Whats Cooking

David Slone


Barbecuing is a widespread and honored tradition. Three out of four american families own a barbecue grill and use it, on average, four to five times per month. What better way is there to have fun with friends and family than to have a barbecue?

Before putting the meat on the barbecue it is a good idea to set it out of the refrigerator for about an hour to let it warm up. This will make the meat cook quicker and it will be juicier.

Food safety is an important issue so always be sure that you cook the meat thoroughly. Cut the meat in the thickest part to be sure that the juices are clear to be sure that it is completely cooked. Always be sure to keep utensils used to handle the raw meat separate from those you use to handle the cooked meat. Cross contamination of bacteria can be as dangerous as eating raw meat. You want your barbecue to be both fun and safe for everyone so always be careful.

Barbecued Spare Ribs are a classic American barbecue meal, made from pork. This version is cooked in the oven, not on a barbecue, and uses a barbecue sauce with a distinct Asian flavor, featuring soy sauce, rice vinegar, and garlic.

Remember to give your barbecue a good cleaning after each use. If you have a gas grill, you can turn the grill on for ten or fifteen minutes to allow it self clean. Charcoal grills need to be cleaned with soap and water using a stiff wire brush.

Here are a couple really good barbecue recipes you can try at your next barbecue

Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients:

4 thick rib pork chops, (1″ to 1 1/4″ thick is best)

3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

Large pinch dried and crumbled rosemary

Large pinch dried and crumbled marjoram

1 Tbsp. melted butter

1/2 cup minced sweet onion

1 small clove garlic, minced

salt and/or pepper to taste

Make several shallow cuts in each pork chop with a knife.

In a large bowl mix the breadcrumbs, herbs, butter, onion, garlic, and salt.

Stuff the mixture into the cuts you made.

Grill the pork chops at medium to high heat for ten minutes on each side side. To make sure the chops are evenly cooked they should be turned several times. Grill them for five minutes or so then turn them over and let that side cook for 5 minutes. Repeat this process two or three times or until the chops are grilled to your satisfaction.

Barbecued Spare Ribs

Here is a classic American barbecue with a twist. This version uses a barbecue sauce that has a distinct Asian flavor, featuring soy sauce, rice vinegar, and garlic.

Ingredients:

2 pounds pork spare ribs

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons hoisen sauce

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoons sake

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground white pepper

2 tablespoons chicken stock

freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

Put the spare ribs in a large casserole dish in one layer.

Using a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Pour this mixture over the spare ribs being sure to completely coat the meat. Let this marinate overnight, baste occasionally unless the meat is completely covered.

Throw the ribs on the grill and let them cook to your satisfaction. Turn them several times during the process and baste them with the marinade sauce a few times.

Chuck Machado


At the recent Fiery Foods and Barbecue show in Albuquerque, we made enough Santa Fe Chicken to serve 5000 guests. If this seems like a daunting task, well, you’re right. When other vendors were opening bags of chips to serve with their salsa, we stuck to our philosophy that real food demands real cooking. If we’re going to be in the specialty foods business, we’d better get cooking.

Where do hungry and busy families go between baseball and school when they’re hungry? Sadly, it’s fast food that permeates our lives. And soon, we’re hooked on the fat laden meals controlling our lives. At New Mexico Chile Company, we strive to make quality cooking sauces that people, just like you, can use in an everyday meal. We bring the gourmet to meals and all you have to do is to bring the chicken to this dish!

This past month, three hundred pounds of chicken, thirty onions and fifteen bunches of cilantro went toward feeding our customers, but the results were impressive.

Many happy customers walked away with our green sauce and a new recipe. There’s something magical that occurs when chicken meets green chile and cheese. The flavors blend, becoming one. The fierceness of green chile gives way to a more pronounced statement of flavor, allowing the protein to come forward. Each year we get hundreds of requests for the recipe. Some claim their kids have become addicted to the flavors and we figure it’s a good thing. In the fast paced world of soccer, baseball and scouts, we’re happy to manufacture and promote quality food products.

Like with all of our recipes, this gourmet meal can be accomplished in thirty minutes.

Santa Fe Chicken-serves 4

2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts or tenders cubed

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

3 tbsp canola oil

6 oz black sliced olives

4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

10 sprigs chopped cilantro or parsley (no stems)

16 oz. Coyote Trail Green Chile Sauce

In a large frying pan,add canola and saute chicken and onion over med heat Brown chicken well, (you can also grill the chicken and return it to the baking dish after) add garlic, drain (this is important or you’ll make gravy) and transfer to a shallow baking dish.

Add Coyote Trail Green Chile Sauce and mix well. Top with cheese, olives, cilantro or parsley Bake @ 350 for fifteen minutes until chicken bubbles then remove and serve with beans, rice, tortillas and a salad.

Creme Fresh or sour cream is sometimes added as a topping. Ole!

Roy Maloney


Many families know you can’t please everyone. We have a large family and this is a well known fact to us. From movies, shopping, who sets where, and especially what do you want for dinner. Many times where and what we eat, can cause huge debate.

Have you ever ordered light when eating out because your money is tight, just to get your bill for more then you think and then the tip? This use to happened to me. Now we don’t go out to eat very much at all and find it’s a lot of fun for the family to recreate our favorite foods, whether it be a KFC Chicken recipe or our favorite Applebee’s meal.

When I first heard about this program from a friend, I decided to go online and get my own copy. When I went online I found quiet a few programs offering some of the same dishes and some different ones. So I decided to do a product guide review of a few available programs. I selected some of the top choices available for my review, and gave my preference but made these items available for you to review as well.

One thing my family thinks is kind of funny is when my son or I build something or work on something we never look at directions, because we want to figure it out for ourselves or it takes to long. My son and I measure everything out exact when cooking, because as my son said we got to put it in our mouth. My kids still laugh because I cooked a frozen pizza with the cardboard still under it. I know my kids and wife don’t see me as a great cook but when I follow some of these recipes my kids ask for dads pizza sauce or dads KFC Chicken recipe. You should understand that my son and I live in the house with my wife and my 4 daughters. They all can cook better then me, that’s probably including the 7 year old too.

You may not see yourself as a great cook. You may not even see yourself cooking for your friends or family. However these recipes are kind of addictive and you will find your self showing off, even calling it your recipe. You are probably already a better cook then me and if not you probably eat out quit a bit.