Unfried BBQ Pickles

I was invited to go on Local Memphis Live again this week and create more Southern Recipe Pork Rinds recipes! I have to say, this gets more and more fun every time. I love getting creative with the pork rinds and coming up with new, innovative recipes. I happen to love fried pickles, so I thought a healthy, high protein version would be perfect for summer!

Grocery List:

2 eggs - beaten

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 cups Southern Recipe BBQ Pork Rinds - finely crushed

1 16 oz jar sliced pickles

Directions:

1. Heat oven to high broil. Place oven rack in the middle of the stove. Beat the eggs, flour, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. In another small bowl, add the finely crushed pork rinds (I crush them with my hands).

2. Take the pickles out of the jar and lay on paper towels. Blot off all the liquid from the pickles. Dip each dry pickle into the egg mixture, then into the crushed pork rinds, pressing to adhere the crumbs to the pickles.

3. Lay "breaded" pickles onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Put in the oven for about 6-8 minutes. You want them to be brown and extra crispy when they come out! Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Smoky BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Apple Arugula & Orange-Bourbon Slaw

Growing up in Memphis, BBQ was on the menu quite often. It was always one of momma'a favorite foods, too. So if we weren't ordering takeout BBQ, it was being cooked at our house. Here's my take on chicken BBQ, which is the absolute most perfect recipe for leftover chicken!

Grocery list (4 people):

• 1 small onion - chopped

• 2 garlic cloves - minced

• 1 cup ketchup

• 1/2 cup cider vinegar

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce - chopped

• 1-2 tbsp adobo sauce

• 1 tsp Worcestershire

• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

• Kosher salt

• 2 cups shredded chicken (I use leftover meat from a rotisserie)

• 4 hamburger buns (I homemade mine using this easy recipe from Taste of Home)

• Apple Arugula Slaw - for topping (search recipe on Andrea's Cooktales)

Directions:

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1. In a large saucepan, sauté onions with 1/4 tsp salt over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and sauté one minute. 2. Add ketchup, cider vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon, maple syrup, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, Worcestershire, liquid smoke, and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a slight boil and simmer until somewhat thickened (if sauce gets too thick add water).

3. Put shredded chicken into a bowl and toss together with as much sauce as you'd like.

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4. Open buns and stack each bottom half with about 1/2 cup BBQ chicken. Top chicken with my Apple Arugula and Orange-Bourbon slaw.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!

Balsamic BBQ Meatballs with Rudolph's Pork Rinds

These one of a kind meatballs are my final recipe that was featured on Local Memphis Live last week. A sweet and tangy balsamic BBQ sauce gives these meatballs a fun twist, but it's really the pork rinds that make this recipe stand out. Pork rinds in meatballs?!?!?! What in the world?! Well, traditionally breadcrumbs are featured in meatballs, and we've all had a BBQ flavored meatball so put the two together and you have quite a unique meatball! Pork rinds were a fun subject for me to discuss on the Local Memphis Live segment because it immediately brought back a childhood memory. When I think or pork rinds I think of being a kid on a road trip. When I was a kid, we would go on summer trips to the beach, and what I remember most were the gas station stops. We would make pit stops and stock up on snacks for the car. As strange as it may sound, pork rinds were always a family favorite. I've grown up eating pork rinds, so cooking with them made a lot of sense!

Grocery list (makes about 20 meatballs):

Sauce:

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup balsamic

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp Dijon

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tbsp Worcestershire

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

Meatballs:

1/2 lb pork

1/2 lb ground beef

1/3 cup grated onion

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 cup parm

1 tbsp cream or milk

1 egg - beaten

2 tbsp basil - minced

1 tsp salt

1 cup Rudolph's Original Pork Rinds (or breadcrumbs) 

Directions:

Step 1:

Start by making the sauce. In a small saucepan, whisk together the ketchup, balsamic, brown sugar, Dijon, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic power, and salt. Set over low heat and whisk until smooth.

Step 2:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the meatball mixture. In a mixing bowl, combine the pork, beef, onion, garlic, parm, cream, beaten egg, basil, and salt with a fork. Don't over mix. In a plastic bag, crush your pork rinds into very fine crumbs. You can also do this in a food processor. Add the crushed pork rinds and combine the mixture with your hands. Again, don't over mix. Just mix together until well combined.

Step 3:

Make your balls. You can use your hands but I like to use a small ice cream scoop so they're all the same size. Place meatballs on a baking sheet and spoon a small amount of the Balsamic BBQ sauce over each ball. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Serve extra sauce alongside for dipping.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!

Pork Rind BBQ Nachos

To continue my recipes from the Local Memphis Live TV segment on Tuesday, today I'm posting recipe #2: Pork Rind BBQ Nachos. This is a low carb version of the real thing. And I have to say, using pork rinds instead of tortillas may just give the original recipe a run for it's money. If you live in Memphis, you know that BBQ nachos are a staple around here. If you don't live in Memphis and you come to Memphis, the first thing you should eat is BBQ Nachos. I'm not joking. Do it.

This fun snack will always remind me of Redbirds and Grizzlies games. Yeah sure, we love watching the games, love the atmosphere, and love all the fun that comes along with the 'Birds and Grizz, but I have to admit, half the reason me and Tres go to the games are for the BBQ Nachos! We can't be in our seats for more than 5 minutes without getting an order of BBQ Nachos and a beer. It never fails and never will! Now we can make them at home -- low carb!

Grocery List:

1 bag Rudolph's BBQ Pork Rinds

32 oz pulled pork (I like to use leftovers from sandwiches the night before or you can find it in the freezer section of your grocery store)

1 cup cheddar cheese - grated

1/2 cup (or more) BBQ sauce

1 jalapeño - chopped into rounds (optional)

Parsley - for garnish

Directions:

Step 1:

On a large platter, spread out the pork rinds directly from the bag.

Step 2:

Top the rinds with the pulled pork, then the cheese, and finally the BBQ sauce (you can add as much or little of any of these as you like).

Step 3:

If you like a little spice, add the chopped jalapeño. Garnish with parsley.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!

Jalapeño Cheese Grits w/ Rudolph's Hot & Spicy Pork Rinds

My second live TV segment aired today on Local Memphis Live on Channel 24! It's been so much fun cooking on TV and sharing fun recipes with local Memphians. Today I cooked with Rudolph's famous Pork Rinds. I shared three recipes on the segment but I'm going to start by sharing the grits on the blog. These grits are extra creamy with a hint of crunch from the pork rinds. The combination may sound strange but creamy and crunchy together are quite the match! Grits remind me of the time Tres and I went with two of our good friends to Charleston. It was Tres' 30th birthday, and since he was born in Charleston, I planned a surprise trip for him. He was ecstatic and we had the best time. And guess what?! I decided on that trip that I really liked grits! I think I'd like to dare someone to eat grits and not think of Charleston. It'd be impossible.. The two go hand in hand.

Stay tuned for more of my "Rudolph's Pork Rind" recipes this week!

Grocery List (4 people):

1 cup of Stone Ground Grits

3 cups milk

1 cup cream

1 1/2 tsp salt - or to taste

1 large jalapeño - seeded and chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup Gouda cheese - grated

1 cup Rudolph's Hot & Spicy Pork Rinds - crumbled

Directions:

Step 1:

Heat milk and cream in a large saucer pan over medium high heat. When the liquid starts to get hot, pour in the grits. Whisk grits together with the liquid. When the grits start to bubble, turn down the heat to low.

Let the grits cook on low for about 8-10 minutes, stirring every 1-2 minutes.

Step 2:

While the grits are cooking, sautée your chopped jalapeño over medium heat until soft.

Step 3:

Stir the sautéed jalapeños and the cheese into the grits. Taste and add more salt if needed.

**Note: if the grits start to get hard, add more milk to the mixture and stir. There's nothing worse than "un-creamy" grits, and it's very easy for grits to get hard, as they soak up any liquid put in them very quickly.

Step 4:

Serve grits by putting in a family size bowl or small separate bowls and top with the crumbled Rudolph's Hot and Spicy Pork Rinds and parsley for garnish.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!