I'll say up front: "fast" is a relative term. These will take 45 minutes or so, but compared to hours of smoking or slow barbecuing, 45 minutes
is fast.
The original method for these ribs came our friends John and Lynn. The idea is simple: rub the ribs with salt, pepper, garlic and lime juice and then grill them bone side down over medium heat for about 30 minutes, flip once and grill 15 minutes longer. The bones insulate the meat so it cooks through and doesn't dry out. As the fat renders, it bastes the meat and drips off. You're left with porky, meaty ribs. This method won't yield the fall apart texture you'd get after hours of smoking, but you get nice, meaty ribs to gnaw on. Very satisfying.
This time, instead of the simple lime, salt and pepper rub, I used an adobo paste, inspired by one in the most recent issue of
Gourmet magazine. T'was toothsome.
Grilled Ribs- 1 slab babyback or St. Louis ribs (I have found the baby backs are easier to prepare, but the St. Louis are meatier and better on the grill.)
- Dry rub or flavoring paste (see below)
If you are using St. Louis-style ribs (SLR), cut off the flaps of meat on the front and back of the slab of ribs. My ribs usually have two flaps of meat - one on the bone side, and one on the meat side. You want an even slab of ribs.
Cut off most of the external fat. Rub the slab with your paste or rub. If using SLR, trim the pieces you cut off, rub them with the seasoning and follow the instructions below, putting them on the coolest part of the grill.
Place the ribs over medium heat. Cook bone-side down for about 30-40 minutes. The meat will be cooked almost through at the 30 minute mark (take a peek, you shouldn't see raw meat). Flip the slab over to brown the top. At 45 minutes, they should be browned across the entire slab. Set aside to rest for about 5-10 minutes. Cut the meat apart between the ribs and serve. If you have SLR, slice the little pieces of flap meat into thin slices and serve alongside the ribs. I like a little lime juice sprinkled over the top of everything.
Adobo Paste (adapted from Doc Willoughby's recipe in the June
Gourmet)
This is the paste I used this time. In the past, I have found a simple rub of salt and pepper, lime juice and finely minced garlic works well too. You do not need to let the ribs soak this stuff up ahead - just rub and go.
Mix together:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
Use as a flavor rub for chicken or pork.
I am so happy grilling season is here. I have been trying a great method of grilling long, skinny veggies: just skewer the vegetables together, drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill - about 3-4 minutes a side over medium-high heat.
I used a spice paste from the same article in Gourmet that I used yesterday. I made the paste and we grilled the chicken right away. It was great and took about 20 minutes total. We ate it with grilled asparagus and millet (made in the rice cooker - so easy!)
I'll say up front: "fast" is a relative term. These will take 45 minutes or so, but compared to hours of smoking or slow barbecuing, 45 minutes is fast.
If you are using St. Louis-style ribs (SLR), cut off the flaps of meat on the front and back of the slab of ribs. My ribs usually have two flaps of meat - one on the bone side, and one on the meat side. You want an even slab of ribs.
Welcome Summer!
After my successful attempts at pan-searing fresh gnocchi, I thought I would try pan searing the shelf-stable gnocchi that most of us can find at the supermarket or Trader Joe's. The technique was the same: pan fry gnocchi in a skillet.
The chicken stew was delicious. I made it a day ahead and reheated it on the stovetop before dinner. The mustard wasn't a strong as I thought it would be so I may put a little more in next time (I used dijon - I will also try coarse ground next time). Also, I think my chicken gave off more liquid the expected during the stewing process. So, to thicken up the juices without turning the chicken to rubber, I took the chicken pieces out and then boiled the sauce to thicken it some more. Just before service, I stirred chopped parsley and chives into the stew.
never had any luck with this style of crust (which is surprising in that this type of crust is usually recommended to baking novices), I generally make a "pie" crust for my tarts and I think I'll try that next time as I clearly am not skilled enough to press crumbs into a baking pan. The other thing that I noted was the caramel layer was made with brown sugar instead of white. This did speed up caramelization considerably, but I didn't get the depth of caramel flavor that would have come with a slow caramelization of white sugar. On the plus side, the whole tart was very easy and a crowdpleaser - so it would be a great showstopping desert for a new baker. One additional fillip: I put a light scattering of cocoa nibs on top of the caramel layer - it made for a nice crunchy addition to the tart.
This is another hectic week: I'll be working rather long days and then am on the road on Thursday and Friday, but hubby's gotta eat while I'm away. So, this weekend, I am putting some chili into the freezer, planning some easy-to-make meals and making sure that I have laid in adequate travel food (I do not trust the good folks at American Airlines to feed me sufficiently).
Time to celebrate. I'm back in the kitchen - I missed you all.
This week has kicked my butt. New postings soon, I promise!
This another take on the pan-seared gnocchi salad I made a month ago. This one contained asparagus, pinto beans, herbs from the garden (chives, thyme and oregano) and goat cheese. We tossed it in a sherry vinaigrette.
I read a great recipe on 101 Cookbooks for a Lemon-Scented Quinoa Salad. It looked yummy and I thought I'd try something similar. I thought I'd modify the salad to include the flavors in charmoula: lemon, olive oil, garlic, cilantro, and parsley.
This was pretty yummy and easy to put together. I pretty much used the recipe as it was on The Wednesday Chef's blog. I prepped the chicken thighs on Sunday (cut off any extra fat and nasty bits) and put them into the baking dish. I also made the spice paste on Sunday and put in the fridge. This morning, I spread the spice paste over the chicken and put it back in the fridge.