cups Red Wine Vinegar 
• ½ Cup Unsulfured Molasses 
• 4 Teaspoons Hickory Liquid Smoke 
• 2 Tablespoons Butter 
• ½ Teaspoon Onion Powder 
• ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder 
• ½ Teaspoon Chili Powder 
• 1 Teaspoon Paprika 
• ½ Teaspoon Celery Seed 
• ¼ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 
• ½ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper 
• 1 Teaspoon Salt 1 Teaspoon Coarse Ground Black Pepper

Texas Style BBQ Sauce Texas, it’s a whole other Barbeque Sauce.

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar 
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Paprika 
• 1 Teaspoon Salt 
• 1 Teaspoon Dry Mustard 
• ½ Teaspoon Chili Powder 
• ¼ Cup Distilled White Vinegar 
• 1/8 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper 
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce 
• 1-1/2 Cups Tomato Vegetable Juice Cocktail 
• ½ Cup Ketchup 
• ¼ Cup Water 
• 2 Cloves Garlic Minced

Southern Style BBQ Sauce Oftentimes people get the difference between Smokehouse Style and Southern Style confused.  To a Barbeque Sauce aficionado they couldn’t be more different.

Ingredients

• 2 Quarts White Vinegar
• 2 Cups Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (As an Option 2 Cups White Sugar)
• 1-1/2 Cups Ketchup
• ½ Cup Worcestershire Sauce
• ¼ Cup Hot Sauce
• ¼ Cup Salt
• ¼ Cup Ground Black Pepper

Mexican BBQ Sauce My Best friends say Ole to this recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Cup White Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
• ¼ Stick Salted Butter
• 1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
• 1 Cup Ketchup
• ½ Teaspoon Paprika

 Bonus Recipes: 1

Florida Style BBQ Sauce -Some of the best BBQ I’ve had in my travels was in Florida warm weather and afternoon rains. 

Ingredients

• 24 ounces bottle ketchup
• 1 pound dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup onion juice
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup pineapple juice
• 3/4 cup mango juice
• 4 tablespoons corn starch

Bonus Recipes: 2 

California Style BBQ Sauce We can’t leave out California.  Many people say that California doesn’t have a style and that it is simply the blending of recipes from people and places like Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Colorado.  We believe California does have its own unique style.   

Ingredients

• ¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
• ½ Cup Japanese Soy Sauce
• ½ Cup Tomato Ketchup
• ½ Cup Dry Sherry
• 3 Cloves Garlic Crushed
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• ½ Cup Molasses

Bonus Recipes: 3

New Mexico Style BBQ Sauce Vast open spaces, large mild and hot Pasilla peppers and massive festivals  Centered on all things hot and spicy.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• ½ Medium Red Onion Finely Diced
• 1 Garlic Clove Finely Diced
• 6 Plum Tomatoes Coarsely Diced
• ¼ Cup Ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
• 2 Tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• 1 Teaspoon Cayenne
• 1 Tablespoon Ancho Chile Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Pasilla Chile Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire

Louisiana Style BBQ Sauce From the land of beignets, red beans and rice, etoufee and King Cake.   

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 Green onions
• 2 Tablespoons garlic salt
• 6 Tablespoons chili powder
• 1-1/25 Tablespoons pepper
• 16 Oz ketchup
• 1 Quart water
• 2 Tablespoons Tabasco Sauce
• 1/3 Cup mustard
• 1/2 Cup sugar
• 1/4 Cup light brown sugar
• 1 Cup White wine vinegar
• ½ Can of beer
• 1/4 Cup Burgundy wine

Note, there's been some conversation about bbq sauce recipes with heat and what would be do to make these recipes have that special bite that so many people love.  We can think of a couple of ways to add heat to your perfect bbq sauce recipe.  One is the simple use of more black pepper.  Just ratchet up the amount of black pepper by 2 or 3 times to drive up the spiciness of the bbq sauce recipe.  The next way to drive up heat would be the addition of chili powder.  Most people have some form of chili powder in their cupboards so the addition is fairly simple.  And much like black pepper you would either bump up the amount in an existing recipe or make the addition of 1 tablespoon first then testing the blended sauce.  Afterward if you still want more heat we suggest adding another tablespoon of chili powder.

Now comes the fresh versions of heat.  Let's consider the addition of green jalapeno peppers.  These jalapenos add a nice burst of heat that can permeate the entire batch of sauce. One must be careful when adding jalapeno peppers.  First, testing to ensure that the level of jalapeno is enough then ensuring that your hands are washed so as not to get the juices into your eyes or on your mouth. Start small and work up to the right amount before trying the sauce out on friends or family.  We've found that 1/2 of a jalapeno is more than enough heat to drive up the spiciness in a bbq sauce recipe.

Home Made BBQ Sauce Recipe

Next come habanero peppers for increasing levels of heat.  There are some pretty great Scoville scale charts out there to identify the exact level and types of heat desired.  Habaneros can be daunting and must be balanced otherwise you can expect your bbq sauce to have a steady flow of heat and not much flavor.  Blend the habanero with items like ginger or celery which are compliments but won't drive the heat and won't overpower the end result.  If you're making the sauce for yourself then you can get some pretty audacious levels of heat.  But be careful so that your friends are in the line of fire where heat is concerned especially if they only like mild bbq sauce.

Blending Tips:  When it comes to blending it's a good idea to start over low heat.  Allow the sauce to meld together stirring constantly until you've reached a uniform color.  We like cooking the sauce for at least 15 minutes then pouring the sauce into a container.  After the sauce is placed in a container allow the sauce to rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours minimum.  This resting period will actually allow continued melding of the flavors and will create as we as in the business a nice level of maturity.  Once rested serve of baste on at will.

Here's a great video with instruction on make some popular bbq sauce recipes.  View this short video that gets right at the heart of making some great bbq sauces for you, your friends and family.

To help satisfy the bbq urge we’ve built a boat load of products that are on the market right now and available when you shop natural bbq sauce online and when your order bbq sauce online. Below we’ve listed our key seven dry rubs and our standing of natural barbecue sauces. These all represent our basic stable of natural bbq rubs and sauces for sale.

Tri Tip Steak and Rib Rub

Santa Barbara Rub

San Ysidro Rub

Santa Maria Dry Rub

Memphis Dry Rub

California Chipotle Dry Rub

California Chicken Dry Rub

Really Good Mild Barbecue Sauce

Really Nice Medium Hot Barbecue Sauce

Really Hot Barbecue Sauce

Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Memphis Blues Barbecue Sauce

Texas Style Inspired Barbecue Sauce

Our finest bbq rubs and sauces for sale are available online on our website Jake's Famous Foods. See our natural bbq rubs and sauces for sale and shop natural bbq sauce online today.

Now that you've received some pretty great bbq sauce recipes we got some great deals for you on our  SPECIALS PAGE you'll get 10% OFF pricing on our award winning dry rubs, sauces and seasonings. You'll Get that immediate 10% OFF when you use Jake's product savings Code: 1707200910 at checkout.

We hope you’ve enjoyed these 10 BBQ Sauce Recipes.  Also, we hope you’ve enjoyed the additional recipes we’ve provided.  We believe the best bbq sauce recipe is the one you use most.  Take time  to review each recipe then build and adjust to match your cooking Style.

Looking forward to great barbecue and even greater bbq sauce. 

Jake

What to do when The Fire Goes Out! ( Charcoal BBQ Fire That is...)

Charcoal Briquettes

What to do when your Charcoal BBQ Fire Goes Out!

Too often we talk about making some fancy Dino rib monstrosity or some glaze laden pork ribs but we never seem to spend much time on the actual cooking part of the process.  Yes, we talk about using smoked woods or charcoal or even gas but we never seem to spend much time on the what ifs of Barbecue.  So, in this post we are going to talk explicitly about one of the major what ifs....namely, What to do if The Fire goes out...(BBQ Fire That is...)  We make no comments or focus on your personal or professional relationship with someone.  This post is strictly focused on Barbecue and Barbecuing.

A couple of days ago I was merrily grilling ribs and chicken using the snake method along with some red oak smoking wood.  I noticed the temperature creeping out of the friend zone which was target at around 225 to 240 degrees.  In fact my temperature when "on wood" was around 310 degrees.  So I began notching the grill openings down a 1/4 turn with a check back every 5 to 10 minutes.  After the first 10 minutes I actually noticed the temperature rise even more to 320 degrees.  Clearly there was either a lot of wood to burn with the charcoal or there was an uneven mix of briquettes in one area.  So, after another 10 minutes I added another 1/4 turn on the top vents to reduce the amount of available oxygen in the grill.  I noticed around 10 minutes later that the temperature started to reduce.  There was a drop of about 5 degrees followed by another drop of 10 degrees so the grill was sitting around 305 degrees at this point way too high for the ribs and chicken.  I decided to double down and added a full 1/2 turn closing off even more oxygen to the grill.  Within 10 minutes I started to notice a drop in temperature.  First the grill dipped to 290 degrees then to 260 degrees in about 10 more minutes.  I decided one last notch at about 1/8 of a turn.  I checked back 10 minutes later and now the grill was below the 225 degree mark.  I thought I would give it some time to level off but unfortunately the grill dropped down to 200 degrees and no longer on wood.  I adjusted the vent up by 1/4 but it was too late.  The grill had not started it free fall as the charcoals were barely holding on to any heat at all.  My last check noted that the temperature was not 178 degrees miles away from the temperature I needed to properly cook my ribs.  So, what to do....what to do?

After evaluating the situation I realize through the process of elimination I had two or three options.  First I needed to check on the time of day.  Since I was moving into the late afternoon I only had about two to to three more hours that I could use to get the heat back to level by using a chimney starter.  A second option would be to get the fire started, bring the meat to 160 degrees then finish the meat off in the oven.  A third option was to again bring the meat to 160 then microwave the meat for about 1 or 2 minutes.  The third option was not desirable but in a pinch it does work.  Especially if you put the meat back on the grill and allow it to finish with additional smoke flavor.  The downside of the third option is that the meat is not as juicy when the microwave is used.

Looking at these three options I decided that I could use the chimney starter.  I had to get enough charcoal into the unit plus adjust some of the charcoal in the grill that still managed to have some heat.  The chimney starter would take a minimum 20 minutes to bring the coals to temperature.  After because I was using the snake method they charcoals would need to restart the burning process for the remaining coals.  I laid down a single layer of coals about six coals that I could use to stack the coals from the chimney starter.  This lay down process would be the igniter for the remaining coals in the snake.  I started the coals in the chimney starter then adjusted as needed the coals in the grill.  I kept the lid on the grill with the vent wide open as much as possible. After about 20 minutes I noted that about 70% of the coals were close to temperature.  Again I checked the time of day along with how much time I would need to bring the meats to the desired temperature.  I calculated that I would not have enough time to finish adequately so I would have to employ a second measure to finish by my target of 6 pm.  Even though my original target was 5:30 we are into the Summer part of the year so there is much more light available and eating a little later is not a real struggle.

The additional heat method I chose was the microwave.  I know it doesn't seem like the best thing to do but my focus was on driving up the internal temperature of the meat.  The grill was going to handle the smokiness and crispiness of the skin on the chicken.  I brought just the chicken in and placed that on a dish and ran the microwave for about 1 minute.  I checked the chicken with the temperature probe and noted that the microwave had driven the internal temperature up to 170 degrees.  I like my chicken a little more well done so I was shooting for a finished temperature of 180 degrees in the thigh areas of the chicken.  I allowed the chicken to rest in the microwave while I checked the coals in the chimney starter.  Afterward I poured out the fired briquettes onto the lay down coals and positioned them for maximum efficiency and so that they would quickly start the unlit charcoal.  I put the grate back on and allow the charcoal to reach a grilling temperature.  I checked my gauge and notice the coals were now back to 240 degrees.  Keep in mind through this entire process I had not removed my ribs.  In fact the ribs were just about due to be placed into foil for the 2 hour steaming and moisture process.  I knew I would not have enough time to complete that process so I chose to notch that down to 1-1/2 hours.  I wrapped my ribs and put them back on the grill.

The grill temperature was now a steady 240 degrees so both the ribs and the chicken were placed back on the grill.  In addition to the meats I added some very small segments of red oak wood just enough to get some smoke going for the chicken.  After about 40 minutes my desired temperature of 180 degrees was reached for the chicken.  I pulled that off and immediately rested the chicken in the oven.  The ribs had a ways to go so I just left those on.  After about an hours I probed the ribs and noted they were now at about 195 degrees. My target temperature was 200 so I put the lid back on and continued cooking.  After about 20 minutes I received an alert that my target temperature had been reached.  I pulled off the ribs and immediately placed them in the oven as well for resting.

I knew that if I rested the ribs the total 1 hour I would pass my target eating time of 6 pm so after 30 minutes I removed the foil.

Things I noticed following the use of the microwave.  The chicken although perfectly achieving the temperature was not as juicy as if it had completely finished on the grill. The ribs was just a little bit tougher that originally planned.  I think if I had placed the ribs in the foil meat side down I could have alleviated any toughness.  Although the meat would be more wet that some might like but still tasty.

Overall, if you are managing your charcoal grill and start to notice a fluctuation in temperature be mindful not to over adjust your vents.  Move the vents in increments of about 1/4 inch each and wait at least 10 minutes before making additional adjustments.  Prior to the grilling process make sure that the amount of charcoal layered around the grill is evenly spread.  Also, keep an eye on the amount of smoking wood used.  Sometimes wood can create a sort of false positive in the cooking process.  When "on wood" the temperature will rise causing you potential to over adjust the vents downward.  Resist the urge to overcompensate and focus on small increments to manage the temperatures.

Last but not least bring the meats to room temperature before grilling.  This will actually give you a running start when it comes to cooking.  If the meat is cold it will take longer to exchange cold for heat and that time wasted may be the time you needed before you temperatures started to go haywire.

Always use quality materials on the meats during and after the preparation process.  Right now Jake's Famous has some great deals on BBQ Sauce, Dry Rubs, and Table Condiments.  Checkout our site today and use code: 1707200910 for an immediate 10% discount at checkout.

Oven Baked BBQ Ribs with Jake's Famous Rib Rub and Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce

Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce on Ribs

Oftentimes we center what we do as a barbecue sauce company around the use of the grill related to bbq items like ribs, chicken, tri-tip, steaks and more.  But because we spend so much time working the grill we sometimes get burned out on the process...first prepping the meat, getting the grill ready, then managing the flame and heat over a 6 hour period.  It can be exasperating especially if you have lots of other things to do.  So we thought about ways that any person could make their favorite fall off the bone ribs without all the "muss and fuss" especially if you're not grilling for some national competition.

If you've ever watched some of those infamous YouTube videos you'll know exactly what I mean.  The long and short of it is, BBQ should be fun, it should be easy and there should be almost NO cleanup involved.  With that in mind we've created, tested and are presenting here for your very own use our Oven Baked BBQ Ribs with Jake's Rib Rub & Homemade Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce.  Just the very sound of that Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce is mouthwatering, enough to make you run out and get a rack of ribs for grilling.  But before all that happens let's get you properly indoctrinated in the BBQ process.

Maybe it's too hot to stand next to a searing grill or maybe the weather is uncooperative.  No matter since we'll be making the ribs in the oven we can forget about all the outdoor shenanigans.  We've got four things going on with this recipe, first the ribs, the dry rub, the bbq sauce and let's not forget the oven.

On the ribs, you'll want to buy the best ribs you can find.  I would search out the local butcher or your department store meat counter.  Keep in mind if you pick up a packaged set of ribs that are full of reddish liquid then the ribs are a No, No.  That reddish color is the blood drained out of the meat that surrounds the ribs.  You want as much of that liquid as possible to remain within the ribs which will eventually be evaporated and cooked off during the heating process.  If the liquid is out of the ribs before starting it will be very hard to keep the meat juicy.  There are ways to get some moisture back into the meat but believe the process is long and arduous so let's just find the better quality ribs.

Now most likely the ribs will require cleaning, so take a papertowel and peel back the white-gray film that resides on the back of the ribs.  Pull as much of the film off as possible.  Keep in mind it is much easier to remove the film when the meat is closer to room temperature.  Since we're all about short cutting the process we'll teach some tips and tricks to make the process faster and easier.  At this point you want to find some basic yellow mustard, the cheaper the better.  Coat the ribs completely with the mustard then place them in a container or zip type bag.  Store the bag in the fridge while we move on to the next steps.

Direction for building the Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce

Now's the perfect time to begin the process of building the roasted strawberry barbecue sauce.  We recommend using Jake's Famous Really Good Mild BBQ Sauce as the base mixture.  Next let's get the strawberries roasted.  First make sure your strawberries have been cleaned of any debris.  Layer a cookie tray with parchment paper.  Follow that by turning your oven to the roasting setting.  Effectively we want to roast the strawberries at about 425 degrees.  Keep in mind we won't be doing this for a very long time but will instead use the oven to kick off the critical part of the process.  Roast the strawberries until the appear caramelized but not burnt.  We want the flavor of the strawberries to concentrate but not carbonize.

Ingredient filled pot with Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce

Depending on the number and size of the strawberries we expect them to take about 15 minutes when the oven is operating at optimum levels.  If you are planning on making the ribs right after the blending of the strawberry ingredients leave the oven set to 350 degrees.  The maintained heat setting will be perfect to get the ribs off to a roaring start.

Remove the caramelized strawberries and hold aside.  If using Jake's Really Good Mild BBQ Sauce combine that with the preserves, adobo, balsmic vinegar, soy sauce and cilantro.  All the other spices used in the ingredient listing are already combined within the BBQ Sauce so we won't have to add them twice.  Place the mixture in a pot on the stove and bring the pot to a boil.  Once at boil reduce the heat to simmer and allow the sauce to build in flavor for about 10 minutes.  Remove the warm sauce and all it to cool for about 5 minutes.  Pour the entire mixture into a blender.  If you have an immersion blender then great, but if not a standard blender will do as well.  Blend the ingredient until the sauce is smooth.  Once smooth remove, pour into a jar and place in the fridge.
With the sauce built it's time to get those ribs done.  Let's remove the ribs from the fridge and coat them generously with Jake's Famous Tri Tip, Steak and Rib Rub.  The rub contains copious amounts of herbs and spices and is a natural product which will blend especially well with the final sauce.  Once the meat is coated on all sides place the ribs back in your container and hold on your counter.

Now turn you oven setting to 350 degrees.  Once the temperature is achieved remove the ribs from their container and place on a cooking sheet coated with parchment paper or aluminum foil.  If you have a roasting pan that will work as well, just ensure the bottom is coated with parchment or aluminim to minimize clean up.  Roast the ribs in the pan open faced for about 1-1/2 hours.  Remove the ribs and coat thoroughly with the roasted strawberry bbq sauce.  Wrap the ribs in foil leaving a slight open for steam.  Cook and additional 30 to 45 minutes checking the temperature of the ribs as you go.  At this point we want to have the ribs achieve a minimum temperature of 170 degrees.  We like our ribs done a little more so a good temperature for us is around 190 degrees.

Caramelizing is a nice add for any set of ribs.  To caramelize the ribs turn the oven up to 450 degrees.  Ensure that the foil over the ribs is split open.  The heat will cook and bubble the sauce on the ribs creating the caramelizing effect.  Allow the ribs to cook about 10 minutes.  Check at the 5 minute mark to ensure that the ribs are not burning.  Once done remove the ribs and allow to rest for a minimum of 15 minutes.

After resting pull out a sharp knife and slice the ribs.  Keep in mind sometimes the ribs become so tender they actually fall apart.  But the caramelizing process tends to draw the meat inward toward the bones reducing the chance that they will actually break apart.

Serve the ribs with coleslaw, potato salad, French Fries and more.

Ingredient listing for Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce

(if you do not have Jake's Famous Really Good Mild BBQ Sauce)

2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
4 Cups Strawberries
2 tablespoons Soy sauce
1 Chipotle Chili in Adobo, chopped
1 tablespoon Grlic, grated
1 tablespoon Ginger, grated
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Cilantro, chopped
2 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Strawberry Preserves