Winter, Summer, Spring or Fall Baby Back Ribs improve them all

One of my all time favorite foods to cook happens to be ribs, especially pork ribs. I usually buy the baby back ribs which are partially trimmed and usually have some of loin meat still attached. Once I remove them from their packaging I rinse them under cold running water and pat them dry with a clean tea towel. I am a huge fan of dry rubbing my ribs which infuses them with great flavor, breaks down the proteins which not only tenderizes the ribs but it also results in a nice juicy rack!. Once the rub is massaged into both sides of the rack I cut them into smaller portions and store them overnight in gallon sized Ziploc baggies in the refrigerator.  As you can see in the picture below the ribs have marinated and gone from being dry to plump and juicy.

I let the ribs sit out on the counter until they are close to room temperature. I place them in a heavy roasting pan and loosely cover with foil and cook at 250* F. for approximately 4 hours. When cooking a larger batch I usually bump the temperature up to 350* F. for the last hour until the meat starts to pull away from the bones but  the rack still maintains its structure and doesn't fall apart when handled. At this point I preheat my grill and assemble any sauces that we want to glaze the ribs with. Alex usually likes a spicy sauce with plenty of heat, Ariel is more of a sweet and tangy kind of girl, Rebecca likes the bold and spicy style BBQ sauce and I of course like them all. Of course if you are not a fan of sauce you can always caramelize your ribs just the way they are thanks to the coating from the dry rub process. No matter what your taste just make sure your grill is good and hot and once you start don't walk away. Just like the dry rub I like to caramelize both sides which will only take about 2 minutes per side if your cooking over direct heat and the coals are good and hot.

  Of course once you have finished cooking the only thing left to do is grab a plate with your favorite side (mine is a sweet vinegar slaw) and dig in! Alex has learned that there is nothing better than eating them while they are hot and the meat is falling off the bone!

They say your are what you eat and he truly is a HAM! 

The Luck of the Irish

Today is March 18th and we all know that means its the day after St. Patrick's Day. While so many feel the 17th is the day to celebrate the luck of the Irish I feel that the 18th is the more luck of the two days. Why is that you ask? Well, what is better than a hearty dinner of Corned Beef, cabbage, potatoes, onions and carrots?

A dinner of Homemade Corned Beef hash with poached eggs the next! 

Always one of my family's favorites!

Sunday Lunch Celebration

Today was the second day of Celebration for Alex's 12th birthday. We let him choose the food for today's lunch and he showed that not only is he getting older his taste buds have matured as well.

He requested Bread, Salad, Steamed Green Beans and Salmon with White Rice. 

Nina made the salad which included Feta Cheese and Egg crumbles

Annmarie made the bread which was nothing short of Amazing - can't wait to get the recipe!

I purchased fresh french beans which I steamed and dressed with a pat of butter

The salmon was cooked on the grill with my secret honey/maple seasoning

Of course no birthday celebration is complete without cake. Mom Rathbun has developed the great skill of  creating homemade ice cream cakes. Alex requested that it include strawberry ice cream and much to our delight he got his wish!