• 12 ounce can of beer (your choice)
• 2 cans (4 ounces) sliced or chopped jalapeños, drained
• 4 Tablespoons hot-pepper sauce
• 2 cans (15 ounces) original style Sloppy Joe sauce
• 4 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
• 5 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs

Put everything into a large bowl, ribs last. Gently toss and turn ribs to coat before covering bowl and placing in refrigerator. Allow to marinate overnight, turning periodically.

Heat up the grill to medium (if you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grilling surface for 3-4 seconds, it’s medium). Place ribs on grill and cook them, turning and basting them with the marinade a few times, until they reach 150-155°F on an instant read thermometer — about 15 minutes.

Place the remaining marinade in a pot and heat on the stove until boiling. Pour over the cooked ribs.

Makes 16 servings

Inspired by Greek cooking.

• 3 pound (or larger) whole chicken (I’ve used Roasters)
• salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Rinse chicken and set aside neck and giblets for another use (my cats love them!). Pat dry. Season chicken with  salt and pepper. Sprinkle half the oregano and garlic inside the cavity.

Melt butter in a large frying pan. Brown chicken on all sides before placing in crock pot. Sprinkle with remaining oregano and garlic. Add water to frying pan; stir to loosen brown bits. Pour into crock pot.

Cover and cook on Low for about 4 hours (a larger bird may take up to 6 hours). Add lemon juice the last hour of cooking.

Transfer chicken to serving board. Skim fat and pour juices into a gravy server/sauce bowl. Carve bird. Serve with some of the juices poured over each serving.

Makes 6 servings (more if using a larger chicken)

A slightly smaller meatloaf.

• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/2 seasoned, dry bread crumbs or Nature’s Burger mix
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 Tablespoons milk or water
• 1 teaspoon vegetarian Worchestershire sauce (no anchovies, please)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350° (F). In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Place in greased 8×4-inch loaf pan; form into a loaf. Bake 40 to 60 minutes or until no longer pink in the center. Let stand a few minutes to set; invert onto serving platter.

To Microwave: Combine all ingredients as above. Shape into a loaf (about 8×4-inches) in a 12×8-inch microwavable dish. Cover with wax paper and cook at medium 20 to 24 minutes. Drain liquid occasionally and, if necessary, shield ends of loaf with aluminum foil halfway through cooking. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2-3 pounds chicken parts (legs, breasts, wings, etc.)

Combine oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper for marinating sauce. Seal chicken and sauce in plastic bag. Marinate in refrigerator 4 to 5 hours. Place chicken, skin side down, in broiler pan (without rack). Broil 5 to 7 inches from heat about 25 minutes, or till lightly browned. Brush occasionally with sauce. Turn; broil 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

This started out as a recipe for Jamaican Curried Goat — courtesy of Rose Grant’s “Street Food”. However, between goat being hard to find around here and the fact that most of my friends squirm at the thought of eating goat, I’ve long ago replaced it with lamb. The ingredients listed also reflect the fact that I usually make this up for cookouts (by request of the guests) and thus must make a large amount.

• 6 pounds boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup peanut oil
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 6 medium-sized tomatoes, finely chopped (the food processor is a wonderful invention!)
• 6 small onions, chopped
• 6 scallions, with some of the green, chopped
• 6 medium Anaheim chilies
• 1.75 – 2 oz bottle curry powder (I usually use the yellow stuff as it’s the only one I can find in most stores in organic form)
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground pepper

Place the lamb in a large bowl. The larger the better. In another medium-sized bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over the meat and mix well. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.

Remove the meat from the marinade and reserve the marinade. Thread the lamb onto 24 prepared metal skewers (no matter how long I soak them, the bamboo ones always burn). Grill over white hot coals for 25 – 30 minutes, or until tender. Turn frequently, basting with remaining marinade.

Makes 24 kebabs

This recipe originated in “The Wicca Cookbook” by Jamie Wood and Tara Seefeldt. It came with a recipe for in-the-bird stuffing but I omitted it for both cooking time and safety. Also, since I’m not familiar with roasting with cheesecloth, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how much I should use, as well as if I should remove it for basting or not. Well, one year I said “screw it!” and made a few more modifications so I could cook it in a roasting bag. It came out just as delicious and I didn’t have to spend an entire day home in order to baste the thing. Bonuses!

• 18 to 22 pound turkey
• 2 large oranges, cut in half
• Salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 to 4 teaspoons crushed garlic
• Paprika

Remove the giblets and neck of the turkey. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Wash the turkey well, inside and out. Dry the turkey, inside and out with paper towels. Squeeze the juice of the oranges over the outside of the turkey and rub some juice on the inside of the cavity. Season the cavity with salt and pepper. Rub the outside of the turkey with 3/4 cup of the butter and smear the crushed garlic all over it as well. The butter acts as a basting juice during the first half of the cooking time. Season the turkey with salt and pepper and then sprinkle paprika all over it (I go nuts with it). Carefully place the turkey into prepared oven roasting bag, within a roasting pan. Tightly close up bag and cut slits into it, if required. Place the turkey in the oven.

Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness (180º F). A turkey is done when the thigh juices run clear yellow when pricked, there are no traces of pinkness, and the drumstick moves easily in its socket. Expect to cook about 3-4 hours. Allow turkey to stand for 30 minutes. Carve turkey and serve on a festive platter.

Serves 15 to 20

This recipe comes from the book “The Freezer Cooking Manual from 30 Day Gourmet” by Tara Wolhlenhaus and Nanci Slagle. The book contains a great many recipes that are intended to be made up in bulk and frozen. Since there are no funky adjustments in ingredient quantities between the meal amounts I’ve included the ingredients for one meal. You can easily double to sextuple it by multiplying the ingredients by the amount of meals you wish to make. As I try to save resources as much as I can I’ve only included the “Bake on Serving Day” preparations.

• 1/4 cup Italian dressing
• 2-3 pounds fresh fryer parts
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Pour chicken parts and salad dressing into a freezer bag (I use the wide bottom 1 gallon size). Combine the parmesan cheese, dry bread crumbs, parsley flakes, paprika, salt and pepper in a quart-sized freezer bag and shake well to mix. Attach to the bag of chicken or put both bags into a larger freezer bag. Seal, label and freeze.

To serve, thaw marinated chicken and crumb mixture. Roll chicken one piece at a time in the crumbs, or shake in a bag, then place chicken in a greased 9×13-inch pan or on a cookie sheet. Spoon excess dressing over chicken. Bake at 350º(F) for 1 hour or until thickest piece is done.

Serves 4-6

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 clove garlic, crushed or minced
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme or poultry seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2-1/2 to 3 pounds frying chicken

Preheat oven to 400° (F). In a 13×9-inch pan, melt butter with garlic. In bowl or shallow pan, combine bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, salt, thyme and pepper; mix well. Dip chicken pieces in garlic butter and then in crumb mixture. Place skin-side-up in baking pan containing garlic butter. Bake, uncovered, about one hour or until tender, basting occasionally with pan drippings.

Serves 4

This “recipe” is something I came across in Amy Dacyczan’s “Tightwad Gazette.” When comparing lean meat costs she found that the fattier ground beef was still often the cheapest, per lean pound. To reduce the fat content in recipes calling for cooked ground beef, such as tacos, she uses the following method (this is per pound of beef):

Once the meat is cooked, drain the excess fat off as you normally would. Then, using a slotted spoon, scoop the “crumbles” and place them on a large plate lined with 3-4 sheets of paper towel. Blot the top of the beef with another sheet. Let sit for about 1 minute.

Place the beef in a strainer and rinse, using approximately 1 quart hot water. Stir “crumbles” while rinsing. Drain for 5 minutes and then use in your recipe.

Done this way you can reduce the amount of fat by as much as 60% (depending on how lean the ground beef was to start out with), and not lose much in the way of nutrition.

• 1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
• Salt and pepper
• 2 pounds top sirlion, cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes
• 15 small white onions
• 15 cherry tomatoes
• 3 medium-size green peppers, cut into 1-1/2-inch squares
• 15 one-inch cubes fresh pineapple

In a bowl, combine pineapple juice with the vinegar, molasses, onion, garlic, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the beef cubes and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Drain and reserve the marinade to be used as a basting sauce.

Drop the onions into boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes. Slip off the skins.

Thread the meat onto prepared wooden skewers, pushing the pieces close together. Thread the onions, green pepper pieces, and pineapple cubes alternately on other skewers. Brush all the skewers with the marinade. Grill the meat over white hot coals for 12 to 15 minutes, turning twice. Brush with additional marinade at each turning. Grill the vegetable-fruit skewers for about 5 minutes, basting with marinade once. Watch them; they burn easily.

Makes about 6 servings