Toronto drivers are fast and assertive, exhibiting a bravado
which challenges any traffic or road issue to battle. Transferring these skills
to “one-freeway Calgary” in July 1981 was one thing that didn’t trouble me
as a spunky 28 year-old moving west. Mind you, after I'd accepted a
teaching job in Calgary, I'd had to search a Canadian map to find Alberta; I
knew nothing about the prairies other than stories of pioneer settlers and
cowboys. However, as luck would have it, I would be rolling into town the opening
day of the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth” – the Calgary Stampede!
With my early afternoon arrival, I had just missed the
morning kickoff to the celebrations - the 69th annual Stampede
Parade. The second largest parade in the
world had chuck wagons, marching bands, western-themed floats, rodeo clowns,
cowboys and horses; the earliest parades had had thousands of horses, but this parade had likely had more than 700
horses. However, at this hour there wasn’t a horse to be seen.
It was a” blue-sky Alberta day”, and I was ready to go
“stampeding” – time to head to the grounds. Fast and assertive, I began
ploughing my way through the downtown streets which had been the parade route
only hours before. Unlike Toronto, these roads didn’t have names - the streets were numbered, the avenues were numbered, and I was muddled
to which number was which: every street corner had numbers, and I was lost.
Flustered, I stepped on the gas to zip through a yellow
light, but instead of blasting through, the tires spun on the spot; there
wasn’t any traction! As the car slid sideways, my brain shrieked in disbelief, “I’ve lost control on a dry street in
the summer?!”
My eyes fixated on the curb as I drew closer and closer. A
thud, gentler than I had expected, accompanied the sudden stop. Embarrassed,
disorientated, and completely confused I stepped out of the car; my feet never
found the pavement. A thin crusty shell crunched under my sandals, and gave way
to a warm, dense, squishy, slippery, hay- laden pile of horse manure. It
oozed over my open shoe, found its way between my toes, and encased my heel as
I slid, and flipped, landing on my butt in the smeared track of manure ending under my
tires. I, and my car, had found what the clean-up crew had missed – a generous
outpouring of souvenir material from the stars of the Stampede parade – the horses.
Okay, so not quite everything in this story is the gospel truth; the Stampede Parade is the second biggest parade in the world, there are hundreds of horses in the parade nowadays, I did get brutally lost in downtown Calgary, the car did slide and fish tail on
piles of horse manure, but I didn’t actually land in any until years later, in a
horse corral, during spring thaw, on my hands and knees ...but it could have happened...
In the meantime, celebrating the festivities with friends,
pancakes, beans and beef is what Calgarians do
during the Stampede. Beer seems to be an important dietary supplement. Here is
the very best BBQ pulled- beef recipes you’ll likely ever find. It comes from
one of the ole-timer ranching families just southwest of Calgary. I can’t remember
the first time I wolfed down one of these overflowing, wipe -off -your- chin
juicy, hearty buns, but I’ll wager my boots it was at one of our community’s annual
foot-stamping, whoopin' hollerin', “Cowboy Dances”.
This recipe is a true dish of kindness; it takes a bit of
extra time and work. However, the shouts of excitement, and the
groans of delight as your family, friends and neighbours chow down will be more
than enough reward, pardner.
Warmly,
Wendy
Pulled BBQ Beef
Serves 10-12
Serves 10-12
4-6 lb. beef roast
1 cup of water
A dozen fresh large buns
Sauce
3 tbsp. oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup ketchup
½ cup chili sauce
¼ cup cider vinegar, or wine vinegar
¼ cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. mustard
1 tbsp. dark molasses
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne (optional if you are
NOT using the spice rub)
Spice Rub Mixture (optional)
Mix together :
2 Tbsp. EACH:
Salt
Sugar
Brown sugar
Ground cumin
Chili powder
Black pepper
Paprika
1 tbsp. cayenne
Instructions
Beef: (Can be done beforehand and either refridgerated overnight, or frozen)
1. Bring the roast to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Massage the spice rub mixture onto
the roast – use the entire mixture.
4. Place the roast on
a rack in a roaster, add the water to the bottom of the roaster, and cover tightly with a couple of sheets of aluminum foil.
5. Cook the roast for 3.5 - 4 hours
until the meat is fork-tender and falls apart. Do NOT open the foil earlier
than the minimum time recommended.
6. Once the meat is done, remove it from
the roaster onto a large cutting board or platter. Cool slightly.
7. SAVE THE COOKING JUICES – skim off
the fat, then keep the juices.
8. Chop, shred or pull the meat apart.
You want the meat in pieces that will easily fit onto a bun. I use 2 forks to pull
apart the meat.
9. Put the meat into a large roaster
that will accommodate the meat and
the sauce.
Sauce:
1. In the meantime, heat 3 tbsp. oil in
a heavy pot; sauté the onions until tender.
2. Add the remaining sauce ingredients
and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes over a low heat.
3. Cover the sauce and let it sit. The
sauce can be made the day before; cool, and refrigerate until ready for use.
Assembly
1. Combine the pulled beef and the sauce
in a large roaster. *Add only as much sauce as necessary to hold the meat together without it being too sloppy.
Serve the extra sauce on the side.
2. Heat the mixture in the oven, or in a
medium heat BBQ, stirring occasionally. Add reserved pan juices, or extra sauce
as necessary to keep the meat moist.
3. Serve the roaster of meat, with a
pile of large, pre-cut buns, and any extra sauce.
YAHOO!!!!
Also, try this with pulled pork in lieu of beef.
ReplyDeleteYummy......................
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ReplyDeleteHey, great idea, pardner!
ReplyDelete