"Even good chefs have bad days"- Padma Lakshmi

If you have watched any real or competition cooking show, you know that it happens to everyone.  It happens to the very best of chefs like Rick Bayless and Rick Moonen and even happens to the the stay at home cooks or people like me.  Everyone ruins a food; whether it was over-cooked, under-cooked or just made badly.  But before you throw it away, it may just be able to be saved.  Chef's have a secret ace in the hole: BBQ. 

Now, I am not suggesting that restaurants and BBQ joints use badly cooked food, as this is a recommendation that when you are cooking at home and you ruin something, you can maybe fix it. 

I made some pork steaks the other day, which for one reason or another, still looked pink, in the oven, so I kept them cooking.  Well, they over-cooked and then were a bit tough and dry.  What I have found that works best is to take the pork and chop it up.

Now, this could work with any type of meat, like chicken or beef as well.  I just made mine cut small, like a small dice, because my kids will be eating this and it stops any possibility of becoming a choking hazard.  So, take your cut meat, and add half of a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce and mix.  Then you have some BBQ meat for sandwiches or to eat on its own, like this lovely photo shows:

I know that while this isn't a recipe, it is important for me to show that food doesn't have to be wasted and can be reused.  Apples and fruit that are bruising and becoming too over-ripe, can be made into juices, pies or jams.  Meats can be turned into BBQ or even pies themselves.  I always take the old bread and make bread pudding out of it and always find a use for vegetables. 

So, experiment! Look in your fridge and see what you can make.