Molasses Chili Steak Marinade

I don’t usually marinate my steaks. It just kinda depends on how I feel that day. Today, I wanted to turn a pretty standard steak into something completely not standard. This molasses chili steak marinade definitely did that. You get some sweet, but it’s not overwhelming at all. Not in the least. You get that great southwestern chili flavor. And hints of soy and rice vinegar. And best of all, you can still taste the steak. That’s why I bought one, ya know? I still want to taste meat, but I don’t mind making it a bit different.

Molasses Chili Steak Marinade

Sear It Fast

Because of the molasses and brown sugar you have to keep the time the steak spends over direct heat to a minimum. That high heat will definitely give you a char quick. Just sear it off and then move it to indirect heat to finish cooking. Just before you cook up your steak, make a batch of my jalapeno and onion steak topping and keep it warm until you’re ready to slice into that tasty meat.

If you’re feeling in the mood for spicy, substitute hot chili powder, a little or a lot. Also try my Asian steak marinade.

For the perfect meat-and-potatoes meal side dish, make my roasted spiral potatoes.

Molasses Chili Steak Marinade
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5 from 1 vote

Molasses Chili Steak Marinade

Today, I wanted to turn a pretty standard steak into something completely not standard. This molasses chili steak marinade definitely did that.
Course Marinade
Cuisine American
Keyword marinade, spicy, steak, sweet
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 273kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Whisk together all ingredients except for the steaks.
  • Pour marinade into the bottom of a large resealable container, or divided between two containers large enough to hold each steak.
  • Add steaks. Coat bottoms well then flip and coat other sides.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, flipping the steaks every 15 minutes.
  • Cook as you normally would.

Notes

Note that since the marinade contains molasses and brown sugar the steaks will char if left over high heat for very long. Sear your steaks over high heat then finish them over indirect heat to prevent burning.

Nutrition

Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1600mg | Potassium: 844mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamin A: 1188IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Sriracha BBQ Sauce

I spotted pork ribs on sale the other day. That can only mean one thing: St. Louis-style ribs. I smoked them 3-2-1 style, which results in great tender ribs that are packed with flavor by themselves. I like to sauce my ribs just before I pull them off of the smoker, giving the sauce a bit of time to set up. I wanted a spicy sauce, but not too spicy. This Sriracha BBQ sauce is the perfect combination of heat with just a bit of sweet. But definitely not too much sweetness.

Sriracha BBQ Sauce

Spicy BBQ Deliciousness

I used ketchup in this Sriracha BBQ sauce, but you can substitute tomato sauce for a slightly different texture that is a bit thinner. Either way you can’t go wrong with it. It’s great no matter where you use BBQ sauce, from great 3-2-1 ribs to grilled chicken. I also enjoy it on top of hot-off-the-grill hamburgers.

Also try my sweet-and-spicy BBQ sauce.

Sriracha BBQ Sauce
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4 from 1 vote

Sriracha BBQ Sauce

I like to sauce my ribs just before I pull them off of the smoker, giving the sauce a bit of time to set up. I wanted a spicy sauce, but not too spicy. This Sriracha BBQ sauce is the perfect combination of heat with just a bit of sweet. But definitely not too much sweetness.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword barbecue, BBQ, spicy
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 cups
Calories 289kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
  • Stir in the onion, garlic, red chile pepper, brown sugar, and fennel seeds, and cook until onion is tender and sugar has melted.
  • Mix in ketchup and soy sauce.
  • Bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to low, add in Sriracha and simmer 10 minutes.

Notes

Stir before using.

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2341mg | Potassium: 622mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 859IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Strawberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Three of my favorite things on one plate. First, smoked 3-2-1 St. Louis-style ribs. Sauced with a BBQ sauce that combines two of my other favorites: strawberries and chipotles. That great sweet berry flavor with a hint of smoky spiciness. Strawberries are in season here, and I just love using them in everything from a strawberry poppy seed salad dressing to this BBQ sauce. The strawberry flavor isn’t strong, it’s there enough for you to notice. Same goes for the chipotle. You get the smoky and you get the kick. But both are nicely balanced and not overwhelming.

Strawberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

A Totally Different BBQ Sauce

I cannot wait to use this strawberry chipotle BBQ sauce on smoked pulled pork. Though I think the sauce would be great on anything smoked or grilled, I feel nothing can touch its greatness on pork. There’s something about strawberry and pork. Delicious! This is a really great twist on a traditional BBQ sauce!

Also try my southwestern BBQ sauce.

Strawberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce
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5 from 1 vote

Strawberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

The strawberry flavor isn’t strong, it’s there enough for you to notice. Same goes for the chipotle. You get the smoky, you get the kick, but it’s nice and not overwhelming.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword barbecue, BBQ, sauce, smoky, spicy
Prep Time 30 minutes
1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 4 cups
Calories 281kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil.
  • Add in onion and saute for about 5 minutes.
  • Add in garlic and saute for 60 seconds.
  • Stir in strawberries, chipotles, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce or transfer to a blender. Puree until smooth.
  • Return to heat and simmer another 10 minutes.
  • Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Notes

Refrigerate up to 5 days.
Stir before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1099mg | Potassium: 499mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 901IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

Sure, I’ve made homemade salad dressings before. But I admit, I get lazy and find myself reverting back to the store-bought versions. I’ve vowed to end my purchases of bottled dressings. Well, or at least jazz them up by adding a few fresh ingredients. I’m starting with this incredible creamy poppy seed dressing. My wife proclaimed it her instant favorite, which is a great way to start on my homemade dressing journey!

Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

Nice-n-Smooth

This dressing has the perfect combination of sweet and tangy, with just the right consistency so that it does run off your salad and form a lake at the bottom of your plate. Nor does it sit there, stuck to your salad like well.. gum.
Grated onion really adds a lot of flavor to this creamy poppy seed dressing. Use a fine grater, such as a microplane, to get the onion as finely grated as you can. You can also mince the onion then, using the flat side of the knife, squish the onion into a paste.

Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!

Also try my creamy Italian dressing and Aunt Trish’s delicious dressing.

This recipe is based on a recipe from Deep South Dish.

Creamy Poppyseed Dressing
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5 from 1 vote

Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

I’ve vowed to end my purchases of bottled dressings (or at least jazz them up by adding a few fresh ingredients), starting with this incredible creamy poppy seed dressing.
Course Dressing
Cuisine American
Keyword creamy, homemade salad dressing
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 cup
Calories 1299kcal

Ingredients

  • â…“ cup sugar sugar substitute works just fine
  • 3 tablespoons white vinegar
  • â…” cup mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons onion grated, with juice (if you don't have any, you can just add onion powder to taste)
  • 1 teaspoons poppy seeds or a bit more, as preferred

Instructions

  • Whisk together all ingredients.

Notes

Stir before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 1299kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 113g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 951mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 70g | Vitamin A: 97IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Copycat Panera Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

Strawberries are in season here and it’s a happy time! I’ve been waiting for this moment to make this copycat of Panera’s strawberry poppy seed dressing. My patience was definitely rewarded and then some. This could easily be my favorite salad dressing of all time. Smooth strawberry flavor with just a bit of sweetness. White balsamic vinegar, while not as cheap as the dark version, is more mellow and adds a great tang.

Copycat Panera Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

What Is White Balsamic Vinegar?

I was curious what makes white balsamic vinegar more gentle than dark, so I Googled it. Turns out dark balsamic vinegar is aged for at least twelve years in barrels that have been fired and were previously used for other batches of balsamic vinegar. White balsamic vinegar, on the other hand, is aged at least twelve years in new barrels that have not been fired or used before. That explains the cleaner flavor! It’s perfect in this copycat Panera strawberry poppy seed dressing.

Other Berries Work Too!

After I use up this batch of dressing (read: tonight), I think I’ll try the same recipe but using raspberries instead. Or peaches. I think this same approach could work well with any good in-season fruit.

Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!

Also try my copycat of Chipotle’s Honey Vinaigrette.

Copycat Panera Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing
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5 from 1 vote

Copycat Panera Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

Strawberries are in season. I’ve been waiting for this moment to make this copycat of Panera’s strawberry poppy seed dressing. My patience was definitely rewarded.
Course Salad Dressing
Cuisine American
Keyword copycat, salad dressing
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 3 cups
Calories 267kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine all of the dressing ingredients except the poppy seeds together in a high-speed blender or food processor and mix until smooth.

Notes

Stir before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 128mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 57mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Chili Sauce for Chicken Fingers

I admit, not every meal I cook is from scratch. I’d say maybe 99% of them are home-cooked. But for that other 1% I’m a sucker for something pre-cooked, and often it’s pre-cooked chicken fingers (I use Tyson’s Crispy Chicken Strips, actually). I can’t help it. I like them. To make myself feel better about eating them I make my own sauce for dipping. This chili sauce is easy to make, which fits in well with the I-don’t-have-time-to-cook-dinner theme, and it goes great with chicken fingers.

Chili Sauce for Chicken Fingers

One Great Dipping Sauce

A little sweetness and a little fruitiness. Chili Sauce for chicken fingers is also perfect for dipping nuggets. Oh, that reminds me, check out my homemade chicken nuggets! It’s also fantastic for shrimp, boiled or deep fried. You can use thawed frozen mango and canned pineapple instead of fresh. That way you can make this sauce any time of the year.

These little sauce dipping cups are great for serving this sauce. They’re easy to clean up, too. And they’re also great for dipping nuggets, tenders or even chicken wings.

Also try my copycat of Chick-fil-A’s chicken finger dipping sauce or my firecracker dipping sauce.

This recipe is based on a recipe from Ask Chef Dennis.

Chili Sauce for Chicken Fingers
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5 from 1 vote

Chili Sauce for Chicken Fingers

This chili sauce is easy to make, which fits in well with the I-don’t-have-time-to-cook-dinner theme, and it goes great with chicken fingers.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken fingers, dipping sauce
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 2 cups
Calories 308kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
  • Serve cold or at room temperature.

Notes

Also great on wings!

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1276mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 71g | Vitamin A: 470IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Copycat Shake Shack Sauce

I was jonesin’ pretty bad for a diner burger the other day. Ya know, messy, with traditional toppings. With a great sauce. So I did a quick search around and came across this copycat of the sauce at the Shake Shack. It’s very easy to make, using ingredients that I always have on hand. It really adds a nice, smooth, flavor to a burger. It’s not a big change from what you would normally put on a burger, it just has all the great tastes in one sauce.

Copycat Shake Shack Sauce

Making Burger Sauces Is Fun!

I love making simple, yet delicious, sauces for burgers like this copycat Shake Shack Sauce. They’re a great way to kick up what might be a simple, ‘the usual’ burger.

Also check out my copycat McDonald’s Big Macs, with that awesome McDonald’s sauce. Or my grilled burgers topped with Nancy’s Special burger sauce. It’s similar to McDonald’s sauce, but with a great spicy twist.

Also try my BBQ Thousand Island burger sauce.

Copycat Shake Shack Sauce
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5 from 1 vote

Copycat Shake Shack Sauce

I was jonesin’ pretty bad for a diner burger the other day. Ya know, messy, with traditional toppings. With a great sauce. This is it.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword burger sauce, copycat
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 minute
Servings 1 cup
Calories 1738kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
  • Refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes

Stir before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 1738kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 171g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 12887mg | Potassium: 1385mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 3499IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 565mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Sriracha Mustard Sauce

This is my go-to, bring-the-heat Sriracha mustard sauce. Although it is spicy (hey, there’s Sriracha in it), and a bit mustardy, it also has a great smoky flavor thanks to the smoked jalapenos (chipotles). I keep several cans of chipotles in adobo sauce on hand at all times. It’s great mixed in not only with this sauce, but I have been known to also add it to mayonnaise and ketchup.

Sriracha Mustard Sauce

A Great All-Around Sauce

I keep a double batch of this Sriracha mustard sauce in the fridge in a big squeeze bottle. A few squirts on hot dogs, or burgers, or a sandwich, really brings the food to life. I love it as a dipping sauce for my smoked sausages, or squeezed over my cedar-planked Polish sausage sandwiches.

Don’t have or like (gasp!) Sriracha sauce? You can substitute your favorite hot sauce, from the fiery hot to the mellow mild.

Also try my maple mustard dipping sauce and my jalapeno beer mustard.

Sriracha Mustard Sauce
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5 from 1 vote

Sriracha Mustard Sauce

I keep a double batch of this Sriracha mustard sauce in the fridge in a big squeeze bottle. A few squirts on hot dogs, or burgers, or a sandwich, really brings the food to life.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword mustard, sauce, spicy
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 cup
Calories 1218kcal
Author Mike

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Whisk together all of the ingredients until smooth.
  • Refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes

Stir before using.
Great on darned near anything.

Nutrition

Calories: 1218kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 130g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 4277mg | Potassium: 270mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 799IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Copycat Tony Roma’s Blue Ridge Smokies Sauce

This copycat Tony Roma’s Blue Ridge Smokies sauce is fantastic. It has some of your ‘standard’ BBQ sauce ingredients, such as ketchup and liquid smoke. That’s not what made it so special to me. It’s the red wine vinegar. The vinegar really adds a nice edge to the sauce. It’s like a nice combination of a KC BBQ sauce with a little North Carolina vinegar-based sauce. This is a great finger-licking sauce that screams ‘put me on a rack of smoked ribs’. So that’s what I did!

Copycat Tony Romas Blue Ridge Smokies Sauce

The Perfect Sauce For Ribs

My first experience at Tony Roma’s was in Salt Lake City, Utah, many, many years ago. I instantly fell in love with their ribs. Ribs, ribs, ribs. Tony Roma’s started my love of ribs and I now make them often at home on my own smoker. I rubbed a rack of ribs down with a copycat Famous Dave’s rib rub, let it get happy overnight, then tossed the ribs onto my Weber Smokey Mountain smoker for 6 hours. I then slathered on some copycat Tony Roma’s Blue Ridge Smokies sauce. The end result was tender, tasty, and finger-licking amazing.

If you don’t like liquid smoke, substitute smoked salt and leave out the Kosher salt instead.

Try my copycat Tony Roma’s ribs made on the Char-Broil Big Easy.

Copycat Tony Roma's Blue Ridge Smokies Sauce
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5 from 2 votes

Copycat Tony Roma’s Blue Ridge Smokies Sauce

This copycat Tony Roma’s Blue Ridge Smokies sauce is fantastic.  It’s like a nice combination of a KC BBQ sauce with a little North Carolina vinegar-based sauce.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword barbecue, BBQ, copycat, sauce
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 2 cups
Calories 491kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
  • Bring to a boil while stirring constantly.
  • Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer, stirring often, for 30 minutes or until desired consistency is achieved.
  • Sauce gets better when refrigerated overnight. Warm slightly before using.

Notes

Stir before using.

Nutrition

Calories: 491kcal | Carbohydrates: 118g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1719mg | Potassium: 1125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 111g | Vitamin A: 617IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Country Sausage Gravy

There is truly no gravy like this country sausage gravy. It may seem like a lot of ingredients, but it is beyond worth the time. Creamy, meaty (sausage AND bacon!) and packed full of great flavors. Amazing flavors, unlike any gravy I’ve ever had.

Country Sausage Gravy

Even Better Made Over Charcoal

I like to make this country sausage gravy in a large cast iron skillet over charcoal. There’s just something about being outside early in the morning cooking up a big batch of gravy for breakfast over a hot charcoal fire. Of course you can cook it just as easily on the stove top.

I usually serve this gravy over biscuits, but it would be incredible on a chicken-fried steak. For that matter, it’d be incredible on anything that requires sausage gravy.

Also try my country breakfast tots.

Country Sausage Gravy
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5 from 1 vote

Country Sausage Gravy

There is truly no gravy like this country sausage gravy. It may seem like a lot of ingredients, but it is beyond worth the time.
Course Gravy
Cuisine American
Keyword gravy, sausage
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 658kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the gravy

Serving suggestions

  • Hot baked biscuits
  • Chicken-fried steak

Instructions

  • Heat a large (cast-iron is best) skillet over lit charcoal (direct heat) or on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
  • Add bacon and cook until crispy. Remove to paper towel-lined plate.
  • Add the crumbled sausage and cook until browned, stirring often. Remove to a large bowl. Crumble the bacon and add to the cooked sausage.
  • Add the butter to skillet and melt.
  • Add in the onion and cook until just soft.
  • Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  • If cooking on the grill, move the skillet to indirect heat. On the stove, reduce heat to medium-low.
  • Add flour, a little at a time. Mix, and add more flour. Cook until blonde in color. If too thin, add a bit more flour.
  • Add the milk 1/2 cup at a time, mixing. Continue cooking until thickened.
  • Add the chicken bouillon cube and stir.
  • Add in the sage, thyme, and cayenne. Mix well.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste, along with the Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and green onion.
  • Add in the sausage and bacon mixture. Stir and add more milk if the gravy is too thick.
  • Serve over hot biscuits or chicken-fried steak.

Notes

You can make this wonderful gravy on the grill (using direct and indirect cooking) or stove.

Nutrition

Calories: 658kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 939mg | Potassium: 579mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 875IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 174mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.