Grilled Jalapeno & Honey BBQ Sauce (and a visit to Hillsborough Barbecue)

Fair warning: You are going to read some things in this post that will make you drool.

Recently, for my mom's 78th birthday, I visited Hillsborough Barbecue in North Carolina. We're talking Smoked Pork Martini with a Mable Bacon rim (from small batch bourbon infused with smoked pork on the premises.) How 'bout Fig Preserve Martini (my fav?) And, just about the time your lips are burning from the Hot and Smokey Margarita (hot sauce added to a glass that was rinsed in smokey scotch), they bring out the sweet Fried Catfish Bites. If you can still read this through the sweat on your screen, imagine the homestyle plates filled with BBQ pit Brisket (you can ask for "double meat"), the Sweet-Potato Salad and a choice of Red or White Cole Slaw surrounded by Hush Puppy balls. Now that you're so deep in it ya' can't see your face, you may as well have a bowl of Brunswick Stew (authentic with Rabbit, Chicken and Pork.) If you're ever within a day of Hillsborough, NC - you need to drive straight into this historic town and plop yourself down at a picnic table outside and ask for extra napkins.
Now, of course I didn't ask for their well guarded recipes, but I did manage to get a nice tip from their handsome Grill Master (David Stinson.) He told me a secret to one of their sauces was grilling the jalapenos before making the sauce. I took that and ran with it, folks. It turned my Country Style Pork Ribs Barbecue Sauce into something worth sharing with you. I hope you try the recipe, it's a little bit country (tomato base) and a little bit Rock & Roll (red wine vinegar and allspice) with a sweet kick (honey and grilled jalapeno.) If you're not really careful, just the smell will cause you to devour one of the sweet-hot barbecued ribs before you bring the plate to the table (shhhh.)
Recipe: Grilled Jalapeno & Honey BBQ Sauce
(makes enough for 4 large Country Style Pork Ribs)

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 Tbls. Olive Oil
salt/pepper to taste
1 large (or 3 small) Jalapeno Peppers (grilled, chopped and keep the seeds in according to how hot you like it)1) Stir all ingredients into a saucepan on Med/High heat. Bring to a boil.
2) Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning.
3) Spread on Ribs just before putting them into the oven, or in the last moments of grilling.
**I cooked my Country Style Pork Ribs in braising liquid for 45 minutes, drained and held them in the refrigerator over night and then basted them with sauce before putting them in a 400F oven for 25 minutes. This makes really fall-apart-tender ribs that can be prepared a day in advance or the same day.**
Do you have a favorite Barbecue Restaurant? I'd love to hear about it. Thanks for stopping by as always~

Blackberry, Blueberry, Port Wine Jam - Sing it!

The path to my grandmother's house was through the woods. And, no matter how many times I was told as a kid to go straight through without stopping - I got distracted. A 2 minute walk turned into a 20 minute journey. Can you blame me? The path was lined with walls of wild blackberries.

BLACKBERRY, BLUEBERRY, PORT WINE JAM

This month's TigressCanJam ingredient was any product considered an "-erry". That meant strawberries, loganberries, blueberries, cranberries...get it? "-erries". Fun, right? It was almost TOO open for my easily distracted and multi-loving personality. I let the Farmer's Market decide for me, and when the "childhood memory" met with a great price, these black beauties won. But then, I got home to find my little Blueberry bush had turned into a it's own dark jeweled beauty and I couldn't resist having some blueberries join the jamming.
The Port seemed a natural mix and a way to sophisticate the flavors; I was hoping to actually create a jam for breakfast bread, but also a nice marinade or sauce addition to main entrees. I tried it on a nice lean Pork Tenderloin roast with mushrooms. It was the perfect addition to bring a little tang to the umami that was already there.
The recipe is a little from childhood memory (after a while, even Grandma recognized a good berry picker when she saw one), and a little experimentation. It's very simple and I've had great response to this jam as a biscuit topper and as an enhancer. Jam on!

RECIPE: Blackberry, Blueberry, Port Wine Jam
24 oz. Fresh Blackberries (crushed)
8 oz. Fresh Blueberries
1lb 6 oz. organic sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup Port (Warriors is a good balance)

Add the crushed black berries, the blueberries and the sugar to a large, deep pot. Heat on low, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the lemon juice and bring the heat up to Med/High, stirring to blend.
Cook until the berry mixture reaches 220F. Carefully add the Port, stir and reheat to 222F (or check the jam set on a pre-chilled plate in the freezer. If a dollop of jam doesn't run on the pre-chilled plate, the set is good.)

Remove from the heat and let rest for 3-5 minutes so the berries can mix with the syrup. If any obvious hard blackberry cores rise to the top, remove them for a smoother jam.

Pour hot jam into sterilized jars, seal properly and finish with a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
If you don't want to can this jam, just follow the recipe and pour into refrigerator containers, let cool and keep air tight in refrigerator (for 2 weeks).