BBQ Spare Ribs

This recipe makes a really nice rack of ribs in about 3 1/2 hours. No par-boiling required!

Ingredients

• Dry Rub - you can use Butt Rub or Make Your Own. Put it in a shaker. This is mine.
• Garlic Olive oil or Yellow mustard (less flavor as it cooks off)
• BBQ Sauce - your chice here. Or you can make your own
• Brown Sugar
• Rack of Pork Spare Ribs - ("Lights" are preferred)
• Smoker
• Any kind of fruit-based wood chips. Apple, Cherry, Pecan or, in a pinch, Oak
• Rubber Gloves
• Aluminum Pan with steep sides to do prep work in
• Roll of Aluminum Foil

The olive oil or mustard acts as a binder to hold the dry rub. Garlic Olive oil will impart a nice flavor to the ribs whereas yellow mustard will just burn off and impart little, if any, flavor.

Your smoker should be running "low and slow" at around 225°

The Procedure

1. Remove the membrane from the ribs - you can do this by taking a paper towel to help to grab the membrane and peel it off.
2. Cut off the brisket bone - this is the thicker portion along one side of the ribs. You want the rack to be basically the same thickness to get even cooking. After you remove this section, you now have what are termed "St. Louis Style Ribs". Here are some more details about rib anatomy.
3. Coat with binder (olive oil or mustard) - wearing your rubber gloves, squirt the binder on the rib and evenly rub it all over.
4. Apply Dry Rub - using your shaker, gingerly sprinkle both sides of the rack with dry rub. Think of it as a "dusting". Do not rub the dry rub in as you will probably end up adding too much. A "dust" is fine.
5. Apply brown sugar - apply maybe a handful of brown sugar to each side. You can press this part on as it will tend to fal off.
6. Smoke for 1 1/2 hours - cook for 1 1/2 hrs, bone side down with the smoke running.
7. Smoke for another hour - cook for 1 hour, bone side up with the smoke running.
8. Wrap Ribs - after the 2 1/2 hr cook time, pull off two large sheets of aluminum foil. (wrapping the rack with two sheets keeps juices from running out). Using a squirt bottle, apply a light coating of BBQ sauce to the area of the foil where the ribs will lie. Drop the rack onto that and squirt another light layer ("drizzle") on top of the ribs. Seal it all up tight.
9. Cook for 1 Hour - cook for another hour, bone side down. No need for smoke at this point.
10. Apply BBQ Sauce - after the last hour is up, remove from smoker (now just acting as an oven), remove foil and squirt a more generous amount of BBQ sauce than in the previous step. You can smear it with the tongs if it's too hot.
11. Caramelize It! - now, with your BBQ running as hot as you can get it, put the rack back onto the grill for 1 minute per side to caramelize the sauce.
12. Rest and Enjoy - pull 'em off, let 'em rest for at least five minutes before serving.

A handy way to tell if ribs are done. Pick them up with tongs up to about the third rib. if they droop down, they are most likely done. if they stay semi-rigid, they still need more time

BBQ Cooking Temperatures

Useful Internal Cooking Temperatures for BBQ

Always pull off your meat 5°before the number listed as the temperature will continue to rise 5°

Beef and Lamb

125°	Rare
135°	Medium Rare
145°	Medium
155°	Medium Well
165°	Well Done

Poultry 165°

Pork 165°

Fish 145°

Tuna, Swordfish and Marlin 125°

A really handy item to have is a Wireless BBQ Thermometer.This is mine.

BBQ Sauce

This is a basic BBQ Sauce recipe

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Combine all ingredients except ketchup in a sauce pan.
Simmer on stove for 20 minutes, add ketchup and simmer until thick.
Pour into favorite container. Chill and enjoy.

Credit goes to "Big Ed" of "Big Ed's BBQ"

BBQ Dry Rub

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sea salt
• 1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp chili powder

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together. Sprinkle over favorite meat.
Do not mash rub into meat as you will probably end up using too much on it.
Let rest for 30 minutes, then grill and enjoy.
Store any leftover rub in a sealed container.

Credit goes to "Big Ed" of "Big Ed's BBQ"

Nunnie's Pecan Pie

This is my grandmother's recipe for pecan pie.

Ingredients

• 3/4 CUP Sugar
• 2 TBSP Flour
• 1 TSP Salt
• 1 1/2 CUP Pecan Pieces
• 1 CUP Dark Corn Syrup (Karo)
• 2 Eggs, Beaten
• 1/2 CUP Evaporated Milk
• 1 TSP Vanilla

First of all, pre-cook the (thawed) pie shell by poking it several times with a fork.
Put it in a 375° oven for maybe 15-20 minutes.
Keep an eye on it for bubbles cropping up. If you see any, pop them with a fork.
Pull the baked pie crust out, pour the mix in and put it back in for 50 Minutes or until firm. Cool.

Totally Turnip Greens

Totally Turnip Greens!

This recipe tastes fantastic.

Ingredients

2-3 bunches turnips, with greens attached

2 sweet banana peppers, diced

1 piece of bacon, chopped into tiny bits

1 slice of pineapple, chopped into 1/4" chunks

1/2 piece of smoked andouille chicken sausage, diced

3 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

1/2 cup Chicken Stock

1 tsp Kosher Salt

3 tsp Black Pepper

For this recipe, take two or three bunches of fresh turnips with the greens still attached.

Cut off the turnips and set aside.

Chop the greens into two piles.  One pile has the leafy greens chopped into 1-2" pieces, the other pile has the stalk chopped into tiny (1/4") bits.

Start the bacon frying.

Once the bacon has started to crisp up. Add the andouille sausage.

After a minute, add the stalk parts of the turnip greens.

Twist those around with tongs until they are thoroughly coated.

Add 3TBSP Red Wine Vinegar and 1/4 cup water

Cook the stalks down for maybe 15 minutes this way

Add the leafy parts of the turnip greens, the chicken stock, salt and pepper.

Twist this concoction all around until all has been coated.

Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If it starts to get dry, add some water (or more chicken stock).

Add the pineapple and maybe 1tsp of juice if you have it, after 30 minutes and the banana peppers.

Twist this all up and cook for another 15 minutes.

I guarantee this one tastes delicious!

Shannon Norrell

Webdood Chili (low-cal)

Webdood Chili

This is a relatively low-cal chili recipe (393 cal/serving, 11 grams fat). From 11/8/90

• 1.5 LB bottom round, cut into 1/4" cubes
• 1 TBSP oil, mix with meat
• Pour into VERY HOT cast iron skillet & "stir-fry"
• 1.5 LB ground (course) bottom round
• 1 TBSP cayenne pepper
• 1 TBSP ground cumin seed
• 6 OZ tomato paste
• 1 CUP onions, diced
• 2 CLOVES garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeno chilis, finely chopped
• Combine above and simmer two minutes
• 1 CUP red wine
• 1 CUP water
• Add and simmer one hour

While above is simmering, make the following:

• 1 CUP boiling water
• 1 CUP red wine
• 1 CUP bulgar wheat
• Set aside and let wheat absorb liquid

Add bulgar wheat mixture to chili at the end of one hour, simmer a few minutes to coalesce ingredients. Pour 1 LADLE cooked pinto beans in a serving dish.  Add 1 LADLE chili. Add 1 TSP grated cheese and 1 TSP green onion to top.

-shannon norrell