Smoked Pork Ribs

So I know that it has been awhile since I have posted anything, and I can only say that there are two reasons for that.  First my wife has been tested for food sensitivities and allergies and that has made our food habits and our grocery shopping a bit crazy.  We are now on a 12 week elimination/rotation diet to reset her system.  For all you computer geeks out there (which she is one) it is like a hard reboot to the system. Second, quite honestly, I have been a little lazy.  There have been things I have wanted to post but just haven't sat down to do it.

Well, without further ado, here is a pork dish from the new diet.

Smoked Pork Ribs
The process was taken from an episode of America's Test Kitchen where they both smoked the ribs and then finished them off in the oven.

Spices:
Well this is an interesting subject since we are only allowed certain spices on certain days.  So for the ribs it was a mixture of saffron (1/2 tsp) cinnamon (1/2 Tbsp) black pepper (1/2 Tbsp) and a Tbsp of maple syrup.  This is brushed on both sides of the ribs with a basting brush and allowed to soak in.  After about 15 minutes brush the ribs with olive oil.  This will help the ribs to stay moist and also lock in the flavors.

Grill setup:
(America's Test Kitchen calls for a charcoal grill)
I only have a gas grill but I set up for indirect heating just like you would with a charcoal grill.  I have a 3 burner setup so over one of the burners I removed the grate and placed a metal pie tin filled 3/4 of the way full with water and replaced the grate.   I removed the grate for the other 2 burners and set the grill to med-high heat.  As I waited for the grill to get to temp I put a mixture of hickory wood chips in my smoker box (3/4 wet to 1/4 dry).

Grill time:
With the grill now warm I placed the ribs on the grill over the water pan bone side down and and cooked the meat for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes I placed the smoker box with the chip mixture on the flame side of the grill the farthest point from the meat.  After another 10 minutes I flipped the ribs over and rotated them 90 degrees, leaving in the smoker box for another 10 minutes.
Total Smoke time: 20 minutes
total Grill time :  50 minutes

Oven time:
While the ribs are on the grill I preheated the over to 305 degrees and set up a jelly roll pan with a cookie cooling rack inside of it.  Again we are looking for the indirect heating of the ribs and will add enough water to the pan to fill it half way.  Place the ribs on the cookie cooling rack bones side down and cook for 1 hr.  Once the hour is over you should be looking for a internal temp of the ribs between 180 - 185 degrees take the ribs out and let them rest for about 5-8 minutes.  Then enjoy.
Unbelievable fare for an elimination/rotation diet!

Pork... The other white meat.

So, I would like to give credit for this recipe to someone but I do not remember where I saw it, and I have modified it enough that I feel no qualms about claiming this as my own creation.

When I first saw this it was with a skirt steak fileted and stuffed with prosciutto and provolone.  I wasn't a big fan and tried some different things until I stumbled upon this combination.

Ingredients: 
2-3 pound pork tenderloin
a package of bacon
a package of sliced mozzarella
fresh asparagus
salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder

Take the tenderloin out of the package and rinse well.  (This will allow for easier handling.)
With a filet knife, cut the tenderloin so that it is one flat sheet of meat.  If you would like to have the piece of meat flatter, use a meat tenderizer to pound into a thin sheet of meat.

Now that the meat is flat, layer the cheese width-wise across the top of the tenderloin.  Layer the bacon in strips length-wise on top of the cheese.  The strips of bacon should go the entire length of the meat and might even have to be folded back upon themselves.  This is not a problem.  It even helps to cook the bacon better.

Now take 5-6 asparagus stalks and layer them end to end width-wise.  Season with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.  Roll the meat up.  If you have butcher twine, tie up the meat in 3-4 places so that it will not unroll on the grill.  Use hors d'oeuvres sticks or shish kabob sticks to hold the meat into a roll.  Season the outside of the rolls.

Set on a pre-heated gill and cook for 7-10 minutes or until the pork is between 165-170 internal temp.  This will make sure the bacon is completely cooked.

Remove from grill and cut meat into horizontal rings.  Let meat rest for about 3-5 minutes.  Serve.

Oldie but Goodie

So I am going to go off the beaten path a bit with this one and posting a recipe that has been in my family for a while.  No, it is not the perfect burger or a fantastic steak rub, but a little after dinner surprise....

Ooey-Gooey Cake ( I have also heard a version of it called Eclair Cake)

Ingredents:
One Box of Graham Crackers
2 Boxes of Vanilla instant pudding (small box)
1 Large Cool Whip tub (9oz)

Directions:
Make pudding and set aside
Line 9 X 13 pan with the graham crackers
Mix entire tub of Cool Whip with the pudding and pour 1/2 of mixture on graham crackers
Place another layer of graham crakers
Add rest of pudding
Put on the last layer of graham crackers (rough side up)

Frosting:

Melt
3 level Tbsp. of coco
1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. of Butter
3 Tbsp. of water
1 tsp. of Karo syrup
1 tsp. of vanilla (I use pure vanilla not extract)
1 1/2 Cup.  Sifted powdered sugar

When blended pour immediately all over the graham crackers and spread evenly. Add sprinkles for extra pizazz.  Chill for an hour before serving.

Quarter of a Cow (syrup steaks)

We decided that since we are a carnivore family that we would look into getting a substantial amount of beef.  After some hard research we decided to turned our questions over to a family expert. And wouldn't you know - not only was he the right guy for the questions, but he also turned us over to our uncle who sold us a quarter of a cow.  Why did you need to know all this???  Well, most of the recipes / mixes that you will see are going to be for beef.  I will throw in a little chicken and fish for balance with a little exotic stuff like venison or buffalo for experiment sake.  (I'm not strictly a grill guy.  We'll also be dabbling in such things as smokers, crock pots, breads, and other baking.)

Enough with banter - here is a recipe that I made the other night with some Rib-eye steaks.

Syrup Steak Rub

  Combine in a small bowl:
1 Tbsp.  minced garlic  (fresh works best)
1 Tbsp. Sea Salt  ( that's just what we have at the house. regular salt will do)
1 Tbsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. chili or cayenne pepper ( this adds the hotness so use at your discretion)

Preheat grill.
To prep meat, place Rib-eye steaks on a platter or cutting board so that all meat is flat and not overlapping.  Drizzle maple syrup over the meat and then rub in the spice mixture.  Flip meat and repeat.

Oil grill grates, and place meat above direct flame and cook for about 6 minutes (I used thin Rib-eye steaks) or until desired doneness.

Serve with corn and watermelon for a great summer dinner.

In The Beginning

Alright, I have started this blog because my wife made me. *) So what have I started you might be asking yourself?  Well for the longest time I have loved to cook, and coming from Italian decent I was also believed that I *should* cook, and somewhere in between those two I discovered that I have a passion for cooking.  I get a great joy out of preparing food for my family and friends and I get a joy out of discovering if the food is a flop or a flying success.  So with the gentle prodding of my wife I have decided that when I cook I will write down the how and whys of what I made.

So stay tuned, follow along if you want, and we'll see what happens!