K.C. Masterpiece Original Barbecue Sauce

Even though it's now owned and produced by the Clorox Company, the taste of Original K. C. Masterpiece barbecue sauce is the same as when it was first created in good ole' Kansas City, USA. This is the sauce that steals awards from all the other popular slathers on the market. It's now even is sold in a variety of flavors. But this is the clone for the original, and you'll find it very easy to make. Just throw all of the ingredients in a saucepan, crank it up to a boil, then simmer for about an hour. Done deal. And just like the original Masterpiece, this stuff will make a work of art out of any of your grilled meats, or burgers and sandwiches; and as a dipping sauce or marinade.

Recipe Ingredient

2 cups water

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup vinegar

3 tablespoons molasses

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over high heat and whisk until smooth.

2. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes or until mixture is thick.

3. Cool, then store in a covered container in the refrigerator overnight so that flavors can develop.

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Tidbits

Liquid smoke is a flavoring found near the barbecue sauces and marinades. Use hickory-flavored liquid smoke if you have a choice.

Hard Rock Cafe Tupelo Style Chicken

The world's most famous theme restaurant pays tribute to the birthplace of Elvis Presley with this chicken finger appetizer dish, and two tasty dipping sauces. It's probably best they chose to name the dish after a city, rather than after the King himself. "Elvis Style Chicken" sounds like a concoction that should include bananas, peanut butter and bacon grease.

4 to 6 cups vegetable oil

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

2 teaspoons honey

pinch paprika

Apricot Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons Grey Poupon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon apricot preserves

2 tablespoons honey
1 cup corn flake crumbs

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

dash garlic

1 egg

1 cup milk1 cup flour

1 pound chicken breast fillets

1. Preheat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees.

2. Make the honey mustard dipping sauce by combining the recipe ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Make the apricot dipping sauce by combing those ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate this sauce as well, until your chicken is ready.

3. Prepare the breading by combining the corn flake crumbs, crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, paprika, onion powder, and garlic in a medium bowl.

4. Beat the egg in a medium bowl, add the 1 cup of milk and stir.

5. Pour the flour into another medium bowl.

6. Slice each chicken breast lengthwise into strips approximately 1/2-inch wide.

7. When the oil is hot, bread your chicken by first coating each strip with flour. Dip the chicken into the egg/milk mixture and then back into the flour. Dip each chicken strip back in the egg/milk mixture and then in the corn flake crumb mixture. Be sure to coat each chicken piece thoroughly with the corn flake crumbs.

8. Fry 6 to 8 coated chicken strips at a time in the oil for 4 to 5 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown. Drain and serve chicken with the dipping sauces on the side.

Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer

Hard Rock Cafe Pig Sandwich

Take a big honkin' bite out of one of these and you'll soon know why it's the Hard Rock Cafe's most popular sandwich. According to the menu the pork is hickory smoked for 10 hours. But since we're impatient hungry people here, we'll cut that cooking time down to under 4 hours using a covered grill and carefully arranged charcoal.

Just sprinkle wet hickory chips over the hot charcoal arranged around the inside edge of a grill (such as a round Weber), and let the smoking begin. You can certainly use an actual smoker if you've got one, and go the full 10 hours with this puppy. But while you're still waiting for your sandwiches, the rest of us will have already dragged our full, round bellies over to the couch for a nap.

By the way, make your marinated cabbage a day ahead of time for this recipe, if you have the foresight.

Marinated Cabbage

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

4 cups thinly-sliced cabbage
4 cups hickory smoking chips

Spice Rub

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 boneless pork loin roast (3 to 4 pounds)

vegetable oil

Sauce

2 15-ounce cans tomato puree

1 cup white vinegar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (hickory)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
8 Kaiser rolls

1. Make the marinated cabbage at least one day prior to building your sandwiches. Like cole slaw, this garnish needs some time to develop in the fridge. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the cabbage, stir, cover the bowl and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the sandwiches.

2. Put the wood chips in a bowl and cover with water. Let the wood soak for at least 1 hour. Light the charcoal after it has been arranged around the inside edge of your grill. You don't want coals directly under your pork. When the coals are hot, drain the water from the wood chips and sprinkle the chips over the top of the coals. You should now have smoke.

3. Combine the spices for the rub in a small bowl and mix well.

4. Rub some vegetable oil over the surface of the pork roast. Sprinkle the spices over the entire surface of the roast.

5. Place the roast in the center of your grill and put the lid on. Let the pork cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 175 to 180 degrees.

6. As the pork cooks, make the sauce by combining the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Let the sauce simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, then cover and remove from heat. Set this aside until your pork is ready.

7. When the pork is done, remove it from the grill and let it sit to cool for 15 to 20 minutes or until you can handle it. Now you want to tear the meat along the grain, making bite-size strips of shredded pork.

8. Put the shredded pork into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 cups of the sauce to the pan and stir. Keep the rest of the sauce for later to serve on the side. Cook the pork for 15 minutes or until it is heated through.

9. Grill the faces of the rolls and stack about 1 cup of pork onto the bottom half of each roll. Add a rounded tablespoon of marinated cabbage on top of the pork, add a tablespoon or so of extra sauce on top of that, then cap off each sandwich with the top half of the roll. Serve with clones for the Hard Rock's cole slaw and baked beans on the side, if desired.

Makes 8 sandwiches.

Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix

Here's a clone for the instant dressing mix you buy in the little .7-ounce packets. When added to vinegar, water, and oil, you get one of the best-tasting instant salad dressings around. But what if you can't find the stuff, or it is no longer sold in your area, as I've heard from so many? Or maybe you want to save some money and make a bunch of your own? Just use the recipe below to make as much dry mix as you want, and save it for when you need instant salad satisfaction.

I've used McCormick lemon pepper in the recipe here because it contains lemon juice solids that help duplicate the taste of the sodium citrate and citric acid in the real thing. The dry pectin, which can be found near the canning supplies in your supermarket, is used as a thickener, much like the xanthan gum in the original product.

Recipe Ingredient
1 teaspoon carrot, grated and finely chopped

1 teaspoon red bell pepper, finely minced

3/4 teaspoon McCormick lemon pepper

1/8 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons dry pectin pinch ground oregano

1. Place the carrot and bell pepper on a baking pan in an oven set on 250 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes, or until all of the small pieces are completely dry, but not browned.

2. Combine the dried carrot and bell pepper with the other ingredients in a small bowl. Mix can be stored in a sealed container indefinitely until needed.

3. When ready to use, pour 1/4 cup of vinegar into a cruet or jar. Add 3 tablespoons of water, then the dressing mix. Seal and shake vigorously. Add 1/2 cup of oil and shake until well blended.

Serves 8 to10.

Good Reasons Italian Dressing

Serving Size : 1
Categories : Dressings

Recipe
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 Tbls Garlic Salt
1 Tbls Onion Powder
1 Tbls Sugar
2 Tbls Oregano
1 Tsp Pepper
1/4 Tsp Thyme
1 Tsp Basil
1 Tbls Parsley
1/4 tsp Celery Salt
2 Tbls Salt
1 Env. Cup Of Soup Cream Of Chicken Mix
1/4 C Cider Vinegar
2 Tbls Water
2/3 c Oil

Combine all dry ingr. Store covered at room temp. For dressing: Mix vinegar, water, oil and 2 oz of the dry mix. Shake well. From: GLORIA PITZER "EATING OUT AT HOME" (CB018) *Also good as a italian spice blend