~Damn Yankee BBQ Sauce~

~Damn Yankee BBQ Sauce~

KC-style with maple syrup & spiced rum

Ingredients:
    • 1/2 cup ketchup
    • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (Grade A Dark preferred)
    • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
    • 1/4 cup spiced rum (e.g. Kraken, Captain Morgan)
    • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 tbsp Dijon or yellow mustard
    • 1/4 cup tomato paste
    • 1 tsp smoked paprika
    • 1/2 tsp onion powder (Substitute 1 small yellow onion (about 1/2 cup purée* once blended))
    • 1/2 tsp garlic powder ( Substitute 4–5 garlic cloves (about 1–2 tbsp purée once blended))
    • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper
    • 1 tsp liquid smoke (optional but highly recommended)
    • 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk until smooth.
2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce to low. Let simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and glossy.
3. Taste and tweak:
    More maple syrup = sweeter
    More vinegar = tangier
    More rum = richer (simmer extra to mellow the alcohol)
4. Cool and transfer to a clean glass jar or bottle.

Storage:
 Keeps 2–3 weeks in the refrigerator.
 Freezes beautifully for longer storage.

Serving suggestions:
Smoked ribs, pulled pork, chicken thighs
Brushed on BBQ burgers or grilled mushrooms
Dunked with reckless abandon into fries or onion rings

* How to Prepare the Purée:
    • Rough chop the onion and garlic.
    • Add them to a food processor or blender with 1–2 tbsp of the spiced rum or water to help them blend smoothly.
    • Purée until smooth.

---

The story behind this recipe…
 

I was looking for a recipe for homemade BBQ sauce and all I found was Texas BBQ sauce, Kansas City BBQ sauce, Louisiana BBQ sauce… and I noticed that there were no New England BBQ sauce.

So I was using ChatGPT AI to look for recipes, so I asked it… “make a New England style BBQ sauce recipe.” it paused for a second and them spit out the recipe. I liked it, a make a few changes to it, like maple syrup instead of cane sugar and spiced rum instead of Bourbon. Hence, Damn Yankee BBQ Sauce!

~Slow Cooked BBQ Country Ribs~

~Slow Cooked BBQ Country Ribs~

Super simply recipe.

Ingredients:

• One package of country ribs
• One cup of BBQ sauce
• ¼ cup of brown sugar
• ½ cup of apple cider vinegar

Directions:

• Place the ribs in the slow cooker and put about a ¼ inch of water in the bottom, cover and cook on high for an hour.
• While that is cooking mix the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar together.
• After an hour drain off the water and add the BBQ sauce mix until it covers the ribs with it. If there is not enough of the BBQ sauce mixture, mix some more up.
• LOW: 7 HOURS / HIGH: 3 HOURS — Ribs that are soft but stay on the bone (as shown in the video below).
• LOW: 9 HOURS / HIGH: 4-5 HOURS — Tender, fall apart in your hands ribs that melt in your mouth like butter (as shown in the image below).

Options:

• Add Yukon potatoes, carrots, and onion.
• Serve with rice. I like wild rice.

~~Stuffed Shotgun Shells~~

I was at a party where they had Stuffed Shotgun Shells and they were great! So my mind started working… how can I make them?

In the recipes that I looked at there are two fixed ingredients: manicotti shells and bacon. The stuffing had three ingredients: some kind of meat, some kind if cheese, and some kind of peppers.

So….

Ingredients:

• 1 box Manicotti Shells (Options: cannelloni pasta or large shells)
• 1 lbs. Bacon
• Dry meat rub
• BBQ sauce

Meats: any of the following as long as the total adds up to a little over a pound,

• 15% to 20% fat hamburger meat
• Sweet sausage meat
• Hot sausage meat
• Pepperoni 

Cheeses: any of the following as long as the total adds up to a little over eight ounces of cheese,

• Cream cheese
• Pepper jack cheese, shredded
• Cheddar cheese, shredded
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Peppers: any of the following finely diced peppers,

• Green or red peppers
• Jalapeno peppers*
• Habaneros peppers (If you want to go hog-wild on the spicy)*

*It is advised to wear gloves when handling hot peppers.

Directions:

• Pre-boil them first. Boil the manicotti shells for 3-4 minutes until the exterior is slightly soft, but they should still be firm and hold their shape.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the meat, cheese, and peppers together.
• Stuff the manicotti shells with the sausage, cheese, and pepper mixture.
• Wrap the shells in bacon. Ensure that the entire manicotti shell is covered by bacon. This will help to prevent the edges from getting too crispy.
• Apply a generous amount of your favorite rub evenly over the bacon wrap stuffed shells. Make sure to cover it completely.
• Allow to rest for four hours or overnight.
• Cooking...
• Oven: Preheat your oven to 275°F. Place the shotgun shells on a parchment lined sheet pan or baking sheet and cook on the middle rack for 60 minutes.
• Air fryer: Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the bacon is nice and crispy.
• Smoker: Preheat your smoker to 275°F. Smoke for 60 minutes.
• Grill: Preheat your grill to 275°F. Cook for 30 minutes.
• Check for an internal temperature of 165 – 170°F.
• Coat the shotgun shells with the BBQ sauce be sure to coat the shotgun shells well on all sides and the ends. The BBQ sauce will keep the noodles soft, so lather it on thick, and cook for another 10 minutes.
• Let them cool and cut them into one inch pieces.

Tips:

• The ones that I had were a little on the dry side, so it is important to use high fat content meats and if you are using pork you have to make sure you do not over cook them and make sure you cover them completely in BBQ sauce.
• To store them, let the shotgun shells cool to room temperature, then place them in an airtight container. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat them in an oven-safe dish and heat them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes. You can also heat them in the microwave or the air fryer.