Struggle Season Still Tastes Good. Dub Shack BBQ Presents Bologna Burnt Ends

Entering Season 4 of the Tailgating For Everyone experience, I decided that this is the last campaign not too long ago. Although the food has been incredible and in some cases, the only reason folks read AD&AD, I simply just don't have the time. Maybe I should've told the meatlist first; they know exactly who they are and how we do it. As I test a hotter version of Get Honey, some sauces will be getting retired at the end of the year.

But we're here for bologna burnt ends, right? See how this moves you.

INGREDIENTS 

One chub of bologna

Fire and Smoke Society's Pork Perfect barbecue rub 

Razorracks BBQ's All Day Sweet barbecue rub 

Mustard as a binder

Your favorite BBQ sauce*

*The sauce is my Dub Shack BBQ’s The O.G. barbecue sauce; make it your own

1/2 stick of butter, cut into pats

STEP ONE. Remove the packaging and make a slit across the top no more than a quarter-inch deep to denote home. Slice into 1" thick as if bologna steaks are on the menu; following that, cube into 1x1" bites and set into an aluminum pan. Slather the mustard and All Day Sweet liberally to ensure all sides are covered. Place onto a wire rack and light up the smoker. 

Layer like a player

STEP TWO. Bring the smoker of choice to 250 degrees, and use whichever wood you prefer (like most DSB pork recipes, I'm using apple wood - cherrywood is more than a suitable option). Once your cooking vessel reaches 250, bring the burnt ends from the wire rack to its smoke bath. Bologna is already been cooked a time or two, so the name of the game is reheating to a consistent color as we aren't reinventing the wheel today.

STEP THREE. In the miracle of time, the burnt ends look good BUT they aren't ready yet. Return them to the original pan along with brown sugar, half a stick of butter, and The O.G. sauce before the second voyage into smoke. Cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and wait until they are super tender around 205 degrees internal. 

STEP FOUR. Let them rest for fifteen minutes and serve as a part of your charcuterie board.

Wanna know my thoughts? As good as it looks, this is for a recurring event my friends do annually - and sadly, I did not try one single bologna burnt end: You'll have to ask Heath how it turned out.

Bologna burnt ends are some really easy and affordable items for the charcuterie board, and in an ongoing theme of making barbecue  cheap again, the chub was only nine bucks at Walmart. I'd personally love to see brisket return to $1.97/lb., but that won't happen anytime soon. As always, thank you for reading this post and trying out something super easy and ridiculously awesome this weekend or whenever the mood to smoke meat strikes you. Y'all be blessed, be safe, be good to each other, and tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ!

Snacks Unlimited: Dub Shack BBQ Presents Smoked Cheez-Its

Want easy snacking anytime? You're going to want to try this.

(Credit to Malcom Reed of How to BBQ Right)

INGREDIENTS 

One box of Cheez-Its

One box of Goldfish crackers

Killer Hogs' The BBQ Rub

AC BBQ's Lemon Pepper rub

One stick of melted butter 

A few drops of Worcestershire sauce

STEP ONE. Load up a fullsize pan with Cheez-Its, Goldfish (or Penguins crackers, as I did) and fold them equally. You can also add Chex-Mix or cashews depending on the crowd - and yes, even M&Ms would be cool because of the hard shell. Because my daughter has a peanut allergy, I omitted the nuts but make this one your own. Shake a generous amount of both The BBQ Rub and Lemon Pepper over the crackers and set aside. 

STEP TWO. Melt a stick of butter and mix in both rubs along with Worcestershire sauce before folding into the mixture.

STEP THREE. If you haven't lit the smoker, go outside and do so NOW. Once your cooking vessel reaches 250 degrees, set the pan inside folding the crackers every fifteen minutes. The smoked Cheez-Its are finished at one hour or when the color is pronounced enough for your satisfaction.  Pull from the cooker, add one more shaking of The BBQ Rub, and set aside for fifteen minutes before serving. 

I bet you can't eat just one.

In the final season of Tailgating For Everyone, let me introduce you to my latest toy: Junior. 

Meet Junior. He cost me four wheels and the first item I smoked. 

Thanks to this week's taste testers - and neighbors - for sampling product and giving the thumbs up to do it again for all of you. Like them, I was surprised as to how well it took to pecan smoke - and it will likely become a neighborhood favorite possibly even supplanting smoked cream cheese as the appetizer of choice. Smoking Cheez-Its can be modified to your party's desires and personal preferences. Throughout this last dance, I will continue to use the following closing lines: 

Be blessed. 

Be safe. 

Be good to each other. 

Tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ!