Spicy Barbecue Bucatini with Caramelized Red Onions, Pulled Pork, + Smoked Cheddar Cheese

 

I realize that the recipe I am posting today sounds a little bit off and a little bit crazy, but doesn't some things that are called crazy, some of the best stuff? A lot of you pasta fanatics/lovers of food will turn your nose up or scoff at me for mixing Southern BBQ or Italian, but y'all, it totally works. Better yet, it is easy-peasy and the perfect meal to use leftover pork or any kind of BBQ meat (smoked chicken, brisket, etc). I started off by using some Bucatini Pasta, it's like spaghetti, but like on steroids. It is a little bit thicker, but the glorious part, by far, is that it has a hole through the middle. This is beneficial for many, many reasons, but mainly it rocks because the pasta sauce goes into the center and with every bite, you get the perfect ratio of pasta to sauce. Um, yum. But it's not just like you are going to throw in a pound of pasta, a shit ton of pork, and a bottle of BBQ sauce, it's more complex than that. I started off by caramelizing sliced red onions, which gives the pasta a nice, unctuous bite to the entire dish. The flavor is then boosted with other aromatics like fresh garlic and green onions before it is mellowed out with some crushed San Marzano tomatoes + tomato paste. After that mixture cooks down, it is then when you stir in your favorite BBQ sauce and some seasonings, to finish it off. I wouldn't recommend using any vinegar based sauces (like a North Carolina style) because the flavor might be slightly astringent and sinus-burning, so go with a sauce that is on the sweeter side because with the addition of the tomatoes, it will be much yummier. Now my Mountain Man + I obviously like to bring the heat when it comes to any recipe we make, so I added in one of my favorite condiments, Candied Jalapenos. These are literally the best little morsels you will ever put in your mouth... I know I've said that time + time again, but it is oh-so-true. Not only is this an easy leftover meal, but you can really make it all in just ONE pot, which doesn't happen around this joint often. SO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT :) Once you've finished the Barbecue Bucatini, place it into a serving bowl, drizzle it with some extra BBQ sauce, top it with a blanket of smoked cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, and a few extra candied jalapeno rounds... and dinner is served!! I hope y'all enjoy it as much as our whole family did :)

For the Barbecue Bucatini:

1lb Bucatini Noodles (or spaghetti noodles if you can’t find those)

4T Unsalted Butter

2 Red Onions, Thinly Sliced

1lb Pulled Pork

6 Cloves of Garlic, Finely Diced

1 Bunch of Green Onions, Sliced

8oz Whole, Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes (crushed into smaller pieces by hand or diced)

3T Tomato Paste

¼C Candied Jalapenos, Finely Diced in a Food Processor (almost to a puree)

2-3C Homemade BBQ Sauce (or you can substitute in your favorite store-bought sauce)

½t Red Pepper Flakes

¼C Minced Fresh Cilantro, Divided (half will be put into the pasta, half will be used to garnished)

Smoked Cheddar Cheese, For Garnishing

Whole Candied Jalapenos, For Garnishing

BBQ Sauce, For Drizzling

Kosher Salt + Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. For the Pasta: In a large stockpot, bring water to a boil, making sure to add a good bit of salt to the water and a touch of olive oil. Cook the noodles according the package until they reach al dente. Strain the pasta and let them sit while you make the remainder of the dish.

2. Beginning the Dish: In the same stockpot that used to cook the pasta, add the 4T of butter and melt over medium heat. Add in the sliced red onions and a heavy sprinkling of kosher salt, and caramelize them for about 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly, so that they do not burn. Once they have caramelized, add in the garlic and cook for just a minute or two, and then toss in the pulled pork and green onions. Sautee these ingredients for about 5 minutes before adding in the crushed San Marzano tomatoes, tomato paste, candied jalapenos, BBQ sauce, and red pepper flakes. Let these flavors meld by simmering them on low-medium heat for about 10-15 minutes.

3. Finishing the Dish: After everything has cooked down, it’s time to add in the cooked Bucatini noodles into the pork + onions mixture, and toss to combine everything together. Add in the fresh cilantro and any salt & pepper to taste if it is needed.

4. Serving the Dish: Place the finished pasta dish into a bowl and garnish with a drizzle of a extra BBQ sauce, a mound of shredded smoked cheddar cheese, and a sprinkling of cilantro. If you want to make it extra spicy, you can top it with extra candied jalapenos. Eat it while it’s still hot! 

Pulled Pork Sliders with Pulled Pork, BBQ Sauce, Pineapple-Honey Mustard Coleslaw, Pickles, + Red Onion-Poppy Seed Buttered Slider Buns

Pulled Pork Sliders with Pulled Pork, BBQ Sauce, Pineapple-Honey Mustard 

Coleslaw, Pickles, & Red Onion-Poppy Seed Buttered Slider Buns

Last night's Super Bowl party cam and went, and I'm definitely feeling the effects of it. You know you had a blast when you wake up with a semi-broken rib! Ha, probably not the best idea, but I'm unfortunately a little clumsy. We had a shit-ton of tailgatin' food last night... it was certainly unhealthy! Here's some of the food we had: pulled pork sliders, caramelized onion dip, spicy bacon-peanut caramel corn, mexican seven layer dip, hot corn dip, candied bacon wrapped sausages, and homemade beergarita's.

Here's the feast. 

Our favorite appetizer of the night were these Pulled Pork Sliders. I kind of based them off those ham & cheese sliders that everyone always raves about. So I put my little twist on it by turning them into scrumptious pulled pork sliders. I layered homemade pulled pork, tangy BBQ sauce, our favorite pineapple coleslaw, and some pickle chips all on some sweet Hawaiian dinner rolls that have been doused with a mustard-butter sauce and garnished with minced red onion and poppy seeds. These sliders were perfectly toasty and had all the essential elements that we all love and cherish from classic BBQ sandwiches. These suckers were gone in 15 minutes, no lie. I will see that they aren't the prettiest and easiest sliders to assemble, you kind of have to work with them a little and just move fast, making sure to compress them in a little to keep all the components inside. We also found it extremely helpful to stick a toothpick in the center the hole them all together. How were your Super Bowl parties? Did y'all make any yummy food like us? I would love to hear about it!! Enjoy :)

For the Dry Rubbed-Pulled Pork:

2T Salt

4T Brown Sugar

4t Garlic Powder

4t Onion Powder

2t Ground Cumin

2t Chili Powder

2t Black Pepper

1 5lb Boston Butt

For the Pineapple-Poppy Seed-Honey Mustard Coleslaw:

1 16oz Bag of Coleslaw Mix

3 Green Onions, Thinly Sliced

8oz Crushed Pineapple (squeezed of all excess juice)

3T Mayo

2T Dijon Mustard

1T Grainy Mustard

3T Honey

1t Creamy Horseradish

Salt & Pepper, To Taste 

For the Red Onion-Poppy Seed Butter Sauce:

8T Unsalted Butter, Melted

1T Yellow Mustard

2T Brown Sugar

½t Worcestershire Sauce

2-4T Red Onion, Minced

Poppy Seeds, For Sprinkling

For the Sandwiches:

24 Hawaiian Dinner Rolls, Split in Half

Mayo, For Spreading

Warmed Pulled Pork

Your Favorite BBQ Sauce

Prepared Pineapple-Honey Mustard Coleslaw

Pickles, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. To Make the Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork: Mix together all of the seasonings and rub the spice blend all over the pork and marinate the pork overnight, covered, in the refrigerator. The next day, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Put the pork in a roasting pan and bake for 6 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer registers to 170 degrees. Remove the pork from the oven and transfer to a large platter and allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While still warm, take 2 forks and pull the meat to form shreds.

2. To Make the Pineapple Coleslaw: In a medium-mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, drained pineapple, Dijon mustard, grainy mustard, honey, and horseradish. Toss this mixture with the coleslaw and green onions until completely coated. Set it aside until ready to assemble the sandwiches.

3. Baking the Sliders: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Split the dinner rolls in half and spread one of the sides with a thin layer of mayo. Place some pulled pork on top of the bun with mayo (making sure to press it in, so it’s compacted). Close the rolls with the top bun. Place them into a large baking dish or a cookie sheet that has been lined with a Silpat (make sure that they are very close together). Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, yellow mustard, maple syrup, minced red onion, and Worcestershire sauce. Season it with a little salt and pepper if needed. Using a spoon, drizzle the sauce over the sliders evenly, using just enough to cover the tops of the buns. Try to spoon the minced red onions on top for pretty presentation. Sprinkle the tops with poppy seeds. Let the butter sauce sit until it sets slightly. Bake the sandwiches for 10-15 minutes or until the tops are slightly brown and beginning to crisp up.

4. Assembling the Sliders: Once they have baked, remove them from the oven. Open the sliders back up, and then drizzle the pulled pork with some of your favorite BBQ sauce. Next, top the sauced pork with a pickle chip and a scoop of slaw. Close them back up with the top bun. For easier serving, stick a long toothpick into the middle of the slider to hold them together. These sliders can be a little messy to assemble, but you just have to keep stacking and pressing! Enjoy them while they are still slightly warm!

source: ham + cheese sliders

Title Town's Famous BBQ Nachos with Pulled Pork, Pan Fried Red Onions, Candied Jalapenos, Pimento Cheese-Beer Nacho Cheese Sauce, & Green Onions

Title Town's Famous BBQ Nachos with Pulled Pork, Pan Fried Red Onions,
Candied Jalapenos, Pimento Cheese-Beer Nacho Cheese Sauce, & Green Onions

Have y'all missed me?? I know, I know... I've been gone for like two weeks. I'm like deathly ill and I've actually been in the hospital since Monday, but I have had a fever above 102 since October 14th. Crazy, right? So, forgive me, I have not been in the posting mood. But, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and what's better than my favorite, tailgatin' recipes. And these hit home for me. Every game day in Tuscaloosa involved tailgating on the quad, partying with friends, and then ending the night with a night out on the Strip at the bars. Well, at one of our favorite hangouts, there was a small BBQ stand that made the best BBQ nachos. Can you think of anything else that would be better than nachos after a long day? Nope. So, I knew that I would eventually make my own version, kicked up just a bit. Big Bad Wolves' Nachos were pretty simple... chips, pulled pork, nacho cheese sauce, and jalapenos. Well, mine are loaded with pulled pork, BBQ sauce, pan fried red onions, candied jalapenos,  green onions, and a homemade Pimento Cheese-Beer Nacho Cheese Sauce. These are so good y'all and just perfect for game day. I mean, it's a rule that you gotta have these while visiting T-Town (or Title Town) as we call it. Now, let's hope that the good 'ole Crimson Tide will pull out a win for us tonight because I sure need one to make me feel better. I hope y'all are all doing great and I promise I won't disappear for that long again!! Enjoy :)

For the Pan Fried Red Onions:

2 Medium Red Onions, Sliced

4T Unsalted Butter

¼C Vegetable Oil

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

  

For the Pimento Cheese-Beer Nacho Cheese Sauce:

12oz Beer

1C Sharp Yellow Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

½C Pepperjack Cheese, Shredded

½C Colby Jack Cheese, Shredded

1T AP Flour

8oz Cream Cheese, Room Temperature

1 Clove of Garlic, Minced

4oz Pimentos, Drained & Diced

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the BBQ Nachos:

Tortilla Chips

Pulled Pork, Warmed & Tossed in BBQ Sauce

Your Favorite BBQ Sauce, For Drizzling

Shredded Pepperjack Cheese, For Topping

Prepared Pan Fried Red Onions

Prepared Pimento Cheese-Beer Nacho Cheese Sauce, Warm

Candied Jalapenos, For Garnishing

Minced Green Onions, For Garnishing

Sour Cream (optional)

Directions:

1. For the Pan Fried Red Onions: Cut the onions in half and then slice them into thin half-rounds. Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.

2. For the Pimento Cheese-Beer Nacho Cheese Sauce: Add the beer to a saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a boil. While you are waiting, toss the shredded cheese with the flour. Once the beer is simmering, whisk in the cheese and all of the remaining ingredients. Whisk until all the cheese has melted and you have a smooth, creamy sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve.

3. For the BBQ Nachos: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with Pam. Pour tortilla chips onto the prepared pan and top with the shredded cheese and BBQ pulled pork. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is just melted and the chips have started to crisp up. Remove the chips from the oven and immediately transfer them to a serving platter. Top the nachos with the pan fried red onions, spoonfuls of nacho cheese sauce, candied jalapenos, a little more pulled pork, a drizzle of BBQ sauce, and green onions.

4. Enjoy while still warm and with a dollop of sour cream.

Alabama White BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Alabama White BBQ Chicken Sandwich

While I was at the University of Alabama, there were a couple restaurants that we loved. And one go-to restaurant for us was Newk's... a sandwich, salad, and pizza joint. It always had good food at affordable prices, which is a plus for college students. My favorite sandwich was the Newk's Q. This consisted of roasted chicken, crispy bacon, smoked provolone, and a classic Alabama White BBQ Sauce. It always hit the spot, especially after a night of drinking. Have y'all ever been to Newk's? And did you love it as much as we did? This would be one great sandwich for tailgating or a day of watching football!! Enjoy :)

For the Sandwich:

4 Slices of French Country Bread, Fried in Bacon Fat

Leftover Dry-Rubbed Beer Can Chicken, Sliced & Warmed

Homemade Alabama White BBQ Sauce

8 Slices of Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cooked until Crispy

4 Slices of Smoked Provolone Cheese

Red Onions, Sliced & Caramelized

Directions:

1. Fry the pieces of bread in leftover bacon fat until golden brown and crispy. Keep warm.

2. Spread some Alabama White BBQ Sauce on both slices of bread, and then top one slice of bread with a slice of smoked provolone cheese, warmed Dry-Rubbed Beer Can Chicken, crispy bacon slices, caramelized red onions, an extra drizzle of sauce, and one last slice of cheese. Stack the sandwich together and either finish cooking in a sauté pan or in the oven until the cheese has melted and the sandwich is warmed through.

3. Enjoy while warm. 

BBQ Shrimp & Charred Corn-Goat Cheese Grits with Roasted Rainbow Cherry Tomatoes, Country Ham, & Red Eye Gravy

BBQ Shrimp & Charred Corn-Goat Cheese Grits with Roasted Rainbow Cherry Tomatoes,
Country Ham, & Red Eye Gravy

Sorry I haven't posted anything in like a week. We've been up at the mountain house since Thursday and we aren't coming back until Tuesday. But, I will try to post a recipe the next two days to make it up to y'all. Meanwhile, I'll keep enjoying the peace and quiet, along with bonfires, s'mores, fried chicken, pumpkin carvin', hikes, and spiked apple cider. Today, I decided to post a new Shrimp & Grits recipe because well, it's one of our favorites as y'all know. In fact, my these shrimp and grits are one of my favorites meals, ever. This time though, I wanted to make a kinda-sorta "brunch version" that would be perfect on a late Sunday morning. The grits are loaded with lots of good stuff... goat cheese, charred corn, and cream. And then, they are topped with a southern sauce called Red Eye Gravy, which gives the dish a nice acidity and sweetness. Also, we all know of my obsession with anything-roasted-tomato, so I piled the plate with some roasted rainbow cherry tomatoes. I decided to toss the shrimp in my favorite BBQ spice rub for a sweet & smoky taste, and it was perfect. And don't you forget to garnish with country ham, green onions, and a little more crumbled goat cheese for good measure!! Enjoy :)

For the Barbequed Shrimp:

1lb Wild Georgia Shrimp, Peeled & Deveined

Your Favorite BBQ Rub

Butter or Oil, For Sautéing

For Charred Corn-Goat Cheese Grits:

1C Stone-Ground Grits

1 ½C Heavy Cream

½C Milk

1 ½C Chicken Stock 

1C Fresh Corn, Grilled or Charred

6-8oz Creamy Goat Cheese, Room Temperature (plus extra for garnishing)

4T Unsalted Butter

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Roasted Rainbow Cherry Tomatoes:

2C Rainbow Cherry Tomatoes, Cut in Half

Olive Oil, For Drizzling

Salt & Pepper

Fresh Rosemary Sprigs

For the Red Eye Gravy:

4oz Thinly Sliced Country Ham, Cut into Pieces

1T of Reserved Fat (any fat can be substituted)

½C Coffee

¼C Coke

1T Maple Syrup (plus extra if you want it a little sweeter)

1 Beef Bouillon Cube

2T Unsalted Butter

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

A Splash of Water (it may be needed, this is optional)

For the Shrimp & Grits:

Prepared BBQ Shrimp, Cooked

Prepared Charred Corn-Goat Cheese Grits

Prepared Roasted Rainbow Cherry Tomatoes

Prepared Red Eye Gravy

Thinly Sliced Green Onions, For Garnishing

Crumbled Goat Cheese, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. For the BBQ Shrimp: Toss the shrimp in your favorite BBQ dry rub until coated. In a large sauté pan, melt some butter or oil. Add the seasoned shrimp and cook until just done and still tender (don’t overcook). Remove the shrimp from the sauté pan and set them aside on a plate until ready to serve.

2. For the Charred Corn-Goat Cheese Grits: Bring heavy cream, milk and chicken stock to a gentle boil in a heavy saucepan. Add grits and reduce heat to medium low. Whisk occasionally at first, then whisk more frequently as the grits begin to thicken, watching carefully to make sure the bottom of the pot does not scald. Cook until the grits are thick and creamy, about 45 minutes to an hour. Add more liquid if you feel they are too thick, and continue cooking until desired consistency is reached. Season generously with salt and butter, adjusting to personal taste. Stir in the corn and goat cheese into the grits. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve.

3. For the Roasted Rainbow Cherry Tomatoes: Preheat oven to 400 °. Toss tomatoes with olive oil and kosher salt and arrange on a sheet pan cut side up. Top the tomatoes with a few sprigs of rosemary. Cook for approximately one hour until they are soft, shriveling, and turning golden brown.

4. For the Red Eye Gravy: Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the ham and renderuntil golden brown. Remove the ham from the pan and set aside on a plate and keep warm. To the pan, add the coffee, coca cola, and maple syrup and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the butterand the bouillon cubeand stir to incorporate. Reduce the sauce in half to thicken slightly. Taste the sauce and season with salt & pepper to taste and possibly a splash of water.

5. For the Shrimp & Grits: Scoop some of the Charred Corn-Goat Cheese Grits into a deep bowl, and then spoon on some of the Red Eye Gravy over the top. Add on the roasted rainbow cherry tomatoes and BBQ shrimp. Garnish with green onions, crispy country ham, and crumbled goat cheese. Enjoy immediately.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Pineapple-Poppy Seed-Honey Mustard Coleslaw

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Pineapple-Poppy Seed-Honey Mustard Coleslaw

Pulled pork has to be the ultimate game-day food for us. I mean, it requires very little work and you just pop it in the oven for 6 hours and you have amazingly fatty shreds of porkiness in front of you. Even better, you can stretch it into different meals for days. On Sunday, I'll post a recipe for some of the best Pulled Pork Waffles that you've ever seennnnn. In the meantime, I made a different version of some BBQ sandwiches... and they involve a kinda-crazy coleslaw... made with pineapple. Yes, I realize that might sound odd, but it's strangely delicious. The dressing has a bunch of ingredients, but it mainly involves a homemade honey mustard sauce with prepared horseradish, poppy seeds, and crushed pineapple. It's tangy, sweet, yet has a nice "zang" to it. It's the perfect topping to any sandwich and I think it would go great with a pulled chicken sandwich as well. If there are any Alabama fans out there reading this, it would be a great recipe at your tailgates this weekend since the Crimson Tide plays Arkansas. But, don't worry... this isn't only for us 'Bama fans!! Enjoy :)

For the Dry Rubbed-Pulled Pork:

2T Salt

4T Brown Sugar

4t Garlic Powder

4t Onion Powder

2t Ground Cumin

2t Chili Powder

2t Black Pepper

1 5lb Boston Butt

For the Pineapple-Poppy Seed-Honey Mustard Coleslaw:

1 16oz Bag of Coleslaw Mix

3 Green Onions, Thinly Sliced

8oz Crushed Pineapple (squeezed of all excess juice)

3T Mayo

2T Dijon Mustard

1T Grainy Mustard

3T Honey

1t Creamy Horseradish

1T Poppy Seeds

Salt & Pepper, To Taste 

For the Sandwiches:

Toasted Buns

Warmed Pulled Pork

Your Favorite BBQ Sauce

Prepared Coleslaw

Pickled Red Onions, For Garnishing

Pickles, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. To Make the Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork: Mix together all of the seasonings and rub the spice blend all over the pork and marinate the pork overnight, covered, in the refrigerator. The next day, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Put the pork in a roasting pan and bake for 6 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer registers to 170 degrees. Remove the pork from the oven and transfer to a large platter and allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While still warm, take two forks and pull the meat to form shreds.

2. To Make the Pineapple Coleslaw: In a medium-mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, drained pineapple, Dijon mustard, grainy mustard, honey, horseradish, and poppy seeds. Toss this mixture with the coleslaw and green onions until completely coated. Set it aside until ready to assemble the sandwiches.

3. Assemble the sandwiches by stacking the pulled pork, BBQ sauce, pineapple coleslaw, and other toppings onto toasted buns and enjoy!

Dry-Rubbed Beer Can Chicken with Alabama White BBQ Sauce

Dry-Rubbed Beer Can Chicken with Alabama White BBQ Sauce

Have y'all ever had Beer Can Chicken? It was one of my favorite meals growing up. I think it was because of the sheer amazement and excitement that a whole chicken was stuffed with a beer can and then cooked on the grill to absolute perfection. It's almost like it is poached on the inside from the beer, but crispy & smoky from the grill. My dad was the ultimate grill-master, me? Not so much. So, I decided to try and make Beer Can Chicken in the oven. Well people, it was so good. So good that we made it the next night. And well, we don't do that a lot. First, you gotta rub the chicken down with your favorite dry rub. I'm partial to mine because it's smoky, sweet, & a little bit spicy. And it goes good on anything, especially this chicken and BBQ. Then, you shove a bunch of fresh herbs and lemon inside the chicken, which just gives it the best herby & lemony flavor. Well, after that you just pop it in the oven until it's golden brown & crispy, then cut it into pieces (or if you are disgusting like us, pick off half the meat and eat it straight). I drizzled our chicken with a classic Alabama White BBQ Sauce, which a lot of people have not heard of, but it is dear to my heart. It is a mayo based sauce, that is super vinegary & peppery, and it goes perfectly on chicken. Most people in Alabama actually marinate the chicken in the sauce and then grill 'em up... and that's super good too (so try that soon as well). We served our Dry-Rubbed Beer Can Chicken with Mexican Grilled Corn, which I'll post in a day or so!! Enjoy :)

Look at the gorgeous brown skin...

And that yummy drizzle of Alabama White BBQ Sauce... 

Here's some chicken without the sauce.

Here's the chicken right out of the oven, beer can still in baby. 

For the Dry Rub:

1T Salt

2T Brown Sugar

2t Garlic Powder

2t Onion Powder

1t Ground Cumin

1t Chili Powder

1t Black Pepper

Vegetable Oil

3-4lb Whole Chicken (sometimes referred to as a young or fryer chicken)

For the Beer Can Chicken:

Prepared Dry Rubbed Chicken

1 Can of Beer (your choice of beer)

2 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs

3 Fresh Thyme Sprigs

Handful of Fresh Parsley

½ Lemon, Sliced Thinly

1 Small Vidalia Onion, Quartered

3 Garlic Cloves, Smashed

For the Alabama White BBQ Sauce:

1C Mayo

1t Dijon Mustard

¼C Apple Cider Vinegar

3 Drops of Worcestershire

1T Sugar

¼t Cayenne, Paprika, Onion Powder, & White Pepper

2t Prepared Horseradish

1 Large Clove of Garlic, Finely Minced

1T Lemon Juice

Salt & Pepper, To Taste  (I like a lot of pepper for this recipe)

Directions:

1. For the Dry Rub: Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and its packaging. Wash and dry the chicken completely. In a small bowl, combine all of the spices and seasonings to make the dry rub. Rub a little bit of vegetable oil and the seasoning mixture all over the chicken until it is completely coated and covered. Stuff the inside of the bird with the lemon, onions, garlic, and parsley. Let this marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a roasting pan with tin foil. Set out and open a beer to allow it to get to room temperature (making sure to pour out half of the beer for your drinking pleasure). Stick the sprigs of rosemary and thyme into the beer can. Place the beer can into the center of the lined roasting pan, and then slip the chicken on top of the can, using its legs as a tripod, so it will stand up straight.

3. Cook the beer can chicken in the preheated oven for 1 hour, rotating it halfway to ensure even cooking (It’s also yummy to baste the chicken in some of the beer reduction every 20-30 minutes or so). After an hour of cooking, bump the oven heat up to 450 degrees. Cook the chicken at this high temperature for 10-15 minutes, turning the pan to make sure the chicken skin crisps and browns evenly on all sides. After the chicken skin has crisped, remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. The juices should run clear and the temperature of the thigh meat should be about 170 degrees when checked with a meat thermometer. Gently remove the hot beer can from the chicken and place onto a cutting board. Cut the chicken into pieces, brush with some more beer reduction, and serve with the Alabama White BBQ Sauce.