For 25 years Joe and I called Kansas City home. I will always be sentimental about our time in Kansas, that’s where we raised Josh and Cam and made so many good friends. Kansas City is a passionate city. They love their barbecue and they love their Chiefs! And since Kansas City is going to the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years, I think this is cause for a celebration. In honor of the Kansas City Chiefs I am making the ultimate super bowl dish . . . Kansas City BBQ Fries. Now you all know that Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que is about the best there is with their burnt ends, ribs, brisket and pulled pork, but what you might not know is that they make the best fries too. I remember one year when they were voted #1 for the best fries in the state of Kansas; they rewarded their customers with a free fry day and gave away an order of fries with every order. Oh my goodness, you just don’t know how good they are until you’ve tasted them. On Sunday we’ll be cheering on the Chiefs and eating some good barbecue! Hope you enjoy the day no matter who you’re rooting for!
I chose a chuck roast to slow roast in simmering BBQ sauce. I like the chuck roast because it will pull apart easy and tastes so good. This was a big roast but I cut it down and packaged it in 1 pound pieces. So I have 1 pound of chuck roast, a 14.5 ounce bottle of Joe’s and Joe’s famous rub.
Heat a dutch oven with a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle rub over both sides of the roast and place in the hot dutch oven.
Sear on both sides 3 – 4 minutes.
Pour the entire bottle of barbecue sauce over the roast and place in a 300 degree oven.
I roasted it approximately 3 – 4 hours. Turn the roast every hour or so.
You’ll know it’s ready when you turn it and it starts to pull apart.
Take 2 forks and gently pull the roast apart. Add some of the reserved bbq sauce and mix well. Set aside
Take two large jalapenos and roast over the open flame of your stove. If you don’t have a gas stove then roast the jalapenos under the broil setting, turning often until all sides are charred and blistered.
Perfect! Now place those in a plastic bag for about 20 minutes to steam.
The charred peel will just scrape off easily with a knife.
Slice the jalapenos and remove seeds to tame them a bit. If you like them hot, then leave the seeds intact.
I made my favorite pickled onions to go on top. Find recipe and instructions here. I scaled down the original recipe by half.
And my favorite Cheese Sauce. Find recipe and instructions here. I scaled down the original recipe by half.
For time and ease, use a bag of frozen fries. Bake according to package directions. To layer the fries, start by ladling some cheese sauce over top. I added some of the pulled barbecue beef and sprinkled some jalapenos and pickled red onions. Garnish with sliced green onions, a drizzle of barbecue sauce and a drizzle of ranch dressing. The ranch dressing is key according to Josh!
Enjoy the game all!
Kansas City BBQ Fries
1 pound Chuck Roast
Joe’s Rib Rub, recipe follows
1 (14.5 ounce bottle) Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que Sauce
1 (32 ounce) bag of Frozen Fries
Cheese Sauce, recipe follows
2 large Jalapeno’s, roasted
Pickled Red Onions, make pickled onions at least 1 day prior so that they have time to absorb all the flavors. Recipe follows
Garnish with sliced Green Onions, Barbecue Sauce and Ranch Dressing
To make barbecued roast: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Rinse and dry roast. Generously sprinkle rib rub over both sides of the roast. Heat a small dutch oven over medium heat on top of the stove. Drizzle olive oil and sear both sides of the roast, about 3 – 4 minutes on each side. Pour the entire bottle of bbq sauce over the roast. Place the lid on top and place in oven for 3 – 4 hours, turning every hour or so. When the meat begins to pull apart easily it is done. Remove the roast to a bowl and use 2 forks to pull apart the meat. If the meat is dry, add some of the remaining barbecue sauce until the pieces are coated and appear moist and tender. Set aside.
Roast Jalapenos over an open flame of a stove top turning often until all sides are charred and blistered. If you don’t have a gas stove, roast the jalapenos in the oven under the broiler setting. When the jalapenos are charred over all side, place in a plastic bag to steam 20 minutes. Use a knife to gently scrape off the peel. Slice roasted jalapenos and remove seeds.
Place frozen fries in the oven and bake according to package instructions. While fries are baking, make cheese sauce.
Arrange fries on a platter, pour desired amount of cheese sauce over top. Top with the pulled barbecue beef, red onions and jalapenos. Garnish with sliced green onions, barbecue sauce and ranch dressing. ** If you have squeeze bottles, use them to drizzle bbq sauce and ranch dressing over your loaded fries.
1 large Red Onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup Lime Juice, squeezed fresh
1 clove Garlic
Salt to taste, I started with 1/2 teaspoon and added a little more
To make pickled onions: Boil a pot of water, approximately 2 – 3 cups. Place onion slices in a medium non reactive bowl. Pour boiling water over them, count to 10, then immediately strain the onions. Shake off all the water, place the onions back into the bowl and pour on the lime juice. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt and give it a taste. Add more salt if needed. Pack onions into a pint size jar and slide the garlic clove down into the jar along with the onions. Pour the lime juice over the onions and seal jar with a lid. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The onions will begin to change in color from a light pink to a vivid pink the longer you leave them refrigerated. Also the longer they pickle the better they taste. The onions will last for a couple weeks or more in the refrigerator.
1 tablespoons Butter
1/2 Can (6 ounces) Evaporated Milk
1 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/2 tablespoon Cornstarch
Salt to taste
To make cheese sauce, melt 1 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the evaporated milk and cornstarch together and add to the melted butter. When the milk begins to steam, add the grated cheese and stir until it melts completely. The cheese sauce will thicken after a few minutes.
2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar
1 tablespoon Packed Brown Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Ancho Chile, coarsly ground
1 1/2 teaspoons Paprika
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon White Pepper
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
In a small bowl combine all ingredients together and store in a covered container at room temperature. ** Only use what you need to coat the roast. Store the rest of the rib rub for your next barbecue dish.
An Inspired Cook 