Summer BBQ Fantasy Interlude

I am already dreaming of the perfect summer BBQ. This year, I would like to branch out from the traditional and expected (burgers, chicken and hot dogs where I come from), and try some new grilling ideas.

Let’s start with dessert, with this grilled pineapple dish from Cooking Light:

While flipping through June's edition of Better Homes and Gardens, I saw these tantalizing ideas for grilling:

Grilled Pizza

Grilled Ribs and Boy Choy

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Grilled Shrimp Kebabs

Any other grilling ideas? BHG also had a recipe (but sadly, no picture online yet) that sounded so refreshing on a hot day: Watermelon Salad. We’re not talking Jello at la 1975, but rather fresh watermelon and white grape juices, set with fresh fruit and sprinkled with crumbled feta cheese and mint leaves. You can bet I’m going to bust out this side dish as soon as the weather heats up (as it inevitably will in Sacramento).

BBQ Pork in the Slow Cooker

Yesterday, I woke up late, spilled soymilk all over my car, and got trapped in the middle of a huge storm that threw buckets of water on my windshield as I attempted to navigate the freeway on my commute home. On a day like that, I was relieved to come home to a practically ready-made meal that I’d made some time before and frozen. And it wasn’t even hard to make to begin with!

Here’s the easiest recipe ever for BBQ Pork. It actually calls for beef, but since pork at this time is about half the price as beef (and beef is notoriously bad for the environment), I generally use a LOT of pork. Use a quality BBQ sauce, as there are so few ingredients here (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s - I just love saying that name!) Serve on toasted whole wheat hamburger buns, with a green salad and baked beans.

I suggest that you freeze half of what you make. Then, on the day that you want to use it, put it in the refrigerator to defrost in the morning. Before consuming it for dinner, heat it up in a pan for 20 minutes. It will regain that delightful texture it originally had. You can add a little extra BBQ sauce to perk it up if necessary.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

3 pounds chuck roast (or pork)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (18 ounce) bottle BBQ sauce

1. Place roast in a slow cooker. Sprinkle with garlic powder and onion powder and season with salt and pepper. Pour BBQ sauce over meat. Cook on High for 1 hour, then reduce heat to Low, and cook 5-7 hours more.

2. Remove meat from slow cooker, shred, and return to slow cooker. Cook for 1 more hour. Serve hot. Yield: 8 servings.