Mom's Favorites: Ribs

I confess. I'm not a big red meat eater. I like a good steak now and then but it's not the thing that I "have to have". That's always made it interesting when we go to steak houses for dinner. At the Hilltop, I always got the seafood casserole. When we went to Ruth Chris for New Year's, I had salmon. When we go to Lonestar or Texas Roadhouse, I almost always get ribs. 

I love ribs and rubs and sauces. When they are done right, the meat just about falls off the bone! I'm also a sweet and savory kind of gal too, so my bbq sauce tends to run in the honey bbq family. Tonight's entry combines these two of my favorite things and adds a whopper of a hot kick with the chipolte!

Honey Chipolte Ribs

Ingredients:
6 lbs. pork baby back ribs   3 c. ketchup       2 bottles Guinness beer   2 c. bbq sauce
1 small onion, chopped      2/3 c. honey       1/4 c. Worcestershire       2 tbsp. dijon mustard  
2 tbsp. chopped chipolte peppers in adobo  4 tsp. ground chipolte pepper
1 tsp. salt                           1 tsp. garlic powder      1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1.  .Wrap ribs in large pieces of heavy duty foil.
2. Seal edges and grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 1-1 1/2 hrs.
3. In a large saucepan, combine the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes or until thick stirring occasionally.
5. Carefully remove ribs from foil and place over direct heat.
6. Baste with some of the sauce.
7. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 30 minutes or until browned, turning once and basting occasionally with additional sauce.
8. Serve with remaining sauce.

There's not much else to say except...YUM!

As always, have fun!                  

Pick Your Own Meat

Spring is finally headed our way ... and with nicer weather comes more opportunities to BBQ! Yum!

What can you not live without? Wings? Ribs? Steak? Chicken? Well, bring your favorite meat up to the plate and try it with this spicy and sweet glaze. Forget getting a bottle of pre-made sauce because when you make your own you can tweak to exactly how you like it. 

Honey Chipotle Glaze

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. ginger ale          1 c. brown sugar            3 tbsp. honey          4 1/2 tsp. cider vinegar

2 garlic cloves                3/4 tsp. cinnamon          3/4 tsp. cumin         1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

4 chipolte peppers in adobo     

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, combine the first 4 ingredients.
2. Bring to a boil and reduce by half (app. 15 minutes).
3. Reduce heat and stir in remaining ingredients.
4. Cook an additional 5 minutes.

I found this recipe attached to a baked ham recipe. As many of you know, I'm not big on ham but I couldn't resist the glaze just because it's such a perfect blend of hot, spicy and sweet.  With the ham, the recommendation was to reserve a cup of the sauce and use the rest to baste the ham throughout the cooking process. That way, it can cook into the meat but you will still have plenty for dipping as part of your meal.

As always, have fun!             

Crockpot Ribs

Ribs are not just a summer treat. You can do them right in your crock pot and then throw them in the oven to crisp them up. What is even better is when you make your own BBQ sauce to go with them!

Crock Pot Ribs

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. paprika     2 tbsp. brown sugar     1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper     1 c. BBQ sauce
2 (2 1/2 to 3 lb) racks St. Louis style spareribs

Directions:

1. Mix paprika, sugar, cayenne together and rub evenly over ribs.
2. Arrange upright in slow cooker with meaty sides facing outward.
3. Cover and cook until ribs are tender, 4 to 5 hours on low.
4. Adjust oven rack to 10 inches from broiler element and heat broiler.
5. Place wire rack in aluminum foil rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable oil spray.
6. Transfer ribs, meaty side up, to prepared sheet. 
7. Brush ribs with some of the BBQ sauce and broil until browned and sticky (10-15 minutes).
8. You should flip and brush with additional sauce every few minutes.
9. Serve ribs with remaining sauce.

Coffee BBQ Sauce (makes 4 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped     2 tbsp.olive oil     8 garlic cloves, minced     2 c. ketchup

1 c. cider vinegar                   1 c. honey            1/2 c. soy sauce                 1/2 c. brewed coffee

1/4 tsp. salt                             1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, saute onion in oil until tender.
2. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 35-45 minutes or until desired consistency.

As always, have fun!

Super Bowl BBQ Chicken Bombs

Hosting a Super Bowl party? Going to one and need to bring an appetizer to share? You've come to the right place. Tune in this week for a new recipe each day. I've tried to pick a variety of relatively easy things you can make that are in small portions, whether a dip, an appetizer or even a pizza.

BBQ Bacon Chicken Bombs

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts     1 lb. bacon     1 c. your favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar     toothpicks

Directions:

1. Pound out the meat with a mallet. Cut it into 1-2" wide strips.
2. Cut the package of bacon in half.
3. Take one strip of bacon and lay a strip of chicken on top of it.
4. Roll the bacon/chicken up and secure with a toothpick.
5. Repeat until all chicken is done.
6. Place the chicken/bacon rolls on a cookie sheet.
7. Top the chicken with brown sugar and bbq sauce.
8. Cook for 15-20 minutes at 350.
9. Turn them over and cook again for another 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.

These chicken bites are very addictive. The recipe is simple enough for you to double or triple safely for a large crowd or if you just can't resist popping a bunch at one sitting.

As always, have fun!