A little mid-week food porn for you

Actually, I made this Sunday for dinner -- call it post-game food porn. It could easily have served as game food, which would have made it actual game food porn, but I digress.

I made root beer pulled chicken. Mrs. Wolves insisted on calling this barbecue, which everyone in the barbecue-eating world involves only pork. Putting sauce on something does not make it barbecue. Anyway, this was really good, so I am sharing it now.

Start simple, with 2-1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. As you can see, I started with neither boneless nor skinless and had to make them so on my own. You will also need seasoned salt and a bottle (or can) of root beer, not of the diet variety. I used IBC root beer, which is premium stuff. You can use your favorite.

Once your thighs are in a boneless, skinless state, sprinkle them with seasoned salt:

Then spread them in your crock pot (recipe recommends spraying it with a non-stick cooking spray first, and I concur) and then pour your root beer over the thighs:

Cover that sucker and cook it on high for 6 hours or low for 8 or so.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, you will have to make the sauce. Personally, I recommend watching a football game first, then coming back and making the sauce. We don't want to rush these things.

At some point, you will make the sauce, though, which means you will need a tablespoon of oil (olive, vegetable, whatever -- I don't care), 1/2 a medium onion chopped up, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup molasses, 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard, 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke and a bunch of sandwich rolls:

Yeah, the rolls aren't in the picture. Sue me, or refer to the title of the blog. Anyway, heat up the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, then add the onions and could until browned. Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, mustard and liquid smoke. Simmer that stuff for a while, stirring constantly. You start the sauce maybe a half-hour before the chicken is supposed to be done, so the sauce is ready when the chicken is. 

When the chicken is ready, drain the liquid and keep a 1/2 cup. Put the cooked thighs in a bowl, let them cool. Then shred those bad boys:

Add that half-cup of liquid you saved from the crock pot to the sauce. Mix it up right, simmer a little longer, then pour the sauce over the shredded chicken:

Find appropriate sides to serve with these sandwiches, such as fries and stuff, toast the rolls if you are so inclined, and serve:

That's some good eatin' there. Enjoy.