Sunday, August 31, 2014

The Adams & Myers Visit Almost Heaven South

We had met Betsy (Joyful Reflections) and George a couple of years ago while RVing in Crossville and of course the Myers are good friends so when Betsy expressed interest in meeting Dave (Big Daddy Dave), we invited both over for an afternoon on the dock.  Betsy agreed to be the official get-together photographer and blogger so I will only post about the food and her post will be up on 9/1 so please drop by her place.  The previous day, I had smoked some ABT’s for our wine group and decided I’d also smoke up some ribs for the dock meal and the menu was:

Appetizer - ABT’s  (stuffed jalapenos)
Main course – Ribs, pulled pork, slaw, chipotle baked beans, buns
Dessert - Tres Leches Cake, provided by the Myers

For the ABT’s, I used my normal recipe, which I doubled for the two events, and added 1½ pound of smoked pork in place of the little sausages that normally go on top to get this recipe:

25-30 Jalapeno peppers (3”-4”), halved and seeded
2 pack of cream cheese, softened
2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 T. finely diced onion
1 tsp your favorite rub
2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp mayo
2 tbsp BBQ sauce 
1½ lb. pulled pork, chopped
50-60 slices of bacon, room temperature (larger peppers will use an entire slice of bacon)

1. Mix cheeses, garlic, onion, rub, mustard, mayo and BBQ sauce together and incorporate well.
2. Mix in the pork and combine well.


3. Fill each pepper half with mixture.


4. Wrap the bacon around the pepper, trying to cover as much of the pepper as you can.
Use a tooth pick to hold bacon in place.  I tried using a half slice on the smaller ones, but it wasn't quite enough to cover them well.


5. Cook in the smoker on a sheet of foil for about 45 minutes to 1 hour at about 250 degrees till bacon is crisp. (may take 1½ hr. to crisp bacon).  No finished shot but here is one from a previous post.


I decided to try cooking the second batch of ABT’s on the grill using a sheet pan but, as expected, the grill was too hot for them and some of the cheese ran out, but they were still good.

I just served the ribs from the foil in which they were reheated as they were falling off the bone tender – just like Bev (and most folks) like them.


I used a double boiler to reheat the pulled pork and Bev made some of her good slaw to go with it.


For the beans we used the recipe from Kathy at A Spoonful Of Thyme as the name really caught my attention when I read it as I like all thing chipotle - please pop over to her blog for the bean recipe.


I thought all of the food was very good, but a caution about the beans – don’t add the cayenne until they have cooked for a while and you have tasted for the heat level as they might be a bit spicy for some folks.

While the meat and beans were a hit, the star of this meal was the extra Chipotle BBQ Sauce (from the beans) that we served on the side for the meat – we thought it was outstanding and the remainder of the can of chipotles was turned into it the next day.  Here is Kathy's recipe for it:

Chipotle BBQ Sauce - Yield:  3 cups

Half of a 7-ounce can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 cups sweet, mild barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp molasses

1. Place the chipotles and half of the sauce in a blender or food processor.  Puree until smooth
 2. Add the remaining ingredients and puree, again, until smooth.  Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the mixture to remove all of the seeds.  Pour the sauce into a jar and set aside until ready to use.  (I just left the seeds in as I like that look)

Thanks Kathy for both recipes and your delicious contribution to our fun afternoon.

After a brief rest, we enjoyed the moist, light, and delicious dessert, which I had never had before.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

8/24/14 event date

16 comments:

  1. I really like the smoky flavor of chiptole…As always, enjoy your spread of food that you share with family and friends.

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  2. And I am here to say that EVERYTHING was absolutely DELICIOUS..... I ate and ate and ate some more... YUM!!!! My post showing all of the people will be up tomorrow. My blog URL: http://betsyfromtennessee.blogspot.com/

    It was a great day... Thanks Larry and Bev ---and David and Laurie...
    Hugs,
    Betsy (and George)

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  3. Larry, Once again, you and Bev proved to be excellent hosts...and providers! Loved those ribs as well as the ABT's,,, That Chipotle BBQ sauce was killer good! It was great meeting Betsy and George. Bloggers Unite! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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  4. Why did I come here when I was starving??? mygosh that all looks wonderful. And those Jalapeno peppers look A-mazing.

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  5. thank goodness I just ate. I have yet to try chipotle anything. One of these days I'm going to dive right in and find something I might like. I've never been real adventuresome in my eating but I've gotten a lot better as I've gotten older.

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  6. The food is always the best part after the socializing and looks awesome!

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  7. What a feast. I remember Kathy's baked beans and her BBQ sauce sounds fantastic. We're a big fan of chipotle too. Can't wait to see the Meyers pictures.
    Sam

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  8. Gosh that all sounds mouthwatering. My husband would be thrilled if I made those poppers. They sound amazing and look pretty terrific! Love your ribs. Such fun.

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  9. YUM! It sounds like a fun and TASTY get together.

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  10. It all looks yummy! I thought I might get to meet Betsy and George during the big yard sale, but we couldn't make it any further than Pikeville!

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  11. I'm been having trouble with me comments going through again…you have been cooking some nice Italian meals of late. If this one does go through, it sounds like you had a nice time with lots of good food. I went over to Betsy's blog and enjoyed the photos. Unfortunately the comment wouldn't go through there.

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    Replies
    1. Oh good, I'm able to comment again. Love the jalapeño peppers…boy you made a lot but probably a good thing because they sound terrific!

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  12. I had missed your post, Larry! So happy you liked the beans. Chipotle is high on our list, too. You are right.....using the cayenne is at one's own risk!

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  13. I am making your version of ABT soon, I like that you put the pork into them.

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  14. Sounds like a delicious gathering. Catherine

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