The Best BBQ Meal Ever!

Roasted Garlic Potatoes

3 lbs red potatoes, half peeled (peel some strips off and leave some strips on)

1 head of roasted garlic, squeezed out of the husks and crushed with a fork*

*cut the top off a head of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, and bake in a pan for 30 mins at 350 degrees

One 3 oz package cream cheese (I use 4 oz--everything is better with cream cheese, right?!)

1 c sour cream

1/2 c milk

4 TBL butter, cut in pieces

1 TBL freshly ground black pepper

1 TBL salt

Yield: 6-8 servings

In a large pot, boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain and put in a big bowl. Mash the potatoes (do not use a hand mixer!). Add the other ingredients one at a time, mashing and mixing constantly. The potatoes should still be a little chunky when finished.

Big-Time Barbecue Sauce

--This is a very good all-purpose barbecue sauce that can be used for basting, glazing, and dipping.

1 1/4 c commercial chili sauce

3 c ketchup

1 c prepared yellow mustard

1/4 c Worcestershire sauce

1/4 c cider vinegar

1 TBL garlic powder

1 TBL onion powder

1 TBL freshly ground pepper

1 TBL salt

1/2 TBL dried thyme

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 c honey

1 c brown sugar

Yield: about 2 quarts

Combine all the ingredients except the honey and brown sugar in a saucepan and very slowly bring the mixture to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add in the last 2 ingredients. Mix well and mix again occasionally as it cools. Store in a covered glass or plastic container in the regrigerator for up to one month.

"Meat Loaf for Lisa Marie"

3 lbs ground chuck

3/4 c beef consomme (canned is fine)

1/4 c Worcestershire sauce

1 small onion, chopped fine

1 small bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, chopped fine

1 jalapeno chile, seeds and stem removed, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 c seasoned breadcrumbs

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tsp salt

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp chili powder

recipe calls for 2 medium aluminum foil loaf pans--I use the three pack of foil pans purchased

from WalMart.

In a big bowl, mix all the ingredients well. Punch a few holes in the aluminim foil pans. Split mixture between the pans, packing it tightly in the corners.

Prepare BBQ for indirect cooking at 275 degrees, using cherry and hickory wood for flavor (I often can only find hickory--follow directions on woodchip package). Put the loaves on the grill for one hour. At that time check for firmness. They should be ready to be turned out of the loaf pans, and put directly onto the grate. Cook for another hour and begin checking the internal temperature. When it reaches 155 degrees F, they are done. Remove to a plate and glaze with BBQ sauce, if desired. Tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Because I divide the mixture between three pans, it takes a bit less cook time.

Both the sauce and the meatloaf have a bit of a "kick" to the them. Enjoy!