2025 Alabama BBQ Tour: DeKalb County - Sally's Smokin' Butt BBQ, Ft. Payne, AL

 

We started our 2025 Alabama BBQ tour with Sally's Smokin' Butt BBQ located in DeKalb County (Ft. Payne).  This area is home to the founding members of the group Alabama.  

The restaurant is directly on U.S. Highway 11.  Seeing this sight was nice as I always look for a stack of hickory wood at a BBQ joint.  The aroma of smoking meat when you open the car door tells me we're on the right track.  

We were warmly greeted when we entered and instructed to order and pay at the counter.  Then we were able to choose our seat in the dining room.

We will put to the side our Kansas City BBQ Society training and not judge our offerings on the 2025 BBQ Tour as we would if we were judging competition level meat.

While we waited on our food to be delivered, I was amused to see The Andy Griffith Show on the television.

The walls were filled with vintage and rustic items that fit in perfectly with the location.

Now to the food.

We'll start with Sweet Harold's lunch:  He selected the combo plate and had a smoked chicken leg quarter and a rib.  The combo plate came with his choice of two sides and garlic bread.  He picked slaw and fries.

I'll note here that the sauce is served on the side.  

The rib had a mild smoke flavor and, yes, it did "fall off the bone."  In competition judging, this would indicate a severely overcooked rib.  But as we all know, this is the standard that nearly everyone references in describing a great rib.  

The chicken leg quarter was beautifully cooked and was extremely tender.  I believe SH wished he had paid the extra charge and had the half smoked chicken.  

The fries were your average fast food fries.  Now to the slaw.  Regular readers of the blog know that SH is a connoisseur of cole slaw.  Their version is mayonnaise based and, to the best of his taste test, there was no vinegar in the dressing.  He did note it needed salt.

Now, my turn!

I almost always order the pulled pork at a BBQ restaurant.  To me, that's a good baseline of the ability of the person in charge of smoking the meat.  I decided on the baked beans and the fried sliced potatoes (which are an entirely different item than french fries which are also fried sliced potatoes, right?).

The pork wasn't technically the pulled version, but finely chopped.  Again, the sauce was served on the side.  We were both given two cups of sauce:  one mild and one with a little more heat.  I enjoyed the spicier one better.

The beans weren't what I would consider "baked beans."  They didn't have the consistency or texture of a baked for a few hours baked beans.  They were well seasoned.

The fried sliced potatoes are sliced thicker than house made potato chips, but thinner than potato wedges.  I am a big fan of these yummy potatoes no matter what anyone chooses to call them.

Lastly, the garlic bread.  A nice thick slice of the Texas Toast variety served warm.  But here is where I had a slight moment of hesitation.  It was seasoned with garlic, but not granulated garlic or garlic powder.  There was a liberal dose of garlic salt.  That wouldn't have been my choice to add garlic flavor to the bread and it may be great to some diners, but it was an overwhelming taste of salt for me.

Sweet tea (instead of my usual water or half/half tea) was amazing.  Free refills and I enjoyed every sip!

We were offered a free sample of the banana pudding.  When I tell you they saved the best for last, this pudding stole the show.  No cool whip topping (YAY!!!) because to a true Southerner that's just wrong, but no meringue either.  The pudding was definitely not from a can, but had that homemade flavor that is unmistakable.  I could tell the pudding was fresh because the banana slices hadn't even thought about turning dark.  Delicious.

The atmosphere was cozy and inviting.  The dining room had a variety of locals.  Service was prompt and helpful.

For me the stars of the meal included the smoked chicken, the fried sliced potatoes, and that banana pudding!

AlabamaBBQ SweetHomeAlabama FdLBBQtour2025

2025 Alabama BBQ Tour

We're setting an ambitious goal! During 2025, we hope to visit all 67 Alabama counties and enjoy a meal at a BBQ restaurant.

We're setting up a few ground rules though:

• No chain restaurants allowed.
• The more "off the beaten path" the better.

Once we choose the food item, I'll give y'all a few day's heads up on my Facebook page to give us ideas for that county.

I hope you'll follow along and have fun as we explore our beautiful state and enjoy some delicious BBQ.

#SweetHomeAlabama #AlabamaBBQ #FdLBBQtour2025

Low Carb Tortilla Lasagna

 

I prepared a variation of this recipe a few months ago.  Tonight instead of beginning the sauce with jarred marinara, I made it from canned tomato sauce and tomato paste and worked some magic to make it my own.

By using low carb tortillas instead of lasagna noodles, you save tons of carbs.  The swap out is the texture will be somewhat softer, but if you're counting carbs and craving lasagna, this version will satisfy that craving.  Just know the texture will be different.

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. dried Italian seasoning

1 t. kosher salt

1 t. dried red pepper flakes (optional) 

1/2 cup sweet red wine (optional)

2 (14.5 oz.) cans tomato sauce

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste + one can of water

3 low carb tortillas

16 oz. ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1 t. dried Italian seasoning

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a 9 x 11 inch baking dish with olive oil spray.

Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat breaking up with a wooden spoon.  Add in the chopped onions and garlic and let them cook while the sausage browns.  Season with the salt and Italian seasoning.  Add in red pepper flakes if using.

Increase heat to high and pour in wine and let the alcohol cook off, about 2 minutes.  

While the sausage is cooking, make the sauce.

In a 3-quart Dutch oven, over low heat, combine the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and the can of water.  Add in the sausage mixture and let simmer 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of the sauce to the bottom of the baking dish, spreading evenly.

In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, eggs, and Italian seasoning.

Cut the tortillas into strips like lasagna noodles and place enough to cover the sauce in a single layer.  

Next spoon enough sauce to cover the tortilla strips.  Evenly spread a layer of the ricotta mixture over the sauce.  Sprinkle some of the mozzarella over the ricotta mixture.

Repeat with a layer of tortilla strips, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella.  

I had three layers.  With you're finished layering, add the shredded Parmesan on top of the mozzarella.

Cover with foil and bake for 40-45 minutes.  Remove the foil and cook for another 10 minutes or so.  Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes or so before serving.  I would place the baking dish on a baking sheet just in case you have some bubble overs.

Braised Steak with Onions and Mushrooms

 

It's about to be quite cold here in North Alabama and I'm turning to comfort foods.  I'm also trying to low carb our meal as much as possible for a bit.  

I picked up two packages of Eye of Round Steak at Food City.  Both packages totaled about 1.5 pounds.  Eye of Round Steak is a lean and flavorful cut of meat, but it needs to be braised to become tender.  After simmering in a red wine and beef consommé mixture, these steaks were fork tender.  

For this dish, I used my Le Creuset braiser.  If you're unfamiliar with this particular cooking vessel, a braiser is a shallow, wide cooking pan with sloped sides, best suited for browning and braising large cuts of meat with a small amount of liquid, while a Dutch oven is deeper and taller, ideal for simmering soups, stews, and cooking large quantities of food with more liquid due to its greater capacity.

Here's the recipe:

2 T. olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, halved and then thinly sliced

6 - 8 white mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 t. dried thyme

1.5 - 2 lb. eye of round steaks

Kinder's French Onion Seasoning

1 cup sweet red wine

1 can beef consommé

Over low heat, heat the olive oil.  Add the onions and mushrooms and let the vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally.  Next, add in the garlic and dried thyme and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so.

At this point, remove the onions and mushrooms to a plate and set aside.  

Season the steaks with the Kinder's seasoning and place in the skillet.  Let each side brown and then remove from skillet and place on the plate with the vegetables.

Increase the heat to medium high and pour in the wine, scrapping up the browned bits on the bottom of your braiser.

Now pour in the beef consommé and reduce the heat to low so the liquid is at a simmer.

Gently place the steaks, along with the vegetables, back into the braiser along with any juices on the plate.

Cover and let simmer for 1.5 - 2 hours on the lowest heat setting.  Stir occasionally.

If you want a thicker gravy, mix 1 t. of cornstarch with 1 t. cold water in a small bowl and then pour it into the simmering liquid.  It will thicken nicely.

You can now serve over rice, noodles, or riced cauliflower.  Top with minced parsley if you'd like.  I served ours with steamed green beans and buttered carrots.

Stir Fry Szechuan Chicken

 

It's time to try another new (to me!) product.  I found this Szechuan Sauce at Food City this week and immediately new a chicken and veggie stir fry would be on the menu here this week.

When they have spicy on the label, they mean it!  This sauce added at the end of the wok cooking time adds tons of flavor thanks to hot peppers, onion, ginger and garlic.  I love this!

I started out with a pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed, along with a prepackaged container of stir fry vegetables (also from Food City) which contained broccoli, tri color bell peppers, onions, snow peas, and zucchini.  I added a couple of tablespoons of minced garlic, sliced white mushrooms, and dry roasted peanuts.

I heated 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the wok over high heat.  When the oil began to shimmer, I added the cubed chicken.  Using a wooden spatula, I stirred the chicken continuously as it began to cook.  After 2 minutes, I added the garlic and continued stirring.

After 3 minutes, I added the sliced mushrooms and continued stirring and cooking.

After the mushrooms cooked down for about 2 minutes, I added the remaining vegetables.  After several minutes of continual stirring and cooking, I added a couple of tablespoons of water to create steam to help complete the cooking of the larger pieces of broccoli.  You'll want the vegetables to be crisp-tender, not mushy.

I tossed in about 1/3 cup of dry roasted peanuts.

Lastly, it was time to pour in 3/4 cup of the Szechuan sauce.  Make sure to coat all the chicken and vegetables with the sauce.  I removed from heat and sprinkled on some black and white sesame seeds.

Of course, you can serve the stir fry over rice or noodles.  I'm cutting some carbs from my diet, so I ate this dish as is.  It was delicious.  Yes, there was some heat, but I enjoyed the different textures and was happy to be able to add all the different veggies in one dish!

Around Lolly's Sideboard: Winter Blues

 

Oh, this Winter Blues sideboard has a lot going on!  There will be more pictures than usual because I want to go into detail with all the different treasures I'm showcasing here.

I enjoy decorating with blue and white during January.  We don't have a lot of snow or very cold weather here in Alabama and I love seeing a few weeks of snowmen and snowwomen here INDOORS.  I'm not a winter person by any stretch of the imagination, but I love the Winter Blues.

For this display, I'm pairing a few snowpeople items, lapis Fiestaware, a few cobalt blue salt and pepper shakers along with many pieces of Sand Mountain Pottery that belonged to my dad.  Let's start the tour!

These pieces were purchased at Hobby Lobby a dozen years ago I suppose.  I've had them a long time.

The following beautiful pieces of pottery were made by Jerry Brown of Hamilton, Alabama.  He was a master potter and I purchased several of his pitchers before he passed away.  The others belonged to my dad.  I wanted to showcase these all together.  I love them.

These beautiful nesting dolls were purchased last year at the Christmas Market in Belfast.  They are handcrafted and handpainted by nuns in Belarus.

This little milk/juice pitcher is vintage McCoy.

These two are vintage Delft blue and white.  These belonged to my paternal grandmother.

I found these three pitchers, which were made in France, on the World's Longest Yard Sale many years ago.  I fell in love with them.

This one is also a piece of Sand Mountain Pottery and was made by master potter Bobby Gaither.  The pattern is quite interesting, isn't it?

I found the pitcher on the right at a yard sale.  It's marked "Shaker and Thangs Pottery / Marshall, Texas."

The milk/cream pitcher on the left was my mom's.  Research shows it's a "Country Morning Blue and White Farmhouse Pitcher."  

Maybe this sideboard will keep me from having the literal winter blues during the very cold week again which we're expecting!