BBQ at Home

I love barbeque. My husband and I began a BBQ tour last summer and visited a number of local BBQ joints in Kansas City, Lawrence and Topeka. I really enjoy comparing the smokiness of the meat, the quality of the beans and the crispiness of the fries at each place.

My problem? I can't re-create good BBQ at home. I like shredded pork sandwiches, meaty beans and hot, fresh fries. It's hard to do at home. I recently tried this recipe from 30-Minute Meals with Racheal Ray for chicken sandwiches. It actually turned out pretty well and I will definitely try it again. I didn't modify it any from the original recipe and it was easily made in 30 minutes.

So I solved my meat dilemmea, but you might be wondering how I got yummy sides at home. Takeout is a good thing.

Shredded, Saucy BBQ Chicken Sammies
1 cup chicken stock
1 bottle Mexican beer
4 pieces, 6 ounces each boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1 tablespoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
2 tablespoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning, by McCormick)
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 large sour deli pickle, chopped
6 to 8 slices sweet bread and butter pickles, chopped
6 soft sammy buns, such as soft burger rolls, split

Bring liquids to a simmer in a small to medium skillet and slide in the chicken breast meat. Gently poach the chicken 10 minutes, turning once about after 5 minutes.

While chicken poaches, heat a second medium skillet over medium low heat. To hot skillet, add extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and onion and gently saute until chicken is ready to come out of poaching liquids. Combine the next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl and reserve. When the chicken has cooked through, add 2 ladles of the cooking liquid to the bowl, combining with the sauces, spices, brown sugar and tomato paste.

Once the liquids and seasonings are combined, remove chicken, slice it, and transfer to the medium bowl. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken and combine with the liquids. Add the shredded chicken to the onions and garlic and combine well. Simmer together 5 to 10 minutes, using extra cooking liquids to make your chicken as saucy as you like. Combine sour and sweet pickles in a small bowl. Split rolls and fill with scoops of shredded chicken. Top with pickle relish and serve.

Recipe from 30-Minutes Meals with Rachael Ray