Sabre Edge Features 
Hoos Tailgating With Mom - Chops & Smokies
TheSabre.com
Sep 14, 2006
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With that in mind, we've got a couple of keeper recipes this week - these are simple to prepare and with good storage and cooking systems, the food can last you all day long.
But before we dive into this week's recipes, let me clear up a question from last week. As part of the Preacher Cookies recipe, I said that I didn't know why they were called that; neither did mom. A couple of readers out there did.
On the message boards, KemHOOsabe (Read KemHOOsabre's post) clarified that they are a form of no-bake cookies. I also received an email from an unexpected source where a bit of role reversal stepped in. For those that don't know, I'm an assistant varsity girls' basketball coach at Western Albemarle High School near Charlottesville. Usually, the coach does the teaching. Well, one of my players flipped the script on me this time.
Sarah Connette, the starting point guard at WAHS, provided the answer to my Preacher Cookies question. Sarah and KemHOOsabe both indicated that the name comes from the fact that preachers often used to visit the homes of church members without notice. It was considered polite to offer the preacher something to eat when he arrived. Preacher Cookies solved the short notice problem because they could be made quickly and most households had the simple ingredients readily available at any time. You can read more about Preacher Cookies and see a version of the recipe at this Web site.
Now that we got that cleared up, let's take a look at some recipes for Homecoming weekend at Virginia.
Grilled Pork Chops
1/3 cup firmly packed Light Brown Sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons prepared brown mustard
1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 pork chops, cut 1,1/4-inch thick
This recipe doesn't require a lot of ingredients and it makes some excellent pork chops. You can serve the meat in a lot of different ways too: with rice, on a biscuit, on a sandwich, and so on. As always, adjust the recipe amounts if you have a large tailgating party.
Start with a small bowl where you can stir together the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, and Worcestershire. Once you have the mixture, you'll use it as a marinade. Next, prepare your chops by piercing each side of the meat with a fork - just like last week's chicken, this will allow the chops to absorb the flavor.
Place the pork chops in a shallow dish and brush both sides with the marinade (you'll use roughly half of the mixture). Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours. Once again, doing the marinade the night before or the morning of the game will allow you to use travel time as marinating time. Just store the soaking chops in the cooler and drive!
Once you arrive at your prime tailgating location and get set up, heat your grill or broiler to a medium setting. About 20 minutes before you're ready to cook, remove the chops from the cooler. Place the pork chops on the grill approximately four inches from the heat source. While the meat is cooking, you'll want to baste the pieces occasionally with the remaining marinade. Cook 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until fully cooked. Don't turn the meat several times for best results; cook one side for a few minutes and them flip it one time.
Little Smokies
1,1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 pounds Little Smokies
OK, to be honest, we've never tried making these on the grill before and it may be tough to pull off on some of the smaller travel grills. With that said, we've reheated these Little Smokies for several days after the first cooking and they're excellent. So, I'll leave it up to you whether you want to make them at home and reheat them on the grill or give it a go on the grill the first time around.
First, combine the first five ingredients (ketchup, brown sugar, water, bourbon, and onions) in a large pot. Make sure you mix the ingredients well - for some of you Hoos, that means stirring in the bourbon properly out of your flask. Once the ingredients are mixed, add in your Little Smokies.
Bring the pot to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat, allowing the mini-dogs to simmer for 30 minutes while stirring occasionally. Once the 30 minutes is up, they're ready to eat. You'll want to remove them from the heat source and find a way to keep 'em warm - a crock pot works great at home, but keeping the Smokies near the grill will probably work on the road.
Tell us tailgating thoughts on the message boards!
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