BBQ Part Deux

So you followed our orders last week, threw a summer kegger, and left a few cups of wicked brew sludge to use for a barbecue sauce-now what? Well, there are any number of things you could do with it, but here are two of the best ideas we had. Slow roast some sticky tempeh ribs and simmer some sweet black lentils to serve them on. The taste may seem redundant, but if presented alongside some vinegar-laden onion rings, you're golden.

Baby Back Tempeh Ribs
1 8 oz. package tempeh
2 Tbs. canola oil
1 cup Tapped BBQ sauce (re: "Hot Knives" vol. 5 no. 29)
salt and pepper to taste

Take the thawed tempeh and slice into thick 3-inch long strips. Then heat the oil in a large skillet, on high heat, and place the tempeh strips in one by one. After 3-4 minutes, or when crispy and brown, flip the strips onto the other side. Once fully browned remove from heat. Grease a casserole dish or deep baking pan and place the strips in neat, tightly packed rows. Then thoroughly cover them with your barbecue sauce and throw them in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until sauce has become bubbly.

BBQ Lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups black lentils
1/2 cup Tapped BBQ sauce
1 Tbs. brown sugar.
1 bay leaf

Measure out your lentils and then wash thoroughly and dry. Fill a large saucepan with the veggie broth, the lentils and bay leaf. Bring to a slow rolling boil and then simmer about 20 minutes or until most, but not all, of the broth is reduced. Add the barbecue sauce and brown sugar and stir vigorously. Cook off more of the broth for about 10 minutes and then serve.

Balsamic Batter-free Onion Rings
1 yellow onion, skinned and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

Heat your skillet on a high flame. Place the onion slices in the pan face down and dry sear them for two minutes. Sprinkle the top of each onion with the salt, sugar and cumin, and carefully turn them over and sear. Then add the balsamic. Once the vinegar is bubbling vigorously, cover your pan and reduce the flame to medium, or place your pan on a heat diffuser if you have one. Reduce the vinegar until it is almost completely gone. Drizzle the onions with the remaining ooze when you plate them.

Beverage: Stone's 2006 Vertical Epic Ale
Soundtrack: Tom Wait's Swordfishtrombone

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