Week 7 - BBQ Beef Brisket

For Week 7, I made BBQ Beef Brisket (without the brisket) in a slow cooker. I substituted a beef sirloin tip roast for the brisket.

• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar (used 1 instead)
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp chopped chipotles in adobo plus 2 tsp adobo sauce
• 2 tsp chili powder
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 2 red onions, sliced (used 1 instead)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 1/2 lb beef brisket, trimmed of excess fat (used sirloin tip roast)
• 6 rolls

After 6.5 hours of cooking, it wasn't nearly as tender as I would have expected. Despite it not falling apart with just a touch of a fork, I was able to shred it fairly easily. This could have been attributed to the differences in the cut of meat.

I omitted 1 TBSP of cidar vinegar; that was probably a mistake. The dish was tasty but it lacked the final punch. The peppers gave it a bit of a kick but I still would have liked to taste a depth of flavor. Also, I only used 1 onion; 1 onion was sufficient.

It's definitely a good base recipe which I would like to tweak a bit more. I will give it 7 stars out of 10.

Week 6 - Stuffing and Baked Chops

I made this baked pork chop recipe last weekend. The original recipe was titled as "Crazy Good Stuffing and Baked Chops". That by itself, should be indicative that this recipe was somewhat of a let down. I just did not enjoy the overall flavor one bit.

• 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms, or more to taste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup dry sherry, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed
• 2/3 cup milk, or as needed
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (14 ounce) package dry bread stuffing mix
• 1/4 cup butter
• 6 boneless pork chops
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 (10.75 ounce) can milk

The recipe had called for pan-fried pork chops. This has never been my preferred method of cooking. I was hoping that the stuffing and sauce would balance nicely with the distasteful elements of the pan-fried meat. That, however, was a silly notion. Must grill or bake pork chops.... no pan-frying.

Also, the cream of mushroom soup overpowered any potential that the stuffing may have had. The stuffing really needed something else to provide a bit of a kick. I think celery would have enhanced the final product though I don't think it would have saved the recipe. The cream of mushroom made it nothing short of mushy.

It should be noted that I had decided to use marsala wine over sherry as the original recipe had called for. I am not sure how much of a difference this made in the overall experience.

I would give this recipe 4 stars out of 10. I probably won't make it again. There are so many better ways to make pork chops.

Week 5 - Roast Sticky Chicken-Rotisserie Style

Earlier this week, I made a rotisserie style chicken. It was by far the best whole chicken I have ever made. The ingredients are listed below.

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 onions, quartered
• 1 (4 pound) whole chickens

I served mashed potatoes and green beans along with it. I adjusted the cooking time. The original recipe called for roasting two 4-lb chickens at 250 degrees for 5 hours. My 4.5-lb chicken was roasted for 4.5 hours. It turned out perfectly. The meat was very juicy and tender. I just wish there had been more. Next time, I will buy a bigger bird.

There is only one change that I want to make to the instructions of the recipe. I recommend placing some seasoning between the meat and the skin of the chicken. Aside from that, it was delectable.

I am going to give this recipe 8 stars out of 10.