Cold Outside? Bring the Barbecue Inside!

Cold Outside? Bring the Barbecue Inside!

Barbecue with Purple Cowboy Wines

It’s brutal out there! What’s a barbecue lover to do when the grill outside is covered in snow? Simple, bring the party inside!

We’ve gathered some delicious barbecue ideas that will have you hosting a summertime or Super Bowl barbecue, whatever the weather looks like outside. All of these recipes would make mouth-watering pairings with both Purple Cowboy Tenacious Red and Purple Cowboy Trail Boss Cabernet.

Speaking of Super Bowl… Remember to stock up on Purple Cowboy Wines today in the Wine Sisterhood Wine Shop! And bonus: order a case or more, shipping is only $.01 – just one penny!

Here are some of our favorite ideas for bringing the BBQ right to your kitchen:

OvenBakedRibs-Kitchn

How about a classic rack of ribs? We’re loving this recipe for Oven-Baked Barbecue Ribs from the Kitchn. When you can’t wait for Spring to arrive, turn on the oven and prepare a meal that will have you forgetting all about those frigid temperatures outside.

BBQ Chicken in the Oven

Or try your hand at a batch of barbecue chicken, baked to moist, juicy perfection. This recipe from Heather Likes Food is simple: marinate, season, bake and enjoy!

Then take a trip to the South with pulled pork topped with an Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue sauce with this step-by-step recipe from Taste of Southern. And here’s a recipe perfect for Super Bowl entertaining: Corky’s Oven Barbecue Short Ribs from Tori’s Kitchen. Be warned: they have a serious kick!

Warming Winter Recipes

Warming Winter Recipes

Seasoned Steak - Purple Cowboy Blog

It’s that time of year when we all want to do is hunker down and cozy up with our favorite cowgirl or cowboy. Well, rest easy. Purple Cowboy has some classic winter recipes for those chilly days and nights. Naturally, these favorites all pair perfectly with our Tenacious Red and Trail Boss Cabernet.

Steakhouse Flavors—At Home

The classic flavor combination of top-quality beef, blue cheese, and dark greens is sure to warm you up!

Start with a simple and tasty steak recipe, like bacon-wrapped filet mignon from one of our favorite cowgirls: the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. With just five ingredients: filet mignon, bacon, salt, pepper, and butter, there is no more you need to do to dress up a tender steak than wrapping it with strips of bacon.

Serve yours with some of these tangy bleu-cheese twice-baked potatoes from Gimme Some Oven. Cut your prep time by microwaving the potatoes for the first step and filling them with the bleu cheese and potato mixture as directed. Then just pop ‘em in the oven to finish them off.

Round out your steakhouse-at-home experience with a delicious, easy creamed spinach. We love this one from Boy Meets Bowl, which calls for fresh spinach and a basic cream sauce to deliver the flavor.

Cookin Canuck Chops for labor day

Sip, Sauce, Slurp

I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.” –W.C Fields

W.C. Fields must have known that adding wine to a slow oven braise results in a succulent and saucy meal. Like these Red Wine-Braised Pork Chops that will fill your house with delicious aromas. This recipe calls for red wine and port in the sauce. Make sure your chops are tender by first brining the chops, then trim the fat and connective tissue and brown them in a dutch oven.

Add spices, wine, and broth to create the sauce, and transfer straight into the oven. You may need to reduce the sauce at the end of the oven cooking time; if so, remove the chops first before heating the sauce further. Serve these chops with something hearty that will soak up the sauce like mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice. Add some garlic-sauteed greens such as these Pan-Browned Brussels Sprouts, and you’ve got yourself a meal. Time to open the wine!

Purple Cowboy Steak Marinade

Central Coast Celebration

If you’re in a warm-weather locale, then this one is for you! Get outside and (wo)man the grill with Bobby Flay’s Santa Maria-Style BBQ Tri Tip. Tri Tip is a favorite in California’s Central Coast region, which is also the region where the Purple Cowboy grapes are sourced.

Bobby Flay serves his Tri Tip with Santa Maria Pinquito Bean Relish, Cherry Tomato Relish— cooked on the grill in a basket, and Grilled French Bread (all recipes are included in the link above). He emphasizes the importance of letting the meat cook on an area of the grill that has low or indirect heat for a real barbequed effect. You can even use a smoker if you’re so inclined. For city-slickers and those in colder climates, try these oven-roasting instructions from the folks over at the New York Times.

All-In-One Comfort Food

For a real comfort-food favorite, build a Shepherd’s Pie with ground beef, lamb, or turkey. Start with a basic recipe like this one from Country Living, and brown your meat with spices and onions or whatever fresh or frozen vegetables you have on hand. Carrots, peas, green beans or corn do the trick.

One thing that makes this dish so easy is that you can cook your veggies right in the mix—you don’t need to make a separate vegetable dish. Add a bit of liquid, such as broth, wine, or beer, allow to cook briefly, and top with mashed potatoes before baking. Use leftover mashed potatoes if you have some on hand or whip some up especially for the pie. You can even Tex-Mexify your Shepherd’s Pie by adding red peppers and taco seasoning to the ground meat saute and topping with Monterey Jack cheese.

Go Bananas for Dessert!

What could be better than a great meal? A great dessert! Try Bananas Foster and this Alton Brown’s recipe that yields rich and delicious results. Saute butter, brown sugar, spices, banana liqueur, and slightly green bananas, then flame with dark rum. Serve with vanilla ice cream for a memorable finish to any of the recipes we’ve shared!

Let us know your favorite winter recipes in the comments section below or on our Facebook Page.

Cozy Up with Whiskey Sister Cowboy Cocktails

Cozy Up with Whiskey Sister Cowboy Cocktails

Whiskey Sister Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey

Purple Cowboy is ringing in the new year with Whiskey Sister, and we’ve rustled up a few irresistible bourbon cocktails that will keep you and yours “fa la la la la-ing” all season long.

Whiskey Sister Hot Cocoa

Coming in from the Cold

Whether you are skiing the trails, working the land, or outside stringing up the lights, nothing beats coming home and warming up. We recommend the Caffee d’Alpi, out of Boulder, CO that starts with your favorite hot coffee with bourbon, honey, and whipped cream for a mug full of delicious.

Or put a pot on the stove to simmer with Emeril’s Bourbon Spiked Hot Chocolate for a toastier take on hot cocoa. Top each cup with whipped cream, and you can even add a splash of bourbon when you whip that up, too!

Warm Up with a Whiskey Sister Cocktail

New Classics

The Clint Eastwood—named in honor of the king of the spaghetti western—is a twist on the ultimate bourbon classic, the Manhattan using spiced vermouth with Italian Amerena cherries. Mix the bourbon, vermouth, and orange bitters in a shaker and strain into individual cocktail glasses.

For the whiskey-sour lovers out there, we’ve got two options that bring winter-time citrus flavors together with our favorite bourbon.

To make the Big Texan Bourbon and Grapefruit, from Austin-based chef James Holmes, combine fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, simple syrup, and bourbon, and then shake and strain into ice-filled rocks glasses. Pucker up and enjoy!

The Ginger Gold Rush from Saveur uses ginger liqueur, lemon juice, and bourbon. Mix in a shaker and serve straight up, garnished with a cherry.

Horchata Drink with Whiskey

Bourbon South of the Border

A large batch of horchata, a Mexican rice drink made of rice and cinnamon, is perfect for the holidays all by its lonesome. But why not pair it up with Whiskey Sister Bourbon for a real kick? Now you’re giving eggnog a run for its money.

Since you can make the rice drink in advance and add the bourbon to pitchers or individual glasses, this is great for a crowd of thirsty cowboys and cowgirls. Start with a basic horchata recipe, or try Horchata with Cinnamon and Vanilla-Spiced Bourbon from food blog Tomato Tart, which brings in some more complex flavors. Whatever you chose, the smoky bite of the bourbon will help to balance the sweetness of the horchata.

We hope you enjoy the bourbon cocktails here, share your own favorites with us in the comments below. Whatever you are celebrating this year, and however you celebrate, we at Purple Cowboy and Whiskey Sister wish you a joyous and safe holiday season!