Gluten Free BBQ Pulled-Chicken Recipe

Homemade Gluten-Free Pulled-Chicken / Pulled-Pork Recipe

My wife created this gluten-free treat for me: her own recipe for fantastic pulled-chicken (or pork), from scratch, that is just wonderful and full of flavor imparted from the peppery and smokey combination of poblano and acho peppers, and even some gluten-free beer!  I find it quite excellent served alone as a main course, or served on corn tortillas with avocado, tomato, sour cream, salsa, shredded lettuce, etc. - for a SouthWestern style treat (a great way to serve any leftovers).

Homemade Barbecue Pulled-Chicken 

The Recipe

I placed the recipe inline (below), or you can also get it from our cookbook website recipe library here: homemade gluten-free pulled-chicken / pulled-pork recipe; substituting a pork roast for the chicken is quite simple.

Pulled-Chicken Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 Chicken Breasts (boneless/skinless)
6 Chicken Thighs (skin & fat removed)
½ Tablespoon Ancho Chile Pepper Powder (increase to ¾ tablespoon for really spicy sauce)
½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
½ Cup Buffalo Wing Sauce*
1¼ Cup Vegetable Broth*
½ Cup Sorghum Beer
5 Garlic Cloves (remove paper skin but leave whole)
1 Medium Onion (quartered)
1 Poblano Pepper (whole)

*Note – used:

• ½ Cup Anchor Bar (Frank & Teressa’s) – Buffalo Wing Sauce / Hotter Recipe. Label on bottle states gluten free.
• 1¼ Cups Kitchen Basics Natural Vegetable Cooking Stock. Label on container stated gluten free.

Homemade Honey BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
4 Tablespoons Honey
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Tablespoon Molasses
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
½ Cup Water
½ Teaspoon Ground Mustard
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
½ Teaspoon Onion Powder
¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
½ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (increase to 1 teaspoon for really spicy sauce)
½ Teaspoon Chili Powder (increase to 1 teaspoon for really spicy sauce)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°.

Create Honey BBQ sauce by placing all ingredients in a large bowl and mixing together.

Prepare chicken by removing skin and any excess fat. In a large cast iron Dutch oven (or other large stovetop and oven-safe pot with lid), heat oil on stove-top. Place chicken in bottom of pot. Sprinkle ancho Chile pepper powder, black pepper and garlic powder over exposed chicken. Allow chicken to brown on one side (takes a few minutes); flip chicken and repeat, allowing other side of chicken to brown. Add remaining ingredients, including the Honey BBQ sauce you created, and stir.

Place lid over pot and carefully move to oven (pot is extremely hot). Allow to cook until chicken is tender and falls off the bone, approximately 2½ hours.

Remove from oven. The chicken should look like this:

Cooked Chicken, spicy and ready to be shredded.

Discard the onion, poblano pepper and garlic. Remove chicken pieces from pot (reserve juices) and shred using two forks; discard bones. Place shredded chicken in serving bowl and cover with reserved juices; serve.

Your end product, the pulled-meat dish, should look something like this:

Homemade Barbecue Pulled-Chicken

And there you have it: Gluten Free Barbecued Pulled-Chicken. We also make a pulled-pork dish that is quite similar in strategy and recipe. If anyone finds it necessary, I will try to note the differences at some time and post that too, but if you have selected a pork-roast for slow-cooking in the oven before, it is rather straightforward substitution. Hope you like this recipe!

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

New Artisan-Style Gluten-Free Multi-Grain Bread Recipe

Artisan-Style Gluten-Free Multi-Grain Bread

Gluten-Free Recipe: Artisan-Style Multi-Grain Bread

If you have been following this gluten free blog, you may have read about my pursuit of a gluten free multi-grain bread recipe. In a previous gluten-free multi-grain bread blog entry, I discussed my wife's first attempt at this, which was very close, but not quite 100%.

Well, that was then and this is now. My wife has now created a wonderful gluten-free Artisan-Style Multi-Grain Bread. That is the link to the PDF of the recipe and a color picture of the final product.

This is soda-bread type recipe that uses Flax, Quinoa flour, Sorghum, and Rice Flours, coupled with caraway seed (like rye bread uses for flavor) to achieve a wonderful flavor balance. It is simple to make and is baked in a round 2-quart Pyrex (oven safe) glass dish. The bread is finally topped with sesame seeds and poppy seeds for even more flavor and visual appeal.

It does use eggs and dairy products: sorry to any who can't consume those. And, this final version did use some Xanthan Gum to obtain optimal bread texture. This is our first "real" recipe that uses any gums amazingly enough. We have created many cakes, cookies, tortes, and other gluten free recipes (even dessert-type sweeter breads) without ever needing the gums, but this particular recipe did benefit from the xanthan. So, I guess there is a time an place to admit that some recipes do benefit from the use of added gums: I admit it as I finally have proof with this particular bread.

We taste-tested this GF bread on a few non-GF persons, and it went over very well. One proclaimed it the best bread they have ever had, which seemed a bit over the top to me, but we accepted the compliment nonetheless.

Hope everyone likes it. I hope to bring to this blog quite a few more gluten free recipes to share with all. Please leave feedback if/when you have the chance to bake this bread and let me know what you think. Thanks.

Gluten Free Beer comparison

Hand's on Review of some Gluten-Free Beers

One thing I missed after going gluten-free was the ability to have an occasional beer. I rarely drank beer, but found it enjoyable to have one after mowing the lawn on a hot day. My preferred beer of choice in the old days would be something like a Guinness Stout or a similarly full-flavored beer. I would opt for a lighter beer once in a while too - perhaps an Amstel Light or St. Pauli Girl. These were all pretty good options.

Now, since going gluten free, I long for conventional beer especially when I watch my wife have one... feeling a weakness to sip it, though I dare not. But finally, along came some recent gluten free sorghum beers, some of which I have tried over the past few months. I started with the first one I could get my hands on around here: Lakefront New Grist's Sorghum Beer. Quite honestly, I find it much better for using in my onion ring batter, pulled pork/chicken recipes, and some other things. It does not have much flavor, and what it does have is a bit harsh in my opinion. I came across some beer-rating sites on the web that gave it 8/100 (i.e., 8th percentile rating). That tells the story rather well.

My newest find is Bard's Tale Dragons Gold sorghum beer, which on the rate beer web site scored in the 17th percentile. Note: we did a deeper product review of Bards Gluten Free Beer in this blog entry.

I picked up a 6-pack at Wild Oats last week, and just now opened a nice chilled one. My initial impression: WOW! This Bard's Tale is actually pretty decent tasting beer! That 17th percentile (compared to ALL beers), just does not tell the whole story about this Bard's gluten free sorghum beer. Bard's Tale beer is brewing this with a malted-sorghum (malted referring to the malting process; not the use of malted barley which of course would cause it to be non-GF). The results are spectacular - the beer has plenty of flavor and a decent aftertaste, done in a light American Lager style. I will not be using this for my baking; I will drink it.

The comparison to the New Grist is simple: Bard's Tale Beer Dragons Gold is so far above and beyond, easily the double that the percentile rankings of each beer would imply (8th percentile for New Grist, vs. 17th for Bard's Tale - a full double and then some).

The only down-side is PRICE — yes, it is expensive. $11.00/6-pack at Wild Oats. Rough, but worth it if you really want a decent tasting beer. For me, it is a no-brainer keeping this on hand for times when I have a craving. I so rarely drink beer anyhow, it'll only cost me a couple bucks a month.

And, as a final teaser: I have talked to Bard's, and they are working on a followup beer or two that should a god send those of us who like a darker beer. To quote them: "Our company does have plans to come out with Stout or a Porter in the next 18 months."

Woohooo!! I am looking forward to that!

This is great news on all accounts: the more companies that raise the bar for a gluten free product (be it gluten-free beer or some other food product), the better for all with Celiac Disease. Competition yields better products! And, we benefit from this.

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Footnotes: Malting is a process applied to cereal grains, in which the grains are made to germinate and then are quickly dried before the plant develops

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Fall Squash: a gluten free treat!

If there is one thing this gluten free blog writer loves this time of year, it is the seasonal squash. Pictured above is a beautiful Carnival (or perhaps some may call it a Sweet Dumpling) Squash specimen we just picked up here in Ohio, about an hour South of us, in Amish country (Holmes County to be exact).

I really love these particular squash, since in addition to being gluten free (as any squash), they have a rather mellow taste and are quite simple to prepare. Squash are generally a good source of fiber, beta carotene, potassium, and other nutrients too. So, it is a win-win for me!

To prepare one of these gluten free wonders, we simply wash it off well, cut the squash in half, dig out the seeds, place each half cut-side-down onto a plate with a bit of water on it, and then microwave it until the center pulp is sufficiently cooked (in our old microwave, this takes about 18 minutes). We serve these with just a bit of brown sugar. Oh are they just delicious!

The Carnival variety is especially nice due to it's more subtle flavor and rich buttery texture. It is definitely a less strong-tasting fruit than an Acorn Squash or Butternut (both of which are still quite wonderful), which makes it easier to convince children to give it a try. With gluten free diets, this is an important thing -- having nutritious options that people will eat.

Some other favorite varieties we look for this time of year include Turbin, Acorn, Butternut, and of course Pumpkin! Pumpkin is of course most popular served in pie filling - most excellent!

Throughout the year, we enjoy Spaghetti Squash too (another great gluten free alternative to real spaghetti!) - since you can dig out the stringy, spaghetti-like pulp and serve it with spaghetti sauce or pesto. Zucchini is also a nice one to just slice up into stir-fry along with yellow squash (great for colorful dishes), or to make into some wonderful casseroles.

Here's hoping that wherever you are, you have access to some of these wonderful gluten free food options!

First attempt at gluten-free multi-grain bread

Gluten-Free MultiGrain Bread

Gluten-Free Multigrain Bread Recipe Development

NOTE: Recipe Link to final, updated and improved bread at bottom of this article.

I have not focused much on recipes on this gluten free blog yet, but I intend to start addressing particular recipes as they come up.

Yesterday my wife made her first gluten free and wheat-free "multi-grain" bread, and I thought it was fairly good. It was a soda-bread type recipe that used Flax, Quinoa flour, Sorghum, and Rice Flours for the main ingredients. It was simple to make and it was baked in a round 2-quart pyrex (oven safe) glass dish. It used some caraway seed (like rye bread uses for flavor) plus sesame seeds and a bit of honey on top.

Now that a day has passed, I can revise my original opinion of the bread. I found it to be just fine, and it was very good the first day. It has a bit too much flavor for a general sandwich bread, and did not hold up well enough for sandwiches anyhow. The texture was a bit more like a cornbread, which is fine for along with dinner and other foods, but not something I want to put peanut butter on. But, by day two, it was drying out and getting a bit crumbly. I do not know how much of this is attributable to the gluten free nature of the bread, since I have (in pre-GF days) had fresh Italian bread or similar get all dried out overnight too (especially when the air conditioner is on and humidity in house is low). Trust me: I am still eating the bread since I like the taste. But, I wish it would hold up better. We did not use any gums in this bread, but perhaps next time I will actually give it a try.

The bread did look rather nice at least! I took the above picture when it had just cooled after coming out of the over a couple hours prior. We will likely try making improvements to this gluten-free multi-grain bread recipe yet,... 

The Final Recipe emerged...

UPDATE: which we did, and the wonderful Gluten-Free & Wheat-Free Artisan-Style Multi-Grain Bread Recipe is now online at that link, along with a nicely-formatted PDF version of the Gluten-Free Artisan Bread recipe too.
This is what it turned out looking like:

The Wonderful Artisan-Style Multigrain Gluten-Free Bread

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.

Quinoa for a Gluten-Free Dinner or Side

One of the favorite dishes this gluten free blog author enjoys is Quinoa. For those of you who are new to Quinoa, it is gluten-free (of course, or I would not eat it), and it is considered an ancient grain that dates back to the Inca civilizations in South America. It is one of the best sources of vegetable protein around, and it has a fair amount of dietary fiber (5 grams protein, and 3 grams fiber per 1/4 cup uncooked grain). The grain has a delicious, somewhat nutty, light flavor that goes well with many other dishes.

We buy the Ancient Harvest brand of Quinoa, which also happens to be certified organic for anyone that cares. And, we just follow the basic cooking instructions on the side of the box, which is basically to cook 1 part quinoa with 2 parts water (or, add some chicken broth if you like). Cooks up in about 15 minutes or so.

I have found this grain to be quite versatile. Not only is it great on it's own, it is easily complemented by other vegetables and meats. It makes for a nice change of pace where you might otherwise use rice, like in a stuffed-pepper recipe. I enjoy frying up some fresh zucchini, some chopped bell peppers (red, orange, green), and some onions to go with it. And, add a little bit of San-J Gluten Free Tamari (GF Soy Sauce essentially), and you have a wonderfully simple and tasty main course or side dish.

Time to go whip up a batch to go along with tonight's dinner!

Celiac and Delayed Reaction Allergic Responses to Gluten

I was recently discussing (on a forum) how my personal experience with gluten intolerance involves a delayed allergic reaction once I am exposed to wheat or gluten containing foods. One helpful member (Al, at celiacforums.com) provided some great information about the two types of food allergies people commonly experience.

The following is information he provided:


Technically, Celiac Disease is considered a "delayed onset". However, some people know right away when they've been [exposed to] gluten. Everyone reacts differently.

When it comes to food allergies, there are typically two kinds: * Type 1 (Classic, Immediate-Onset, IgE-Mediated): The reaction time occurs anywhere from seconds to up to 2 hours and typically affects the skin, airways or the digestive system. Conventional skin “scratch” tests are commonly used to detect this type of food allergy. * Type 3 (Food Intolerance, Delayed-Onset, IgG-Mediated, IgA-Mediated): The reaction time occurs anywhere from a couple of hours, and up to 2-3 days, after consumption of the food, and any system, tissue or organ in the body can be affected.

http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/ggpages/topics/celiac.html

Quote:

Celiac disease is thought to involve delayed immunoreaction and patients would not generally be expected to have an immediate and violent reaction to eating wheat whereas allergic reactions of the immediate hypersensitivity type might be both immediate and violent. It is also possible that both immediate hypersensitivity and delayed reactions might be present in the same person. There is a considerable potential then for confusion between allergy and celiac disease. It may be difficult to distinguish immediate hypersensitivity reactions or allergies from celiac disease as traditionally defined, but more research on this problem is needed.

http://www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/faq.html#symptoms

Quote:

Reactions to ingestion of gluten can be immediate, or delayed for weeks or even months. The amazing thing about celiac disease is that no two individuals who have it seem to have the same set of symptoms or reactions. A person might have several of the symptoms listed above, a few of them, one, or none. There are even cases in which obesity turned out to be a symptom of celiac disease.

People do become more sensitive to gluten once it's been removed. Smaller amounts will set off reactions, than before (e.g., before going completely Gluten Free with your diet). Many have noticed this effect.


I found all this information to be very helpful, and I hope other do to. Thanks, Al, for providing such great links, quotes, and insight into the condition.