Ribs - Oven Baked

Don't have a grill at hand? This is how I get great BBQ ribs baked in the oven.

Ingredients:

3-4 lb. slab baby back ribs

for rub - 

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper, cracked or freshly ground

1/2 tsp. cumin

olive oil

for sauce - 

3/4 cup BBQ sauce (I like Head Country Original)

2 garlic cloves minced

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 - 1 Tbsp. cayenne optional

1 tsp. salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Combine ingredients for rub, except the oil. Line baking sheet with foil. Remove membrane from back of ribs. Pat dry. Place ribs on a separate piece of foil meat side down. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub over the back of the ribs; drizzle with olive oil and rub into ribs. Turn over and repeat process with remaining 2/3 cup rub, drizzle with oil and rub into meat. Wrap ribs in foil so that juices cannot escape. Place foil package on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 2 hours.

Remove ribs from oven and open foil pouch. Return to oven and raise temperature to 450˚F.  Bake for 10 minutes. Remove ribs from oven and spread sauce over top of ribs. Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove ribs from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

Slice ribs and enjoy.

Ribs - Poached Prior to Grilling / Baking

Melody made a similar recipe one weekend and I thought it was a brilliant way to do ribs on a grill that you can prepare ahead of time by poaching before finishing off on the grill. You can also finish the ribs off in the oven if you do not have a grill. This recipe evolved over a series of tries in the kitchen. 

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs Baby Back Ribs

POACHING LIQUID

2-1/2 quarts water

1/2 onion

6 cloves garlic smashed

2 Tbsp Kosher salt

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup Apple Cider vinegar

In a 5-1/2 quart or larger Dutch Oven, bring all ingredients of Poaching Liquid to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for ~ 20 minutes

Remove skin on the back of the ribs. Slice the rack into 3 sections.

Place ribs in the poaching liquid. Bring to a simmer then turn heat to low and cook for 1 hour. Remove from heat and let ribs sit in the liquid until ready to throw on the grill.

Pat ribs dry and slather the glaze on top of the ribs. Throw on hot grill until glaze is caramalized.

If you do not have a grill.....Prepare a large baking sheet, covering with parchment paper. If the glaze is a really sticky one I will line the pan with foil before the parchment paper.

Gently pat the ribs dry so the glaze will adhere easier.

Preheat oven to 450˚.

Apply glaze to the top of the ribs and bake for 20 minutes, re-applying glaze at the 10 minute mark.

Remove ribs from oven. Apply glaze once more. Allow ribs to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

GLAZES

Bourbon / Honey Glaze

1/4 cup honey

3 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1-1/2 Tbsp bourbon

2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed orange juice

Combine all ingredients. Simmer ~ 5 minutes and set aside

BBQ Glaze

1/2 cup BBQ Sauce of your choice

3 Tbsp. sweet Bourbon, such as Wild Turkey American Honey Bourbon

2 to 3 Tsp. brown sugar

Whisk all ingredients until combined. Set aside

NOTE: this glaze was like candy and hardened to a soft ball stage

Carol Daniel's Pumpkin Bread

 

Carol Daniel's Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cup salad oil

2/3 cup water

2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin

3-1/3 cups flour (400 gms)

3 cups granulated sugar (600 gms)

2 tsp. baking soda

1-1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1 cup chopped, roasted pecans, optional

Method:

In mixing bowl, beat eggs. Addf oil, water and pumpkin puree and mix well.

in a medium mixing bowl, sift flour together with sugar, bakihg soda, salt, and spices.

Mak a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the pumpkin mixture. Stir just until all ingredients are mixed. If you want to add roasted pecans, fold them in at this time.

Turn batter into 3 well-oiled loaf tins. I use my two Wolfgang Puck bread pans, plus approximately  5-6 muffin tins.

Bake at 350˚ F. for 1 hour, with a cake tester coming out clean. Remove pans from oven and set on cooling rack. Let bread cool before removing from tins.

Pickled Avocado

A great condiment for burgers, sandwiches, salads, or simple snacking.

Pickled Avocado

From the January/February 2020 issue of Cook's Illustrated magazine

Ingredients:

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

2 tsp table salt

1 ripe but firm avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced 1/4 inch thick (you can also cut in 2" cubes for salads)

Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in medium bowl and whisk until sugar and salt are dissolved, about 30 seconds. Add avocado (avocado should be submerged) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Drain and pat dry before using.

Brine for Pork Chops

 Whether frying or baking pork chops, whether the chop is boneless or bone-in,  this brine provides a nice seasoning and creates a succulent piece of meat.

Brine for Pork Chops

Ingredients:

4 cups water

1/4 cup Kosher salt

1 tsp. black peppersorns

2 dry bay leaves

1 clove garlic, peeled and mashed

2 sprigs fresh thyme

4 pork chops, bone-in or boneless

Bring all ingredients, minus chops, to a boil in a saucepan.  Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature before adding the chops.

Once brine is at room temp, add meat and put in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.

Remove chops from brine and allow surface to dry. Proceed with whichever recipe / cooking method you are using.

White Chili

Although thigh meat would be a tastier choice of chicken for this dish, Lovey won't have it.  He's got to have boneless, skinless chicken breast.  To alleviate a tasteless, rubbery piece of breast meat for the chili, I brine them first. 

White Chili

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 poblano pepper, roasted, peeled, and diced

1 to 1-1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, brined, rinsed, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw)

4 (15 ounce) cans white beans (Great Northerns or Cannellini) - drained and rinsed. 1 can reserved and mashed 

2 cups chicken broth (boxed or homemade) + extra if you want to add to your liking

Salt to taste

1/4 cup heavy cream

Suggested Garnish: Avocado chunks, crisp tortilla strips, oyster crackers, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, chopped cilantro

Method:

In a 3 quart dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook, stirring, until the onion has softened, ~ 3 minutes.

Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is lightly browned on all sides and no longer pink in the middle. (Add a little more olive oil if necessary)

Add the garlic and the spices to the pot and toss with the chicken. Add the corn, beans (not the reserved mashed beans), and broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. At this point, taste the chili to see if you need or want to add any salt.  I usually do not add any salt because the brined chicken and chicken broth season it to our liking.

Add the reserved mashed beans to the pot. Stir in the cream. Allow the beans and the cream to warm up. Serve up and garnish if desired.

Shrimp Head Stock

I've made shrimp stock many times but never with all shrimp heads.  What a difference the heads make! The heads are definitely where most of the flavor is.  Whenever I visit Karen in Corpus we try to make a point to call the Shrimp Pimp. He delivers the best Gulf Shrimp right to your front door. Once he has weighed the shrimp and pulled the heads off I usually have him toss the heads. The last time I bought from him I decided to keep the heads and schlepp them back to Fort Worth to make some stock.  

Some Notes to Self and Observations:

• Using a stock pot with a pasta insert makes it easier to strain the massive amount of solids.
• Always start with COLD water.  The stock will be more clear than cloudy this way.
• When using the heads of the shrimp, versus the shells, to make stock the stock will have a much darker color.  This may make a difference in the recipe I will use it in.
• The most laborious task while making is the skimming of the foam. I will never perfectly remove all the foam so I don't worry about it.  I get what I can.
• Always salt at the end.  I found with the heads, I did not have to use salt at all.  The heads provided a perfect kiss of salt from the ocean.
• Uses:  soup bases, grits for shrimp and grits, cook pasta or rice in the stock for extra flavor
• This recipe halves well. This can be made with 1 to 2 pound of heads.  Adjust other ingredients accordingly.

This is the basic.

 Rinse the heads and throw in a large pot.  I used my 16 quart stock pot with a pasta insert

 Prepare all the vegetables and seasonings and throw on top of heads.

 Fill pot with enough COLD water to cover ingredients by two inches.

Bring to a boil.  When the stock is boiling, skim off any foam that forms at the surface.  Lower your heat and let the stock gently simmer for about an hour, hour and a half.  Skim foam off as needed.

Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer.  When using this large amount of shrimp heads, cooking them in the pasta insert basket made it easy for the first straining.  For the second straining I lined a fine mesh strainer with a towel to catch the fine particles and sediment.

Let the broth cool then divide into Ball jars or freezer baggies to freeze. 

Shrimp Head Broth
Makes approximately 6 quarts broth

Ingredients:
4 pounds Shrimp heads, rinsed
2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
4 large celery stalks with leaves, washed and coarsely chopped
4 medium carrots, washed and coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed 
4 bay leaves
2 tsps black peppercorns

Method:
In a large stock pot, place all ingredients and cover with enough COLD water to cover by 2 inches.

Bring to a boil.  Skim off any foam that forms on the surface. Lower heat to allow the stock to simmer very gently for about and hour to an hour and a half.  As any foam forms, skim it off.

Allow the stock to cool for awhile before straining.  

Since I used my stock pot with the pasta insert it allowed the first straining to be really easy; just like straining the spaghetti when you lift the basket out. For the second straining, strain through a fine mesh strainer that has been lined with a piece of muslim, several layers of cheese cloth, or a fine kitchen towel. This will catch any tiny bits and sediment.