Smoked Meat Lovers Haven in Dove Creek, Colorado.

L&M Smoked Meats at the Dove Creek Sinclair

419 US Highway 491
Dove Creek, Colorado, 81324

Phone: (970) 677-3300

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dove-Creek-Sinclair-Station/127811170599131




Only 20 minutes east of Monticello, along Route 491, is the small town of Dove Creek, Colorado.  Sinclair of Dove Creek may look like an ordinary gas station/convenience store, but they hold a foodie secret….smoked meats.  Beef Brisket, Pulled Pork and Ribs with meat so tender and delicious; you could swear you’ve gone to barbecue heaven.

 

The owners of the Sinclair, and L&M Smoked Meats, are Laurie and Mike Steele.  Originally from California, they moved to Dove Creek in October 2010 and purchased the Sinclair.  After buying the smoker, Mike got schooled in the art of smoking and opened up L&M in December 2010.  At first the decision to purchase and live in Dove Creek was difficult, but after sitting inside the station, watching and hearing all the friendliness shown by the locals; their decision hit home fast.

 

Mike uses oak wood for the smoking; you can easily smell the aromatic aroma the second you exit your vehicle.  He hand pulls and shreds the meats for sandwiches, taking out as much fat as possible, so you get a full mouth of meat.  The barbecue sauce used is Cattlemen’s brand; natural ingredients and spices that only enhance the smoky taste of the meat.  Looking for a unique meal for a party, reunion or simply a get-together; L&M does catering.  Need a reference?  Ask the San Juan County Sheriff’s department what they enjoy for their lunch meetings.

 

Currently the operating hours for the L&M section of the business is Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 12 Noon until all the yummy smoked goodies are gone.  Mike is considering adding Monday to the schedule, but smoking meat to perfection takes time and he’s not rushing anything.  Besides seating inside the station, there are beautiful stone picnic tables outside; don’t forget to take your photo with the Sinclair Dino.
 

 

Love smoked meat?  Why drive hours to elsewhere, when you can fill your belly with the good stuff just next door?  L&M Smoked Meats at the Sinclair of Dove Creek; now that hits the spot!

Mary Cokenour

 

Ribs from the Oven?

During the colder season, I usually have the grills and smokers winterized, so they won't be ruined by the snow and ice.  This basically means wrapping them up tightly in tarps, and storing them safely against the back wall of the shed; sort of like wagons circling against attack.  So how do I get good barbequed food during the winter then?

Two options really; the first is traveling down to Blanding and eating at one of my favorite bbq places, Fattboyz Grillin', or making my own, yes I still can, by getting my oven to do it for me.   Oven grilling can't be as good as a real barbeque grill or smoker you say; and I quite agree, but when life gives you lemons.....

Basically you have to do a little compromising, remember what you know about outdoor cooking, and adapt it for the indoors.  A good rack of ribs would be prepped the same way; removing the membrane located on the curved inside of the rack.  The membrane acts like a "condom", keeping rubs and marinades from seeping into the meat to do their jobs of flavoring and tenderizing.  Secondly you want to remove as much excess fat as possible; keeping the fat on doesn't give the ribs extra moisture.  As it melts, it's taking your rubs and marinades with it and there goes your flavor.  Also, did you ever get flareups when barbeque-ing?  It's mostly caused by melting fat dripping onto your fire source.  No, that won't happen in the oven, but any fat dripping into your pan will eventually dry out, smoke and just cause one heck of a mess.  Using aluminum foil does help, but then your ribs are cooking in a mass of molten fat which gives them a greasy, slimy texture.  Just trust me on this one, and remove as much fat as you can.

After prepping your ribs, give them a good rubdown and here's a repost of my all purpose rub:

All Purpose Rub for Smoking and Grilling

Ingredients:

2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp each sea salt, ground black pepper, ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp each paprika, onion powder, garlic powder

Preparation:

In medium bowl, mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Rub onto all sides of meat or poultry; refrigerate overnight. Smoke or grill.

Now this recipe will cover a nice 4-6 pound rack, or two racks of 2-3 pounds each; give or take an ounce here or there.  Generously cover both sides of your rack(s), cover in plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge all night.  Oh, and if you want your ribs to have that Kansas City style taste, throw in a heaping tablespoon of chili powder; I recommend New Mexico chili powder which has a sweeter, smokier flavor to it.

You want to start cooking up your ribs early in the morning if you want them ready for dinner time.  Set your oven temperature to 185F; line a metal baking sheet or pan with aluminum foil and place a rack on or into. 

Unwrap the ribs from the plastic wrap and rewrap them in aluminum foil; not too tightly, but not too loosely either.  Place this package on the rack; place the entire pan in the oven and leave it all alone for 8 hours, if two separate racks; 10 hours if one large rack.  As you can see, it's going to take as long as if you were using an outdoor smoker. 

To get some char on the ribs, remove the pan from the oven and get your broiler going on a high setting.  Open up the aluminum foil to expose the ribs and place the pan under the broiler; five minutes will give a slight char and dry out the meat a little bit; keep it under the broiler until it's the way you like it, but watch it!  You want char on your ribs, not ashes on your plate.

Once they're ready, slop barbecue sauce on them before serving, or not; your choice of how you like them.  Enjoy!!

Mary Cokenour

Briskets and Gravy.

As much as I love to grill and smoke meats, I am not one of those extreme die hards who are out there in any type of weather manning the grill and/or smoker.  What a quandry though when you are craving a good brisket, but don't want to deal with the cold weather outside.  That's where the crock pot comes in and becomes a best friend; always willing to help out and never complaininng.

After defrosting a four pound beef brisket and trimming excess fat off; I gave it a good massage with my All Purpose Rub. Sealing it inside an airtight container and popping it into the refrigerator, the preparations for Funeral Potatoes was begun. I didn't have any corn flakes on hand though, so a nice layer of shredded sharp cheddar cheese became my topping. Covered with plastic wrap, into the refrigerator that went to keep the brisket company overnight.

Next morning I got the crock pot out; the brisket went inside with all the other ingredients needed. I knew that the onions, tomatoes, chilies and garlic would not just help enhance the flavor of the brisket, but tenderize and moisturize. The rub on the brisket would help season those ingredients also, so the resulting gravy would be awe inspiring.

That evening I knew when Roy would be coming home from work, so I put the Funeral Potatoes in the oven, so they would be ready at the same time as the brisket and gravy. Result? Between the "Hmmm's" and "Oh my's", Roy was able to tell me that this was one of the best meals he'd ever enjoyed. The gravy was stupendous and the threat to eat a bowl of just that was made; he absolutely could not believe how deliciously awesome it was. He kept telling me that the brisket just melted in his mouth, and I have to agree that it was the tenderest brisket I've ever eaten. The Funeral Potatoes were a perfect accompaniment; the flavors melding so well with the beef and gravy.

Ain't that a kicker though, a crock pot giving a grill a run for it's money.

Crock Pot Beef Brisket and Gravy

Ingredients:
4-5 lb beef brisket, trimmed of fat
½ cup all purpose rub
1 (10.5 oz) can French onion soup plus ½ can water
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies – mild
1 ½ Tbsp minced garlic
4 Tbsp flour

Preparation:
Thoroughly coat, and massage in, all sides of brisket with rub; place in airtight plastic container or bag and refrigerate overnight.

Set 6 qt crock pot on low; spray inside with nonstick cooking spray. Place soup, water, tomatoes and garlic in crock pot; whisk in flour until incorporated well. Immerse brisket into liquid, cover and cook for 8 hours.

Remove brisket to rest before slicing. Set crock pot to high; using an immersion blender in the crock pot, or placing liquid into stand blender, puree tomatoes and onions. Let pureed liquid cook for 15 minutes to thicken. Serve over sliced brisket; also good for a gravy over mashed potatoes and/or biscuits.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Mary Cokenour

My baby boy is one today; he deserves brisket!

Happy Birthday Tippy!  He’s made it to one year old, and deserves whatever he wants; he loves mama’s brisket.   The vet estimated that Tippy was 4 months old when I found him; abandoned, he had been wandering the streets of a neighboring town.  His breed is primarily Australian Shepherd with another breed mixed in, but can’t be sure which one.

The poor little guy was only 17 lbs., had stopped making red blood cells and was in the first stage of Parvo; he was given an 85% chance to live. His treatment was supposed to take two weeks, but surprisingly it only took one week before he was home once again.

Today, Tippy is a very happy, healthy dog; weighing in at 70 lbs, muscular and a wonderful bundle of love. He has deep brown eyes that can quickly put anyone under the spell of absolute cuteness. He is protective of his family and home; and his growls warn anyone to stay away if not invited. Yet, he is gentle with the cats, and lets our little Basenji, Nefertiti, roll him onto his back while she playfully mauls him; she’s only 15 lbs.

Tippy is my baby boy, but daddy’s buddy; you’ll always see Tippy sitting by Roy’s feet, or walking by his side.  Every night, when Roy comes home, he has to lift Tippy up onto his lap, and cuddle him like a father would his small child.  Yep, Tippy is one of the best little creatures that has come into our lives, and we love him dearly.  Happy Birthday Tippy, Love from Mommy and Daddy.

Now when I made the brisket, the weather kept me from using one of my smokers. Instead, I set my gas oven to 225F; seasoned a 4 lb. brisket with my homemade All Purpose Rub for Grilling and Smoking, previously posted on April 21, 2011, and wrapped it in aluminum foil. I placed it on the rack, inside a roasting pan, put it in the oven, and just let it do its thing for 8 hours. The next day, in 30F weather, I had the brisket on the barbeque, high heat, getting a good char on both sides and basted with my homemade barbeque sauce. Only took me about 15 minutes for the whole process, and the cold hands was worth it.

All Purpose Barbeque Sauce
Ingredients:

2 Tbsp peanut oil (if not available, use canola oil)
1 small onion, diced
1Tbsp minced garlic
1 ½ cups crushed tomatoes
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup water
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground horseradish
¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp each salt and ground black pepper
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup dark molasses

Preparation:
In a large saucepan, heat oil on medium-high heat; sauté onion and garlic till softened; be careful not to burn garlic. Add in remaining ingredients, stir together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes; sauce will thicken. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking or burning. If sauce thickens too much, stir in a tablespoon of water until desired consistency is achieved.

Use warm or cold; store in refrigerator in airtight container; will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 2 cups.

Mary Cokenour

First barbeque of the spring season.

Temperature was in the 60’s, a few dark clouds warning of rain to come, but I didn’t care; I wanted barbeque and was gonna make it no matter what. Ribs, bratwurst, baked beans, coleslaw and cornbread; we were in pig heaven once again. The baked beans were easy, since I didn’t have the time to make them from scratch; the canned variety had to do. Add bacon, diced onions and barbeque sauce; bake in the oven for an hour; almost as good as homemade. The coleslaw only took minutes; bag of precut slaw mix, Miracle Whip, salt, black pepper and onion powder; refrigerate until needed.

For the ribs, a rub is a must; not only does it season, but tenderize. I use my all purpose rub on almost everything I barbeque or smoke: ribs, beef, chicken, pork; the dogs even love it on the smoked pigs’ ears I make for them. When using the smoker, I put some in the water, and the scent is awesome!!!

My rub is not overly complicated; no great secret ingredients and we like it, so that’s all that counts.

All Purpose Rub for Smoking and Grilling
Ingredients:
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp each sea salt, ground black pepper, ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp each paprika, onion powder, garlic powder

Preparation:
In medium bowl, mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Rub onto all sides of meat or poultry; refrigerate overnight. Smoke or grill.

….and yeah, I make my own barbeque sauce, but that recipe is for another day.

Mary Cokenour