In my family, summer wouldn't be summer unless we gathered everyone - cousins and all - for a mid-summer barbecue. Here are the Bright family's favorite recipes for a lazy July afternoon.
Ingredients:
One 6-lb bone-in Boston butt (a cut of pork shoulder)
For the rub:
1 tablespoon of:
mustard
minced garlic
cilantro
chopped jalapeño pepper
cumin
black pepper
kosher salt
olive oil
vinegar
For the sauce:
¬ cup white vinegar
¬ cup lime juice
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp chopped jalapeño
1 tbsp roughly chopped cilantro
A dash dried habenero powder
You will also need a Webber, or any type kettle grill and hickory chunks. These can be bought at Wal-Mart in the gardening section. If you can't find hickory chunks, buy real charcoal - not Kingsford Briquettes. The chemicals in the briquettes burn off by the time they turn gray, but this recipe requires adding more as you go, and adding briquettes during the cooking process will give your meat a chemical taste.
Directions:
Make a fire a little larger than a shoe box on one side of the grill. Add the rub to the meat and place the meat on the other side of the grill. Put the lid back on the grill with the vent opened half way. You will need to add new hickory to the fire about every 45 minutes. The meat will take between four to six hours to cook. A good indicator is when the meat starts pulling away from the bone. Remove the butt from the fire and serve by first removing the bone and then shredding the meat. Serve with sauce.
Mid-summer
Iced Tea
While many people associate sweet tea with the South, there is no agreement on how best to take your iced tea. I suggest you try it like this:
Ingredients:
2 quarts freshly boiled tea (try Lipton tea bags)
1 can frozen lemonade
Mint for garnish
Directions:
Mix tea and lemonade together. Place in a jar, adding mint leaves. Let sit in the fridge until cold.
My mother and my Aunt Lizzer both make this recipe, and whose is better is a hotly (though politely) contested debate. This is a wonderful replacement for traditional mayo-heavy cole slaw.
Dry Ingredients:
Chopped cabbage
Small pack of toasted, slivered almonds
3-4 oz package of sunflower kernels
Large bunch of green onions, chopped
2 packages beef Ramen noodles, crushed with sauce packet
Dressing:
3/4-1 cup canola oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
« cup sugar
Directions:
Mix dry ingredients, including sauce packet from Ramen. Mix in dressing a couple hours before serving and let sit.
My grandfather is from a generation where men didn't help in the kitchen. Despite this, he has become famous for his cornbread. I called him for the recipe, and as I had imagined, it was inexact. He says he doesn't remember where he learned it, explaining that "We never remember where we learn things down here." You may have to experiment a little with this one, but if you learn to make it right, you'll have your own recipe to pass down to your grandkids.
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 egg
1 stick of real butter
1 cup of buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of sugar
Directions:
Start by mixing equal parts cornbread and flour. Add one egg. Slowly add buttermilk until the mixture is a thick, pasty texture. (You do not want it too thin.) Melt half a stick of butter and add to the mixture. Add the baking soda and sugar. Coat a pan with the remaining butter, pour in the mixture and cook for 12-15 minutes in a 400-degree oven.
