BBQ beef sandwiches crock-pot style

Traveling North on Highway 15, near Emmitsburg and Mount Saint Mary’s University, we stopped at the iconic Chubby’s Barbecue, Southern Style. That was several years ago. Since that time, I’ve tried several traditional versions of barbecue beef sandwiches from the 60s, 70s and into the 80s, but haven’t been happy with the results. This past week I came across several more recipes for barbecue beef sandwiches. The following is my favorite so far. I liked being able to choose my own barbecue sauce. Serve with cabbage slaw and macaroni salad.

This recipe serves a large group.

Barbecue Beef, 1982, Ladies Auxiliary to the Jefferson Volunteer Fire Company

• 4-5 pound chuck roast with bone
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup water
• 1 onion
• 1 teaspoon pickling spice
• 1 bottle of bar-b-q

Put meat, onion, bay leaves and pickling spice in crock-pot with water. Cook until meat falls off bones. Take meat out of pot. Remove all fat, bone and gristle. Add bar-b-q sauce to drippings in pot. Put meat back and cook until ready to eat, stirring often to break meat apart.

Options: I substituted boneless short ribs for the chuck roast but almost any cut of meat works. Once the cooked meat was removed from the crock-pot, I cleaned away any fat, bone and gristle, and then shredded the meat. I mixed the meat with my favorite barbecue sauce and kept it warm in the crock-pot. I decided not to return the meat and sauce to the drippings. Drippings add major flavor to the meat, but in my opinion, the drippings were too fatty to be healthy.

To make sandwiches serve with bread. White bread and hamburger buns are traditional, but rye and whole wheat also make good partners. Hard, crusty rolls are good too. Don’t forget the pickle!

Of course, smoked meats or deep pit barbecue make the best barbecue sandwiches, but for now, with all this cold weather, it’s perfectly acceptable to eat barbecue out of a crock-pot while watching snowflakes falling from the sky.

Some uses for the microwave, Cookbook Publishers, 1982:

For stamp collectors: place a few drops of water on stamp to be removed from envelope. Heat in the microwave for 20 seconds and the stamp will come right off.

Heat left over custard and use it as frosting for a cake.

Refresh stale potato chips or crackers by putting a plateful in the microwave oven for about 30-45 seconds. Let sand for 1 minute to crisp. Cereals can also be crisped.

Summer’s coming (at least that’s what I’m told) and it’s time to keep an eye out for those regional barbecue festivals that come with live music, great food, a cold bottle of beer and barbecue contests.