Cheesesteak Dip

In what looks to be the next-to-last recipe of the Tailgating For Everyone experience, the friendly pitmaster endeavors to make a cheesesteak dip for the ages. I know this isn't a true Philly experience - and PA folks can keep their anger out of the comments section, so let's get down on making the party a memorable place to be. We remember those house parties back in our younger years, so why not feed the flock in the meantime in our more experienced season although it may require Icy-Hot the next morning?

INGREDIENTS 

Steak, cubed or shaved

Kosmo's Cow Cover rub

(2) 8 oz blocks of cream cheese

8 oz of sour cream 

1 green bell pepper

1 onion

1 tsp of minced garlic

Heath Riles's Garlic Jalapeño rub

4 oz each of cubed mozzarella and Monterey jack cheeses

STEP ONE. Cube your steak and cheeses as well as prepare all of the other ingredients above. You're going to want to be ready as this cook goes fairly quickly, and a trip to the store may result in your dip being burned - and no one deserves burnt cheese dip. Regarding the steak, I've seen the inspiration behind this cook (Jonathan Jones of Jonathan BBQ in Phoenix) cube up a ribeye, and since I'm not sacrificing a steak that can be thoroughly enjoyed, I snagged a cheap griller from my local grocery store. Size does matter: Make sure your steaks shaved or cubed are small enough for a quick one bite that can handle being on a tortilla chip if crostinis are unavailable in your area or the time to slice garlic breadsticks on a bias is super limited. Don't forget to add Cow Cover to the steaks on all sides although in the grand scheme of things, it will not matter; beginning cooks need to recognize that all sides and angles are worthy of flavor.

STEP TWO. One you finish the first step, head outside to light the grill. Your cooker does not matter, but for today's barbecue exercise, I have my trusty Weber kettle and some briquettes I recently bought from Costco that burn hotter and faster than the regular blue bag stuff we typically pick up from the big box stores. Bring out a cast-iron skillet and allow it to warn up to 400 degrees before adding the steak.

STEP THREE  Cook that steak to medium-well before swapping it out for the veggies, garlic, and butter. Allow the butter and Garlic Jalapeño rub to melt and garlic to get to know the peppers and onion on an intimate level until they are sautéed. 

STEP FOUR. Here come the cheeses and creams: In addition to the sautéed team still cooking on the skillet, both blocks of cream cheese, the sour cream, and cubed cheeses accept their party invitations. Let everything melt away and lastly, return the steak chucked or shaved back to the mixture for that final element of flavor punch.

Serve as soon as it is cheesy to your liking and it is pulled from the kettle.

My thoughts: OK, I like.

Do I love it? 

Unless it is specifically requested, I probably won't make it again; instead, I might redirect friends and events I cook for toward spinach dip or regular queso. It's still tasty, yet it teetered on the hit or miss line for me.

With one more week remaining in the Tailgating For Everyone experience, the final one is going to be a doozy that my fellow big backs might find themselves beating down the door for a bite. Thank you for reading and heading outside to improvise and improve a party item that otherwise would have been missed. If you like this one (or any of the other four T4E seasons' of barbecue), the methods have been lain out for mass consumption. Y'all be safe, be blessed, be good to each other, and tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ!

The Best Bite-Through Chicken You'll Eat

When I say this is the best bite-through chicken you're going to eat this this season, trust me on this one. I did a batch for work about two months ago, and when I throw these hands up and flail around in that hallelujah 🙌🏿 motion, just know that the friendly pitmaster did not come to play.

Here's how we got there.

Thanks to Kosmo for making competition chicken easier to produce and win with on a consistent basis, and enshrining backyard cooks as neighborhood legends everywhere. 

INGREDIENTS 

Chicken drumsticks

Fire Dancer BBQ's Chicken Rub

Distilled water

Big Poppa's Desert Gold rub

Butter

Dub Shack BBQ’s The O.G sauce (optional)

STEP ONE. Chicken drumsticks are generally cheap and something we all can get behind at the tailgate: You've got a leg dripping with barbecue sauce, and a bone in one hand to balance with the beverage in the other. Open the package and put all of the legs into a zip loc bag. Add Chicken Rub and distilled water to the bag, shake the mixture around, and set in a pan for two to four hours just in case the bag's contents decide they've had enough and leak out.

STEP TWO. After those three hours, remove the chicken from the bag and position in the bottom of the same pan adding Desert Gold to the bird. Slice that stick of butter into eight tablespoons and nestle them at different points of the chicken to where an even cook is ensured. Don't forget to cover the top of that aluminum pan. For those who struggle with bite-through skin, this is the tip. Place the covered pan onto your smoker at 275 and let it work for the first hour.

STEP THREE. Check the chicken using your thermometer after the first hour. If it is at or around 175, you may uncover the pan and let it play in the butter and rub mixture for another hour before pulling off the smoker. The problem I have had is a minor one where the meat falls off the bone: Yes, it means I overcooked the chicken. In most instances, it was only one or two drumsticks from the original package, and the others were fine.

STEP FOUR. This is completely optional, but you can either dunk the chicken or simply use a brush to drizzle the sauce and return to the smoker to tack up. Afterwards, return to the serving block to rest and for the juices to redistribute throughout each piece before serving. Enjoy!

My thoughts: I did this as a trial run for my crew two months ago, and they absolutely LOVED them! Because I don't do competition barbecue (y'know, something to do with registration fees, the price to participate not only limited to the meat itself but also set up and the most myriad list of supplies, and having to submit PTO to compete among the best around here since most tournaments happen to fall on my scheduled weekends in the plant),  I figured I had better hone my skills before I try to put the smoke in the air for the general public to enjoy. Shout out to those guys who were my taste testers that week, and to my family for consuming this version.

For the low, low price of $2.74, I'd dare say this is some tasty chicken. 

Anyway, get out there and cook something awesome this weekend or whenever the opportunity to make superb barbecue presents itself. As the Reddies' football season draws to a close and likewise with the Tailgating For Everyone series in a few short weeks, this is the reminder that great food doesn't have to break the bank. Y'all be safe, be blessed, be good to each other, and tell everyone that every day is a GREAT day for Dub Shack BBQ!