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Tired of the same ‘ol tired bar scene out there?? Not tired of hanging out with
interesting people and having a kick ass time?? GAYFOOD has the perfect solution.
Introducing BBQ Game Night! This is a great way to have A LOT of fun with some of
your favorite people. This party is good for 6 – 8 hungry people. Try inviting a
couple of friends and ask them to bring a guest of their choice. You, the host,
can invite someone that provides an “interesting mix”. There is nothing like getting
similar people in a room that have a mutual connection yet don’t really know each
other that well. Then, throw an interesting game into the mix and you end up getting
a better idea of what makes them tick. Oh, and tell each guest to bring a six-pack
of beer or a bottle of wine as their entrance fee to your gaming night.
The menu for this is very simple and almost everything can be done ahead of time.
We love that, don’t we? You don’t really need an appetizers--pick up some of your
favorite bar snacks for your guests to munch on before the games begin—beer nuts,
chex mix, mixed nuts, whateva.
The main attraction here is the BBQ. Pork Spare Ribs and chicken, with the sideliners
of baked beans and sautéed collard greens with a little spice. Serve this meal “family
style”. No need to plate it up, let your guests help themselves. Nothing like being
totally shameless while by devouring those tasty ribs and chicken pieces (heathen
style, of course) dripping in gooey, spicy BBQ sauce!! That’s right, you best put
a fresh roll in the paper towel holder and set it on the table cuz there is simply
no way to eat this meal without it.
Don’t forget about dessert! Give it about half an hour and pull out your Happy Finish;
those fabulous little cup cakes that you made (there will be enough left over to
use as parting gifts for your guests). So, let the games begin. . .
Starters
Your favorite bar snacks. Some suggestions;
Beer nuts
Chex mix
Mixed nuts
Wasabi Peas
Main Attraction
BBQ’ed spare ribs
BBq’ed Chicken
Side Liners
Baked Beans
Sautéed Collard Greens
Corn on the cob
Dessert
Cupcakes
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BBQ’ed Spare Ribs
There are many ways to prepare ribs and everyone has their favorite. We suggest
that you pre-cook spareribs before BBQ-ing them. Either boiling them or roasting
them in the oven can do this. We have found that the boiling method yields a more
tender rib and as a bonus, you then have a great pork stock to use in other recipes.
Boiling the ribs should be done at least a day before your BBQ Game Night Party
for the best tasting ribs. Which is perfect because the chicken should sit overnight
as well. So, here is the low down on the ribs using this method:
Pork Spare Ribs (about 1-2 pounds per person)
Trim the fat, cut into 3-4 rib sections, put into a large stock pot and add:
1 large yellow onion, quartered
1 bulb garlic, cut in half lengthwise
3 carrots, quartered
4 stalks celery, quartered
6 bay leaves
1 T salt
1 T whole peppercorns
Cover ribs and above ingredients with water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce
heat and simmer for 1 hour. Remove ribs and transfer to a broiler pan or similar
shallow baking pan using tongs, as they are boiling hot. You can discard the tasty
stock if you wish (how dare you!). I recommend straining it through a colander or
similar type straining device, let it cool, skim the fat and then fill storage containers
with the broth and freeze for use in other recipes. It’s always great to have homemade
stock around. It adds great flava when used in place of water for rice, chili, gravy,
etc.
OK, now that we’ve had a lesson on stock fabrication, let’s get back to the ribs.
Now that they have cooled a bit and you can handle them, you need to season them,
both sides, with:
Garlic Salt
Black Pepper (fresh cracked is always best but you can use ground for this if you
are lazy or don’t have a grinder. If you don’t have one you should put those ribs
in the fridge right this minute and go out and get yourself one, for Christ’s sake.
I mean really. . . )
Be pretty generous with the seasoning. Don’t over do it but definitely don’t be
shy. Once all of the ribs are seasoned, cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate
over night. You can do this a couple days ahead of time, if you’d like.
BBQ’ed Chicken
2 Big Fat Hens, as my Nana would say (2 whole chickens)
½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Black Pepper (you know the drill—fresh ground is best but you can use ground)
I usually manhandle the chickens while the ribs are boiling. So, cut up those chickens
and skin them. Place the pieces into a large bowl and add the olive oil. Toss the
chicken to coat with the olive oil. Transfer oiled pieces onto a shallow baking
pan and season them as you did the ribs, with garlic salt and pepper, making sure
to completely season each piece. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate.
This too can be done a day or two before your Game Night Party. It is honestly fine
to do it the day of your party. Obviously, chicken that is seasoned and allowed
to sit for a day or two is going to have a better flava.
All right, now for the actual BBQ-ing part. Before we go any further we must state
for all of you hard core true BBQ fans that YES, the meat for this game night are
technically GRILLED and NOT BBQ-ed because BBQ-ing is “slow cooking over a low heat
for hours on end”. Yes, we know, thanks.
Start with a hot grill. This BBQ recipe will yield meat that has the sauce cooked
on to the point where it is sticky, gooey and has little crusty parts that are charred
and taste real smokey. The key to this method is a hot grill and constant turning
of the meat, followed by just as constant slathering of BBQ sauce.
Do the ribs first. Remember that the ribs are already cooked so all you are doing
is getting the BBQ sauce on there “just right”. Put the sections meat side down
on the grill. It is a good idea to cover the grill in between turning and saucing
the meat. This keeps the flames down and adds more of that smokey BBQ flavor. It
is important that the ribs get good grill marks and some “charred-ness”, for lack
of a better word, before you start with the BBQ sauce. Check them every minute or
so and turn when this “chard-ness” has been achieved. Once both sides of the pieces
are “charred” (not burnt) it’s time to add the BBQ sauce. Using a brush, brush it
on and turn the pieces. You will honestly have to do this brush and turn routine
about 5 – 6 times before they are done. Before brushing with more sauce, make sure
that the previous application of sauce has caramelized and is cooked on. Once they
are gooey and sticky with sauce, place back on the shallow baking pan, give one
last generous brush of BBQ sauce and place in a 250 F preheated oven to let rest
while you “get your chicken on”. This allows the sauce to thicken up and adhere
to the meat. Again, gooey, sticky and gloriously messy!!
Now for the chicken. The key to the chicken is the same as the ribs. Get the pieces
nice and grilled before adding the sauce. The chicken should be almost fully cooked
before adding the BBQ sauce (about 10 – 15 minutes on the grill before the sauce
is added). Follow the same procedure for saucing the chicken as you did for the
ribs—turning and slathering with sauce every minute or two (again, this should take
about 10 minutes). When the pieces are perfectly sauced with gooey goodness, put
them back on their shallow baking pan, give them one last generous brush of BBQ
sauce and let them join the ribs for a rest in the oven, for about 10 – 15 minutes.
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Baked Beans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
1 Large can of your favorite store bought baked beans
1 medium onion, diced
½ cup molasses
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 t cayenne pepper
Dash of your favorite hot sauce to taste
1 t Liquid smoke (optional—adds a nice smokey flavor)
In a baking dish, mix all ingredients. Cover dish and place in 350 degree oven and
bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover from baking dish and bake an additional 15 minutes.
You can have this ready to go in the oven ahead of time or you can prepare the beans
about 1 hour before your guests arrive. After 45 minutes of baking at 350, turn
the oven down to 250 degrees F and it will be ready for the BBQ-ed meat (you can
leave the beans in the oven with the BBQ-ed meat).
Sautéed Collard Greens
3 lbs fresh collard greens (about 3 large bunches)
8 cloves garlic, chopped coarse (about 2 Tbsp)
3 Tbsp Butter
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
½ tsp. Cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dash of your favorite hot sauce
Wash greens well (before or after you chop them, whatever works best). Slice bunches
starting at the top, in ½” long slices, to about 1/3 of the way down the bunch.
Take the remainder of the green bunch and remove the ribs from the thick stems from
the leaf (the lower 1/3 portion). Chop these into strips once the ribs are removed,
just like the top third. It looks like a lot, we know, but they REALLY cook down.
Steam chopped greens for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium sized stockpot over
medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp. butter and the olive oil. Once melted, add the garlic
and sauté for about 5 minutes, until tender. Add the steamed greens to the garlic
mixture. Add the 2 Tbsp of balsamic and sauté, over medium heat for 15 – 20 minutes,
until the greens reach desired tenderness. Finish with the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter,
a sprinkle of balsamic, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and your favorite
hot sauce to taste.
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BBQ Game Night Cupcakes
Cupcake Recipe
1/3 cup soft shortening (we use Crisco)
1/3 cup butter or margarine (we use real butter)
cream together the shortening and butter
1-3/4 cup sugar
stir in 1-1/3 thin milk (she says this is half milk and half water)
2 tsp real vanilla
Sift together the following:
3 cups cake flour
3-1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
Add all dry and wet ingredients together
4 egg whites (stiffly beaten)
After all wet and dry ingredients have been added together, slowly fold in the egg
whites
Add to cup cake cups and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.
Make sure your oven has reached 350 degrees before you bake!
Frosting Recipe (my opinion…the best)
1 cup shortening
1 cup butter
Cream together
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp real vanilla
2 lbs powdered sugar
1/3 cup water
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