Memorial Day Barbecue from Southern Hospitality

Kick your Memorial Day barbecue up a notch with these delicious recipes from Southern Hospitality.

• SO-HO Slider

(Yields 24 sliders)

Ingredients

2 pounds smoked, pulled pork shoulder

12 oz medium spicy BBQ sauce

18 oz coleslaw

24 sliced slider buns

3 oz warm water

Method

"Pull" the warm smoked pork using a fork. You want to shred it but not too finely

Toss the shredded pork shoulder with 3oz warm water and 6oz BBQ Sauce

Place 1.5 oz sauced, pulled pork on a silder bun.

Top with 3/4 oz of coleslaw and a squirt of BBQ sauce

Place crown of slider bun on top.

Assemble sliders on a decorative platter and enjoy

• Southern Hospitality Burger

(Yields four burgers)

Ingredients

2 pounds 80/20 ground chuck

2 oz BBQ spice rub or salt and pepper

4 hamburger buns

4 oz medium spicy BBQ sauce

8 slices cheddar cheese

8 slices thick cut, high-quality bacon

1 can pan spray

Sliced tomato

Sliced red onion

4 crisp leaves of green leaf lettuce

Method

Patty meat into four 4 8oz patties -- make sure that patties are no thicker in the middle than they are on the sides (otherwise they will plump into balls rather than patties)

Generously season with BBQ rub or salt and pepper

Place burgers on an hot oiled grill

Cook for 5 minutes and then flip (NEVER SMASH DOWN YOUR BURGER)

Cook for another 5 minutes, flip and add two slices of cheese per burger. Top with crispy bacon

Cover grill and cook for another 2 minutes or until cheese is melted

Serve on a toasted bun and garnish with a drizzle of BBQ sauce, red onion, a slice of ripe tomato and green leaf lettuce

Enjoy

• Beale Street BBQ Chicken

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

Two whole chickens quartered

6 oz BBQ Rub

4 oz medium-spicy BBQ sauce

12 oz coleslaw

4 pieces cornbread

Method

Generously rub the chicken quarters with BBQ rub

Place in smokers set to 225 degrees (smoke with fragrant woods like hickory, cherry, apple, or peach). Smoke until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees (about 1:40).

Remove smoked chicken from smoker and place on a hot grill. Basted chicken liberally with BBQ sauce, cook for a few minutes, baste again and flip chicken. Grill and baste until chicken is crispy and the sauce in nicely caramelized.

Serve with coleslaw and cornbread

• Grilled Bone-in Strip Steak

Ingredients

4 16 oz bone-in strip steaks

4 oz clarified butter

Salt and pepper to taste

2 bunches watercress

2 oz hazelnut oil (or olive oil)

1.5 oz sherry vinaigrette

Method

Allow steaks to warm to room temperature

Brush with clarified butter

Season liberally with salt and pepper

Place on grill, and cook for 5 minutes, flip steaks and allow to cook for another 5-7 minutes or until they reach the desired doneness

Mix oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper in small bowl

Toss cleaned watercress with vinaigrette

Plate steaks and drizzle with a bit of clarified butter

Garnish with a petit watercress salad

• Dry Rubbed Memphis-Style Ribs

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

2 cleaned racks of spareribs (skin and chine bone removed)

6 oz BBQ spice rub

Method

Rub each rack of ribs with a generous amount of dry rub

Load into smoker set to 225 degrees and cook for approximately 3.5 hours or until the rack bends, but does not break. Smoke using fragrant wood such as hickory, apple, cherry or peach

When Ribs are cooked, cut the racks in half using a chef knife

Place each half rack on a hot grill and season with Dry BBQ spice rub. Cook and season on both sides until the exterior of the ribs are nicely caramelized.

Serve as is, or cut into individual ribs

BBQ sauce is not traditionally served with dry rubbed ribs, but doing so isn't a crime either

• Mason Dixon Cheese Cake

(Yields three 9" cakes)

Cream Cheese Filling

Ingredients

3 cups of confectioner's sugar

3 pounds of soft cream cheese

1 cup soft butter

12 oz sour cream

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Method

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly blended

Reserve at room temperature

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients

5 1/2 cups AP Flour

3 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 tbs cocoa powder

1 tbs baking powder

1 tbs kosher salt

2 cups butter milk

4 cups vegetable oil

3 oz red food coloring

2 tsp distilled white vinegar

4 large eggs

Pan spray

Method

Double sift all dry ingredients

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Combine all wet ingredients at high speed using a whisk attachment

Add dry ingredients and mix at low speed until all ingredients are full incorporated. Once all ingredients are fully incorporated, increase speed of mixer to high for one minute

Spray pan spray into 9" spring form cake pans

Fill each pan 3/4 full

Place pan in pre-heated oven and cook for 30 minutes or until done. Test doneness with the tip of a paring knife or a tooth pick

Remove cakes from oven and allow to cook

When cool, use a cake knife to cut each cake in half make to coin shaped pieces

Using a spatula, carefully spread the cream cheese frosting in the middle of the two layers

One approximately 1/3 of an inch of frosting is evenly spread place the top of the cake on top

Use remaining icing to cover the outside of the cake. Be careful as not to crumble of break the cake

Garnish with powdered sugar and a sprig of mint