BBQ Little Smokies

Football season is officially underway, and while our household isn't really into sports, I love the snack foods which normally accompany the game. This recipe is one of the recipes which my family enjoyed at get-togethers as well as on New Years watching the parades (along with our Peanut-Free Puppy Chow). My husband had these for the first time at my mom's house, so after we got married, I made him a batch. I succeeded! While these are normally just a snack food, we sometimes eat them with a meal (or, sometimes, as a meal!)

BBQ Little Smokies
(Printable Version)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds little smokies
• 1 (16 oz) jar of BBQ sauce
• 1 (16 oz) jar of grape jelly
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions

Put everything into a slow cooker and cook on Low for 1 hour or until smokies are nice and hot.

My Take

Super simple, right? Sorry about not having an exact time for you guys. I forgot to write down how long it took for mine to get to the right hotness, but I know it was a tad bit longer than an hour. If you're serving these at a party or something, you can just leave them in the slow cooker and leave it on low, or on warm if yours has that setting.

Also, you may have noticed that I only used a pound of little smokies. Since there's only 2 of us eating this, I didn't think I really needed to make the whole thing. You may see this from time to time, but the techniques are still the same and I'll put the original recipe up instead of halfing it. :)

What's your favorite game-day food? Do you prefer to go tailgating or stay in the comfort of your (or someone else's) home?

Root Beer BBQ Pulled Pork

I had heard about cooking pork in root beer and making pulled pork out of it, but I had never tried it. In fact, I had never even attempted to make pulled pork at home. When I go to a BBQ place, pulled pork is high on my list to order, so I figured I would try making it at home. I love the taste of root beer, so I figured I would do an Internet search and find a recipe I could easily do. The first one which caught my eye was this one. The first time I made it, I followed the recipe to the letter, but then I read the comments, so the next time I made it, I adapted it to what it is today.

Ingredients

• 1 pork butt (shoulder), trimmed of any excess fat
• 1/2 (2 liter) bottle of root beer (I personally prefer to use A&W. Has a sweeter taste than some others)
• 1/2 (28 oz.) bottle of BBQ sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic salt
• Hamburger buns, lightly toasted

 Directions

 

• Rub the pork butt with a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Pierce the meat with a fork in several places, then place in a slow cooker.
• Pour the root beer into the slow cooker, making sure at least half of the meat is covered. 
• Cook on Low for 6 hours
• Drain the root beer. Shred the meat with two forks and place back into the slow cooker. Pour the BBQ sauce onto the meat and mix them together until the meat is well coated.
• Cook on Low for 1 hour.
• Serve on lightly toasted hamburger buns. 

My Take

This is a sweet BBQ recipe, but it's one that is loved in my household. I love being able to make pulled pork at home and not have to wait to go to a BBQ place to get it. The root beer and BBQ sauce measurements are just estimations. I typically have to eyeball them. For the BBQ sauce, make sure your meat is well coated, otherwise the meat will dry out.