There’s a reason Dr. Pepper is a favorite of so many people, and that’s the unmistakably unique flavor. And if there’s one thing that’s at the top of the list of ‘que fans it’s flavor. We’re always in search of ways to pull more flavor out of the meats we smoke, get the right balance of it in any rub we make, and put more of it into a sauce when we used it. So that makes Dr. Pepper a prime candidate for a sauce ingredient, and I think we’ve got a winner here.

This sauce is great for pork, but works well with chicken, too. It’s okay for beef, but may not have as much of a peppery or other spicy finish that you might be used to with beef. Of course, it goes perfectly with the Dr. Pepper Ribs I made, featured in another post. But you can’t go wrong with pulled pork, either.

There’s a commercially made, officially-licensed sauce available in stores, but I didn’t really care for it. So many sauce makers seem to think everyone wants “a little kick” in their barbecue sauce, even the ones that are supposed to be sweet and smoky. So while this one may have a little tangy flavor from the apple cider vinegar and the vinegar in the ketchup, as well as mild undertones of spice from the black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder, it’s definitely all about the sweet and smoky. If you want spicy, you can put it in your rub or add something to this recipe to make it your own.

• 2-1/2 cups Dr. Pepper (2 12-oz. cans or bottles, if you don’t want to measure)
• 2-1/2 cups ketchup
• 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine everything in a large pot on the stove, and whisk together over low heat until all the ketchup is dissolved into the rest of the mixture. Turn it up to medium and bring it to a rolling boil. Turn it back down to low and stir occasionally while it simmers, about 20 minutes. Let it sit and cool to thicken up.

It makes roughly a quart, so have a couple of pint-size Mason jars ready.

You may also want to check out my Dr. Pepper-Bourbon Brine.

It’s summertime again, and that means barbecue time! One of the primary, time-honored standards of ‘que is the rack of ribs, and the 3-2-1 method is a popular way to make them come out tender and full of flavor. It means you smoke the meat for three hours on low heat, cook it wrapped for two, and unwrapped for one with a generous coating of sauce for that signature, candy-like shell that ribs are known for. (There’s another post with my recipe for Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce.)

And everyone knows barbecue is made more enjoyable by Dr. Pepper, whether you’re drinking it, marinating the meat in it, using it in the sauce, or any combination thereof.

• 1 or more rack(s) of baby back ribs
• 1 2-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar
• Spray bottle of apple cider vinegar
• a sweet & smoky brown sugar rub
• Sauce and a brush
• Heavy duty aluminum foil
• 1 foil pan, casserole dish or cake pan
• hickory wood chunks, chips or pellets for smoking

You may also wish to switch out the Dr. Pepper & apple cider vinegar mixture with my Dr. Pepper Bourbon Brine.

Baby back, or spare ribs, are smaller because they’re taken from the back where the ribs join the spine (i.e., not taken from piglets), as opposed to St. Louis style ribs, which are taken from the lower area around the side and under the belly, cut away from the breastbone. St. Louis style are, therefore, flatter and have more fat, being from the belly. Still, it’s not hard to keep baby backs juicy and flavorful.

Start out by using a table knife to get up under the edge of the silvery membrane on the back of the ribs and pull a little bit of it loose. Then carefully peel the rest of it off from end to end. Don’t worry if it tears here and there, just get it all. I started by placing it meat side-down in a foil pan. I could’ve fit two, but I wasn’t cooking for that many people this time. Pour in enough Dr. Pepper to cover the meat, followed by the apple cider vinegar. Let that sit for 30 minutes while you make the final preparations on your smoker.

After pouring the Dr. Pepper and vinegar mixture out, shake a generous amount of brown sugar rub on both sides of the ribs and place it on the smoker. Today I used my Traeger Jr. because I was only making a small amount of meat. So for the stick-burner purists who hate pellet grills, just ignore the photo.

3 Hours

Smoke on low heat, around 175 to 185, for three hours with hickory, spraying it every half hour or so with more apple cider vinegar, or a mixture of Dr. Pepper and vinegar. Some may prefer apple wood for pork, but you can’t beat hickory for a good, sweet smoke.

2 Hours

Come back after the smoke and pull out a sheet of foil long enough to wrap over the ends of the rack and lay it in the foil pan to form a sort of trough. Set it on a table or other surface next to the smoker and put the ribs in it, meat side down. Pour in a little bit of the vinegar or vinegar/Dr. Pepper mixture and wrap it shut with another layer of foil over the top. Put the wrapped ribs back in the smoker and cook them on a medium heat, around 275, for two hours.

1 Hour

When that’s done, carefully remove the foil and lay rack meat-side down, pour on the sauce and brush it all over. Turn it over and repeat, then continue cooking another hour. Bring it inside and let it rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing into portion sizes.

As awesome as good ‘que is, it’s important not to forget the sides. Today I made skillet potatoes along with the obligatory brown sugar baked beans. But the cold glass definitely called for Dr. Pepper!

When it comes to beef, cue has a triple-crown. Prime rib and brisket are the first two jewels. The third is tri-tip.

It’s a small, triangular muscle, cut from the bottom sirloin. Size-wise it’s somewhere between a big steak and a small roast. It’s typically sliced thin once finished, similar to prime rib, and unless something goes wrong, it’s very juicy.

There’s no bone, but there’s usually plenty of fat on one side to begin with, unless you have a butcher trim it off for you. And why pay for extra weight you’re only going to trim off and throw away anyway? On a pork butt that extra layer of fat comes in handy because it’s on for so many hours, but this one isn’t, and has plenty of juices inside already. So trim the excess close.

Start out with a coating of olive or other light oil, to get your rub to stick. As for the rub, a lot of times it’s as simple as cracked pepper and sea salt. A Montreal Steak seasoning is also popular for tri-tip, as are Bloody Mary or Santa Maria marinades. But this time I used a Jack Daniels beef barbecue rub. Given the thickness of the cut and the shorter cook time compared to something like a pork butt, don’t be afraid to be extra-generous with it.

I wheeled out the Traeger Jr. for this one, with hickory pellets. If you haven’t used a pellet grill before, it is to a smoker what gas is to charcoal: less work for the same job. Now gas may not give meat the same flavor charcoal does, but a pellet grill does give the same flavor as a regular smoker. It just costs more to feed the fire. So I won’t be trading in either one anytime soon.

The Junior has three settings: Smoke, Medium and High. The difference is the speed of the auger that carries pellets to the hot rod in the firepot. (The Junior Elite has a dial and digital temperature control.) You light it by starting on Smoke with the lid up, and in about two minutes, when you can see and smell the smoke, set it wherever you like. The temperature ranges are 180 – 200 for Smoke, 225 – 275 for Medium and 350 – 400 for High.

I used the Q-Tech Bluetooth thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the meat. It connects to your smart phone with a free app available in the Google Play and iTunes app stores.

The Smoke setting is fine for the first hour or so, then up to Medium for the second hour worked for a good cook. Once the internal temp reached 245 I transferred it to the gas grill for a few minutes on each side on direct heat for a good outside sear. This could probably also be done on the Traeger turned up to High, but it would’ve taken longer and propane is cheaper than pellets.

After searing it you’ll want to let it rest anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes. While cooking, the meat tightens up and contracts. Letting it cool a bit relaxes that muscle and lets the juices flow throughout the cut, giving you a more tender end result. Some folks wrap it in foil, others leave it on the plate as-is. I brought it in and left it on the cutting mat for half an hour before slicing into it.

Look at the grain of the meat and make thin slices across it, starting at one of the corners. You’ll be able to see that smoke ring right away as soon as you slice off the burnt end. Depending on your particular piece, the grain may change directions as you go, so don’t hesitate to change the direction of your cut with it.

Serve with your favorite sauce on the side if you must, but if you do at least take the first bite or two without it. You may change your mind. And don’t underestimate the power of just a few pieces of this thinly sliced delicacy to fill a person up.

It’s not on the grill or the smoker, but this time of year (football season) colder weather and not wanting to miss the game occasionally call for other kinds of cooking. Don’t worry, it still involves meat.

This is my variation on the classic cheese steak sandwich, with a few ingredient changes from a traditional Philly.

Traditionally, you use green bell peppers and onions with Swiss or baby Swiss cheese on steak you’ve had a butcher slice razor thin. I’ve used a frozen blend of green, red and yellow bell peppers with onions, added sliced mushrooms, switched to Monterey Jack cheese, (for easier melting) and added Cavender’s Greek seasoning to the meat. That much is made a lot easier (I found all the ingredients at Walmart) and cheaper by using Steakumm, or on this case, a house brand knockoff, than going to a butcher shop.

It also helps, unless you’re cooking for several people, to open the packages of vegetables, mushrooms and meat and transfer them all into freezer bags so you can dole out however much you need and set the rest back. The large iron skillet will hold enough ingredients for about two sandwiches.

Start by cutting a hoagie roll or sub roll from the bakery sandwich style and adding mayo to both sides. Next, in a large cast iron skillet heat about a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil on medium heat, and add the peppers, onions and mushrooms. Stir and turn them until sautéed.

Move them to the side and add one of the frozen shredded steaks. Season the up side with Cavender’s and wait two minutes. Continue stirring the vegetables, then turn the meat over and season the other, now browned side. Wait two more minutes while stirring the vegetables, then turn the meat again and use the spatula to separate the meat and stir it together with the vegetables.

Once all the meat is browned, sprinkle shredded cheese over the mixture until it starts to melt. Fold that over once with the spatula and put it on the roll to serve.

Even the manliest pitmaster has to have desert now and then. And here in the South, few deserts are more popular in the summer than the orange creamsickle. All the best of orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream put together on a stick and just made for dripping down the hands and chins of grubby little kids on a hot day. Sometimes it’s ice cream encased in a layer of sherbet, sometimes they’re blended together, depending on the brand your mom bought.

Then there’s another classic, the Coca-Cola cake, which in no time at all branched out into the Dr. Pepper cake, the 7-Up cake, and so on.

I figured, why not combine the two? Especially when it’s an incredibly simple recipe. I’ll state at the outset that any flavor of cake mix will do, as well as your choice of soda. But for my purposes, this is what I used.

• 1 orange flavored cake mix
• 6 0z. orange soda
• 6 oz. cream soda

Now that’s the minimum, if you want to keep it simple. Mix those up and follow the baking instructions on the box, leaving out the eggs, oil, water, or whatever it may call for. I, however, added a few other things.

• 1 Tbs. sour cream
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

As above, mix it all up and bake it in a pan. If you like, you can make a glaze like I did. Fill a glass 2-cup measuring cup about 3/4 full with powdered sugar. Sift it as smooth as you can with a fork to get the clumps out. SLOWLY pour in a very small amount of orange soda. A little goes a long way. No need to measure, just eyeball it. But err on the side of too little and then stir. You can always add more, but it’s near impossible to take it out. When it’s a nice, milky-orange color you’ve got it. It should be pretty thick, too.

Wait until the cake is cool before drizzling the glaze on it. Otherwise it’ll just melt and make your cake all soggy instead of coating the top.

I wanted some variety for dinner, so I decided to do some drumsticks and country style pork ribs. Why don’t I ever seem to do actual ribs? Well, I have, I just haven’t documented it yet.

Anyway, there was no rub involved this time, but I did put both meats in foil pans with some Head Country marinade that I found on clearance at Walmart. It has similarities to Worcestershire, so it would probably work well with beef, too. Just be sure to shake it well before pouring, as it has spices in it that settle at the bottom of the bottle otherwise.

I also deviated from my normal routine this time by using my gas grill and smoker boxes instead of the barrel smoker.

I turned the meat over in their pans about half an hour in so they would cook evenly. Another half hour later I took them out of the pans and let indirect heat cook them. Of course, the drumsticks finished a lot sooner than the ribs, but that was okay because it gave us something to eat while we waited for the rest to be done. I kept the ribs on the top rack, dripping down into their pan to minimize the mess and keep some moisture in the air inside the grill.

Of course, the last half hour I mopped the ribs with my homemade sauce. I know, you really only have to do the last ten minutes or so, but I really like a good glaze of sauce soaking in at the end.

When it hit the plate, I served it up with baked beans and loaded potato salad.

There always seems to be one.

Whenever you grill burgers, it never fails. There’s one straggler than makes its way into the fridge because nobody can seem to cram any more food down their gullet after two burgers, at least one hot dog, chips and dip, fries and/or tots and/or onion rings, and no telling how many fizzy beverages. Oh, and don’t forget the baked beans. But the next day, who really wants to eat it? The microwave or toaster oven will just dry it out further, the oven and grill are both overkill, and even so, they just don’t have the same great flavor. What to do? Patty Melt.

Butter up a couple pieces of bread, throw one in a hot frying pan and add the leftover burger. If it has a leftover slice of American “cheese product” fused to its surface from the night before, tails wins the toss. Then cover the other side with another slice, but if you have it, mix it up a little with white American this time, or better yet, Swiss or mozzarella. For this one I used mozzarella.

Finish it off with the other slice, turning it a time or two until it’s golden brown like a grilled cheese sandwich. If you want to get fancy with it, A-1 makes a great dipping sauce for this one.

This one is probably a bit healthier than most of the entries here.

Start out with a zucchini squash, a yellow squash, a red onion, grape tomatoes, and bell pepper. I got an assortment of red, green and yellow bell peppers a little smaller than the size of my fist. Slice ’em all up, toss them in a bowl with some olive oil and seasoning before putting them in the grilling basket. For this one I’m using Weber’s Roasted Garlic and Herb seasoning.

Next, I have boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins marinading in a bag with some olive oil and the same seasoning before putting them on the foil-covered grill. Chicken sometimes likes to stick, even if you have a clean, oiled grilling surface, so foil and oil make it easier.

While the chicken in over direct heat on low, the vegetables are next to the chicken getting indirect heat. I toss the vegetables whenever I check the chicken. But for now, I’m inside, using the stove and a cast iron skillet (sorry no pics) to saute sliced mushrooms in olive oil with minced garlic and some red onion.

Running back and forth between the two, trying not to burn anything is no fun, so I kept the chicken on a little lower than normal until the mushrooms were done. Then turn it up a little more for the big finish.

For a family campout at the lake, I decided to take the portable charcoal smoker and this time, chicken was on the menu. Once again, I turned to Kingsford’s Hickory briquettes in addition to actual hickory chunks to give the meat that irreplaceable smoky flavor.

Using four filleted chicken breast halves, I added the BBQ rub from Bud’s Custom Meats and let the flavor soak in while I started the charcoal and let the briquettes burn down to coals. Once they were ready and the water bowl in place, all I had to do was moved the pan to the upper grilling surface. It makes it so much easier when it comes to cleanup, and the heat and smoke still swirl all around the meat and get into it. Since it’s going to be finished in sauce, it doesn’t have to have the cosmetic touch of grill marks.

I let the meat sit on the smoke for two and a half hours, turning it over in the pan halfway through. After that it was time for the sauce. This time I chose to give the Sam’s Choice Sweet Rich BBQ Sauce a try. It’s a molasses sauce (I have yet to meet a molasses sauce I didn’t like) with, according to the label, “a hint of black pepper and a touch of heat.” And since there were some in our group who had never had the pleasure of experiencing the sweet southern pleasure of molasses sauce, it was a no-brainer.

Since we had six people, I cut the meat into large chunks and then smaller chunks before criss-crossing them with sauce and then slathering it all over with the baster. Another half hour with higher heat, to thicken the sauce (and wait for the baked beans to heat up), stirring occasionally, it was finished. I’ve never been much of a fan of fighting to get to the meat with bones, fat and skin on BBQ chicken, so this is the perfect alternative.

I had a bite of the smoked meat itself before applying the sauce, and offered the same to everyone else at camp. Most accepted, all of whom loved it, as did I. It was juicy, smoky and perfectly seasoned. Bud’s BBQ rub has a sweet, smoky flavor without being too salty that’s as great for smoking chicken as it is on pork.

The Sam’s choice sauce was exactly as described: sweet and smoky with just a little bit of bite. I’d recommend it right along with any of my other favorites.

For today’s entry, there’s a new piece of equipment. For two upcoming camping trips, I want to be able to smoke something, anything, for dinner one night while we’re there, but all the campsites have are fire pits and those grills that are so wide open and shallow that you can only grill things on them fast and hot like burgers and hot dogs. But whatever goes has to be small and lightweight.

Enter the Brinkmann Smoke’N Grill portable charcoal smoker. I had considered one of the many DIY plans online for smokers using things like a Weber Smoky Joe kettle grill and a 32 qt. steamer pot, or a terra cotta pot and an electric hot plate, but one takes metal fab skills I haven’t used since 8th grade shop class and tools I don’t have and the other requires electricity where you should be at least roughing it a little bit. Not to mention both ended up costing more than the $50 of the Brinkmann because of all the parts and extras you have to buy. So I grabbed the last one The Home Depot had, some Kingsford hickory briquettes, lighter fluid and hickory chunks.

Once I had it out of the box and assembled, I couldn’t wait for the next morning. Kind of like the reverse order of a kid with a Christmas present.

When I smoke meat it’s almost always pork butt. But since this was a new cooker whose personality I hadn’t yet learned, I decided to go with something smaller in case it didn’t come out right. So I settled on a small tray of country style pork ribs. They’re almost entirely deboned, so there’s more meat to one than some others, and already in individual pieces that you don’t have to break apart to fit on the grill surface or peel anything off of. The rub I chose to use this time was from Bud’s Custom Meats in Penngrove, CA, about an hour north of San Francisco. It’s a little sweeter than the Head Country rub I usually use, which is also a little spicier with more garlic and onion flavor.

After getting the charcoal lit, I applied the rub, which didn’t take long enough for the Kingsford to burn down to coals, but who’s in a hurry? There was plenty of time to enjoy the cool breeze of a rainy Arkansas day while visiting with a neighbor, who would be my guest, smoking chicken leg quarters on the lower grill surface. Once they had burned down enough, we added a few small, dry hickory chips at first just to get the smoke started, followed by some chunks that had been soaking for about half an hour. Finally, it was time to add the meat, close the lid and sit back for a 5 hour visit, occasionally stoking the fire adding more charcoal, adding more wood, and refilling a beverage, always careful not to let the smoke stop and keep the temperature in the “Ideal” range on the gauge.

Note to self: shop for inexpensive aftermarket temperature gauge that fits the same hole, but has numbers on it.

The final half hour or so, we removed the water pan to let the meat cook faster and all the way through. That was also the opportunity I took to turn the ribs,  slop some sauce on them, and turn them again halfway through to get the other side. Nothing like a good cooked-on glaze. My choice this time was Head Country’s hickory flavored sauce.

You can point the finger of blame at me for forgetting to get baked beans when I was at the store the night before, so frozen tater tots were the best available candidate for a side. Leave it to my girlfriend to come up with something to step it up a notch. Some people would be satisfied with salt and/or ketchup.

Others go for cheese tots. She came up with a whole new creation: Ro-Tel (seasoned, diced tomatoes and diced green chilis) and Velveeta. So, is this a new twist on an old favorite that Sonic and other fast food places will eventually offer, “Southwest Cheesy Tots?” Or has moving to Arkansas turned her full redneck? You decide. I’ll say they were really good!

The ribs were a bit on the salty side, but I suspect it was the combination of the rub and the cooked on sauce. One or the other by itself would probably have been fine.

So this time around you not only got my account of smoking ribs, but a long winded story and a bonus recipe!