🍂🌻 Chili Champions & Backyard Cooks 🌻🍂🤠 Chuckwagon Fall Weekend Recipes — August 28–30, 2026

🍂🌻 Chili Champions & Backyard Cooks 🌻🍂

🤠 Chuckwagon Fall Weekend Recipes — August 28–30, 2026

Good morning, folks! 🤠🍁

We've made it to the weekend, so we're cooking up three cozy fall recipes—one for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! We're starting with a quick skillet supper Friday, firing up the grill Saturday, and slowing things down for a wonderful old-fashioned Sunday dinner.

🍎🔥 FRIDAY, AUGUST 28

Apple Butter BBQ Chicken & Cheddar Bacon Potatoes

Sweet, smoky, tangy, and just right for kicking off the weekend!

🍗 Ingredients

Apple Butter BBQ Chicken

• 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs

• ¾ cup BBQ sauce

• ½ cup apple butter

• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 Tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• Salt & pepper

Cheddar Bacon Potatoes

• 2 lbs baby potatoes, quartered

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp ranch seasoning

• 1½ cups cheddar cheese

• 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

• 3 green onions, sliced

🔥 Directions

1. Mix BBQ sauce, apple butter, vinegar, Worcestershire, brown sugar, paprika, and garlic powder.

2. Reserve some clean sauce for finishing, then coat the chicken with the remainder.

3. Grill the chicken over medium heat until it reaches 165°F, brushing with the reserved sauce near the end.

4. Meanwhile, toss potatoes with olive oil and ranch seasoning. Roast at 425°F for 30–35 minutes.

5. Top potatoes with cheddar and bacon and bake another 5 minutes. Finish with green onions.

⭐ Chuckwagon Secret

Let that apple-butter BBQ sauce caramelize during the final couple minutes on the grill. That's where the magic happens!

🍂 Friday Scripture

"The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad." — Psalm 126:3 (KJV)

🤠 Friday Question

Are you Team Sweet BBQ 🍯 or Team Spicy BBQ 🌶️?

🍁🔥 SATURDAY, AUGUST 29

Campfire Maple Bacon Chili with Skillet Cheddar Cornbread

Saturday calls for a big ol' pot of chili! 🌶️ This one has beef, sausage, smoky bacon, beans, tomatoes, and just enough maple syrup to give the chili a rich fall flavor without making it overly sweet.

🌶️ Ingredients

Maple Bacon Chili

• 1½ lbs ground beef

• ½ lb smoked sausage, diced

• 6 slices bacon, chopped

• 1 large onion, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 cans kidney beans, drained

• 1 can black beans, drained

• 2 cans diced tomatoes

• 1 can tomato sauce

• 2 cups beef broth

• 3 Tbsp chili powder

• 2 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1–2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• Salt & pepper

Cheddar Cornbread

• 1 box corn muffin mix

• Ingredients called for on the package

• 1 cup shredded cheddar

• 2 Tbsp melted butter

• 1 Tbsp honey

🔥 Directions

1. Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven until crisp. Remove and reserve.

2. Brown the beef and sausage in a little of the bacon drippings. Add onion and garlic.

3. Stir in beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, seasonings, Worcestershire, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.

4. Simmer uncovered for 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste before adding the second tablespoon of maple syrup.

5. Prepare the cornbread batter according to the package and fold in cheddar. Bake according to package directions in a greased cast-iron skillet.

6. Mix melted butter with honey and brush it over the hot cornbread.

Top each chili bowl with bacon, cheddar, sour cream, and green onions.

🏆 Cook-Off Secret

Make your chili the day before if you can. After a night in the refrigerator, those smoky spices have time to mingle, making the flavor even richer the next day.

🍁 Saturday Scripture

"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." — Psalm 34:8 (KJV)

🌶️ Saturday Question

What belongs on top of chili—cheese, sour cream, onions, crackers, cornbread, or ALL OF IT? 😄

🍂🙏 SUNDAY, AUGUST 30

Sunday Harvest Pot Roast with Apple Cider Gravy

Sunday is for slowing down, gathering the family, and putting something wonderful on the table. ❤️

This tender chuck roast cooks alongside potatoes, carrots, onions, and herbs in a savory apple-cider beef gravy. It's cozy fall comfort food without being overly sweet.

🥩 Ingredients

• 3–4 lb chuck roast

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• Salt & black pepper

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• ½ tsp smoked paprika

• 1 large sweet onion, quartered

• 4 carrots, cut into large pieces

• 1½ lbs baby potatoes

• 4 cloves garlic

• 2 cups beef broth

• 1 cup apple cider

• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 Tbsp tomato paste

• 1 tsp thyme

• ½ tsp rosemary

• 2 Tbsp cornstarch + 2 Tbsp cold water, optional for thickening

🍲 Directions

1. Season the roast generously. Heat oil in a Dutch oven and sear the roast on every side.

2. Remove the roast briefly and sauté the onion and garlic.

3. Stir in tomato paste, then add beef broth, apple cider, Worcestershire, thyme, and rosemary.

4. Return the roast to the pot. Cover and cook at 325°F for about 2 hours.

5. Add carrots and potatoes. Cover and continue cooking for approximately 1–1½ hours, until the roast is fork-tender and the vegetables are cooked through.

6. Remove the meat and vegetables. For thicker gravy, simmer the cooking liquid and gradually stir in the cornstarch slurry until it reaches the consistency you like.

⭐ MawMaw's Sunday Kitchen Tip

Don't rush a pot roast! Chuck roast becomes tender when given plenty of time at a low temperature. If it's still tough, it usually needs more cooking time, not less.

🍽️ Complete the Sunday Table

Serve with Southern green beans, homemade biscuits, fried apples, and sweet tea.

And dessert has to be...

🍎🥧 Caramel Apple Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream!

❤️ Sunday Encouragement

There's something precious about a Sunday table.

It doesn't have to be fancy. The plates don't have to match, and the house doesn't have to be spotless.

What matters is that there is room for one another.

Pull up another chair. Share the food. Tell the stories. Laugh together. Pray together. And thank God for the people He's given you to love.

Someday, someone may remember that simple Sunday dinner as one of the sweetest moments of their life.

📖 Sunday Scripture

"As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." — Joshua 24:15 (KJV)

🍂 Sunday Table Question

What meal says "Sunday dinner at Grandma's house" to you? ❤️

Pot roast? 🥩 Fried chicken? 🍗 Chicken and dumplings? 🍲 Meatloaf? Biscuits and gravy? Or something completely different?

👇 Share the dish AND the memory behind it. We'd love to hear those old family food stories!

🍁❤️ Happy Fall Weekend, Friends!

May your kitchen smell wonderful, your table have room for one more, and your weekend be filled with Faith ⭐ Family ⭐ Friends ⭐ Food ⭐ Memories. 🤠🍂🌻