Baked beans. Wut?
No really. Yesterday I decided to make pulled BBQ chicken.
Modus operandi:
1 whole chicken
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 cups of BBQ sauce
Some salt, pepper and various spices
1 bag of dried beans of your favorite type
2 tbsp of cornstarch
A crock pot
Directions:
Soak beans in a large pot of water over night, covered, and then...
Remove skin from chicken. It's actually easier than it sounds... then scrape off the excess fat (it collects around the major joints quite a bit). If you do it right, you can even "scalp" the chicken's skin and basically turn it inside out in one piece, kindof like a jacket. But I digress... (where's my fava beans and some chianti?)
Once skinned, rinse in cold water for a moment, then transfer to crock pot. Slather in BBQ sauce, seasonings and brown sugar, add water to bottom of crock, cover and turn on "low". At this point you're going to want to go mow your yard, shoot some hoops, play XBox, screw your girlfriend (or your neighbor's girlfriend), etc. Basically you're going to want to find a way to kill 8 hours. I doubt killing kittens will take you that long.
8 hours later, you have a nice, tender chicken that's pretty much falling off the bone with a nice BBQ flavor. You'll also have a good 3 to 4 cups of "broth" left over in the crock after you remove all the chicken, bones and little leftover bits that escape (more on this in a moment). Take the chicken and remove it from the bones, best by pulling it with a fork. Remove any joints, small bones or cartilage as necessary. Shred any large chunks of meat with the fork as you go. Once done, you'll probably want to add some extra BBQ sauce to the shredded meat in a bowl.
Good stuff... we had sandwiches last night, and quesadillas tonight with the meat.
So what the hell are the beans for?
At this point you want to drain the beans from the water, then add to the stock that was left over from cooking the chicken in the crock. Cover, and let cook low for another 8 hours. See above if you need more ideas on what to do in the meantime.
8 hours later, your neighbor will likely be ready to kill you, but you'll want to mix the cornstarch in a measuring cup with a tsp or two of cold water until it becomes almost like Elmer's glue. Stir into the bean soup (stir... really... I mean it) and then cover and let simmer on low for about 10 minutes, then turn off the crock and uncover it. Sauce will thicken upon standing.
Voila... not-so-instant BBQ baked beans. Enjoy! (And buy a gas mask during one of those 8 hour intervals... trust me - you'll need it)
No really. Yesterday I decided to make pulled BBQ chicken.
Modus operandi:
1 whole chicken
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 cups of BBQ sauce
Some salt, pepper and various spices
1 bag of dried beans of your favorite type
2 tbsp of cornstarch
A crock pot
Directions:
Soak beans in a large pot of water over night, covered, and then...
Remove skin from chicken. It's actually easier than it sounds... then scrape off the excess fat (it collects around the major joints quite a bit). If you do it right, you can even "scalp" the chicken's skin and basically turn it inside out in one piece, kindof like a jacket. But I digress... (where's my fava beans and some chianti?)
Once skinned, rinse in cold water for a moment, then transfer to crock pot. Slather in BBQ sauce, seasonings and brown sugar, add water to bottom of crock, cover and turn on "low". At this point you're going to want to go mow your yard, shoot some hoops, play XBox, screw your girlfriend (or your neighbor's girlfriend), etc. Basically you're going to want to find a way to kill 8 hours. I doubt killing kittens will take you that long.
8 hours later, you have a nice, tender chicken that's pretty much falling off the bone with a nice BBQ flavor. You'll also have a good 3 to 4 cups of "broth" left over in the crock after you remove all the chicken, bones and little leftover bits that escape (more on this in a moment). Take the chicken and remove it from the bones, best by pulling it with a fork. Remove any joints, small bones or cartilage as necessary. Shred any large chunks of meat with the fork as you go. Once done, you'll probably want to add some extra BBQ sauce to the shredded meat in a bowl.
Good stuff... we had sandwiches last night, and quesadillas tonight with the meat.
So what the hell are the beans for?
At this point you want to drain the beans from the water, then add to the stock that was left over from cooking the chicken in the crock. Cover, and let cook low for another 8 hours. See above if you need more ideas on what to do in the meantime.
8 hours later, your neighbor will likely be ready to kill you, but you'll want to mix the cornstarch in a measuring cup with a tsp or two of cold water until it becomes almost like Elmer's glue. Stir into the bean soup (stir... really... I mean it) and then cover and let simmer on low for about 10 minutes, then turn off the crock and uncover it. Sauce will thicken upon standing.
Voila... not-so-instant BBQ baked beans. Enjoy! (And buy a gas mask during one of those 8 hour intervals... trust me - you'll need it)
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