Five Monkeys BBQ Sauce

Hey Monkey Fam,

This July 4th may be looking a bit different than we are all used to—no parade :(—but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate accordingly—even at a distance.

This year, Mama Monkey whipped up some of her famous chocolate chip cookies with a twist! S’more Chocolate Chip Cookies!! Does it get much more summer or delicious than that?!

We usually keep this recipe close to our hearts (and our mouths), but in an effort to celebrate this life and maybe add a bit more sweetness where it may be lacking, we wanted to share this delicious concoction with all of you.

Here’s the recipe.

Mama Monkey’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Ingredients

2 cup butter

2 cup sugar

2 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

5 cup oats

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

4 cup flour

24 oz chocolate chips

8 oz chocolate bar, grated

For the S’mores version, add

2 cup mini marshmallows

4 graham crackers, crushed

The Process

Preheat your oven (or Traeger) to 375^oF. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream your butter, sugars, and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time until completely incorporated.

**Note: An electric mixer works well too if a stand mixer is unavailable.

In a separate bowl (large), combine flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

With your stand mixer on low-medium speed, slowly add your dry ingredients (about 1 cup at a time). Once fully combined, take a spatula and fold in your chocolate chips and grated chocolate bar.

On an ungreased, parchment-lined baking sheet, use a spoon to drop about 1-inch sized clumps 2 inches apart.

Bake for about 10 minutes.

For the S’mores version:

Poor crushed graham crackers onto a plate. Roll dough balls over the graham crackers to make them stick.

Place on ungreased, parchment-lined bake sheet 2 inches apart and bake for about 8 minutes.

At 8 minutes, take the cookies out and place 3 mini marshmallows on top and press in slightly to make them stay. Return to the oven for the final 2 minutes of cook time.

We “roasted” our marshmallows on top once they finished in the oven by hitting them with a torch for a couple seconds to caramelize them. This is an extra step that is unnecessary, but adds a nice touch. We hope this recipe, whether it’s the classic version, the s’mores version, or your own twist, helps satisfy that sweet tooth.

As always, we can’t wait to see what you all do with our recipes!

Happy 4th of July, happy snacking, and enjoy!

The Monkeys

Hey Monkey lovers,

During these unprecedented times, we wanted to give you a bit more of a snippet into our lives beyond the sauce. What have we been up to? Where have we been? Are we going stir-crazy? (The answer is YES!)

Like many people, we are finding ways to entertain ourselves, keep our lives structured, and pass the time. The OG Monkey has been getting creative with recipes and bringing his ‘A’ game to the dinner table. From classic favorites like meatloaf to Asian-inspired dishes like bao, we have been trying to expand our horizons to show the versatility of our sauce. Here’s some things he’s come up with!

Stuffed Avocados

Mac & Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf

Pork Bao and Fried Rice

Korean Short Ribs

Mama monkey has been working on beautifying the yard, planting flowers, and creating a ‘campfire’ area in our backyard while she’s not doing distance-learning with her 2nd grade students. The two brother monkeys have been working on keeping business going as usual. I’ve just finished another year of college and have been getting creative with drawing and painting, as well as in the kitchen. Here’s all the bread I’ve been making!

Fresh Ciabatta

Boule

Chocolate Almond bread dough

Chocolate Almond Ciabatta

We’ve all been doing our own thing, exercising, staying away from public places, and using LOTS of hand sanitizer. We’re looking forward to sharing with you all some new recipes, behind-the-scenes looks into what we’re up to, and what’s to come in the future.

See you all in the next one!

The Five Monkeys

Hey Monkey friends!

It’s been a while.

Sorry for the absence, but we’ve been busy! When we started this business venture, we knew (if it took off) that we would eventually need to start bringing some variation to the table. SO, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing. We have worked tirelessly and thoughtfully to bring you two new sauces that we are incredibly proud of:

Orange Chili and Scotch Whiskey!

I know…they aren’t your typical flavors. However, our creative mindset includes the idea that we intend to be different. We don’t want to be your average sellers, we want to make something new and exciting that is out of the box. Like our original flavor, our newest flavors are made with all natural ingredients and still contain that spicy-sweet factor we’re known for. Along with our newest creations, we have been working on making our original and new flavors gluten free to appeal to a wider audience. As all the nutritional components have been approved, you can look forward to seeing our gluten free product in stores soon!

We are ecstatic to show you what we’re made of and cannot wait for you to try our delicious new products soon!

Happy Eating,

The Five Monkeys

PULLED PORK SLIDERS

Who doesn’t love a good pulled pork slider?! We first made these puppies for Monkey #5’s graduation party a couple years ago and they were a hit! There is just something so amazing about steaming, hot pulled pork smothered in your favorite spicy, sweet bbq sauce on a lightly toasted, subtly sweet Hawaiian roll. Our mouths are watering already!! These are great for big crowds, family get-togethers, and, of course, SUPER BOWL SUNDAY! They’re so EASY too!! We can’t wait for you to try it!

INGREDIENTS
1 Pork shoulder/butt roast, bone in or boneless (Approx. ¼ lb. per person)
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Garlic to taste- granulated
Onion to taste (granulated)
1 package of King’s Hawaiian Rolls (or preferred rolls/bread of choice)

DIRECTIONS
1. Place roast in crock pot and lightly season to taste (you can adjust later). It is best to season the meat a couple of hours prior to cooking.
2. I enjoy putting the roast in before taking off to work (set to low temp) and removing in the afternoon (about 8-10 hours) when I get home. Putting it in before going to bed is a useful option from time to time as well.
3. Place roast on a large baking sheet and roughly pull apart to help it cool down (remove the bone if you have one. It should slide out easily.) Wait about 15-20 minutes or until you can handle easily without getting burned.
4. Remove as much as you can of the fat pieces, but try to leave most of the juice in the slow cooker. Use two forks to pull apart or by hand if it is cool enough.
5. Cut your Hawaiian rolls in half, lightly butter the inside, and toast in a pan until lightly browned.
6. Pile the pork up on the rolls, smother in Five Monkeys BBQ Sauce. Add coleslaw, greens, or cold cheese for a fresher aspect to the hot goodness!
7. You can also enjoy this fresh out of the slow cooker on sandwiches, nachos, salads, burritos, and tacos or a la carte with Five Monkeys BBQ Sauce.
8. Stuff your face and ENJOY!

FIVE MONKEYS BBQ SAUCE CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS

We love having chicken lettuce wraps for dinner to mix things up. Not only is it delicious, but it is a healthier alternative to chicken tacos. We decided on creating a healthier meal using our sauce because we wanted to appeal to those who are trying to live healthier lifestyles. These “little tugboats of love”, as Monkey #1 calls them, have so many levels of taste and texture, they’re impossible not to love!!

INGREDIENTS
1 package Boneless, skinless chicken thigh
Lemon Pepper seasoning to taste
Salt to taste

TOPPINGS
1 cup Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 Sm. Head Your favorite variety of lettuce to use as a cup for ingredients
1 Tomato Diced
1 Avocado Diced

LIME CREMA
1 cup Sour cream
2 tsp lime juice
¼ tsp cumin
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp cayenne
1 tsp Tapatio hot sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Place thighs on plate and lightly dust with the lemon seasoning and salt. It is best to season a couple of hours prior to cooking.
2. When ready to cook, place chicken on hot grill or broil in the oven.
3. The thighs generally take about 5-7 mins before ready to turn. After turning over drizzle with Five Monkeys BBQ Sauce and close the lid or oven door.
4. Check often for flare ups and to make sure the chicken is not burning. Approximately another 5 mins or so of cooking time. Make sure they are cooked thoroughly, but not overdone.
5. When finished cooking, let the chicken cool a bit, then cut into small chunks (about 1/2 inch chunks). Chunk cut the leftovers for other great uses like nachos, salads, burritos, tacos, etc.
6. Clean, wash, and dry lettuce and form into little tug boat receptacles (form cups with the leaves).
7. Put a spoonful of chicken and spread evenly on lettuce.
8. Top with tomato, avocado & cheese
9. Drizzle with lime crema (for the crema, mix all ingredients together and transfer to squeeze bottle) & Five Monkeys BBQ Sauce

Hi friends, for our first recipe post, we decided to do something that is really special to our family. Chili and cornbread! I’m not sure what you all think, but in our family, chili and cornbread is the ULTIMATE in comfort food…next to mac and cheese…but we’ll get to that. The chili idea with Five Monkeys was actually born from an accident. Monkey #1 was helping make a meal for a large party one time. The meal was coming out nicely until…the pan with the beans got SCORCHED! Nothing kills a meal more than a burned taste. Monkey #1 was too close to meal time to try and remake it, not to mention being roughly 50 miles from the nearest grocery store. He then looked over at the jar of Five Monkeys and thought…I wonder. Pouring in a little at a time he realized the burn taste was fading and what was happening was amazing. The entire crowd later was raving about how amazing the beans were, and there the idea was born.

We hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we do.

FIVE MONKEYS BBQ SAUCE CHILI
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
½ Diced yellow onion
1 Diced red bell pepper
1 lb. Fresh ground turkey or beef
1 can-15oz Pinto beans
1 can-15oz Kidney beans
1 can-14.5oz Petite diced tomatoes w/ green chiles
2 tbsp. Chili powder
2 tbsp. Paprika
1 tbsp. Cumin
2 tbsp. Garlic-granulated
Pinch Crushed red pepper flakes
6oz Five Monkeys Original BBQ Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Dice up onion & bell pepper. Put olive oil in a skillet and add diced onion & bell pepper. Sauté for a few minutes until they start to soften a bit (about 5 mins.)
2. While veggies are cooking, add pinto beans, kidney beans, diced tomatoes & spices to a pot on medium heat. Lightly season with salt & pepper.
3. Add veggies to pot when they start to soften. Don’t overcook, the little bit of firmness adds texture to your finished chili.
4. Put turkey or ground beef in skillet that was used for the vegetables and lightly season with salt & pepper. Cook until lightly browned, drain, and then add to pot with other simmering ingredients.
5. Mix thoroughly and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the Five Monkeys Original BBQ Sauce and let simmer for an additional 20-25 minutes.
6. I prefer to taste test along the way and add seasoning to your preference (i.e. more or less salt, more or less pepper, etc.)
7. Enjoy with some barbecued chicken, ribs, tri tip, on nachos, chili dogs or maybe a nice bowl with shredded sharp cheese & a dollop of sour cream!

Hello fellow Monkey lovers!

The last couple months have been a whirlwind! We have been working very hard to make our sauce available in as many markets, stores, and restaurants as we can. Here’s a bit of an update on how things have been going:

We are now in Raley’s in Tracy, Manteca, Oakdale, and Stockton!! We are so proud to be supporting our local grocery markets!

Our bottles are now also being sold at Mar-Val Foods in Escalon and Valley Springs. We have also added product to O’Brien’s Market on Dale Road in Modesto! We will soon be in O’Brien’s Market on Roseburg in Modesto and in Riverbank on Patterson Road!

Not only have we expanded our grocery markets, we have also entered a couple new restaurants as well! We are lucky enough to have been added to the menus at Piccadilly Deli & Sandwich Shop in Modesto and St. Stans also in Modesto. We are very proud to have our product on the menus at these wonderfully delicious establishments.

Yesterday we had two events we attended. The first (pictured below) was a sampling at Piccadilly Deli with a new panini featuring our Five Monkeys BBQ Sauce. The event went well and we were happy with the turnout.

The newest paninis at Piccadilly Deli! BBQ Roast Beef with 5 Monkeys BBQ and the delicious Poncho Villa!!

Bottles for sale now at Piccadilly Deli & Sandwich Shop

Later, we attended another event at O’Brien’s Market on Dale Road in Modesto for their Holiday Taste Sensations. We served barbecue pulled pork slider samplers at our table and completely ran out! It was a great turnout. While there, we were interviewed by the Modesto Bee so lookout for our story in the paper and online at modbee.com!

In lieu of all the new attention our product is receiving, we will be posting recipes (FINALLY, I know!) on our website and working on making those more available to y’all.

Thank you, as always, for the loving support!

The Five Monkeys

Hello!

Five Monkeys BBQ Sauce is now available at Raley’s in Modesto on Floyd and Roselle!!

Also, to update you all, we will start posting recipes on our blog about once a week. Let us know what kinds of recipes you would like to see!

The Five Monkeys

The time has come people!!

We are now selling in Turlock! Five Monkeys BBQ Sauce is now in at Village Fresh Market! Head on over and pick up a bottle today if you’re in the area. Again, we truly appreciate all the love and support!

The Five Monkeys