The Legend of the McJeff

~Fireworks on the 4th Special

Part 1: a chibbqking Signature Sandwich

I want to take this 4th of July holiday to introduce to you Chicago's newest Celebrity sandwich. You know the Italian Beef, his cousin the Combo, the Jibarito or the the breaded steak and who could forget the Mother in Law? The Rib sandwich is a Chicago thing and its where the McRib was concocted and where the McJeff was born. It was the summer of 1929 when then chibbqking consigliere Jeff Barzinini Jr who also happens to be affiliated with the "Don Barzinini" sandwich created the legend known around Chicago today.

It was also around this time that Moonshine Highway #9 from St. Louis to Chicago-which was run by Jeff Barzinini-was in full swing. The people of Chicago said to hell with the government and were getting their kicks from Route 66 before it was even built. Overseeing everything was Don Nini who opened up a "soda shop" in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. It was here that the now famous McJeff was made on a muggy July night when the smoke had cleared and the moonshine was gone and the patrons had gotten hungry.

Don Barzinini checked the fridge where he found some hamburger buns, cheese and some homemade hot links and BBQ sauce given as a gift to the family by a whiskey runner named Red from Bronzeville. The rest is history. Meet the McJeff.

McJeff Sandwich


Pick up the stuff for McJeffs and other 4th of July grilling goods at Moo & Oink

Ingredients

1 package Moo & Oink Hot Links (beef or pork)
1 package cheap buns
1 package American cheese
1 bottle of High Five BBQ sauce


What you'll need


^Step 1: Slice the hot links in half as shown above


^Step 2: Grill each link piece until nice and charred on the outside on all sides


^Step 3: Remove from the grill and slice down the middle as shown above
~It will still be raw in the middle-that's ok. Slather the patty link with BBQ sauce




^Step 4: Return the patty to the grill and char it on both sides adding sauce gradually


^Step 5: Brush both sides of hamburger bun with sauce and place on grill
~add slice of cheese let melt and build your sandwich

The McJeff Sandwich
-a Chicago summertime signature









You can use both pork and or beef hot links but Jeff insisted that the beef was the way back in the day of the bootleg and we couldn't agree more. Just make sure to pick up both pig and cow and let yourself be the boss.

~make it a TexJeff (seen above) by adding a sliced avocado sprinkled with chili powder

~Make it a Big Daddy Deluxe by adding a slice of raw onion and pickles

~Make it a Big Boss Daddy Wu Wu times two by adding both a pork and beef patty link topped with bacon, onions, pickles and cheese.

~Make it a Snizzoop Munchies Spizzecial by smoking the link with hickory wood and adding bacon, cheese, pickles and onions

Happy July. Loosen up let your hair down and join the grilltivities.

July 2nd: Fireworks Special Part 2: Da Tubes

July 3rd: Fireworks Special Part 3: The Patty's

Be sure to check out chibbqking next week in the Redeye Virtual Kitchen Stadium cookoff. You best get out and vote...especially since you don't gotta get out and go anywhere. You can vote from home in your Hello Kitty underwear for all I care.