Irish Stout and Vanilla Coffee Barbeque Sauce

One of my favorite things about barbequing is making sauces. Here is my newest creation I made specifically for my 1st ever beef brisket I served on the 4th of July.

I love a good Irish stout..whether it's drinking it or cooking with it. :) I wanted to use Irish stout in a special barbeque sauce to flavor my coffee rub beef brisket. I also used vanilla coffee in the sauce to go along with the vanilla coffee rub I used. Here is what I created:

Irish Stout and Vanilla Coffee Barbeque Sauce

Ingredients:

1 c. Irish Stout Beer

1c. Vanilla Coffee

1 c. Ketchup

¼ c. HP Sauce

3 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

2 tsp. Onion Powder

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 tbsp. Mustard

1 tbsp. Honey

1/8 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients into a medium-size saucepan. Use a whisk to mix everything together. Simmer for 30 min. at medium-high heat. Enjoy!

Beef Brisket Mop Sauce

Brisket Mop Sauce

Ingredients:

¾ bottle of Apple Cider (Alcoholic or Non-Alcoholic)

Approx. 3 tbsp. Irish Salted Butter

2 tbsp. Light Brown Sugar

3 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Add all ingredients together into a medium-size saucepan. Heat until the butter and brown sugar are melted. Then use to baste beef brisket throughout the smoking process. Enjoy!

Beef Brisket Marinade

I just tried my first beef brisket on our smoker this past weekend for the 4th of July. Many BBQers out there will say not to inject a marinade into the meat or let it sit in a marinade overnight. I thought why not? Brisket has a bad rep in BBQ World for being a tough meat to smoke. You either get it right, and it is nice and moist, or it tastes like shoe leather.

After 8 LOOONG hours of smoking the meat, and letting it rest for 1 hour wrapped in aluminum foil, a towel, and placed in a cooler, it was ready to eat.

Did the marinade work? YES! It helped keep the meat moist, and added great flavor to the brisket. I used a meat injector and injected all of the marinade into the meat. I let it marinate in the refrigerator for 12 hours. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Beef Brisket Marinade / Mop Sauce

Ingredients:

½ c. Water

½ c. Vanilla-flavored Coffee (brewed strongly)

2 tsp. Beef Base

2 tbsp. Light Brown Sugar

¼ tsp. Irish Mustard

¼ tsp. Chili Powder

½ tsp. Garlic Powder

1 tsp. Onion Powder

2 tsp. Soy Sauce

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a saucepan, and heat until sugar has dissolved. Set aside and let it cool down. Once the marinade has cooled completely, inject it into your brisket or beef short ribs. You can also just use the marinade as a nice mop sauce too.

Coffee Dry Rub for Beef

Coffee Rub

I use this rub on anything from steaks to beef brisket. I like the semi-sweet flavor the vanilla coffee adds to the rub. It makes this rub stand out from a typical rub used on beef. Right before I apply the rub to beef I will lightly baste the meat with a dijon mustard-vanilla extract mix, and then pat the dry rub on top of the mustard. Enjoy!

Ingredients
¼ c. Vanilla-flavored Coffee (ground coffee, not brewed)

¼ c. Light Brown Sugar

1 tbsp. Onion Powder

1 tbsp. Garlic Powder

1 tbsp. Sea Salt

1 tbsp. Hungarian Paprika

2 tsp. Cajun Seasoning

1 tsp. Chili Powder

1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

Vietnamese-Inspired Marinade

Vietnamese-Inspired Marinade

This is an intensified version of the traditional Vietnamese soup called Pho. My favorite soup in the world. I intensified the spices so it would impart a lot of flavors into the beef. I use this recipe on beef short ribs. Enjoy!

Pho Bo (Beef Soup) Inspired Marinade

Ingredients:

4 c. hot water

2 tbsp. beef base

1/3 c. white onion

3 tbsp. fresh minced ginger

2 tbsp. cinnamon

4 tbsp. fish sauce

2 star anise

8 cloves of minced garlic

2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. chili powder

2 tbsp. lime juice

2 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:

Add all ingredients into a pot (I used a large one). Simmer on low heat for 20 min. Cover with lid. Marinade will thicken slightly as it simmers, stir occasionally. Let marinade cool completely before adding to the meat. I actually let the meat marinate in this marinade for about 20-24 hours prior to smoking.

Middle Eastern-Inspired Chicken Rub

This is a rub I love for the aggressive spice flavors. I use this rub strictly on chicken.

Middle Eastern-Inspired Chicken Rub

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Turmeric

2 tbsp. Cumin

2 tbsp. Dried Coriander

2 tbsp. Cinnamon

2 tsp. Nutmeg

¼ tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1 tbsp. Sea Salt

1-2 tbsp. strong flavored mustard (I either use a yellow mustard or Irish mustard)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and place on chicken. Marinate in a tight container for a minimum of 8 hours in the refrigerator. Use any extra rub with melted butter or olive oil and baste chicken while it is in the smoker. Discard any leftover rub after use. Safety warning: do not dip a hand that has already touched raw meat back into container. It will contaminate the rub. Always season with one hand, and keep another hand dry and untainted.

Japanese-inspired Marinade

I love Asian food. Whether it is Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean.. I love it all! I wanted to test a Japanese-style marinade on some chicken thighs. I absolutely love this marinade on chicken thighs. It is by far my favorite seasoning for smoked chicken. Enjoy!

Japanese-Inspired Marinade:

Ingredients:

½ c. of Rice Vinegar

½ c. of Soy Sauce

2 tbsp. Brown Sugar

Approx. 3 Tbsp. (or more) of Onion Powder

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Place chicken in a 9" x 13" pan (one that has a lid). Pour 1/2- 3/4 of the marinade on chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hrs. Approx. 20 min. before smoking, remove chicken from refrigerator and pour out the marinade. Pat the chicken dry and place on smoker. Use the extra reserved marinade to baste the chicken throughout the smoking process.