Chef Dawn Tyson shares tips, recipes for July 4th cookouts
theGRIO REPORT - Chef Dawn Tyson spoke to theGrio about some Fourth of July recipes, great for any cookout, and her recent book 'Soul: Southern American Cuisine'...
BBQ Ribs
Ingredients:
12 ounce bottle of dark beer
or stout (I prefer Guinness.) 1⁄2 cup water
BBQ SAUCE
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Tabasco 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1⁄4 cup white vinegar 3 racks spareribs – cracked
1 teaspoon dried thyme 1⁄2 teaspoon dry mustard 1⁄2 cup dark brown sugar 1⁄4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon paprika 2 cloves garlic – minced 2 onions – finely chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees for a “low and slow” roast.
Clean ribs and place in a baking pan. Mix together beer, water, and vinegar and pour over ribs. Cover pan with aluminum foil and roast ribs for about 4 hours. Do not uncover pan. Cook for about 4 hours.
Meanwhile, make your sauce. In saucepan, melt butter, and then sauté onions and garlic.
Add vinegar, water, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco or sriracha, cayenne, thyme, dry mustard, brown sugar, molasses, and paprika; bring to a boil. Turn down heat and cook until mixture reduces a bit and thickens.
After taking ribs out of the oven, let cool slightly. While cooling, get your grill or broiler ready. Baste ribs in BBQ sauce and place on grill. Cook one side approximately 7-10 minutes. Turn ribs over and cook an additional 6 minutes. Baste ribs continuously. Save some sauce for serving ribs.
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BBQ CHICKEN
Ingredients:
3 pounds chicken parts 2 teaspoons dried thyme 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
Clean chicken and season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Par-cook chicken by roasting in pan for about 1 hour in a 350-degree oven. (Note: Do not cover chicken.) Remove chicken from oven and let cool slightly. Get your grill or broiler ready. Baste chicken in BBQ sauce (made as directed above) and place on grill. Cook one side 7-8 minutes, then turn over and cook an additional 10 minutes. Baste with sauce frequently. Save some sauce for serving chicken.
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Crab Boil
Ingredients:
The best time is having a bushel of “live” crabs ready to boil with all my nieces and nephews screaming in glee—or fear! Invite the family over for a barbecue. Boil some crabs and turn them out cooked on newspaper on the table in your backyard. So much fun!
½ bushel of crabs (about 2 dozen crabs)
1 bunch of celery with tops–chopped in large pieces
1 large onion–large chop
1 sprig thyme
12 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic
¼ cup Old Bay seasoning
2 lemons–quartered
2 beers–dark ale or stout (Guinness is what I use.)
Directions:
Place celery, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and lemons in a large 5/6-quart pot with basket – fill pot about ½ with water. Bring to a boil and allow seasoning to cook for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Then add live crabs and cover quickly. Add both bottles of beer. Cook crabs for about 20 minutes, and set the pot aside for about 10 minutes. Pull basket of crabs out and turn out on table covered with newspaper. Dig in and enjoy!
How to Eat a Hard Shell Crab
First, I hand out crab mallets and nutcrackers. Both work well when trying to crack the claws. I usually pull off all the claws first and set them aside. Then turn the crab over and you will see the “apron,” which is the small shell that sort of looks like a “soda can tab”. By pulling on this “apron” it will allow you to peel back the top of the shell. Pull away the “lungs.” They are not good to eat. Finally, break the crab in half and proceed to extract the meat from both half’s. I like to leave the claws for last.
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Potato Salad
Ingredients:
6 large potatoes (Red or Yukon Gold recommended)
4 hard-boiled eggs
2 stalks celery – finely chopped
¼ cup Vidalia onion – finely chopped
1 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons sweet relish
1 cup mayonnaise (homemade or Hellmann’s)
½ teaspoon paprika
Salt
Pepper
Directions:
Boil potatoes with skin on in salted (a teaspoon) water until tender. Drain and cool. Once cooled, peel and cut potatoes into cubes. Add chopped celery and onions and refrigerate. Peel and chop hard-boiled eggs and set aside. In a separate bowl combine sugar, mustard, vinegar, sweet relish, and mayonnaise. Whisk together ingredients and pour over cubed potatoes. Add chopped eggs and gently mix together until mayonnaise sauce coats all of potato mix. Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with a sprinkle of paprika.
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Grandma’s Peach Cobbler — can be made right on the grill. Still use a Pyrex or heat resistant dish. And cover the finished cobbler with aluminum foil and place on the grill to cook. Make sure the heat on the grill is a low flame /hot embers before baking.
Ingredients:
For the Batter:
½ cup butter
1-¼ cup flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
For the Filling:
4 cups sliced fresh peaches [You can also use this recipe with summer berries (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries) or even ripe summer pears.]
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. (Or grill)
Mix together the peaches, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Allow the mixture to sit while you make the batter, so the juices can be drawn out of the peaches. Place the butter in a 9 x 13-inch Pyrex baking dish and put the dish in
the preheating oven. While the butter is melting, mix up the batter by combining the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and milk. When the butter is completely melted, remove the pan and pour the batter into the melted butter. Then, carefully spoon the peach mixture evenly over the batter. Return dish to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. As the cobbler cooks, the batter will begin to rise up and around the peaches.
Serve warm, as is, or add a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.
