Crock Pot Game: FREE BBQ Sauce & Rubs plus Safari Stew Recipe

It's May 1st, which means a new chance for you to win FREE barbecue sauce & dry rubs from the Carolina Sauce Company!

This month's Prize Pack comes to us from Jim's Own BBQ Sauce, makers of award-winning North Carolina barbecue sauces and rubs that are just as tasty and easy to use in the kitchen as they are outdoors on the grill. The winner of this month's Facebook contest will receive:

• A pint bottle of Jim's Own Mustard BBQ Sauce, an inspired fusion of tangy Piedmont vinegar-tomato barbecue sauce and zesty South Carolina mustard barbecue sauce for a unique flavor that will wow even the most jaded palate. A little bit sweet, a little bit sassy, and with a playfully spicy kick, Jim's Own Mustard Sauce goes well with everything from pulled pork to BBQ chicken, grilled pork chops and even baked ham. You can marinate, baste, grill, bake, dip, slather and more with this versatile sauce. Add it to your coleslaw recipe instead of vinegar for a zesty change of pace.


• A package of Jim's Own Pincho Rub, a robust, savory BBQ dry rub & all-purpose seasoning that's reminiscent of authentic Mexican chili powder seasoning blends (the name "Pincho" is the Spanish word for "skewer," suggesting its suitability for grilling).  This seasoning works well in my recipe for Cinco de Mayo Skillet Bread.


• A package of Jim's Own Safari Rub, a bright, subtly exotic and lightly citrusy blend of herbs and spices based on a traditional South African seasoning blend. In addition to being wonderful on seafood and poultry, Safari Rub really shines on venison, lamb and beef -- in fact, the South African original is most commonly used on those last three kinds of meat, and it's the seasoning to create my Crock Pot Safari Stew recipe, which you'll find below.

If you'd like to receive this FREE Prize Pack of Jim's Own Mustard BBQ Sauce, Pincho Rub and Safari Rub, here's all you have to do:

1. Visit the Carolina Sauce Company Facebook Page, and make sure you click the "Like" button to become our fan.

2.  Find the May 1st Crock Pot Game post on our Facebook page (look for the photo above), and leave a Comment under that post to tell us how you like to use BBQ sauces & seasonings when cooking indoors.

3.  At 9pm (EDT) tomorrow Thursday May 2nd, we'll randomly draw a name from the people who commented, and that lucky person will get the Prize Pack!

***Important: In order to be eligible to win, you must have a US shipping address. You can comment as often as you wish, but only 1 comment per person will be counted for the drawing. And you have to comment on that post on Facebook -- comments on this blog do not count (although comments here are always welcome).

And now for the Recipe for Crock Pot Safari Stew, shown on the left.

This robust and hearty stew was inspired by traditional South African meat stews, and I used Jim's Own Safari Rub as the seasoning (no need to add any other spices or herbs).

I made my Safari Stew with venison but you could certainly use lamb or beef stew meat.  I happened to have rutabagas on hand, but you could certainly substitute potatoes. And because there were no fresh peri peri peppers to be found anywhere (they're native to South Africa and I've never found them in NC), I used the only hot pepper I had at the time: Hungarian wax pepper.  Any kind of hot or mild chili pepper will work in this stew, so use what you like.

Crock Pot Safari Stew is a good weekend recipe because you need to marinate the meat overnight and it will need to cook in the crock pot at least 6 hours before serving, so plan accordingly.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs venison, lamb or beef stew meat, cut into chunks
1/2 cup Jim's Own Safari Rub
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
Oil or bacon fat (about 2 Tbs) for sauteing vegs & browning meat
1 1/2 lbs rutabagas OR potatoes (or some of each), peeled & cut into chunks
1 or 2 hot or mild chili peppers, or a small bell pepper, chopped
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup full-bodied red wine, preferably from South Africa

The night before, place the meat chunks in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, sprinkle with Safari Rub, seal the bag and shake to coat the meat on all sides, gently pressing the rub onto the meat to ensure it's evenly coated. Lay flat in refrigerator and allow to marinate overnight.

The next morning, heat the oil or fat in a large skillet (cast iron is ideal) over medium-high heat, add the rub-coated meat chunks and brown on all sides. Use a slotted spatula to transfer the browned meat to a plate or bowl and set aside.

Add the onions & garlic to the pan, add a little more oil or fat if necessary, and saute until the onion is tender. Remove from heat.

Layer the remaining ingredients and meats in your crock pot in the following order: Rutabagas or potatoes, peppers, browned meat with sauteed onions & garlic (scrape all the crispy bits out of the skillet and into the crock pot), tomato paste, tomatoes and wine.

Cover, set the crock pot on High and cook undisturbed for 4 hours. After 4 hrs, uncover the crock pot, stir well and check the rutabagas or potatoes with a fork to check for tenderness.

Cover and continue to cook on High for another 2 or 3 hours, or until the rutabagas or potatoes and the meat are tender.  Serve in bowls or over rice.

Makes 6 to 8 servings, and you can refrigerate any leftovers for a few days -- the flavors will continue to develop and become even richer over the next day or two. 

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS: If you want to add some heat to this stew, I recommend a good peri peri hot sauce, such as any of the flavors of African Rhino Peri Peri Hot Sauce, or the exotic Zulu Zulu hot sauces.