Grill It and They Will Come

Hi, I'm Tisha with Enchanted 3 Boutique. This week's edition of Sunday's Soapbox will feature a guest blogger. I want to welcome Tracey Hoover, friend, wife, mother, and the most amazing cook and baker I know. She has a dish for every occasion and they are always delicious. She has worked in the food & beverage industry in one form or another most of her life, and her cooking and baking proves her experience. I have been friends with Tracey for 12 years. We met through mutual friends. I was actually friends with Tracey's husband before they were married. Tracey will be talking about National BBQ day and sharing some delicious creations for you to try out the next time you break out the grill. 

I'm Tracey Hoover and my philosophy is BBQ is always better with friends, like camping and beer. However, beer is my husband's thirst quencher and go to BBQ ingredient . I have a better relationship with Captain Morgan. We always have a good time together. 

My husband and I don't always see eye to eye. He likes to go his way and I go mine, but on BBQ days we are completely together. We bounce ideas off of each other and together we have come up with some delicious collaborations! I want to share with you some of our favorite concoctions to make. 

One of our favorite thing to make is ribs. First we make a dry rub with seasoned salt, garlic, smoked paprika, steak seasoning, brown sugar. We add olive oil and mix it into a paste then rub it all over the ribs ensuring they are completely coated. We leave them over night in the fridge. The following day, Nick, my husband creates a smoking chip blend. Sometimes he'll use hickory and cherry or pecan and apple. It really depends on whatever he feels like that day, so have fun with it. Create your own blends. Try out your own ideas. Once Nick has the smoker going he sits by it, drinking beer, keeping an eye on the smoker. He knows when the ribs are done, when he is 1 case in, which usually takes about 6 hours. The next day we will cut them into 2 bone segments and throw them in a roaster with BBQ sauce. We'll put them on a low temp and cover them until warm before serving. They are always tender, juicy, and delicious. Always a crowd pleaser. 

Another one of our favorite dishes is Beer Butt (Can) Mojito Chicken. First step is to crack your first can of beer for the day. Drink 1/2 of it. While you are drinking that mix up rum, lime juice, muddled mint, and salt. Top off your 1/2 can of beer with your rum mixture and set aside. Open another beer to enjoy while you prepare your your chicken. Inject the remaining rum mixture directly into the chicken. Rub the skin of the chicken with olive oil, a scant amount of mint, and sea salt. Place your chicken over the beer can so the can is inserted into the cavity. Place the whole chicken and beer can on the grill for about one hour at medium heat. The chicken should reach 165 degrees. 

We also love classic BBQ chicken. The key to great BBQ chicken is to brine the chicken. Our brine consists of water, seasoned salt, garlic salt, table salt, and poultry seasoning. We usually brine it for 24 hours, but you can do it for as little as 6 hours. When you remove it from the brine, pat it dry and season the skin with garlic powder, seasoned salt, and if you are looking for some spice add some "Kicking Chicken." Then hand it over to your husband...

When you place it on the grill, place it over to the side, not directly over flames. Cook the chicken until it is browned on all sides. Then move the chicken over the hot coals, not flames. If flames develop feel free to give them a little sip of beer to put them out, just be careful to not douse your hot coals. You want to char the edges but not burn the chicken. Brush your BBQ sauce on the chicken on each side, flipping it 2-3 times brushing the sauce on until you get a sticky glaze. 

We hope you enjoyed hearing about some of our favorite BBQ collaborations and that they inspire you to get out and grill. What are your favorite BBQ dishes. We'd love to hear what you are making to celebrate National BBQ Day!