Easy Baked and Grilled BBQ Babyback Ribs

April 10, 2013 by · 2 Comments

Baked and Grilled Ribs

This is more of a method for baking and grilling bbq ribs vs. a recipe.  I like preparing bbq ribs this way because you do not need to have your grill running for hours on end.  This is also great because many people don’t have a smoker to make traditional BBQ.  Purists won’t necessarily like this method because of the baking at the beginning, but for people looking for great make-at-home-on-a-Sunday-afternoon-ribs, this is a great way to do it!

You need to start these a day ahead so a little (not much) planning is involved.  You will also want to give yourself a little time the day of to let these bake and get nice and tender.  However, don’t let the pre-planning fool you.  This is so easy!

I used a rub and bbq sauce from the Neely’s.  I added a little liquid smoke to the BBQ sauce for good measure.  If you are buying your sauce from the store we love Sweet Baby Ray’s and Trader Joe’s has a great BBQ sauce with some nice kick.  I actually think the two are pretty similar.

We use wood chips to get some smoky flavor into the meat on these ribs.  To do this, you can buy some wood chips at most stores where they sell grilling accessories (Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.)  Soak about three good handfuls of chips in water for about 45 minutes before you are going to grill.  Divide the chips between two good-sized pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil and wrap them up so they are well secured in the pouches.  Turn the pouches over to the flat side and poke about 8-10 small holes for the smoke to escape.  Place the pouches on the flame shield on your grill.  Jim also uses the bigger chips of wood and places them directly on the shield without soaking or wrapping.  You just need to watch these chips for flare-ups.  A spray bottle is handy if you use this method for smoking.

It is really important to keep the lid closed on the grill when you are smoking your ribs to infuse the smokey flavor into the meat.

I hope you will try this method for serving BBQ ribs this spring or summer.  It really is a pretty foolproof method.  They key is cooking them long enough in the oven so they get nice and tender and then you really are just finishing them off on the grill.  They are already cooked at that point so you are just giving them that nice grilled/smoked flavor.

Drink a nice cold beer while you are grilling and relax out back while the kids play in the yard.  Enjoy!

Easy Baked and Grilled BBQ Babyback Ribs
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 Rack of Pork Babyback Ribs
  • Your favorite BBQ Spice Rub
  • Your Favorite BBQ Sauce
  • ¼ cup Cider vinegar and ¼ cup water mix (optional)

Instructions
  1. The night before, cut membrane from the back of the ribs with a sharp knife and then liberally spread the BBQ Spice Rub all over the ribs. Wrap in tin foil and place in the refrigerator overnight.
  2. To bake the ribs, set wrapped ribs directly on a baking sheet and place in a preheated 300 degree oven. Bake for 2-2/12 hours. Alternatively, you can unwrap the ribs and place directly on the baking sheet. Pour ¼ cup cider vinegar combined with ¼ water over the ribs. Cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil so no heat will escape. Bake for 2-2/12 hours.
  3. When ribs are finished cooking, heat your grill to medium/low heat – about 300 degrees. Place ribs on the grill over indirect heat. You can place some hickory wood chips on the flame shields under the grate for some added smoky flavor (see info above.) Close the cover of the grill and cook for 10 minutes. Turn ribs and cook with lid closed for another 10 minutes. Turn again and spread BBQ sauce over the ribs. Cover and cook 5 minutes more. Turn and spread BBQ sauce on the other side. Cover and cook 5 minutes more. Total time on the grill is about 30 minutes.
  4. Enjoy!

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Grilled Shrimp Marinara

May 17, 2012 by · 8 Comments

Shrimp Marinara

So, yesterday morning I had to go into the office (which always makes for a crazy morning….) I also had a conference call that I was taking from home at 8. The girls leave to go to school at 8:15. It was just a recipe for a disastrous morning.

I was upstairs getting ready shortly before my call and one of the girls decided they wanted to look in the dryer for something to wear (they have a dresser and closet full of clothes but for some reason the piece of clothing they want is always in the dryer.) Bailey, our dog, is put back in our laundry room if Jim or I are not downstairs.

So, while the girls were moving the gate to get to the dryer, Bailey escaped. I heard the girls screaming that she got out at the top of their lungs and I just yelled down to Ella to put her back. Still more screaming. Now the screaming sounds a bit panicky so I decided to run downstairs. Apparently Bailey got up on the table and ate all of my vitamins that Jim set out for me as well as Ella’s toast that had some Nutella spread on it.

At this point Ella is screaming to me and tears start flowing with sobs. Both girls are hysterical. I’m not sure if they were more worried about whether Bailey was going to be poisoned by the chocolate or the vitamins. I reassured them that Bailey was not poisoned and she would be just fine – which she was. If anything, the vitamins and fish oil might do her some good!

Bailey

This is Bailey. She is a pretty good dog – just a little crazy at times. She is pretty well-behaved if Jim or I are around, but I guess with the girls screaming she got a bit excited. I have no idea why she would eat my vitamins. What dog does that???

Now let’s talk about this dish……

This was surprisingly one of my favorite meals I have had in a long time. You know I love shrimp and seafood, but I usually pass by a recipe that mixes seafood with a red sauce. Not sure why, but the combo has never sounded that great to me. However, last week I saw something that got me craving grilled shrimp with marinara over angel hair pasta and oh my…

This isn’t a complex recipe but its one of those dishes where the sum is greater than it’s parts. Although shrimp, garlicky marinara, pasta, cheese and some spice are all pretty awesome parts. Nonetheless, Jim and I were surprised how much we loved this. Girls, too…..but of course they always love shrimp and pasta. We mentioned a couple of times this week how good this was. Will probably make something similar very soon! I will probably add fresh basil next time, but other than that I won’t change a thing.

Enjoy!

Grilled Shrimp Marinara
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
  • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil (you can use less olive oil, but it becomes part of the sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon season salt
  • 1 roasted red pepper thinly sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup dice onion
  • 4 cups of your favorite marinara
  • salt and pepper to taste.
  • Freshly Grated Parm
  • Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
  • 14.5 ounce box of Barilla Plus Angel Hair Pasta – cooked

Instructions
  1. Heat ¼ cup of olive oil on a sauté pan on medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent and add garlic for last two minutes. Add marinara sauce and roasted red peppers and simmer in the pan while everything else cooks. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Season Shrimp with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and seasoning salt. Skewer shrimp – about Light your grill to medium high.
  3. Grill shrimp for about 2-3 minutes per side. YOu will know they are done with they are a nice pink color and no longer translucent on the insides. Don’t over cook!
  4. Plate your pasta and drizzle with a little olive oil and roasted red pepper if desired. Spoon Marinara over pasta and top with shrimp and freshly grated parm. Enjoy!

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Teriyaki Chicken and Pineapple Kabobs

May 15, 2012 by · 8 Comments

We grill a lot.  With the warmer than usual winter this year, we grilled all the way through the winter.   I should actually clarify – when I say grill I mean Jim grills and I usually prepare whatever we are about to grill.  So this year I decided to start skewering food in an attempt to change things up a bit.

The best thing about kabobs is that you get your veggies (fruit) and meat cooked all in one shot.    Plus since they all marinate together the flavors go together better than if they were all cooked separately.  You can serve this over rice and if you want some extra flavor you can make a little extra marinade and warm it up before serving.  Yum!

I added the chopped jalapeño to the recipe, but I will admit that I didn’t use it in this particular recipe because the kids were eating it with us.  I do try to get them to eat some spicy foods, but jalapeño can sometimes be too much for them.   Jalapeno and pineapple taste surprisingly great together and I think they would taste even better with the Teriyaki and cilantro….Kind of like the salsa in this fish recipe.

I will definitely be making variations of this recipe all summer.   I’m sure this won’t be the last kabob recipe on the blog.  Enjoy!

 

Teriyaki Chicken and Pineapple Kabobs
 
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Recipe type: Main

Ingredients
  • 10 ounces boneless skinless breast cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 8 ounces pineapple chunks with juice
  • 2 red peppers – cut into 1 inch squares
  • 1 sweet onion – cut into 1 inch pieces
  • ¾ cup teriyaki sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic – minced
  • 1 good handful of cilantro – coarsely chopped
  • 1 jalapeño finely chopped with seeds and membranes removed – optional

Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a Ziploc bag and let marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes but as much as overnight.
  2. Drain in a colander and reserve the marinade for basting. Thread the chicken, pineapple, onion and peppers alternately on a skewer. (Its great if you can get some cilantro and jalapeno to stick to everything.
  3. Over a medium hot grill cook the kabobs turning frequently. Cook for about 15 minutes until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Base the kabobs with the reserved marinade while cooking.

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Asian Grilled Flank Steak

May 7, 2012 by · 7 Comments

Asian Grilled Flank Steak

This is my go-to flank steak recipe.  Sometimes I will  double the marinade and heat it up while the steak is cooking and then serve both the steak and marinade (and some broccoli) over rice.

As I mentioned in my other flank steak post you definitely want this steak to marinate for a while and it works really well when you score it before grilling.

Flank steak is one of the more lean cuts of beef and this particular recipe tastes great in a salad, too.  It is really versatile.

We almost always grill this, but if it is a rainy day, we might throw this on top of our cast iron stove top griddle with equal success.

If you have never had flank steak before give this recipe a try.  Enjoy!

Asian Grilled Flank Steak
 
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Recipe type: Main

Ingredients
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 flank steak (1.5 – 2 pounds)

Instructions
  1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a resealable plastic bag. Add flank steak and ensure that the marinade is evenly distributed throughout the bag. Close and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
  2. Remove steak from refrigerator about 30 minutes before grilling. Lightly score steak in a criss cross pattern on both sides.
  3. Heat grill to a medium high heat and grill for about 6 minutes on each side.

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Chili Crusted Pork Tenderloin

March 5, 2012 by · 4 Comments

You would never know I was from New York by the way I handle the cold these days. It’s about 43 degrees here now and I just can’t get warm enough. Jim and I just took Bailey for a short walk in front of our house and my brain was so cold. I couldn’t wait to get back in the house so that I could wrap up under my blanket. You would have to pry my Ugg’s away from me now.

It’s really windy here today so the wind chill probably takes it down into the teens. Well, maybe not that cold, but I swear it feels like it used to in NY. We were laughing because there were days when the wind was whipping the snow so hard that it almost felt like you were going to freeze and then blow off the edge of the earth….and Jim would be wearing shorts. I remembered mornings heading to school with my brothers in our old Toyota Corolla station wagon and I would be so cold that my entire back would tense up and it actually hurt. It probably would have helped if one of us would have gone outside to heat it up first.

And now I think that 43 degrees is cold. How do I call myself a New Yorker?

This year has been unseasonably warm, like many parts of the country, so we have grilled all winter long. We did this pork tenderloin last weekend and It was so good. I have never done a rub on my tenderloin and now I can’t wait to do one again (ok, that sentence sounds really weird.) I loved the crust that formed on the outside and the meat stayed nice and extremely juicy.

Tomorrow I will share a salad that I made using slices of this tenderloin that was probably one of my favorite salads I have ever made. It was soooo good! I also have a dressing recipe that is a keeper (and very healthy) too!

I have professed my love for pork tenderloin several times on this blog. If you haven’t cooked with it here are some other recipes you can try. I always pick them up BOGO at my local Harris Teeter and then throw some in the freezer.

Grilled Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Gravy

Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Enjoy!….and come back tomorrow for the salad!

Chili Crusted Pork Tenderloin
 
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Recipe type: Main

Ingredients
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 pork tenderloins

Instructions
  1. Mix onion powder through salt and coat the tenderloins with the mix in a large resealable freezer bag. Let sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes
  2. Heat the grill over medium high heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes turning several times.
  3. Remove from the grill and place on a cutting board. Tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute. Slice and serve.

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