Whether you fall in love with the foliage colors every fall or you anticipate sparkly white blankets of snow in the winter, the beauty of living in a place like Indianapolis is that we get to experience all four seasons.
One of the telltale signs that my favorite time of the year has arrived is walking outside to the scent of smoked meat wafting in the wind.
Give me an earthy and spicy-smelling mesquite wood or the sweet and fruity aroma of cherry wood smoke. I want it all. It doesn’t matter to me what equipment you choose to infuse the smoke into the meat, I still just want it.
Do you own a cheap Char-Griller that you know how to finesse and make due with? A big offset smoker that holds 200 pounds of meat at a time? One of those expensive Big Green Egg or Traeger situations? Don’t care. Hand the final product here. To me. On my plate. And, you know what? I’ll bring the sides! That’s what I’m good at and I know how to stay in my lane.
So, that’s exactly what I did when I chose my guests for this edition of Potluck Party! I asked Chef Brady Foster to bring the beef. I asked Floyde “Rev Rib Tip” Carson to bring the swine and Chef Tracey Couillard to bring the bird.
They all impressed me with their expertise in the art of barbecue. The results were incredible. I hope you enjoy this video and support these talented chefs in their endeavors around the city.
Related
Potluck Party: Sweet potato showdown
Chef Oya Woodruff and three local foodies debate the best way to cook the holiday classic.
But, first a couple quick BBQ tips for those of us who haven’t mastered the pit. (Because their recipes are secrets.)
Chef Brady Foster: “Marinate/season a day before and cook with patience and love!”
Floyde “Rev Rib Tip” Carson: “Make sure you season well and prep ahead of time. Don’t be afraid to babysit your barbecue. Check on it every 10-15 minutes.”
Chef Tracey’s BBQ Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups ketchup
⅓ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup molasses
3 cloves black garlic
4 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons each: garlic powder, onion powder and ginger powder
Salt to taste
Instructions
Toss everything together in a blender and blend well. Pour into a sauce pan and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
Chef Oya’s BBQ Sides Recipes
Barbecue Baked 3 Beans with Bacon
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
Note: You can use any type of beans.
- ⅓ pound dried red kidney beans
- ⅓ pound dried white navy beans
- ⅓ pound black beans
- 1 pound jowl bacon, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
- ½ medium green bell pepper, small dice
- 2 stalks celery (with leaves), small dice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon Mrs Roots Spice Salon Uncle JB’s BBQ Blend
- White pepper and sea salt to taste
- 1-1½ cups reserved bean cooking liquid
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees or heat up the grill.
- Rinse beans. Cover with water 2 inches above the beans. Soak overnight (8-12 hours). Drain.
- Place soaked beans in a pot and cover with fresh water. Simmer for 60-90 minutes until tender but not mushy. Add salt during the last 15 minutes. Reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid, then drain.
- In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, cook bacon until browned. Remove half for topping.
- In the bacon and bacon fat, sauté onion, celery and green bell pepper until soft (3-4 minutes). Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Stir in brown sugar, molasses, ketchup, mustard, vinegar, smoked paprika and black pepper. Simmer 2-3 minutes.
- Stir cooked beans into sauce. Add in some of the reserved bean liquid (add more if needed — mixture should be loose but not watery and will thicken as it cooks).
- Bake or place on a barbecue grill for 1.5-2 hours, stirring once halfway through, until thick, glossy and slightly caramelized on top.
- Top with remaining bacon. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Let rest 15-20 minutes before serving.
Chargrilled Grilled Sweet Corn
Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
- 6-8 ears of fresh corn, shucked. (Cut into halves if desired.)
Boiling liquid:
- 3 quarts water
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoon sea salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
Basting butter: (You can also use OG Garlic Herb TrapButtah)
- 2 sticks salted butter
- ¼ cup olive or avocado oil
- 2-4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 4-5 springs fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon FLT’s Young Bae Seasoning
- Sea salt to taste
- 1 cup fresh fine grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Combine all boiling ingredients into a large saucepan or stockpot and bring to a boil. Add the corn and bring back to a boil for about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and let the corn sit in the liquid while your grill is heating up.
- As your grill is heating up, combine your basting ingredients all into a bowl. Reserve half of the herbs and the Parmesan cheese to garnish the corn at the end.
- Brush the basting butter onto the corn and then place on a super-hot grill until the corn is charred to your liking.
- Baste often. Once done, add the corn to a pan and top with remaining basting butter and garnish with parsley, green onion and Parmesan.
- Serve hot off the grill!
Chef O’s Creamy Herbed Potato Salad
Yield: 10-12 servings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, washed. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
- 1 ½ cups real mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 hard boiled eggs, rough chopped
- 3 stalks celery with leaves, medium dice
- 1 medium red onion, medium dice
- 1 bell pepper, medium dice
- 2-3 sprigs each of fresh dill, parsley, green onion, thyme and tarragon. Chop roughly.
- 2 tablespoons Mrs. Roots Spice Salon Grandma Kittie Mae’s House Blend
- Smoked paprika, salt and pepper to your liking
Instructions
- Boil potatoes in heavily salted water until fork tender. Drain and rinse several times in cold water to cool. Arrange the potatoes on a lined baking sheet and place into a freezer for about 30 minutes until cold. Then place them into a large mixing bowl.
- Take about ⅓ of the cooked, cooled potatoes and mash them until smooth in a smaller bowl.
- To the mashed potatoes, add the mayo, sour cream, vinegar, veggies, herbs and seasonings and mix well. Taste and adjust the dressing seasoning to your liking.
- Fold in remaining cold potatoes and eggs until everything is well combined and covered with the dressing.
- Place in a serving container and chill for a few hours until ready to serve.
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Oya Woodruff is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor. You can reach her at chefoya@chefoya.com.
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