cooking » Stories from the Farm | A Food Blog

As the weather turns hotter, the count down begins. For those of you who have not found your way to the Clarke County Fair, I would definitely add it to your summer fun list! Yes, there are carnival rides, rodeos, petting zoos and all that exciting fair stuff, but the crowning jewel of the whole event, bar none, is the Chicken BBQ. Marinated just right. Slow cooked all day. Mouthwatering at its finest. For us, it has become the final exclamation point on a summer well spent.

Although the official barbeque recipe used by Clarke County Ruritan members is top secret, here are a few recipes I have collected over the years. The following sauce recipes are enough to grill 10 halves, so you may want to reduce the recipes by half or store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. We recommend salting the broiler halves before cooking, so salt is not included in any of the recipes. By the way, these sauces also work well on pork, lamb, goat, and beef!

Garrison’s Famous Broiler Barbecue Sauce
2 c. cider vinegar
½ t. red pepper
1 c. vegetable oil
½ t. garlic powder
1 t. Tabasco

Spicy and Sweet Barbecue Sauce
1½ c. water
¼ t. Tabasco
1 c. vinegar
¼ t. paprika
½ c. vegetable oil
¼ t. black or red pepper
1 lemon or 1 oz. juice
¼ t. onion powder
2 T. brown sugar
¼ t. garlic powder

New England Sauce
2 c. vinegar
1 c. water
1 c. vegetable oil
2 t. black or red pepper

Chicken Barbecue Sauce
1 c. vinegar
2 t. Tabasco sauce
1 c. vegetable oil
3 t. prepared mustard
1 c. tomato catsup
1 lemon or 1 oz. juice
4 T. worcestershire sauce
¼ t. red or black pepper
2 T. sugar

Deviled Chicken
2½ c. vegetable oil
1 t. black pepper
¾ c. prepared mustard
1 t. red pepper
4 t. dry mustard
½ t. onion or garlic powder

Fruit Barbecue Sauce
1½ c. frozen pineapple juice concentrate
¼ c. water
1 c. vegetable oil
1 T. sugar
½ c. lemon juice
½ t. ginger

Spicy Chick-N-Que Sauce
1 c. water
2 T. chili or curry powder
1 c. vegetable oil
3 T. sugar
1 c. vinegar
2 t. red or black pepper
½ t. garlic powder
1 t. dry mustard
½ t. onion powder
¼ t. cayenne pepper
2 T. worcestershire sauce
2 T. Tabasco sauce
2 T. paprika

Do-It-Yourself Sauce

Use 1½ to 2 cups vinegar and 1 to 1½ cups oil as a basic mixture. Add other ingredients, listed or not listed in the above recipes, to season to your taste.

Many of these were developed by Ed Garrison, retired Extension Poultry Specialist with the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service.

Photo by American Lamb Board

In honor of Father’s Day, I found a great recipe for rack of lamb. Fire up the grill — this one’s a winner!

Grilled Rack of Lamb

1-2 racks of lamb (8 ribs each)
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Trim racks of all visible fat. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Spread mixture over lamb ans set aside (or marinate in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).

Preheat grill.

Place lamb on grill over medium high heat and sear for a couple of minutes per side, reduce heat or move off of direct heat and continue grilling until the internal temperature reaches 140 to 150 degrees F. (about 10 minutes per side).

Serve over fingerling or new potatoes.

Serves 4.

This was one of my very first lamb dishes, and to this day, is still one of my favorites. Its super easy to fix and creates a delicious meal even on a busy week night.

Several years ago the Winchester Star featured my recipe in the spring Food Section. Photo here compliments of the Winchester Star.

Lamb Chops with Lemon Basil Sauce

4 Rib Chops
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for pan
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, removed from stem
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup white chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves, plus additional for garnish
1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped

In a non-corrosive dish lay lamb chops flat. Combine half the lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, the rosemary, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and pepper. Add the lamb, turn to coat with the marinade, cover. Let stand for 15 minutes at room temperature or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the surface of pan.

Pat chops dry and season on one side with salt and pepper. Place the chops seasoned side down in pan. Cook until crisp and brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Season the top side with salt and pepper, turn, and continue cooking until just firm.

An instant-read thermometer should register 130 to 135 degrees F. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Allow the lamb chops to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Pour off any fat left in the pan. Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the chicken stock, using wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add half the remaining lemon juice and simmer until the mixture is reduced to a glaze. This should take about 4 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter until melted. Add the basil and olives and season. Return the lamb chops to the sauce. Turn to coat thoroughly.

Arrange chops on a platter, pour sauce over chops and garnish with basil leaves.

Serves 4.

For those who have limited experience cooking lamb, determining when it is done can be a challenge. An overcooked rack of lamb can be an expensive mistake and carving into an undercooked roast can be a bit frustrating. Yet the last thing you want to do is cut into a roast or chop to check for doneness. So what do you do? Using an instant read thermometer will give you quick and accurate temperature readings insuring the perfect main course for your meal.

As with other beef, lamb benefits from rest before serving, Resting (off of heat) allows the protein within the meat to relax and the juices to redistribute evenly. Give thin cuts like chops 5 minutes before serving and allow 20 minutes before carving roasts. Keep in mind that the meat’s internal temperature typically rises 5-10 degrees as it rests. So for best results, remove the lamb from heat when the thermometer reads 5-10 degrees less than your desired temperature.

The USDA recommends cooking ground lamb to a safe minimum internal temperature of 160F. Other cuts, including roasts and chops, should be cooked to 145F for medium-rare, 160F for medium, and 170F for well-done. The chart below also lists approximate cooking times.

Stories from the Farm | A Food Blog

Chicken Barbecue Sauces

Grilled Rack of Lamb

Lamb Chops with Lemon Basil Sauce

Is It Done Yet?