There is a crispness in the air. The leaves are changing into their fall fashions and another summer is drawing to a close. This does not mean the end of the barbecue season.

I agree with barbecue traditionalists who say that the only real barbecue is meat cooked over a wood fire.However, cooking over a wood-fired pit doesn't always fit in with the modern lifestyle. The reality is that there are some very tasty and easy-to-prepare barbecue recipes that can be cooked in the kitchen using the absolute minimal amount of time and effort humanly possible. What do I call that in two words? Gluttony and Sloth? No! I call it Indoor Barbecue.

I would like to offer you the following definition paraphrased from the Rick Thead BBQ List Mini-Faq Version 1.

Pseudo-Q or Faux-Q: Meat that is parboiled and then finished on the grill and served with a barbecue sauce containing liquid smoke. Also used to refer to foods cooked in the oven that simulate real barbecue.

Well, now you know what they call it. After cooking the following recipe if someone asks, "Is that real barbecue?" Just reply politely, "No, Faux Q."

There are indoor barbecue recipes for chicken, ribs, pork roasts, beef roasts, beef briskets, hamburgers, meat loaf and more. Some are cooked in the oven, some are pan-fried, and some are even boiled. Some are cooked using a combination of methods.

But, the secret weapon in the indoor barbecue cooking arsenal is the Crock Pot Slow Cooker. In the crock pot you can cook some of the best barbecue that you have ever tasted. The crock pot provides an even, low temp, high moisture cooking environment that allows the meat to cook to tender perfection.

This article is devoted to the use of the crock pot and a variation on a recipe for barbecue pork that features Coca Cola®. I liked the novelty of cooking with Coca Cola but found that it provides a tenderizing effect and adds a sweetness as well. More flavor is provided by a coat of seasonings applied to the meat prior to the initial 12 hour cooking period. Barbecue sauce is then added and a second cooking period of 4 to 6 hours begins that will infuse the flavor of the sauce into the meat.

Try it and you will be a believer...

Check out Jeff's Crock Pot BBQ Recipe plus Crockpot Hints and Techniques. And don't forget to visit Godfrey's Outpost--Home of the Barbecue Shack and more!

[This article originally appeared in THG #2]