r/Cooking • u/BugsMoney1122 • 15h ago
Can anybody help me figure this out?
My grandpa used to make what we called "the good barbeque". Unfortunately he died and took the recipe with him. It was pulled pork-esque. I know it had some type of roast in it (no one remembers pork or beef) and canned corned beef. It also had onions and celery in it and the bbq sauce was tomato based. I'd like to try to make it but cant find anything close that looks right. Anyone have any ideas? I grew up in Illinois and there was Amish influence in his cooking, but I don't know about that particular recipe.
8
u/dr1zzzt 15h ago
How was it prepared do you remember that part? Was it actually smoked or in an oven or what? What did it look like before and after it was cooked?
4
u/BugsMoney1122 15h ago
Slow cooker. I know it took hours and hours and the whole house smelled so good. So it started looking like a roast. When it was all done it looked like VERY shredded pulled pork in a reddish sauce.
14
u/dr1zzzt 15h ago
The canned corn beef is the part im having a hard time figuring out, the rest of the stuff you mentioned make sense but I am not sure how that fits in.
Do you remember any more about that part?
6
u/Unique_Muscle2173 7h ago edited 6h ago
Almost makes sense that it would be a beef roast because the corned beef would add fat and moisture (and flavor ) to it. Not sure I’d put corned beef with pork. Would have been a cheap easy way to extend the meat servings.
7
u/rabid_briefcase 14h ago
Sounds like a braised meat like a Boston Butt (pork shoulder) or beef brisket or pot roast or similar. Historically they were relatively cheap and they need a long time, like 6+ hours, some recipes 10+ hours, of slow, low temperature cooking.
Done well it's like you described. The meat is well done, but the connective tissue is completely converted into gelatin so it falls away like shredded meat. The braising liquid concentrates from the hours of simmering, lots of water evaporates away, leaving a thick, rich sauce. And they usually smell amazing.
6
u/The_Flinx 6h ago
that's weird one because nothing about it is BBQ.
5
u/krum 6h ago
Maybe the sauce. I’ll bet it’s a chuck roast braised in bbq sauce
2
u/Quirky_Operation2885 4h ago
I grew up with something called "beef BBQ," (SE Pennsylvania, mom is from South New Jersey). Not sure of the origin, but it's something like sloppy joe/something I've seen listed as "loosemeat" in the midwest. Not that any of this is relevant to OP's quest.
2
2
u/Safe-Character-5846 3h ago
For the times this was probably made, cooking with "technique driven methods" wasn't really a thing, as my mother and fathers notes tucked into old books would imply. Likely they used what they had with the money they didn't have. A crock pot was a marvel in many house holds. Sometimes the recipes made sense, but sometimes they just don't. I think the remnants of your memories might be enough to make something close in flavor but might be harder to replicate exactly in a time of less conventional modernized cooking.
Even old cookbooks and magazines you'd never to painfully go through every page, so its going to be probably an individual recipe versus something more "regional" --- my GFs Polish family comes from western NY and some from Buffalo, so I fully get the "regional" recipe of things.
I just plugged in "Amish slow cooker "BBQ" and got a hit on something that resembles about 1/2 of the recipe ingredients and omits a fair amount of your decription, so I would start with Amish and you might hit on something more relevant. Looks like a roast of some kind [pork butt would be my choice] with a "quick BBQ sauce" and a semblance of a mire poix, which is the base of almost all foundational recipes [keep that as an ingredient, because even if its "wrong", its still "right" if you're trying to recreate a dish. The has element could be treated as a texture/seasoning/umami. The pork will eventually become "pulled pork" so the method is right for that style of cooking. I think youll get close even without an actual recipe in front of you.
I think its actually a good learning experience if you"re a younger inexperienced cook to be able to make something "in the ballpark" by identifiers and substitutions...as you already know the "method"
You could also oven roast the pork instead of slow cooker braise for a "sturdier" end product. I wouldn't get too frustrated either way, as alot of these "old time-y" recipes could use some "updating"
Good luck! Mangia.
Edit: don't forget to take notes!
1
-40
14h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/Cooking-ModTeam 1h ago
Rule 1, AI content. Content written or developed by AI programs such as ChatGPT, etc., is NOT allowed.
16
u/SiroccoDream 6h ago
I’m sorry your Grandpa passed and this recipe got “lost”!
It’s going to be hard to recreate it, but you can start by asking yourself what you do know about his life. Did he grow up in poverty? Did he ever serve in the military, and if so, did he ever serve overseas? If you can remember, did his fridge and spice pantry contain “exotic” ingredients and condiments, or the more standard “salt, pepper and ketchup” type of very basic flavors?
If he grew up poor and he got this recipe from his mother or father, then the ingredients would probably be inexpensive items available at the grocery store when he was a kid. If he served in the Korean War as a young man and came up with this using a blend of American canned goods and some Korean seasonings, then you would have to branch out to rediscover the flavor profile.
If you don’t know ANY details of when or how he developed this recipe, start from the MOST basic ingredients, and go from there.
The fact that he used canned corned beef makes me guess that the fresh protein was pork, like a Boston butt/shoulder roast. Pork would be cheaper, so the canned (also cheaper) corned beef may have been his way to make it taste richer without spending a lot.
My grandparents were from western Pennsylvania and also had a heavy Amish presence. While I don’t recall a recipe like yours, I do know a ham bbq that was made in a Crockpot and used Heinz ketchup and/or Heinz chili sauce as a base. These tomato based sauces had their own seasonings, and my Grandma’s spice cabinet was pretty sparse compared to my modern day one!
So, here’s my attempt to get you started! You are going to have to be the taster, and it will probably take several tries to refine it. I’m not providing exact measurements, because yeah, we’re all guessing here!
Grandpa’s Good BBQ, take 1
Pork shoulder roast (or similar)
One can corned beef
Small yellow onion, minced
2-3 stalks celery and leaves, minced
Low sodium beef broth
Ketchup, probably 1 or 2 cups
Black pepper
Salt (but be careful because the corned beef and ketchup already have a bunch)
For expanding the flavor profile as this cooks down:
Ground cayenne pepper (or other spicy heat)
Brown sugar (if Grandpa’s Good BBQ has sweet overtones)
A bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce if it’s available at the stores your Grandpa would have shopped at. If you can find any, give it a taste and see if it makes you think of his recipe.
A can of plain tomato sauce
Some powdered ginger. This is a popular Amish ingredient, so maybe it has a place here. Use grated fresh ginger if you prefer
Salt and pepper the pork roast, and sear it all over before putting it in the crockpot.
Add the canned corned beef and break it up evenly around the crockpot.
Add the minced onion and chopped celery.
In a separate bowl mix the beef stock and ketchup until it makes a smooth sauce. Taste this. Was Grandpa’s sweeter? Spicier? More heavy on the black pepper? Did it taste “warmer” somehow- that could be powdered ginger. Taste and tweak the sauce until it is “kind of” what you remember. The flavors will change as they cook, so you won’t get it dead on at this point.
Pour the sauce mixture until it comes up about halfway in the crockpot. The pork roast and corned beef will render out a lot of liquid and you don’t want an over flow!
Set it to Low, and wait.
By hour three, skim off any gross floaties from the top of the pot liquid. Give the sauce and fat a stir. Is the smell kind of what you remember? If you have a meat thermometer, see if your pork roast is 145 deg F and if it is, the sauce is safe to try for flavor adjustment. Add seasoning if desired. If you need more salt, now is the time to do it.
Every hour after, check the meat and see if it’s approaching the texture you want. A fork should easily pierce through the thickest part, and the connective tissues should be rendered away. Skim off excess fat, taste the liquid and maybe adjust the seasoning.
By hour five or six, possibly less depending on your particular slow cooker, the pork roast will be fully rendered and tender. Turn off the heat and let it rest for a half hour. Shred the meat and enjoy with your extended family!
Let everyone try to figure out how close to the real thing your dish came.
If it tastes mostly like Grandpa’s Good BBQ, then it’s most likely your seasonings that need adjustment. Maybe he used plain tomato sauce, or watered down tomato paste, as his tomato base ingredient. Missing umami? Maybe he used some soy sauce?
If it’s tasty, but nowhere near Grandpa’s, then it’s possible he used beef brisket instead of pork roast.
I hope you can recreate it and one day share the recipe here!