Easy Crockpot Brisket

As if a crockpot recipe could ever be anything but easy! I also thought about calling this post “Omnomnom Meat”, but decided a more descriptive title would be more effective.

We rung in the New Year with this slow cooker brisket recipe and it’s been steadily feeding us ever since. Actually, we bbq’d steaks on New Years Eve and dined on leftovers the next day, but this juicy beast was the first official recipe of 2013. Apologies for the delayed post, but amidst the healthy new-year-new-me blog posts I didn’t think you’d have time to savour this beauty for all of its meaty goodness.

I rubbed her down with salt, pepper, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, and a lot of garlic. Then I cracked a can of America’s finest beers ( a Pabst Blue Ribbon) and let it cook on high for one hour, followed by 6 hours on low. Then, we ate.

Update: Someone didn’t know that you could cook brisket in a crockpot, so I told him what I knew: THAT IT WAS DELICIOUS.

Memphis Blues BBQ

Brisket

My BBQ dreams came true last week with a trip to Memphis Blues BBQ on Granville and Broadway. Heavenly fall-of-the-bone ribs and tender brisket accompanied with some mediocre sides, but damn that meat was good.

Ribs

As Guy Fieri loves to point out, look at the bark on those ribs!  We used a lot of the signature Memphis Blues mustard BBQ sauce on the ribs, great flavour combo!

Rib Meal with coleslaw, fries, cornbread, baked beans and BBQ sauce. $17.95

Sliced Beef Brisket Meal with disappointing potato salad, $17.95

The brisket was fantastic, so moist and delicious. The potato salad was the only let down of the meal. It was over salted so we couldn’t taste anything else, but really there was nothing impressive about it anyways. The fries, however, were perfectly seasoned and not too salty or greasy. There was nothing special about the coleslaw either, but it didn’t take anything away from the meal so we didn’t mind it.

Smokey baked beans. Again, not my favourite part of the meal but Phil loved them and they were a nice addition to the meal overall.

The cornbread was pretty good too, although I was the only one who thought it would have been nicer warmed up! Overall, great dinner and the best BBQ in Vancouver I’ve tried. They don’t stinge on portions either, so we had enough food the next day for a full lunch. Next time we’re getting the Memphis Feast ($47), a smorgasbord of all the meat Memphis has to offer, plus the fixin’s. I definitely recommend going with friends so you can chow down on this option, as it will be cheaper than getting a bunch of individual meals.

Garlic Basil Bites & Strawberry Feta Bruschetta

I have two fresh summer snack ideas for you today. One recipe is sweet, a great treat or appetizer, while the other is a savory revamped take on your classic garlic bread. They are quick and simple and delicious.

Strawberry Feta Bruschetta

1 Baguette
1 1/2 cups strawberries, rinsed and chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup feta cheese (goats cheese also works well) but let’s be honest with each other, you’re gonna use as much cheese as you want
Dash of salt
A liberal drizzling of balsamic reduction (balsamic vinegar does the trick if you’re not up to making the reduction)

Warm the whole baguette in a 350 degree oven. Meanwhile in a medium-sized bowl mix together all other ingredients. When the bread is warmed through, remove from oven, slice horizontally and spoon the strawberry mix onto each slice. Drizzle with more balsamic, serve and enjoy!

BASIL GARLIC BITES

1 Baguette
5 finely chopped basil leaves
2 finely minced garlic cloves
3 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated parmesan (optional)

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. When butter starts to bubble add minced garlic and basil. Sautée until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

There are a couple of ways to prepare this:
Warm the whole baguette in a 350 preheated oven. Slice and brush with basil butter, serve.
Or, if you have access to a BBQ, slice your bread diagonally and grill before brushing with garlic basil butter.
Or, slice open your baguette lengthwise. Brush either side with the garlic basil butter, top with grated cheese and broil until golden.

Nomnomnom! This goes great with a red sauce and of course, a bottle of wine. Happy Eating!

Easter Weekend Mixed Grill

It was another orphan holiday for i♥toeat and friends this Easter weekend. Don’t cry, we made the most of it with booze, a mixed grill, and hockey – Go Canucks!

I contributed Rosemary & Garlic Roasted Potatoes. Simple enough I’m sure you can all figure out the recipe. I added lemon juice while they marinated and a little squeeze after they came out of the oven, yum!

TheGlutenFreeDom made a Greek salad, so delicious, so fresh! Much better than any store-bought version. We decided the key to great Greek salad is FRESH FETA and big fat juicy olives.

Last but certainly not least came the mixed grill, provided and cooked by Mr. Phil. What a great idea! We had a juicy steak, spicy SouthWest style chicken and my favourite, Maui Ribs. All the items came pre-seasoned/marinated (except the steak) so we can’t take credit for it but everything was delicious. Way to go Hamilton Beach Grill for turning another basement suit BBQ adventure into a success! Just goes to show you don’t need a fancy grill to get the job done … although if anyone wants to buy me a BBQ this summer I won’t protest!

Holy CRAP look at that steak! Aren't you jealous!?

Oh ya, and there was strawberries.

Thai Style Ribs

It’s getting closer and closer to BBQing season, but for those of us unlucky enough not to have a backyard or patio grill, I found a crock pot recipe for fall-off-the-bone ribs that will make your mouth water. And they really do fall off the bone, and then melt in your mouth because they’re that tender. The Thai style marinade incorporates fresh ingredients like cilantro, garlic, and ginger to produce a sweet and tangy sauce. Garnishing the ribs with lime zest rounds out and accentuates the flavours for a finger-licking-good meal. 

Thai Style Ribs, A La Crock Pot

You Will Need:

A crock pot, duh. This recipe is for a 6-quart slow cooker.

2-3 Racks of Pork  back ribs, cut in half or thirds to fit into your crock pot
1 can thawed and undiluted Pinapple-Apple-Orange juice from concentrate (I used Tropicana but Welches is good too)
3/4 cup Light Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Peanut butter
1/4 cup Chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons Fresh ginger, minced
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 Lime, quartered to squirt over the ribs before eating.
optional: 1-2 Thai red chilis if you like to get spicy

What You Do:

1) To make the marinade combine and whisk together the juice, soy sauce, peanut butter, cilantro, ginger, garlic, and Thai chilis if you’re using them. Pour the marinade over your ribs, seal ribs in an air tight container and let stand in the fridge for 8 hours. 8 HOURS?! Yes, 8 hours. I did mine over night. The longer you wait, the better they taste.

2) If you don’t have a crock pot, cook your ribs on the BBQ, or in the oven, or however you want. Whatever.

3) Place ribs into your crock pot and discard remaining marinade. I found that leaning some against the sides of the bowl gives it charred edges, like you cooked it on the BBQ. 

4) Cook on high for 1 hour, then on low for 5. Don’t open the lid, just enjoy the sweet aromas wafting through your house.

5) Garnish your ribs with a few squirts of lime. This really brings together the flavours, and can’t be left out. 

Who needs a BBQ when you have a magical crock pot? Seriously, Happy Eating.