Vivian Howard Blueberry Barbecue Sauce Recipes

BLUEBERRY BBQ CHICKEN

Steps:

• Sauce: In a food processor, add blueberries, vinegar, and sugar. Pulse to break up the berries into a chunky pulp. Place mixture into a saucepan; add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, covered, 10-15 minutes.
• Remove from heat; remove cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Carefully transfer the sauce to a blender. Make sure the lid is entirely sealed to prevent sauce from spattering while you blend. Blend the sauce to a smooth consistency, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high. When sauce is smooth, strain it through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.
• Transfer sauce back to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, uncovered, and reduce by ¼, about 5 minutes. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon, and the viscosity should be more like maple syrup than honey. Pour into a container and cool to room temperature. Makes about 2 cups. (Sauce will keep for up to 6 months refrigerated in a lidded container.)
• Prep chicken: Lay spatchcocked chicken breast side up on a wire rack fitted over a rimmed baking sheet. Season liberally on both sides with salt and pepper (about 15 turns of a pepper mill per side). Let rest at room temperature while preheating the grill, 30 minutes.
• Grill chicken: Preheat a charcoal grill to medium-high heat, about 375 F. The coals should be ashed over in some places, with red embers burning within. Move the coals to one side of the grill to create areas of both direct and indirect heat. Place the chicken skin side up on the side of the grill over the coals (direct heat). Cover and cook, 15 minutes.
• Divide the Blue Q Sauce: half should be used for basting, while the other half should be reserved for the final baste and for serving. (If the cooled sauce has thickened too much, simply reheat in a saucepan over low heat, or briefly microwave to return to its original syrupy consistency before using.) Remove the lid. Use tongs to flip the chicken over, skin side down, onto the indirect heat side of the grill. Baste the underside of the bird with Blue Q Sauce, then gently re-position back over direct heat, still skin side down. Cover and cook, 5 minutes. Repeat this process-flipping, basting, and grilling for 5 minutes at a time, covered-2-3 more times, until chicken is fully cooked. (The leg, when tugged, should become loosened from the breast. Alternatively, a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the thigh, avoiding the bone, should register 165 F.) Discard remaining basting sauce.
• Remove chicken from the grill and place on a cutting board, skin side up. Use reserved Blue Q Sauce to baste one last time and let rest, 5 minutes. Cut the chicken into 6 or 8 pieces and drizzle once more with sauce. Serve warm or at room temperature with additional sauce on the side.

BLUEBERRY BBQ

Steps:

• Add all the ingredients for the sauce into a saucepan and cook for 2 hours over medium-low heat. Remove the sauce from the heat and place into a food processor or blender and puree. Strain the sauce and set aside.
• Preheat grill over medium-high heat.
• Place the ribs onto the grill and brush with sauce. This will glaze the ribs while they cook.
• The blueberries add a subtle sweetness to the sauce to play off the heat of the chiles and the acid of the vinegar.

CRAB HOECAKES WITH BLUEBERRY-CORN SALSA

Steps:

• Corn: Invert a small bowl into a large bowl. Place the larger round end of corn upright on the inverted bowl. Run a knife down the cob cutting the corn kernels so they fall into the large bowl (this method will keep the corn contained in the bowl while easily cutting away every kernel). Run the knife down the cut cob to release the corn milk into the bowl. Repeat with remaining corn, then remove the small bowl.
• Salsa: To the corn add the blueberries. Finely dice the onion and add to the bowl along with lemon juice. Core the tomato then using a serrated knife dice about the same size as the corn and blueberries. Add to the bowl with as much juice as possible. Finely chop cilantro stems (save leaves for another recipe) and add to the salsa. Removes mint leaves (discard stems), finely slice and add to the salsa along with two big pinches of salt. Stir and let rest 15 minutes and up to 1 day. Makes about 4 cups.
• Crab: In a large bowl add chives, mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, coriander, lemon zest and juice. Trim and peel garlic then using a microplane grate the garlic into the crab. Add a pinch of salt and olive oil and whisk to combine. Pick through the crab for shells then gently fold into the dressing. Let rest in the refrigerator 15 minutes.
• Hoecakes: Cut the onion into several pieces and add to the blender along with buttermilk. Puree until smooth. Set aside. In a bowl stir together cornmeal, salt, and sugar. Stir in buttermilk onion mixture. Add enough water so it's the consistency of slightly loose pancake batter, starting with ¼ cup and adding a tablespoon at a time if necessary (Chef Howard says all cornmeal is different so adjust with water to get the proper consistency). If the consistency is correct but water pooling in the batter, add flour to further bind the batter. Stir and set aside.
• Preheat a skillet to medium heat, 1 minute. Add vegetable oil and swirl the pan so the oil evenly covers the bottom. Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter onto the edge of the pan to form 1 hoecake. If the batter sizzles a little, the pan is ready. Continue to drop the batter making 2 more hoecakes making sure they're evenly spread out and not touching. Lower the heat slightly and cook for about 3 minutes. When the edges are brown and the tops dry, flip and cook an additional 3 minutes adding more oil if necessary. When golden brown with a lacy edge remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining oil and batter.
• Assembly: Stir olive oil into salsa. Set aside. Place hoecakes on a serving platter. Place several tablespoons of crab on the bottom of each hoecake. Top with several tablespoons salsa. Serve.

MENNY'S BLUEBERRY BARBECUE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion, garlic, and ginger until onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Add blueberries, maple syrup, cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, lemon juice, cinnamon, cumin, chili powder, paprika, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper; stir to combine. Simmer over medium-low heat until sauce is slightly reduced and bubbling, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove skillet from heat; cool slightly. Pour sauce into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until smooth.