Strawberry Guinness Barbecue Sauce

So my wedding is coming here in 5 months and we were lucky enough to find a reception hall that lets me plan the entire menu (which I wanted to do). Since our wedding is on July 27th, I wanted to plan a menu that reflected our vintage/rustic/summery feel we are going for. To me, nothing screams summer quite like barbecue, so why not try coming up with an awesome barbecue sauce and grill up some chicken? Maybe have some corn on the cob and potato salad....the wheels are turning now and I feel like this will definitely go with our theme. So, right off the bat, I knew I couldn't just slather some chicken with some store bought barbecue sauce and call it a day. I mean, this is my wedding...I need something special! Then it hit me...strawberries...perfect for a summer barbecue sauce. Then of course, no barbecue is complete with out some beer, so I had to throw in some Guinness. After all of this deliberation, I finally had it, Strawberry Guinness Barbecue Sauce. Sweet, Tangy....it's quite awesome if I do say so myself. 

Of course, I couldn't just type up a recipe and use it...I had to try it. Hmmmm what to try it on....We are in the middle of hockey season and I'm watching the Pittsburgh Penguins like it's my job. Then inspiration hit me in the form of an Islay's Chipped Chopped Ham commercial...BINGO!! I'll make a Strawberry Guinness Barbecue Chipped Chopped Ham Sandwich! The perfect sandwich to munch on while watching the Pens and drinking a cold Yeungling! YINZ GOTTA TRY THIS!

What do you all think of the new recipe layouts?? I feel like this way is more organized than the way I was doing my recipes, not to mention a lot easier to print. Each ingredient will be split up by the procedure they are with. In the first example you'll notice a thick black line separating the top ingredients from the bottom ingredients, this implies a new procedure. Let me know what you think, any feedback will be wonderful! I blame my Mother for my love of Excel spreadsheets :)

Beerbanero Sauce

Essentially what we have here is a barbecue sauce that I made with Guinness and Habanero's. I was quite pleased with how this turned out. Had that classic barbecue sauce flavor with a nice kick to it with the addition of the habanero's. I just threw the sauce on some chicken breasts and baked them in my cast iron. Worked out really well!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, small dice
• 3 habaneros, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 cup Guinness 
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon onion powder

Directions

Heat a medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and habanero's, saute until  fragrant and the habaneros are soft. Whisk in the flour to make a roux. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until combined. Allow to cook until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Use a immersion blender (blender or food processor) and blend the sauce until smooth. Let cool and refrigerate or put it on your favorite protein.

Directions for BBQ Skillet Chicken

Heat oven to 375°F.

Pound the chicken breast thin, to about 1/2" and season both sides with salt & pepper. Heat a cast iron pan over medium high heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add chicken, skin side down, and saute until brown, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken over and top with BBQ sauce, transfer to the oven and bake until the Thermapen registers 165°F. Remove from oven, slice and drizzle with some more Beerbanero Sauce, Enjoy!