Here it is: your Independence Day Menu
Complete with a shopping list for your appetizer, side, main and dessert
America’s birthday is this weekend and our country is open. I hope you’re either hosting or attending a killer party to celebrate the occasion, and I want to make it easy with your full menu:
Appetizer: Smoked queso (you can make this recipe in your oven, too)
Side: Simple coleslaw
Main: My go-to pulled pork
Dessert: Grilled maple bourbon glazed peaches
I’ll give you a full step-by-step, complete with your shopping list for each item below. Either cook it all or pick what works best for you! Let’s get to it.
This smoked queso will be a huge hit
This recipe is as simple as it gets but is always a winner.
Grocery list:
One block of velveeta cheese
One pound of smoked Gouda
Two cans Rotel (you can use mild or hot, depending on your heat tolerance)
One pound ground meat (I’ve used ground beef, chorizo or bison)
One bunch cilantro
A bag or two of tortilla chips
Other things you’ll need:
9x13 casserole dish or aluminum pan (I always use the latter for easy clean up).
Some of whatever beer you are drinking while you cook. If you don’t drink, beef broth, pineapple juice, or soda will work, too.
Whatever BBQ rub sounds good to you. I’ve used Meatchelada from Hardcore Carnivore or SPG from Kosmos Q.
The prep:
Cut the block of velveeta and smoked Gouda into ½ inch cubes (or so).
Brown your meat. If you’re using beef or bison, season generously with your rub of choice. If you’re using chorizo, it’s plenty flavorful on it’s own.
Add meat and cheese into your casserole dish or aluminum pan.
Pour in both cans of Rotel.
Add a healthy dose of more rub.
Chop cilantro and set aside.
The cook itself:
Put the pan into your smoker (or oven) at about 300 degrees. If you’re using a smoker, I like using a apple wood.
Top with about 1/3 can of whatever beer you’re drinking for moisture. If you don’t want to use beer, I’d try some heavy cream or a can of cream of mushroom soup.
After 45 minutes, check on the queso and stir. Continue cooking until cheese is fully melted.
Once it’s ready, top with your chopped cilantro and serve.
This 6-ingredient slaw is the perfect side
Grocery list:
A couple bags of cabbage slaw mix
Duke’s mayo (only use a different type of mayo if you absolutely must)
A couple lemons (or lemon juice)
Apple cider vinegar
Other things you’ll need:
Sugar
Salt and pepper
The prep:
Combine all of the ingredients. This recipe is all to taste, so start small because you can always add more.
As a general guideline of where to start: a couple heaping spoonfuls of mayo, a quick pour of apple cider vinegar, a healthy pour of white sugar (I bet I use about ½ cup), and a couple tablespoons each of salt and pepper.
Top with either a quick squirt of lemon juice, or squeeze out ½ a lemon to start.
Mix and taste, adding more of any ingredients to your preferred texture and flavor.
The cook itself:
Ok, so there’s no cooking needed here. But I like to make this several hours before I serve it and set it aside, both so the flavors combine with one another and so that I don’t have to prep it when company is over.
This slaw is great on pulled pork sandwiches or as a standalone side. Enjoy!
Here’s the simplest pulled pork recipe I use
Pork shoulder is a great way to feed a lot of people for cheap, and it’s a forgiving cut of meat if you’re new to the smoking game.
Grocery list:
1-2 bone-in pork shoulders. These are sometimes labeled as Boston butt’s in the grocery store. I tend to look for ones that are 7-9 pounds.
Yellow mustard. The cheap stuff is all you need.
Enough buns for however many people you’re feeding. I always use Martin’s Potato Rolls.
Your preferred bbq sauce. I like OP X-1 from Kosmos Q, but any tomato-based sauce from your grocery store will work, too. My only advice is to look for one that uses real sugar. Or, visit Walmart and get Fire and Smoke Society’s Original Savory BBQ Sauce.
Other things you’ll need:
Heavy duty aluminum foil.
Plenty of BBQ rub. Some of my favorites for pulled pork: Honey Killer Bee from Kosmos, Hardcore Carnivore Red, or Pork Perfect from Fire and Smoke Society (available at Walmart).
Some of whatever beer you’re drinking. Good replacements are beef broth, pineapple juice, or a soda like root beer, Coke or Dr. Pepper.
A good meat thermometer.
The prep:
Remove pork shoulder from wrap, and pat dry with some paper towels.
Slather with yellow mustard on all sides. This will help your rub adhere to the meat.
Liberally apply rub to all sides of the shoulder, including any nooks and crannies.
When I say liberally, I mean it. This is a really big hunk of meat — it can handle a lot of seasoning.
The cook itself:
Light your smoker to run at around 275 degrees. I like to use apple wood with pork. If you have a charcoal grill, set it up with a water pan. Here’s how I do it in my PK Grill. Here’s how you can do it on a Weber kettle or something similar, and here’s how to do it on a ceramic cooker like a Big Green Egg.
Put pork on cooker and wait, opening as rarely as possible, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165-170 degrees.
Lay out a couple long strips of heavy duty aluminum foil. Remove pork shoulder from your cooker and place on your cooker. Pour about 1/3 a can of your beer on top of the pork, and tightly wrap the entire thing with foil.
Place back on the cooker until it reaches an internal temperature of about 202. What you’re really looking for here is probe tenderness throughout the shoulder — your thermometer should slide in throughout like it’s butter.
Take it off the smoker, put the wrapped butt in a casserole dish or aluminum pan, and open the top of the foil to release steam and let the meat rest.
After 30-45 minutes, pull apart. If it’s really tender, you’ll be able to do this with your hands. You’ll want gloves to protect yourself from the heat. I layer latex gloves (single use) over cotton ones (reusable). You can also use claws or forks for this job, too.
Once pulled, dump out the foil with all of the juices into the pan and mix together, evenly distributing pieces of bark throughout. Top with a dusting of your bbq rub and serve
Grilled peaches are the perfect summer dessert
Grocery list:
Peaches
Vanilla ice cream
Maple syrup
Bourbon, if you’d like to take it up a notch
Other things you’ll need:
A hot grill or smoker surface. I like to throw these on to my smoker if it’s still hot once the main course is served.
The prep:
Slice peaches in half, removing the pit.
The cook itself:
Place peach halves face down on grate for a few minutes until they start to soften.
Then flip, and use a basting brush to coat the face of each peach half with maple syrup, bourbon, or both.
Once soft and warm throughout, remove from heat, top with vanilla ice cream and enjoy.
Picture of the week:
I’ve done a lot of cooking since my last newsletter, so indulge me:
Tomahawk steaks caveman style
Pork belly burnt ends
A rare occasion where I’ll share something I didn’t cook: brisket, ribs, pork steaks, chicken and turkey from the world famous Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, TX. If you haven’t already, you must watch the Chef’s Table episode about Snow’s and their famous 86 year-old pit master, Tootsie.
Does the queso reheat well? I need to make it at home and take it elsewhere, and I'm debating if I should cook it the night before or cook it early in the AM and throw it in a crockpot to keep warm