Barbecued Beef for a Crowd

I'm surprised it's taken me so long to post this recipe, as we've been making it for years, and it's always a big hit. As usual, it's a very easy recipe, so I think you'll be impressed. [I'm not sure how much this makes, but we serve it at our Halloween party every year, and I know it makes a ton. Count on feeding around 40 with this doubled recipe, and you should be good.)

Ingredients:

10 pounds beef *roast
2 small bottles of ketchup
2 small bottles of chili sauce
3/4 cup of mustard
7-8 T brown sugar
2 T of vinegar
4 T worcestershire (pronounced woostesheer, BTW)
4-5 diced onions
2 bay leaves

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the meat in a large roasting pan.

In a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the meat.

Cover the pan tightly with foil, and put it in the oven. Bake for 4 hours.  (If you use the amounts here, increase that time about 30 minutes; the four hour time is for a single batch.)  When the meat is ready, you should be able to fork it apart with ease. This is a team effort in our house. Use a sturdy tongs to take a hunk of the meat at a time to a plate and fork it apart, removing the fat, and returning the meat to the pan. Continue until you've removed all of the fat solids and have the meat back in the sauce. Keep warm in a crock pot at your event. It works fine to make the night before, too (Mr.4444 and I will be shredding beef at midnight tonight! (For Kyle's graduation party tomorrow!!)  Any leftovers freeze perfectly, so don't worry about making too much.  Serve on potato rolls (our favorite) or whatever rolls float your boat!

By the way, this barbecue goes great with Theresa's Beans!

Hungry yet? 


*When choosing the roast for this recipe, look for some fat marbling throughout; that gives the best flavor. Too much fat and, well...you'll have too much fat and not enough meat. Not enough fat, and you have tough meat that doesn't pull apart easily.  So heed this warning, because nobody likes having to spit stuff in their napkin! :)

Easy Pasta Salad

Is there really such a thing as a difficult pasta salad? I actually thought twice about posting this one, because it's so easy, but then I figured that not everyone is an experienced cook, so I figured it's worth a post. This salad is a nice accompaniment to any summer meal. We're serving it with barbecued beef sandwiches (and ham, and guacamole, and taco dip, and....) for Kyle's graduation party.

Ingredients:
Pasta of your choice (I used rotini this time, but you can use any kind, including spaghetti.)
Veggies of your choice (cukes, Vidalia onion, celery, green pepper, red pepper, tiny tomatoes)
Cheese (optional) Note that I didn't think to add mine til after I took the photo
Olives (optional) I actually changed my mind and left these out (Mr.4444 said, "People hate green olives."
1 bottle of Italian dressing
1 bottle McCormick Suddenly Salad seasoning (not pictured)
pepperoni (optional)
shredded Parmesan (for guests to sprinkle on top)

(Note:  Although this recipe lists the ingredients for one batch, I actually doubled it, so you'll see a lot more at the end of the post.)

While you're cooking the pasta per box directions, dice your vegetables. (Of course, I washed that dirty celery!)  I took the next photo to show you one of my all-time favorite kitchen tools. You know how you get invited to Pampered Chef parties but hate to go for fear you'll spend too much?  Well, I highly recommend that you buy one of these babies, as it is worth it's weight in gold (about $10).

I've had mine for about ten years, and it will still take a finger off if you're not careful. When we're peeling potatoes for booyah, I can peel at least three times as fast as anyone with a old-fashioned peeler (and I don't have the waste I get with a knife.) But I digress, just like I did when I became enamored with this gorgeous red pepper and took this shot...

And now, back to the show!  When the pasta is done, be sure to rinse it in cold water (in a colander, Matty) right away (it stops the cooking and keeps it from getting mushy). Drain thoroughly and put in a large bowl. Add the vegetables, and pour the dressing over all.

Stir. Add salt and pepper if you want.  Chill for several hours, and don't be afraid to stir now and then to mix the dressing through.

 Off to make another dish for the party!!

[Update: Today, when I tasted the salad before serving it, I decided it needed something (it was a little too tame. My sister Mary brought some sliced pepperoni to add, and we also added a bunch of McCormick Suddenly Salad seasoning and some more Italian dressing.  That gave it the kick it needed.]