In my effort to try eating healthier meals on a more regular basis, to please my doctor, I’ve rediscovered miso paste. For those of you not familiar with it, miso paste is a fermented soybean product, from Japan. There are many varieties of miso paste, many made from rice or various grains, though the white and red soybean miso is probably the most popular. Most Americans are probably most familiar with miso in miso soup, a dish often served at sushi bars, in this country, as a first course.

Like many fermented products, miso contains live cultures that are said to be very beneficial. As such miso is often added to dishes at the end of cooking so that the live cultures are not killed. In this recipe salmon is marinated in a miso based marinade and then cooked, killing any live cultures that might be present, but it still makes for a really tasty marinade.

While this marinade works great for salmon, I also have used it on halibut and tilapia as my wife doesn’t care for salmon.

Miso Marinated Salmon with Soba Noodles

3 Tbsp. miso paste (preferably white miso)
2 Tbsp. mirin (sweet rice cooking wine)
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 lime, juiced
2 portions salmon (5-6 oz. each)

2 Tbsp. vegtable oil
1 head bok choy, leaves torn and stems sliced
3/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and julienned
6 oz. soba noodles, cooked and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup green onion, minced

Combine miso, mirin, honey and lime juice and mix together until honey is dissolved. Place salmon in a zip lock bag, add marinade, and close. Rub marinade into fish and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile prepare the rest of the ingredients. Just before fish is done marinating turn your oven to “broil.” Line a sheet try with foil and spray with vegetable spray. Place fish, bottom side up, on try and broil for 3 minutes. Flip over and broil another 4-8 minutes depending on how you like your salmon done. While fish is broiling, heat a large saute pan and add the vegetable oil. Add the mushrooms and saute for 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger, cook for 30 seconds longer then add the bok choy stems. Cook for 1 minute then add the bok choy leaves, green onions and soba noodles. Cook until bok choy leaves are starting to wilt then add the remaining ingredients and cook until heated through. Divide among 2 plates and top each mound with a piece of the broiled salmon.

Tomato Bowl 2011 is alive and well. Half way through the competition Team Green Bay is ahead of Team Pittsburgh by a touchdown. I’ve been kind of slacking so it is time to add another blog post in support of the Packers and my team of bloggers!!

Today’s recipe is one of my favorites. I love tamales, but they can be time consuming to make so I don’t make them very often. When I am having a serious tamale jones but don’t have time to make the real thing I often make this recipe. It’s basically chili topped with a thick batter of masa harina and Bisquick mix then baked until bubbly and golden brown. It’s not a tamale, but much of the flavor profile is there.

While you are more than welcome to use this recipe as is, if you have a favorite chili recipe just use that and then follow the recipe for the topping.

It used to be that masa harina was difficult to find unless you lived out West or in a major city. Nowadays, it can be found in most larger grocery stores, in the Hispanic section. While masa is a corn flour, cornmeal is not an acceptable substitute.

Tamale Casserole
serves 6-8 people

FOR FILLING:
2 pound Ground beef
2 each Onions, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 teaspoon Ground cumin
1 tablespoon Chili powder
2 cans (14.5oz) Red Gold diced tomato
1 can (15oz) Kidney beans
1 1/2 cups Water
Salt
Pepper
FOR TOPPING:
1 cup Masa Harina (mexican corn flour-do not substitute corn meal)
1 cup Bisquick® baking mix
2 cups Water

To Make the Filling:
Combine ground beef and onions in a large stock pot and brown over high heat. Add garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add diced tomato, kidney beans and water and cook for 30 minutes or until thickened (liquid should be reduced by about 1/2). Adjust seasoning if necessary. Remove from heat. Recipe can be made up to this point and refrigerated. Preheat oven to 350. Pour filling into a 9×13 casserole dish or cast iron skillet.

To Make the Topping:
Combine remaining ingredients and stir just until smooth. Pour over top of filling and spread it out evenly. Bake for approx. 30 minutes or until top is lightly golden brown. Will take longer if filling was made earlier and cooled. When done remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

I’m a big fan of Indian food, but I have to admit that I haven’t spent much time cooking it. This is a situation that I am planning on remedying in the near future. But I don’t let this lack of actual experience hinder me from experimenting with the flavors of India. I have read enough and dabbled enough that I feel pretty confident that I can create a dish, that if not authentically Indian, is, at least, a well inspired creation that evokes the tastes and aromas of the subcontinent.

Probably the biggest hindrance to some one new to Indian cuisine is the large array of spices found in this cuisine that aren’t usually found in the standard American spice shelf. While coriander, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper are quite common here, less common, and integral to Indian cooking, are spices such as green cardamon, ajwain, turmeric, fenugreek, among many others. While one could break the bank trying to hunt down and buy all these spices at once, my suggestion is to pick up a few and use those as the basis for your explorations into the cuisine. As you grow more confident, and prepare Indian dishes more regularly, you can then slowly add more spices to your kitchen. My suggestion would be to start with cumin (whole seeds), coriander (whole), ajwain (whole), green cardamon, turmeric, and garam masala (the standard spice blend of India- like BBQ spice here,each family seems to have their own special recipe for it). These spices, along with what you already have on your spice shelf should get you quite far. While far from being inexpensive I rely on Penzey’s Spicesfor most of my spices, especially those that are less common.

This vegetable curry came about last night from my desire to cook a vegetarian dish (something I am trying to do more regularly to keep my doctor happy), a need to use what was in the house (as bill paying had wiped out the check book until later in the week), and because of a craving for Indian food and flavors. While easy to prepare, it does take a few of those more difficult to find spices, but it is well worth it. Even my wife, who is not nearly as big of a fan of Indian food as I am, absolutely loved it.

Garbanzo and Green Bean Curry

1/2 tsp. cumin seed, whole
1/2 tsp. coriander, whole
1/4 tsp. ajwain,whole
3 pods green cardamon, crushed, seeds removed and pods discarded
1/2 tsp. turmeric, ground
1/4 tsp. cinnamon, ground
1 medium onion, peeled, halved and sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 cups carrots, cut into a thick julienne
1 15oz can garbanzo beans
1 15oz can green beans
1 15oz can tomato sauce
3-8 dried red chiles (depending on how spicy you like your food)
salt
pepper

Combine the cumin, coriander, cardamon seeds, and ajwain in a spice grinder (or mortar) and roughly grind. Add the turmeric and cinnamon and set aside. In a saute pan melt 3 Tbsp. butter over high heat. Add the onions and cook until starting to brown. Add the garlic and carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Add the spices and cook for 3 minutes longer. Add the garbanzos an green beans along with half a canful of water. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Lower heat to medium-low. Add chiles and cover. Allow to simmer for 1 hour. Remove lid and allow to continue to cook until sauce thickens and coats all the vegetables. Serve over rice.

Serves 3-4 as a main course or 6-8 as a side dish.

Once again, I’ve been neglecting my blog. This is one of my major resolutions this year; to post more regularly. Yes, I know I have promised this quite often, but I really am going to buckle down and write more often. I expect you, my readers, to hold me accountable for this resolution.

My wife will tell you that I’m not a big fan of leftovers. It’s true, while I don’t hate leftovers, I am usually not a fan of eating something 2 or 3 days in a row. I will agree that certain things are definitely better the second or third day. Soups, stews, and most braised dishes fall squarely into this category. And who can resist a meatloaf sandwich the day after? Or a roast turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving? But these are the exceptions. To really get excited about leftovers, I have to come up with a whole new way to disguise and serve them.

Not long ago we had some leftovers from a pork roast. Usually, I would just slice and eat it as a sandwich or chop it up and make BBQ’d pork sandwiches with it, but I wanted something different. Then I remembered one of my favorite chinese dishes that I used to eat regularly, when I lived in Chicago-Char Sui Bao-steamed dumplings with barbecued pork. Suddenly, I was very much looking forward to leftovers.

I knew I couldn’t make traditional Char Sui. That starts with marinating your pork before cooking. My pork was already cooked. Even if I couldn’t make “real” Char Sui, I could approximate its flavor. The buns were a different matter. I had never attempted Bao before so I searched the web, reading numerous recipes and came up with one I thought would work well. The texture turned out well, and the flavor was excellent. The only thing that I wasn’t happy about, and this is a small compliant, is that my ends didn’t end up beautifully white like the ones I would buy at restaurants. Mine were more of an off-white, with a slightly yellowish tinge. If anyone knows how I can fix that please let me know. Other than that, these turned out great!!! These buns are very versitile and I imagine that I will find excuses to make these again and fill them with all sorts of great fillings, so be on the lookout for future posts about Bao.

Mock Char Sui

1 pound cooked pork, cut into 1/4″ dice
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 1/2 Tbsp. honey
4 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1/4 tsp. Chinese 5 spice powder
3 Tbsp. water

Heat a saute pan over medium high heat. Add oil and allow to heat. Add pork and cook for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile combine all the rest of the ingredients and mix well to dissolve the honey. Add remaining ingredients to the saute pan and cook until sauce has thickened and coats the pork. There should be very little excess liquid. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, or make ahead and chill until ready to use.

Bao

1 1/2 tsp. instand dry yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm water
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
3 scant cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt

Combine yeast, water, oil and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Set aside and allow 10 minutes for the yeast to start to activate. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the yeast mixture. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the liquid until a soft dough forms (if it doesn’t seem to come together easily add more water, a teaspoon at a time, until it does. Turn the dough out onto a flat surface and knead for 5 minutes. The dough should be tacky, but not sticky at the beginning. If it sticks to your fingers add just a sprinkling of flour. Lightly oil a bowl and add the dough. Cover and put in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1-1 1/2 hours. Gently punch down and divide into 12 (this will make rather large bao so if you want smaller, appetitizer sized bao divide into 24). Flatten into a 3″ disk, with the sides thicker than the middle.

Add about 1 1/2-2 Tbsp. of the Char Sui filling and pinch the top closed, sealing in the filling. Place the Bao on pieces of wax paper (cut 3″x3″) and place in a bamboo steamer.

Allow the Bao to rise for 30 minutes, then steam for 15. Do not open the steamer during the 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of Chinese food. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike it, but when given the choice it is usually not my first choice. If going Asian my first choice is always Indian or Japanese. I’d also rather eat Thai if that is a choice. Again, it’s not that I dislike Chinese food, I’m just not that enamored of it. Of course, there are exceptions and with a cuisine as diverse as Chinese can be, one would be very hard pressed, indeed, to not find something one likes. My wife, on the other hand, would probably eat Chinese almost every day, if she could, so occasionally I like to surprise her with a homemade Chinese meal.

The other day, I was in the mood for seafood and had one of those rare cravings for Chinese. I’m a big fan of Kung Pao Chicken and figured it would adapt well to shrimp. Countless others most have had the same thought as the internet is full of Kung Pao Shrimp recipes. Unfortunately, they vary greatly in their content with some recipes only having shrimp and soy sauce in common with others. After reading a number of recipes I decided the best thing to do was pull out what I liked from various recipes and combine them into a dish that I would be happy to serve. The recipe below is the culmination of my research, and pretty darn tasty, if I do say so myself.

The ingredient list looks rather long, but most of the stuff is pretty easy to find and, believe it or not, this recipe comes together rather quickly. This recipe makes a mildly spicy dish. Feel free to bump up the heat if you like it a little hotter.

Kung Pao Shrimp

1 Tbsp. rice wine
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. chili garlic sauce (sambal)
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sugar
salt
pepper

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (tail on or off-your choice)

3 Tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil
1 1/2 tsp. ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 dried chili peppers, whole
1/2 medium onion, large dice
1/2 red bell pepper, large dice
1/2 green bell pepper, large dice
1/2 cup cashews, roasted
1/4 cup green onion, chopped

Combine the first set of ingredients, to make sauce, and mix well. Set aside. In a large bowl combine the second set of ingredients and mix. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and allow to heat briefly. Add the ginger, garlic and dried chili. Cook for 30 seconds then quickly add the onion and bell peppers. Cook for 2 minutes then add the shrimp. Cook until shrimp turn opaque and are cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Add the sauce and cook just until thickened. Toss in cashews. Divide shrimp among 4 plates, garnish with the green onion and serve with a side of rice.

Growing up in small town mid-America I wasn’t exposed to a whole lot of ethnic foods beyond the standard Americanized Italian, Chinese and Mexican. While I loved “Mexican” food, I really hadn’t realized that there was much more to the cuisine than tacos and burritos stuffed with either ground beef or chicken and served with a side of beans and rice. Sure, I encountered the occasional enchilada and even more rarely, the occasional tamale, but my experiences were rather limited. Once out of high school though, and able to travel, I discovered that Mexican cuisine was filled with all sorts of wonderful foods, from complex moles to delicate ceviches to a vast array of street foods.

I have particularly become enamored of masa harina, the ground “flour” made from corn soaked in a lye solution. Masa is the basis for corn tortillas, tamales, and sopes. It can also be used a thickener for soups and stews and makes a wonderful addition when breading foods before frying.

The other day I was hungry for some good Mexican inspired food, specifically tamales, but I really didn’t have the time or the energy to get that involved so instead I decided to make some sopes. For those of you not familiar with sopes the best way to describe them is like a very thick corn tortilla that is crispy on the outside yet soft and tender inside though that doesn’t quite do them justice. They are then topped with a whole variety of fillings. This day I decided to braise up some beef and top my sopes with shredded beef. Add a little lettuce, some avocado and salsa and you have fantastic meal!

Shredded Beef Filling
this recipe makes more than you will need for 1 meal’s worth of sopes

2 1/2-3 pounds beef arm roast, or chuck roast
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can Rotel (canned tomatoes and green chile peppers)
salt
pepper
water
1 can tomato paste

Season the roast with salt and pepper and place in a large pot. Add the onions, garlic, Rotel and enough water to come 3/4′s of the way up the side of the meat. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 2 1/2-3 hours, or until tender enough to shred with a fork. Remove meat from pot, allow to cool for 5 minutes then shred. Meanwhile increase heat to high and start reducing liquid. Once shredded, return meat to pot along with tomato paste and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat is thickly coated by the sauce. Remove from heat and serve or cool and package for later use.

>Sopes con Carne
1 1/2 cups masa harina (dried masa flour)
3/4 cup water
vegetable oil
Shredded Beef Filling
Pico de gallo
avocado
lime
shredded lettuce
sour cream

Combine the masa harina and water. Knead for 5 minutes. Masa harina continues no gluten so the kneading is really to make sure the dough is fully hydrated. Adjust consistency by adding more water or more masa, a little at a time, until you have a soft dough that is only slightly sticky. Divide the dough into 6 balls.

Flatten each ball into a circle about 3-4 inches in diameter. Meanwhile heat a skillet over high heat. In another deep sided pan heat about 1 1/2 inches of oil to 350°F. In the dry skillet briefly cook the masa disks for about 1 minute per side, just until they brown a little.

Remove from pan and while still warm (as soon as you can handle them) create a 1/4 inch lip all around the edge.

Drop into the oil and fry for about 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy on the outside. Drain on paper towels. While draining, dice up the avocado and mix in a little lime juice and salt. Stir just enough to bring together and mash it up enough for it to hold all together. Fill the sopes with the shredded beef, top with shredded lettuce then the avocado, pico de gallo and sour cream. Serve 1-2 per person.

If you make the sopes bite sized they make the perfect appetizer hors d’oeurves. You can then fill them with anything from BBQ chicken to melted cheese to mashed plantains.

This has been a great summer, here in Wisconsin,for a lot of farmers. We have had a relatively mild summer, with plenty of rain. It’s been years since I’ve seen corn and soy bean fields look as lush and green in the middle of August, and the corn is taller than I remember seeing it in ages. This has also been proven by the the shear abundance of produce at our local farmer’s market. Not only is there more of it, but everything is looking absolutely beautiful, from the large, sweet muskmelons, to the beautifully fragrant herbs, to the ripe, juicy peaches, it’s hard to beat the local produce this year!

It’s August and that means tomato season up here. We’ve harvested a few off of the couple of plants we put out this year, and have already received our first batch from my brother, with plenty more to be had at the farmer’s market. I can’t understand why anyone would even consider buying a grocery store tomato this time of year. Sorry, but there is no comparison between a grocery store tomato, that travelled hundreds of miles and a beautifully vine ripened local tomato.

When you’ve got such great local produce simple is often the way to go. Why mask produce, picked at the peak of ripeness, in lots of layers and heavy flavors. Let the food speak for itself, besides, in the heat of summer who wants to slave over a stove for hours. Keep it fast and simple, is often my motto this time of year, as opposed to my favored long braises that I enjoy in fall and winter.

This simple pasta meets all these requirements. It’s fast. It’s simple. And it takes full advantage of the ripest, most flavorful local and homegrown produce. This pasta, is by no means innovative, but sometimes falling back on the tried and true is the way to go, besides, who can resist that classic combination of tomato, basil and garlic!!!

Classic Tomato Basil Pasta
serves 4

1 pound pasta (linguine or fettuccine)
2 large tomatoes (the freshest, ripest ones you can get your hands on)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, hand torn into small pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling, salted water. Cook to al dente. Do not overcook! Meanwhile core and dice the tomatoes into 1/4-1/2″ cubes. In a large saute pan, add the olive oil, garlic and black pepper. Gently heat until the garlic just starts to cook. Once the pasta is cooked quickly drain and toss into the saute pan. Turn off the heat underneath the saute pan and add the tomatoes and basil. Toss until everything is well combined and the tomatoes and basil have been warmed through. Season with salt, tossing again to mix then divide among 4 plates. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and more freshly grated black pepper.

Meatloaf just doesn’t get any respect. It has never been able to rise above the ranks of “home cooked meal.” While other comfort foods such as mashed potatoes and mac and cheese have found their ways onto all but the most snobbish of menus, meatloaf hasn’t made many inroads. Sure, it has seen brief moments of popularity, and there are a few chefs out there that regularly menu meatloaf, but on a whole it has never caught on beyond home cooking.

That’s too bad, because meatloaf is one of those infinitely variable dishes. It can be made “old school” like Mom used to, with “ketchup glaze” and Lipton’s French Onion Soup mix or it can be flavored with any variety of herbs and spices, recalling the flavors of a world of cuisines, from Mexican to Indian to German.

Meatloaf is also great for busy families. It can easily be put together in the morning and left in the fridge all day long, while people are at work, then when someone arrives home, all that needs to be done is to toss it in the oven to bake. You can’t get much more simple than that.

I have to admit though, as much of a fan as I am of the humble meatloaf, I definitely prefer it the day after. It makes the perfect sandwich and it is one of the few leftovers that never spoil when I am around. This recipe makes exceptionally good sandwiches and my wife didn’t get much of a chance to eat this, beyond the first night.

Italian Meatloaf

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 eggs
3/4 cup bread crumbs
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 oz. sundried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Saute the mushrooms in a bit of olive oil until they release all their juices. Add garlic and continue to saute until dry. Cool to room temperature. Combine with all remaining ingredients and form into a free form loaf approximately 5-6″ wide and about 12-14″ long.

Place in a preheated oven and bake, at 350°F, for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a thermometer, inserted into the center, reads 155°F. Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

As I stated in my previous post, work has been keeping me pretty busy the last few weeks. Not only am I working 6 to 7 days a week, but I am also working 10-12 hours each day. That has left precious little time to do much serious cooking, though I have occasionally found the time. Where it really hurts is when it comes to grilling. My grills (1 gas, 1 charcoal and a smoker) have all remained more idle, for the past few weeks, than I like. Summer usually finds me grilling out at least a few times a week, if not more often, unfortunately that hasn’t been the case during July.

What I missed in quantity though, I’ve tried to make up in quality. This past weekend I pulled out one of my old Jerk Chicken recipes. I don’t make it often as my wife is not a big fan of really spicy foods, and for me, personally, there is no sense in making Jerk Chicken unless it is “melt your face off” hot! But, I was jonesing for a Jerk fix and seeing as I hadn’t been doing much grilling, I wanted to do something fun and beyond the norm.

While I like my Jerk extremely spicy, this recipe can easily be made without the chile peppers and it still yields a fantastically flavorful dish, so you have no excuse not to try this recipe.

Normally, I am a breast and wing man when it comes to chicken, but occasionally I prefer leg and thigh quarters. This is one of those recipes. While it works well for any piece of bone in chicken, I find leg and thigh quarters do best in this preparation.

For those not familiar with scotch bonnet peppers, they are very similar to habaneros. Like habaneros, they are extremely hot, and if you have sensitive skin you might want to wear gloves. Also do yourself a big favor, especially if you don’t use gloves when handling these things; please wash your hands numerous times before you consider going to the bathroom. I have seen numerous cooks, both male and female, fall prey to extreme burning of the nether regions because they didn’t take enough precautions. You have been warned!!!! For most people 1 scotch bonnet or habanero will provide enough heat. If you are a true chile head then consider leaving the seeds and ribs intact (this is where most of the heat is concentrated) or even using 2 peppers. If you like heat, but are still rather wimpy then consider substituting the scotch bonnet with 3-4 serrano peppers. If you are still at a loss as to how hot a scotch bonnet is, let me explain it in scientific terms. A jalapeno (which most people are familiar with) averages around 5,00-7,000 scoville units (the units used to measure the heat of a chile). A scotch bonnet can average 250,000-300,000 scoville units. Choose wisely.

Jerk Chicken

2 cloves garlic
1″ piece fresh ginger, peeled
1 orange, juiced
1 lime, juiced
4 green onions
1-2 scotch bonnets, seeds removed (or substitute-see above)
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
1/2 Tbsp. whole allspice
8 each whole cloves
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. soy sauce

6 chicken leg and thigh quarters
salt

Place all ingredients, except chicken and salt, in a blender and blend until smooth. Place chicken into a 1 gallon zip lock bag and pour puree over. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible and knead to evenly distribute puree over the chicken. Place in the fridge and allow to marinate overnight.

The following day, set up a charcoal grill for indirect grilling,with coals under only half the grate. When charcoal is ready remove the chicken from the bag, but do not wipe off excess puree. Place on grill directly over the coals.

Cook, turning frequently, to avoid burning, until the skin is brown and crispy. Remove chicken to other side of the grill (without the charcoal), cover and cook until -chicken is cooked all the way through, 165°F, about 20-25 minutes longer. Remove from grill, allow to rest for 5 minutes then serve with plenty of ice cold beer.

It has been awhile since I last posted about ribs. I think it was back in September. Well, it’s high time I posted again about them as you can never have too many rib, rub, or barbecue sauce recipes as far as I’m concerned. Besides, it gives me a chance to play with my smoker yet again. Man, I love that thing! While have have gotten quite adept at barbecuing on my Weber kettle grill, life has become so much easier with my smoker. Now, instead of having to babysit my barbecue all day, I can load it up and let it go, checking it once an hour or so. The downside to that is I can’t use barbecuing as an excuse not to do things around the house. It won’t be long before my wife catches on, and the days of “tending the grill” all day, while sucking down copious amounts of beer will be at an end. If she hasn’t already caught on, I’m SOL now, as she reads this blog. Don’t worry though, I’ll find another excuse to waste away the day drinking beer and cocktails (if anyone has any good suggestions for such an excuse let me know).

Of course, if you have read this blog for any amount of time you are well aware of my love affair with all things pork – aka, god’s gift to all mankind. Grilled, roasted, braised, stuffed into sausage casings, cured, and/or smoked, there is nothing that can compare with a piece of well cooked pork. I feel for my friends who, because of religious or other reasons, are forbidden to consume the flesh of the pig. If they only knew what they are missing! While I think this nation as gone a little “bacon crazy” in the last few years, I am fully of the opinion that “everything is better with bacon,” a phrase I have uttered here numerous times, because if pork if delightful by itself, once you pair it with long, slow cooking in a smoke filled chamber it becomes absolutely divine!

In my personal heirarchy of pork, bacon reigns supreme, followed closely by pulled pork – slowly cooked over wood for hours on end. In close third comes ribs, the subject of today’s post. Today I’m just going to focus on a great rub and simple barbecue sauce to go with the ribs. I am going to assume you already know how to barbecue them. If you are not familiar with barbecuing then check out my earlier posts on pulled pork or barbecued ribs and it will walk you through how to barbecue on a kettle style grill. The most important thing when cooking in this style is to use an indirect method of cooking and making sure that your grill doesn’t get too hot. I like to barbecue between 225°F and 250°F. Depending on their size, baby back ribs will take you 2 1/2-3 hours to cook properly. Any shorter length of time and you will end up with dry or tough ribs. Talking about tough ribs, there is a misconception, here in the north, that ribs should be falling off the bone tender. I’ve got news for you, if they are then chances are they are dry, and that’s why so many places in the north end up drenching their ribs in sauce. Properly done ribs should still cling to the bone, yet yield easily when pulled, with just the slightly resistance before coming free.

Let your ribs rest for 2 hours to overnight after applying your rub

Depending on the thickness of your ribs, your should apply your rub anywhere from 2 hours to overnight before you commence cooking. This will help to ensure the development of the “bark,” or crust. As far a sauce goes, many regions of the US consider sauce to sacrilegious, but if you like sauce, like I do, wait until the last 20 30 minutes of cooking before brushing it on. If you brush it on too soon, chances are the sugars in the sauce will end up burning, creating an unpleasant bitter, burnt flavor to your ribs.

Rib Rub
enough for 4 racks of baby back ribs

1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Combine all ingredients until well mixed. Place in an air tight container and store for up to 3 weeks. To use, sprinkle liberally on both sides of the ribs and gently rub it in. Allow to rest for at least 2 hours or overnight before cooking.

Bourbon Molasses BBQ Sauce
enough for 4 racks of baby back ribs

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup bourbon or whiskey
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 oz. yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and simmer over medium heat until onions are tender, about 15 minutes. Blend then cook until thickened and reduced by about 1/3. Brush onto ribs about 20 minutes before ribs are done. Brush again with about 10 minutes. Serve any left on the side for people to add more. Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.