Barbecue Pork Ribs

There are few things in this world that I like more than Barbecue Pork Ribs.  Several years ago, when my husband and I were living abroad, some friends invited us to dinner and served ribs.  I was in heaven.  They were amazing.  And then I found out how they were made, and was astounded at how simple they were to prepare.  Yes, they take all day to cook, but that's hardly difficult.  Since then I've made these on all my special BBQ occasions, such as Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor Day.  And sometimes I make them just because.  Because they're divine.  I'm often told by my guests that they're better than those you get at expensive restaurants. 

You can make as many racks of ribs as you want.  A rack usually has twelve rib bones in it and will serve 2 or 3 people, depending on how much they eat.  I don't recommend buying them without the bones, as you will lose some meat that way and definitely sacrifice on flavor.  By the time you're done cooking these the bones will be falling out of their own accord, so don't worry about them.  Generally when you buy ribs at the store they come packaged two racks together, though I've also seen them with three.  I buy some whenever they're on a good sale and throw them in the freezer until I'm ready for that special day.

Barbecue Pork Ribs
Recipe from Andrew Hill

Ingredients:
2 racks pork ribs, bone-in
1 jar of your favorite barbecue sauce
2 T to 1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper

To begin with, wrap a large baking sheet (jelly-roll pan) with foil.  You'll probably need two overlapping sheets.  Turn the oven to 215F.  It's not very hot, because you'll be cooking them all day long.

In a small bowl mix 1 cup of barbecue sauce with 2 T water.  You want the sauce to be thin enough that it's easy to brush thinly over the meat, but not so thin that it's watery.  If you need more water, add more, up to 1/4 cup.

Place the raw ribs on the pan, bone-side up.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then brush with the thinned-out barbecue sauce.  Flip the meat over and repeat. 

After both sides have been covered with the sauce, they'll look like this:

Cover the whole tray very tightly with foil and place in the oven.  Cook at 215 F for at least 6 hours or up to 8.

 

When they come out of the oven they'll look like this:

 

Next you need to glaze them.  Some people prefer to glaze them on a grill, and you're certainly welcome to do so.  I prefer to glaze them under the broiler because it's easier not to move them so much when they're that tender.  Either way, you need to brush full-thickness barbecue sauce over the top of the ribs.  Be generous.  Then, if you're using the broiler, place the whole tray under the broiler (about 6 inches from the element) and let the sauce carmelize a bit, about 3-5 minutes.  If you'd like to you can carefully turn them over with tongs and do the other side, but I have to say that I usually just do the meaty side.

If you want to glaze on a grill, then apply the barbecue sauce to both sides of the cooked ribs (use tongs to turn), and then carefully lift the ribs AND the foil onto the preheated grill.  Let them carmelize for about 3 minutes, then carefully turn them over and do the other side. They should look like this:

Serve these babies immediately.  Serves 4-6.

Short version of the recipe:

Barbecue Pork Ribs
Recipe from Andrew Hill


Ingredients:
2 racks pork ribs, bone-in
1 jar of your favorite barbecue sauce
2 T to 1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper


To begin with, wrap a large baking sheet (jelly-roll pan) with foil.  You'll probably need two overlapping sheets.  Turn the oven to 215F.  It's not very hot, because you'll be cooking them all day long.


In a small bowl mix 1 cup of barbecue sauce with 2 T water.  You want the sauce to be thin enough that it's easy to brush thinly over the meat, but not so thin that it's watery.  If you need more water, add more, up to 1/4 cup.

Place the raw ribs on the pan, bone-side up.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then brush with the thinned-out barbecue sauce.  Flip the meat over and repeat.  Cover the whole tray very tightly with foil and place in the oven.  Cook at 215 F for at least 6 hours or up to 8.

Next you need to glaze them.  Some people prefer to glaze them on a grill, and you're certainly welcome to do so.  I prefer to glaze them under the broiler because it's easier not to move them so much when they're that tender.  Either way, you need to brush full-thickness barbecue sauce over the top of the ribs.  Be generous.  Then, if you're using the broiler, place the whole tray under the broiler (about 6 inches from the element) and let the sauce carmelize a bit, about 3-5 minutes.  If you'd like to you can carefully turn them over with tongs and do the other side, but I have to say that I usually just do the meaty side.


If you want to glaze on a grill, then apply the barbecue sauce to both sides of the cooked ribs (use tongs to turn), and then carefully lift the ribs AND the foil onto the preheated grill.  Let them carmelize for about 3 minutes, then carefully turn them over and do the other side. 


Serve these babies immediately.  Serves 4-6.

Grilled Chicken and Garden Salsa

This recipe is from Southern Living Magazine, and is a lovely and quick thing to cook on a nice hot day.  It's a great idea to cook the vegetables on the foil, because they still get grilled, but without falling through the grates.  The flavor was great and I felt good about all those vegetables!  Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken and Garden Salsa
Recipe from Southern Living (May 2012)

Ingredients:
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbs mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2"-inch-wide strips
1 small onion, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, quartered
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

In a small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, then brush with cheese mixture.  Toss vegetables with oil, then place on a large piece of aluminum foil. 
Place chicken and vegetables (on the foil) on a preheated medium-high grill.  Grill for 6 minutes, flipping chicken and stirring up vegetables after three minutes.  Turn heat to medium-low and cook an additional 3-6 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle basil over vegetables just before serving. 
Makes 4 servings.

Polynesian Grilled Steak and Pineapple

I'm always looking for new grilling recipes, and sometimes I find them buried under piles of my old recipes.  This is such a recipe.  I took what Cooking Light gave me and tweaked it, and added to it a bit, and came up with something that made me feel like I should be in the middle of the Pacific instead of the Mid-Atlantic.  I served it over rice, and with grilled asparagus, which I could put as a separate post (and maybe I will someday!). But for now, you can skewer asparagus into little "rafts" by laying four of them side by side, with their "heads" (the yummy end) up, and putting skewers through their "necks" and "knees," so to speak.  Then brush with oil (try sesame oil mixed with soy sauce and a bit of ginger for an Asian flavor!) and grill over low heat for a few minutes per side.  To Die For!

But now, on to the real recipe...

Polynesian Grilled Steak and Pineapple

Ingredients:
1 pineapple, skin and core removed and cut into 8 spears
1/3 cup soy sauce (I use the low-sodium, sometimes marked "lite")
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 T minced peeled fresh ginger
1 T honey
1 T minced garlic
1 1/2 pounds flank steak, skirt steak, or similar steak
Additional honey for drizzling, optional

Take one pineapple spear and puree it in either a blender or food processor.  Pour it into a bowl or large ziplock bag.  Add soy sauce, green onions, ginger, 1 T honey, and garlic.  Shake or stir until well mixed, then add steak.  Marinate for 1-4 hours, turning over half way through.

Prepare your grill and heat to medium high.  Remove steak from the bag but DON'T throw away the marinade.  Grill 3 minutes per side on medium-high heat, then 3 minutes per side on medium-low heat, pouring 1/3 of the remaining marinade on top of the steak each time you flip it.  Meanwhile, grill the pineapple spears over medium-low heat, turning every 3-4 minutes, until tender.  They will probably take a few minutes less to cook as the steak.  

Remove everything from the grill and arrange on a serving platter.  Drizzle honey over the pineapple, if desired.  Let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting across the grain into thin slices.  Serve over rice.
Serves 4-6.

Cedar Grilled Salmon

By the time we remembered to take a photo, this was all that was left!

I don't eat fish.  This is something you have to know about me.  My husband is always trying to get me to eat fish, and I obligingly try it, and don't like it.  But this fish I almost liked.  I certainly didn't have a problem finishing my entire steak, and if I hadn't known it was fish I probably would have eaten it without any problem.  My husband assures me it was fantastic.  Try it, and tell me what you think.  By the way, if you don't have a cedar plank, you can grill this without it, it just won't have that smoky flavor.

Cedar Grilled Salmon

Ingredients:
1 T chili powder
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp olive oil
4 salmon steaks, 3/4-inch thick (8 oz each)
cedar plank for grilling

4 hours before grilling, submerge the cedar plank in water.  Let soak for 4 hours.
Prepare grill.  In small bowl combine chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, thyme, salt, ginger and oil.  Rub on all sides of salmon steaks.
Place the cedar plank on the grill and turn the heat to medium-high.  Place salmon steaks on the plank and close the top of the grill to create that delicious cedar smoke.  Grill until just opaque throughout, about 10 minutes (when grilling on a plank you don't need to flip the meat).
If not using the cedar plank, grill 4 minutes per side.
Serves 4.