The Real Deal

I think I’ve told you before, but sometimes, the group advertising on my blog sometimes sends me free stuff to sample.

With, of course, the idea that I’ll review it for ya’ll.

The Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program is pretty much awesome, but in order to get it on it, you kinda have to sit by your email and wait for an opportunity.  Only the first bloggers to respond get a chance at the samples.

I got lucky sitting at the computer one afternoon…I happened on an email at a chance to sample some barbecue sauce.

Umm..Barbecue?  Where do I sign?

So a few weeks later, I was sent this:As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a bottle of KC Masterpiece Southern Style Barbecue Sauce.

Yay!

And did you know….Not the FAKE deal.  It’s the Real Deal.

I’m not going to lie – I felt some pressure on coming up with a fun recipe for the barbecue sauce.  I didn’t want to make ribs or pulled pork with this.  Okay, I DID want to make pulled pork, but I really felt that I should think outside the box for this one.

I wanted to come up with something fun.  Unexpected.  Amazing.

My first thought was to make some grilled chicken and put it on a pizza.

But our pizza place down the street does that…not really original.

I tried to think about pie.

Barbecued pie?

Then I thought about my Aunt Mabel’s Apple Dumplings…

Was there some way I could make a barbecued apple dumpling?

Duh.  Where there’s a will…there’s a barbecued apple dumpling.

3 ingredients.  Take that Claire Robinson!

Barbecue Sauce, Apples, Bacon

I chose to do one for the demonstration…’cause dude, I gotta weigh in tonight.

Pour out some sauce in a bowl…

It should be noted that this sauce is thin.  Most sauces are thick, I guess the idea being that they stick to the meat instead of dripping off.  I would venture to guess that a thin sauce has more intense flavor – the spices come through without the thick liquid drowning it out.

Listen at me, talking like I know what I’m saying.

And the flavor is intense.  Sweet and spicy.

Okay, back to the dumplings.

I did a wicked-bad job of quartering and coring the apple, then threw it into the sauce.

I flipped the apple around in the bowl to completely coat, then brought out the bacon.

You know…the pig.

The slab.

The reason I can’t stop dieting.

Wrap the coated apple slice in a strip of bacon.

1/2 a strip is probably okay, but I said to myself, “Self, this is barbecue.  If we’re having bacon, LET’S HAVE BACON!”

Yeah, sometimes I yell at myself.

It’s probably not healthy.

I secured the bacon with a toothpick then set on a pan with a wire rack…so the grease can drip off.  Hey, would that make this healthy?

I also brushed each dumpling with more sauce.

Because if a little is good, a lot is better.

Bake at 350…

About 20 minutes in, I started smelling something wonderful in my oven, so I pulled them out.Okay, not quite done, so I slapped on some more sauce and flipped them over…

Another 30 minutes and viola!:

Boom went the dynamite.

Are you freaking kidding me?  I just made barbecued apple dumplings.

Yeah, I did.  I made that.

I would totally tailgate if they served this.
Holy.  Freakin’.  Crap.

So get some KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce…Southern Style.

The Real Deal.