Three easy BBQ recipes to try in quarantine
We hope everyone is staying safe and following all medical advice from your local health officials during the coronavirus pandemic. While we certainly hope you are able to support your favorite barbecue joints by ordering takeout and buying gift cards, we also wanted to give you some ideas for dishes to try in your backyard while you are hunkered down.
Here are three easy recipes to try out during your quarantine or social distancing.
Chili made with smoked meats can last for days and remain delicious.
Texas Brisket Chili
One comfort food we love is chili, and there’s no better way to “barbecue up your chili” than with brisket. You can either smoke your own brisket at home first or get a brisket sent to you in the mail. Then you’ll add that to chili puree, onions, cheese, and more. While this recipe from All Things BBQ does not have beans or tomatoes, feel free to add whatever you enjoy to this recipe to make it your own. We like making chili as well because you can make a large quantity of it and have it last for a few days. View the recipe here.
This simple-but-delicious cornbread will keep the whole family happy.
Easy Homemade Cornbread
Here is a quick and easy homemade cornbread recipe from Smokin’ and Grillin’ wit AB that is easy and fast to prepare. This also makes a great breading for a homemade dressing during the holidays. View the recipe here.
If you’ve never smoked a dessert before, now’s your chance to try it out.
White Chocolate Bread Pudding Cooked on the Smoker
This recipe for white chocolate bread pudding from How to BBQ Right is a modern take on a traditional southern dessert. This can be prepared on any grill or smoker set up for indirect cooking at 350 degrees. Use your favorite bourbon in the sauce. View the recipe here.
We hope you are able to get outside a little to enjoy the spring weather and cook some great barbecue in your backyard during the next few weeks!
Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist) & Sean Ludwig (NYC BBQ)
Co-Founders, The Smoke Sheet
Here are the top recent barbecue news stories from around the country:
Texas Monthly BBQ Editor Daniel Vaughn was stranded in Peru after the country closed its borders recently. He wrote about his crazy experience.
Texas Monthly BBQ Editor Daniel Vaughn typically writes about the best barbecue you can find around the Lone Star State. But he recently wrote about his scary experience of being stranded in Peru after the country closed its borders and his family’s difficult fight to get home.
In a new story from IN Kansas City Magazine, writer Michael Mackie makes a strong case that “barbecue helps in a crisis.” He spoke with four popular KC joints to find out what’s going on behind-the-scenes there.
J.C. Reid of the Houston Chronicle writes that barbecue joint success is strongly dependent on teams, not just the big names often associated with the joints.
BBQ writer Robert Moss asks in Southern Living if South Carolina's hash and rice dish might be on the verge of a resurgence.
BBQ and food personality Guy Fieri has teamed up with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation to launch the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund. The campaign associated with the fund will raise money to give one-time $500 grants to workers impacted by the coronavirus crisis as soon as April.
Operation BBQ Relief is working with Plowboys Barbecue in Kansas City on a new "Restaurant Relief Program." Together, Operation BBQ Relief and Plowboys are cranking out meals for Kansas City's homeless population, and it will ultimately help Plowboys hire back some of his staff.
Oakland pitmaster Matt Horn of Horn Barbecue and a team of volunteers offered tasty meals to families affected by the coronavirus pandemic last Wednesday. “Now is the time to step up and support those that have been affected by the current circumstances of this untimely pandemic, and we feel we have a responsibility to do what we can to support those in need,” Horn said. Next up is a series of community events Horn is hosting to help more people in need.
Porter's Real Barbeque in Tri-Cities, Washington is delivering meals to those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic with their new "Pay It Forward" program.
Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly, getting back to his regular BBQ reporting, spoke with Houston’s Roegels Barbecue Co. about how they are trying to make it through these tough times. Their secret? Deeply honest emails to customers and family meal packs.
For what appears to be the first time in Kansas City barbecue history, all three of Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que locations are now open on Sunday for curbside pickup, reports KMBC.
In a throwback to their old days, Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge in North Carolina has gone back to customers eating in the comfort of their cars due to coronavirus concerns. Employees there say “carhop service was popular there in the 1950s and ’60s” and “customers are relishing in the nostalgia.”
Memphis Magazine has spotlighted the incredible smoked meats at Payne’s in Memphis, and says their simple-but-good menu is available for takeout during this time.
Mozart's Coffee and Black's BBQ in Austin have teamed up to serve both coffee and barbecue, “allowing both companies to keep more of their employees working and paid,” reports KVUE.
Red State BBQ in Lexington, Kentucky is working to expand their operations to help its employees and the surrounding community. To do this, they are “opening a pop-up grocery inside of their business and calling it The Provisions Company.”
Finally, if you are looking for BBQ-themed movies to keep you entertained at home, check out the new Netflix movie Uncorked, which takes place in Memphis. "Uncorked" is the tale of a young man "who feels torn between his dream of becoming a master sommelier and his father's expectations that he'll take over the family barbecue business," writes The Commercial Appeal.
Here are BBQ shows, podcasts, or books you should check out this week:
Pitmaster Miguel Vidal of Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ in Austin has perfected the brisket taco.
Watch: How Texas Pitmaster Miguel Vidal Perfected the Brisket Taco — Eater
At Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ food trailer, pitmaster Miguel Vidal combines the flavors from his Tejano and Chicano upbringing with traditional Texas barbecue to make mouthwatering smoked meats, tacos, fresh tortillas, and more. In this episode of Smoke Point from Eater, Vidal shares his unique approach to barbecue. Note: this video was filmed before the COVID-19 health restrictions were in place in Austin. Watch here.
Listen: Lance Eaker of Eaker Barbecue — Cost of Goods Told
The Cost of Goods Told podcast has developed a series of episodes to help those in the food service industry respond to the coronavirus pandemic by providing information, tools, and resources that others may be able to use. In this episode, Lance Eaker, pitmaster and owner of Eaker Barbecue in Houston talks to hosts Conor and Darren about how his food truck business has changed since the COVID-19 outbreak. Listen to the episode here.
Read: The Complete Summer Cookbook: Beat the Heat with 500 Recipes that Make the Most of Summer's Bounty — America’s Test Kitchen
In The Complete Summer Cookbook, you'll find all you need for casual patio meals prepared entirely on the grill (from meat to veggies, even pizza). Throw a fantastic cookout with easy starters, frosty drinks, and picnic must-haves like Picnic Fried Chicken, Classic Potato Salad, and Buttermilk Coleslaw. Visited the farmers' market? Find ideas for main dishes as well as sides inspired by the seasonal bounty, plus the best fruit desserts worth turning on the oven for. To end your meal on a cooler note, turn to a chapter of icebox desserts and no-bake sweets. This title will be released on April 21, 2020. Pre-order here.
Check out this hearty recipe for brisket and pale ale pie.
Brisket and Pale Ale Pie — The Complete City Guide
For this week’s Recipe of the Week, we chose this hearty recipe for Brisket and Pale Ale Pie from The Complete City Guide. Brisket pie with pale ale and vegetables is the quintessential comfort food. This recipe is perfect for using any leftover brisket you might have (if it hasn’t all already disappeared). View the recipe here.
In light of the constantly changing coronavirus crisis, we will be leaving this section blank for the next few weeks. Many events you know and love are canceled or postponed and more are likely to come. We’ll be updating the events section on our website with the most up-to-date information as we have it.
See the full Smoke Sheet events calendar online here.
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