Tangy Coffee Barbecue Sauce

There have been some major new obsessions developing in the Samuels-Minichiello relationship. Yes, I realize that our last names together are quite a mouthful. For ease sake I’ll use our celebrity name.

Wengela.

Basically, we have deeply developed some new interests in our lives that have majorly changed the way we live.

Wesley has become completely immersed in all that has to do with coffee. The kitchen is not only full of cooking gadgets but along side the emersion blenders and stand mixers and food processors there are now weigh scales, hand grinders and special airtight containers. Oh and of course we have a coffee tree.

My new obsession is a little more mainstream but has nothing to do with the kitchen. Wes has officially turned me into a football freak. A weekly pool at his work coupled with a friends fantasy football league has me craving Sundays on the couch watching football and shit talking. Sorry mom.

My parents barely recognize this pigskin obsessed freak I’ve become. Dad’s not even that happy about it. He just seems confused.  What happened to his food, garden and fashion obsessed first-born?

But with limited time on my hands, I have to work hard to combine my loves. So football Sunday is also cooking Sunday. And the best part about cooking on Sunday is that I have all day to do it. Slow cooking and barbecue have become Sunday staples.

This sauce combines everything we love into one.

Barbecue? Love it.

Football Sunday? Can’t miss it.

Coffee? Nothing happens before coffee.

Basically this is an awesome recipe for success. This sauce is great on pretty much any red meat you can think of and is awesome with chicken. I may have just had some solo because it was that good.

You will need…

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 jalapenos, most of the seeds removed and diced

2 tablespoons California chili powder

1 cup freshly brewed coffee (plus your own coffee brewer if you have one)

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup white vinegar

1 tablepoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

½ cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat.

Add in the onion, garlic and jalapenos and cook until the onions are softened. About 6 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add in the chili powder, ketchup, brown sugar and molasses and stir just until everything is combined.

Pour in the coffee, vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Season well with salt and pepper.

Reduce the sauce to simmer and cook on a medium low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the sauce has reduced by about 1/4^th and has thickened a bit, remove from the heat.

After the sauce has cooled, blend in a food processor or in the pot with an emersion blender.

Use right away or store for up to two weeks.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Tangy Coffee Barbecue Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, diced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 jalapenos, most of the seeds removed and diced

2 tablespoons California chili powder

1 cup freshly brewed coffee

¼ cup ketchup

¼ cup white vinegar

1 tablepoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

½ cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by heating the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat.

Add in the onion, garlic and jalapenos and cook until the onions are softened. About 6 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add in the chili powder, ketchup, brown sugar and molasses and stir just until everything is combined.

Pour in the coffee, vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Season well with salt and pepper.

Reduce the sauce to simmer and cook on a medium low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the sauce has reduced by about 1/4^th and has thickened a bit, remove from the heat.

After the sauce has cooled, blend in a food processor or in the pot with an emersion blender.

Use right away or store for up to two weeks. 

Garlic and Jalapeno Carnitas Tacos

It has been touched on before in the blog. These webpages have been scrawled with tales of the days of ole when I was a super picky eater.

Seriously, Diet Coke, Caesar salad and cheesecake were my three food groups.

I’ve always loved Mexican food, but until I was in high school I would eat nothing but crispy shredded beef tacos. Not chicken. Not ground beef. Not soft. Crispy. Beef. Tacos.

And there is still a beautiful place in my heart for my old favorite.

But these days, I find myself craving pork carnitas more and more.

I finally decided it was time to get in the kitchen and try my hand at this tasty shredded pork treat.

Mexican places are great, but they ain’t got nothing on my carnitas.

You will need…

3 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder (pork butt)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

20 unpeeled garlic cloves

3 jalapenos, seeded and diced

½ cup chicken stock

½ cup fresh orange juice

Salt and pepper to taste

8 tortillas, warmed on the stove or grill

1 cup pineapple, diced

Your choice of toppings (shredded jack cheese, diced tomato, diced onion, cilantro, avocado)

Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees.

In a roasting pan, rub the pork down with the oil and chile powder. 

Season with salt and pepper and fill the bottom of the roasting pan with the chicken stock and roast for 1 hour.

After the hour, scatter the pork with the garlic and jalapeno and bake for another 2 hours. Rotating once.

Up the oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop the pork into large chunks and then use 2 forks to pull apart the pork.

Add the shredded pork back into the roasting pan. Remove the peals from the garlic and add it back to the pan.

Roast for another 30 minutes until well browned and crisp.

Stir the pork and continue to roast for a final 30 minutes.

Pour the drippings from the pork to a medium saucepan and add in the orange juice.

Bring the juices to a simmer over medium heat until slightly reduced. About 4 minutes.

Drizzle over the pork and serve with pineapple, & your favorite toppings on a warmed tortilla.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Garlic and Jalapeno Carnitas Tacos

3 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder (pork butt)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

20 unpeeled garlic cloves

3 jalapenos, seeded and diced

½ cup chicken stock

½ cup fresh orange juice

Salt and pepper to taste

8 tortillas, warmed on the stove or grill

1 cup pineapple, diced

Your choice of toppings (shredded jack cheese, diced tomato, diced onion, cilantro, avocado)

Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees.

In a roasting pan, rub the pork down with the oil and chile powder.

Season with salt and pepper and fill the bottom of the roasting pan with the chicken stock and roast for 1 hour.

After the hour, scatter the pork with the garlic and jalapeno and bake for another 2 hours. Rotating once.

Up the oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop the pork into large chunks and then use 2 forks to pull apart the pork.

Add the shredded pork back into the roasting pan. Remove the peals from the garlic and add it back to the pan.

Roast for another 30 minutes until well browned and crisp.

Stir the pork and continue to roast for a final 30 minutes.

Pour the drippings from the pork to a medium saucepan and add in the orange juice.

Bring the juices to a simmer over medium heat until slightly reduced. About 4 minutes.

Drizzle over the pork and serve with pineapple, & your favorite toppings on a warmed tortilla. 

Avocado and Grilled Corn Salad

Hi! Work is crazy. Too tired to type. Working long, hectic days.

Sleepy.

Must. Share. Tasty. Salsa.

Make for your next BBQ.

You will need…

2 Hass avocados, diced

1 ear of corn, in the husk and soaking in water for 1 hour

¼ cup finely chopped red onion

1 medium jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your grill.

When the grill is hot, grill the corn until kernels are tender. About 25 minutes. Turning every 5 minutes.

While the corn is grilling, combine the avocado, onion, jalapeno, and lime juice. Season with well with salt and pepper.

When the corn is done, remove the husk and allow the corn to cool slightly. 

Cut the corn from the cob and toss with the avocado mixture.

Combine well and serve with your favorite chips or on a taco.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Avocado and Grilled Corn Salad

2 Hass avocados, diced

1 ear of corn, in the husk and soaking in water for 1 hour

¼ cup finely chopped red onion

1 medium jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating your grill.

When the grill is hot, grill the corn until kernels are tender. About 25 minutes. Turning every 5 minutes.

While the corn is grilling, combine the avocado, onion, jalapeno, and lime juice. Season with well with salt and pepper.

When the corn is done, remove the husk and allow the corn to cool slightly. Cut the corn from the cob and toss with the avocado mixture.

Combine well and serve with your favorite chips or on a taco. 

Tangy Thai Grilled Chicken

There are few better things in this world for the soul than spending a great weekend away with your best friends.

Whenever I manage to get away with my friends for a couple days, I always feel energized no matter how crazy or adventurous our time together is.

No matter how bad my hips hurt from surfing, or how bad I’m bruised from a late night hike fall, the weekend has energized me to face this week!

But thank goodness this is only a four day work week. Because a system and warehouse switch at work is wearing down that friend buzz I have.

To celebrate our nation’s birth this week, I’m firing up the barbeque with some good friends to reenergize. And so should you!

You will need…

2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed and diced

4 cloves garlic cloves minced

½ cup lightly packed cilantro, plus 1 tablespoon roughly chopped

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 ½ tablespoons water

Salt to taste

In a food processor, puree the jalapenos, half the garlic, ½ cup cilantro leaves and stems, the fish sauce, olive oil sesame oil and season well with salt.

Pour the marinade over the chicken in a shallow dish. Let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Fire up your grill.

While your grill is warming, bring the vinegar, sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt to a simmer in a small saucepan. Simmer for 2 minutes.

Add in the garlic, remaining cilantro, and red pepper flakes and simmer for an additional 30 seconds.

Pour the sauce into a small bowl and set aside.

Grill the chicken until it has good grill marks and is cooked through. About 5 minutes a side.

Serve the chicken hot, drizzled with the vinegar sauce.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

  

Tangy Thai Grilled Chicken

2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed and diced

4 cloves garlic cloves minced

½ cup lightly packed cilantro, plus 1 tablespoon roughly chopped

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 ½ tablespoons water

Salt to taste

In a food processor, puree the jalapenos, half the garlic, ½ cup cilantro leaves and stems, the fish sauce, olive oil sesame oil and season well with salt.

Pour the marinade over the chicken in a shallow dish. Let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Fire up your grill.

While your grill is warming, bring the vinegar, sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt to a simmer in a small saucepan. Simmer for 2 minutes.

Add in the garlic, remaining cilantro, and red pepper flakes and simmer for an additional 30 seconds.

Pour the sauce into a small bowl and set aside.

Grill the chicken until it has good grill marks and is cooked through. About 5 minutes a side.

Serve the chicken hot, drizzled with the vinegar sauce.