Do you have that one person in your family that you always call for new recipe ideas? The go-to person in your inbox that you text while walking down the grocery aisle lost aimlessly in search and wonder of hidden funny sounding ingredients? The neighbor whom you just seem to conveniently show up at their house right as the grill seems to start smoking every Sunday afternoon?

Well, we certainly do and that's Michael Letchworth.

Michael is a Sam Jones Pitmaster, a rad dad, and FF bbq Ambassador. If you're not in the know... Sam Jones bbq is one of the best joints in the country and a standard stop for us when we're in North Carolina. With summer time backyard bbq season kicking off down here in the Lowcountry, we caught up with Michael to hear what we should be making for our next holiday weekend or cookout.

Michael truly dished it out on this one. We're talking a true triple threat here folks. Sorry, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant. Sorry, Free Fly Wave Snapback, Lightweight Hoody, and Breeze Shorts. We're going with this mouthwatering triple-threat combo: Baked Beans, Potato Salad, and St. Louis Cut Spare Ribs. Hold onto your hats and let's go. 

 

Baked Beans:

Ingredients: 

  • Feeds 20
  • 2-32oz cans of pork and beans
  • 3/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
  • 1lb ground beef
  • 16oz sweet bbq sauce

Directions: 

Brown hamburger with onions and peppers. Strain off the grease after the beef is fully cooked. Transfer the beef mixture to a baking dish. Open beans and strain the juices. Mix the beans in with the beef mixture along with Sam Jones' bbq sauce. Cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 mins. Pro Tip: If there is room let them cook on the smoker for extra flavor.

 

Potato Salad:

Ingredients:

  • Feeds 15
  • 2.5lb of peeled and diced (3/4”) potatoes
  • 8oz mayo
  • 4oz sweet salad cubes
  • 1oz diced pimentos
  • 1 tbsp mustard
  • 2 tbsp of chopped bell pepper
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Boil potatoes until they are tender and able to be cut with a fork. Strain the potatoes and transfer to a bowl. Combine all ingredients in the bowl except the salt and pepper. It is helpful to blend the mixture while the potatoes are still hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place in the fridge for later or serve warm.

  

St Louis Cut Spare Ribs:

Ingredients:

Directions:

Get grill or smoker going at 250 degrees

Take ribs out of the package, rinse and pat dry. Evenly coat your rack of ribs with your choice of bbq rub. Allow the rub to set up on the meat for about 30 mins.

Place ribs bone side down in smoker and let cook for 2 hours.

After 2 hours lay out a large piece of foil that we will wrap the ribs with. Spread your brown sugar in the middle of the foil roughly the size of the rack of ribs. Cut up half the stick of butter in 1/4” slices and place spread across the brown sugar. Lay the ribs meat side down on the sugar and butter. Wrap tightly and cook for another hour. If you are getting short on time this is a good time to bump the temp up to 300 degrees. After the 3rd hour of the total cook the ribs should be tender.

Unwrap the ribs and coat with bbq sauce. Allow the ribs to cook with sauce, unwrapped for another 20-30 mins to allow the sauce to set up. Allow them to rest for 15 mins, cut and serve.

 

Before You Get Grilling:

All of these items can be made in advance. Prep the beans and place in fridge until ready to serve and do the final step of baking when needed.

Potato salad can be made the day before.

Ribs can be held in a YETI to keep warm until serving.

There is just enough sweet sauce for the beans so you will need to order another bottle for the ribs. The vinegar sauce will go great with your pork butt and there will be enough seasoning left over to do one.