Barbecue fans relax! With more than 125 terrific recipes for indoor cooking, Cheater BBQ makes it easy to serve up pit-style barbecue classics year-round.
Cheater BBQ is the first cookbook to bring the outdoor grilling pit into the weeknight kitchen using little more than a slow cooker or an oven, a roll of foil, a few everyday ingredients, and some all-natural liquid smoke. Anyone can make great cheater barbecue.
The recipes in Cheater BBQ cover smoky barbecue classics: pulled pork, chicken, ribs, brisket, rubs, and regional sauces. Starters and sides include Smoked Paprika Pimiento Cheese, Boston Crocked Beans, Packet Potato Salad, and Loaded Cornbread, as well as drinks and desserts.
From Super Bowl celebrations to March madness get-togethers to simple meals with family, Cheater BBQ delivers barbecue taste year-round -- without lighting a match.
Buy the book on Amazon: Cheater BBQ
Ultimate Cheater Pulled Pork
Makes 12 to 14 servings
- One 5- to 6-pound boneless Boston butt pork roast or same weight of boneless country-style pork ribs
- 1/4 cup Cheater Basic Dry Rub
- 1/2 cup bottled smoke
- Barbeque sauce of your choice
Cut the pork butt into medium (2- to 3-inch) chunks (the ribs don't need to be cut up).
Put the pieces in a large slow cooker (at least 5 quarts). Sprinkle the meat with the rub, turning the pieces to coat evenly. Add the bottled smoke.
Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours or on low for 10 to 12 hours, until the meat is pull-apart tender and reaches an internal temperature of 190° F.
Using tongs and a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a rimmed platter or baking sheet. Let rest until cool enough to handle.
Pull the meat into strands. It should shred very easily. Serve the barbecue piled on buns with your favorite barbecue sauce.
To serve the barbecue later, cover and refrigerate the meat when it has cooled. Pour the meat juice into a separate container and refrigerate. Before reheating the juice, skim and discard the congealed fat layer on the top.
To reheat the barbecue, place it in a saucepan moistened with some of the reserved juice. Gently heat the meat on medium-low, stirring occasionally. Or, place it in a covered casserole with some of the reserved juice and heat in a 350° F oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
While the meat warms, combine the barbecue sauce and some of the additional reserved meat juice in a saucepan. Heat through and serve with the barbecue.
Cheater Basic Dry Rub
Makes about 2/3 cup
- 1/4 cup paprika
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
Combine all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to blend.
Nashville Crossroads Cheater Q Sauce
Makes about 2 cups
- 1 small onion, grated
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon bottled smoke (optional)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
Cook the onion in the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Simmer for a few minutes until thickened and smooth.
Cheater BBQ Slaw
Makes 6 Servings
- 1/2 cup white or cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- One 16-ounce bag slaw mix (about 8 cups lightly packed)
Combine the vinegar, sugar, mayonnaise, celery seed, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Blend well with a whisk or fork.
Add the slaw mix and toss to blend. Chill before serving.
About Mindy Merrell and R.B. Quinn
MINDY MERRELL and R. B. QUINN cook, eat, and write in Nashville, Tennessee. Quinn wrote "The Fire Zone" for The Tennessean, in which he reported weekly on his grilling adventures on the patio. Merrell is a food marketing and recipe development veteran. She tracked restaurant industry trends for The Tennessean in her weekly column, "Drive Thru Review." After years of splitting wood and pulling pork, Quinn and Merrell are dedicated champions of barbecue diversity, from the open pit to the closed oven and slow cooker
