Make-ahead BBQ

Anyone remember that delicious and super easy Skillet Fajitas post?  Well, as I mentioned in there, I have a long-standing bone to pick with large hunks of meat…although I do still loose a few battles now and then, I’m gradually gaining ground.  This recipe was most certainly a moist and mothwatering victory!  

I have a propensity for over cooking and over drying most cuts of meat…mostly because I’m always running late with dinner plans, and try to speed the cooking process along too quickly (resulting in a dry chicken breasts more suited for chucking at an intruder than a moist chicken parmigiana).

Given my history of overcooking perfectly decent cuts of meat, I was determined to make this evenings dinner an exception.  A couple of weeks ago Albertsons had some fabulous looking boneless pork ribs on sale for $3/lb…so being quite thrifty, I stocked up on more than I plan to admit.  My husband loves BBQ ribs, and I really wanted these to turn out well.  Besides, I have a freezer full of them so I’d better figure out how to make them taste good!

The trick to moist meat (BBQ in particular) is very slow cooking at low heat.  “Great,” you say, “but how exactly does this help me make supper, quick?”  Why, the crock pot of course!  It took me all of 10 minutes to toss this into the crock pot yesterday morning; I let it cook all day and it was done in time to put into the fridge last night before bed.  This evening all I did was slice the meat and warm with some extra Worchestire and BBQ sauce, and we had loaded BBQ baked potatoes in almost no time.

Crock pot BBQ 

Total time in kitchen 15 minutes; total cook time 8-10 hours

1. Grease inside of crockpot (slow cooker)
2. Layer 1 large onion, chopped and 2 lbs sliced meat (I used boneless pork ribs, but use any cut of meat you like) in crockpot
3. In small bowl mix 1/4 packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup cola, 3 Tblsp Worchestershire Sauce, 1 small can tomato sauce, 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves), 1 tsp celery salt (optional)
4. Pour mixture over meat
5. Cook on low for 8-9 hours

Meat can be stored in fridge or freezer; when ready to serve, simply slice or shred, mix with a little Worcestershire and BBQ Sauce, and re-heat.

Serve…

• sliced brisket style with green bean casserole and corn bread
• chopped/shredded for sloppy Joe’s with a side of oven-potato fries
• over loaded baked potatoes with grated cheese and a side salad