This upcoming Sunday, June 19th, is Father’s day and if you’re undecided
about what type of foods you’ll be serving your dad, perhaps this
sports star can lend a hand.

The sports star: Basketball hall of famer Shaquille O’neal.
Yes, basketball great Shaq has a new cookbook out and many
of the recipes in the book, are some of the things he loves to eat.
And although we can’t guarantee that your dad will grow to 7′-1″ like
Mr. O’neal, we can guarantee that your dad will love the recipes.

Recipe No. 1-
Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Thighs!
Shaq loves this recipe mainly because he gets to top the chicken with his
favorite homemade glaze.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of Ketchup
1/2 cup of packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of chipotles in adobo*
1/4 cup of yellow mustard
1 Tbs. of Kosher salt
1 Tbs. of freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. of garlic powder
2 tsp. of onion powder
12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
* Look for chipotles in adobo in the International aisles in
your grocery store or go to an Asian or Hispanic market.
To make:
In a bowl, whisk together the first 11 ingredients.
Place the chicken in a thick plastic bag (or two) with the marinade.
Close up the bag and chill for 3 hours or overnight.
Turn on the oven to 350*F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
In a bowl, mix onion and oil: toss together. Spread mixture on
baking sheet. Remove chicken from bag, letting excess marinade
drip back into bag. Place thighs skin-side up on top of onion in single
layer. Reserve marinade.
Bake until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part away from bone
registers 170*F, about 45 mins. Brush with reserved marinade. (Insider tip:
simmer the marinade on medium-heat before brushing on the chicken).
Heat broiler, Broil chicken until browned, 5 mins. Let rest for 5 mins. Serve
with sliced onions.

Recipe No. 2-
Smash Burgers with Jalapeno-Pimiento Cheese!
Tired of regular and plain old hamburgers? Try this “Jacked-Up”
version from Mr. O’Neal.
Ingredients:
1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup of canned pickled jalapenos, drained
1/4 cup of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
1 tsp. of hot sauce (Tabasco or Crystal)
1 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. + 2 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. + 1 Tbs. of kosher salt
2 lbs. of ground beef
6 regular or sesame-seed buns, split
2 tomatoes, sliced and 6 lettuce leaves (optional)
To make:
In a bowl, mix together the first 8 ingredients. Cover;
chill until ready to use.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium high heat.
Divide beef into 6 balls; season with salt and pepper.
Place in the skillet; with the spatula, firmly press to
form 1/2″-thick patties. Cook 4 mins. then turn over.
Place about 1/4 cup of jalapeno cheese on each burger.
Cover; cook until cheese melts, 2 to 3 mins. Place burgers
on the buns. Add the lettuce and tomato, if desired.

Recipe No. 3-
Is dad a fan of ribs? Well, do like Shaq and use St. Louis-style ribs.
These ribs are more marbled and more fatty than baby-back ribs
and they won’t dry out.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup of packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup of paprika
1/4 cup of kosher salt
2 Tbs. of chili powder
1 Tbs. of garlic powder
1 Tbs. of mustard powder
1 Tbs. of freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. of dried thyme
2 tsp. of onion powder
2 tsp. of cayenne pepper
1 tsp. of cumin (ground)
3 racks pork ribs, 3-4 lbs. each
1/4 cup of yellow mustard
2 bottles of lager beer (12 oz. each)
1 lb. of unsalted butter
2 cups of honey
1 can of chipotles in adobo, pureed
To make:
Place the ribs on foil-rimmed baking sheets. In a bowl,
mix brown sugar and the seasonings. Using a sharp knife,
carefully remove membrane from underside of the ribs. Rub
yellow mustard all over the ribs; coat with rib spice mixture.
Place on the racks; cover with foil and then into the refrigerator
until the next day. Remove the foil.
Heat the oven to 325*F. Pour the beer into baking sheets. Wrap
baking sheets and ribs with foil. Bake until bones are visible and
meat is fork tender, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
In a pot, melt unsalted butter with honey and pureed chipotles over
medium heat. Spoon butter mixture over ribs. Broil until glazed, 4 to
5 mins. Let rest 5 mins. Cut ribs into 2-bone sections.

Prefer the Grill?
If you want to leave the oven off and cook outdoors, cook the chicken,
burgers or ribs on the grill. For the burgers: add the cheese, the last 2
mins. of cooking time. And if you want a bit of smoke on the ribs or chicken,
brush with chipotle-butter mixture and grill over direct heat until glazed.

Sources:
* Shaq’s Family Style, available online at Amazon.com
* Woman’s World magazine, June 20, 2022-edition
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Please pass this article on to all of the friends and family who plan on celebrating
Father’s day, over at Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, Snapchat, Tik-Tok, Pinterest, and
Twitter.
2 more tips: Go back and reread our post on the importance of marinades.
They (marinades) can protect you from certain cancers. And if you have
any room leftover from the meat-extravanganza and want something
sweet to finish up the meal, head to our store, (click buy recipes at the top)
and look for our latest post, “Red-White & Blue Desserts” for the 4th of July.
Thank-You!