This is the first recipe for Em in the Kitchen! It is the first full day of Kemp’s stay at home order, which means I am going to be trapped for at least two weeks—but lets be honest, probably longer. I’m bored, you’re bored, we are all looking for something to do, so I am going to cook some food, make some videos, and write down the recipes.
I enlisted the help of my dad (the beloved Jimmy) and decided to smoke a Boston Butt and have a barbecue night with coleslaw and baked beans. Here is how it all went down:
The Boston Butt turned out really good. I would definitely make this recipe again! It was very tender and fell right apart. The barbecue sauce was sweet and a little spicy. I made it that day, but we ate it again at lunch the next day and it tasted so much better. I would recommend just making it the day beforehand. I tried a new coleslaw recipe and it was the saltiest thing I have ever eaten and it ended up getting trashed. Probably could have been salvaged, but I gave up. Will try again later haha! We have been using that baked beans recipe my entire life and it is to this day my favorite. 
Boston Butt Recipe
(Adapted from Greg’s Dry Rub used at Johnson’s Boucaniere in Lafeyette Lousiana)
- 4 lb boston butt
- 1 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons of paprika
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
Stir together all the ingredients. Pour a cup or two of apple juice over the meat and then place the dry rub onto the juice soaked meat. Let meat sit over night in concoction.
On the barbie: Place meat on the grill using indirect heat and apple wood chips to give it that smoky flavor. Place a pan filled about halfway with a water and apple juice mixture under meat. Pour the remainder of the marinade onto the meat and let the excess fall into the pan underneath the meat. Internal grill temperature is at 250 degrees and will cook for approximately 6-7 hours until the internal meat temperature reaches 205 degrees. After 3 hours of cooking, wrap it in tin foil for the remainder of the time. Once the meat reaches 205 degrees, remove the meat and wrap it with more tin foil. Let it sit in for one hour in its own juices.
Tips: To help with temperature control, we used a Flame Boss 400 to maintain internal grill temperature to 250 degrees and to watch the temperature of the meat.
*this meat was cooked using a Big Green Egg
Baked Beans
(Adapted from Pepa and Granny)
- 1 large can of Bush’s Original Baked Beans
- 1 half onion of a sweet onion (diced)
- 1 half of a bell pepper (diced)
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of mustard
Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until bubbling.
Sweet Barbecue Sauce
(Adapted from Southern Living’s South’s Best Butt by Matt Moore)
- 1 cup of ketchup
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of molasses
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
Stir all ingredients together in a saucepan, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened (this takes about 10-15 minutes). You can go ahead and serve but it is best served chilled overnight.
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