We have a smoker, but smoking meat is time-consuming. Here’s a short-cut method or one to use if you don’t have a smoker.

Marinate 1 to 2 pounds meat (ribs, brisket, even roast) in the following:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tsp sage
2 minced cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tsp mesquite liquid smoke
1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (mine is Rudy’s!)
2 or 3 bay leaves

I marinate the meat overnight. In the morning, grill the meat on an outdoor grill, burning the fat and browning the rest.

Put the leftover marinade in a crockpot and add the grilled meat. Add 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1/4 tsp celery seeds. Cook for 4 to 6 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low.

The meat will be very tender and taste as though you smoked it for several hours.

Serve with BBQ beans and potato salad.

Grilled chicken breasts can be used in a variety of dishes: chicken salad sandwiches, chicken casseroles, chicken in alfredo sauce, chicken in pasta salad.

All require a nice, simple marinade to keep the chicken juicy and flavorful. Here’s my favorite:

Marinate chicken and ingredients for 3 to 4 hours. I usually start with frozen chicken. Marinate until the chicken is thawed, turning several times.

4 or 5 breasts of chicken
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil

The olive oil will keep the chicken from sticking during cooking. The soy and honey will carmelize just slightly when grilled, giving a wonderful depth to the chicken. Once the chicken is grilled, top it with sauteed mushrooms, onions and cheese. Or dice the chicken and use in quesadillas or one of the other dishes described above.

Grill or pan broil.

Enjoy!

Red beans and rice is often a side dish in the south, but it makes a perfectly good “soup” or meal. I make mine in a pressure cooker, but you can also make them in a crockpot. I also use a summer sausage in mine rather than the more tradional ham bone or salt pork.

In pressure cooker:
16 oz red beans sorted, washed and soaked for 2 hours (some restaurants use kidney beans or a combination of beans. I like the small red beans.)
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 large stalks of celery, diced
5 baby carrots, diced
2 jalapenos, diced (with seeds for more heat)
6 oz chopped summer sausage
1 tablespoon crushed thyme leaves
1 tsp sage
2 bay leaves
1 tsp minced fresh parsely

Cook under pressure for 1 hour. After cooling, taste. Sprinkle additional thyme, salt and pepper if needed. Remove bay leaves and serve over white rice or a combination of wild rice mixed with white rice.

If you are cooking in a crockpot, cooking time will be 6 to 8 hours. I would advise searing the sausage, onions and celery in a skillet before adding to the crockpot. Make sure to add the grease from the sausage as this is important in flavoring the beans.