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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Mexican Style Pulled Pork

February 1, 2013 by · 4 Comments

Mexican Pulled Pork

I have to be honest about one thing today. I will apologize in advance for saying this, too. Okay, here goes. I could care less about the Super Bowl this year except for the excuse to make some yummy football food. I don’t even really care that much about the commercials.

There, I said it.

I will back up a bit. I would like to see the Ravens win because I lived in Baltimore for about 4 years and Jim is somewhat of a fan.  He is actually a Redskins fan.   But the truth is, I am a Bills fan and after 4 straight super bowl losses back in the 90′s I have just lost interest in the event.

Except for the food:-).

This pulled pork would be perfect for the game, especially if you don’t want to fuss. I used a pork tenderloin and wasn’t sure if the flavor would compare to using a pork shoulder or other fattier cut, but surprisingly I thought this was amazing. To me, Mexican food is about the bright flavors and this pork has just that. I used taco seasoning, a jar of good verde salsa and the juice of a lime and it was perfect. I also added in some shredded cheese at the end and that just brought the dish together.

This cooks in the slow cooker, but you could also use your dutch oven. I also think it would be great to take the pork at the end and put it under the broiler to crisp the edges a bit. Yum!

The other thing I have to say is that although I like chicken in Mexican dishes there is something about pork that just takes things up a notch or two. Kind of like the difference between shredded chicken for barbecue and shredded pork. I guess living in North Carolina for 5+ years makes me more of a pork girl:-).

I used a packet of taco seasoning, but if you would like to make your own seasoning you can find a good homemade version here.

I also am a big fan of Trader Joe’s salsa verde. If you like the salsa that they serve in restaurants then you need to try either their red salsa or salsa verde in the chip aisle. No preservatives, no thickening agents, no artificial colors and somehow its the best store-bought jarred  salsa I have ever had.  Go figure. Gotta love TJ’s.

We put the shredded pork on top of fajita wraps and then had different toppings for everyone to pick from. I liked mine with black beans, cilantro, crumbled cojita cheese, guac, salsa and chopped green onions. We also made quesadillas the next day. Lots of options!

So, I hope you enjoy the Super Bowl this year, whether it’s the game, the commercials or the food!

Mexican Style Pulled Pork
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 pork tenderloins – they usually come 2 to a package
  • 1 packet of taco seasoning or make your own
  • 1 jar of salsa verde
  • juice from 1 lime
  • 1-2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese blend

Instructions
  1. Place pork, seasoning and salsa in slow cooker and heat on low.
  2. After 6-7 hours check pork and it should shred easily. I used two forks to shred.
  3. Add lime juice and cheese and cook for 1 additional hour.
  4. If you would like to make it crispier place pork on a sheet pan and broil for a few minutes.
  5. Enjoy!

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Mexican Pork Salad with Avocado Dressing

March 7, 2012 by · 5 Comments

Salad

On Monday I posted the Chili Rubbed Pork Tenderloin and I said that I would post the salad that we made with the leftover pork. When we buy tenderloin it comes in a package of two. We usually only eat one  so we always have leftovers. I don’t always love reheating it, so a salad is always a great way to use up the second half. Plus, adding lean protein to a salad is a great way to make it a meal.

The real recipe here is the Avocado Dressing which Reeni posted on Cinnamon Girl Recipes. The recipe is originally from Everyday Food, however looking at Reeni’s picture of her chicken salad is what really prompted me to make this. She also did what I would have done and swapped the mint out for the cilantro.

If you are looking for a different way to get some avocado in your life, definitely try this dressing.   It’s extremely flavorful and you can pour it on so many things. It will keep for a couple of days, too.  Buttermilk is usually fat-free so it’s a nice healthy way to add some flavor. Plus you know how good avocado is for you, right?


Here is what I put on the salad :

Mixed field Greens
Avocado Pico de Gallo
Chili Crusted Pork Tenderloin – sliced as thin as you can get it
Shredded Cheese (I actually took a string cheese stick and pulled it apart and then chopped it up)
Crumbled Baked Blue Corn Chips
Sautéed Corn and Peppers – optional (I will share the recipe for this later, but you can also just add some canned or frozen and defrosted corn.)
Avocado Dressing – below

Avocado Buttermilk Dressing
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 scallions chopped
  • 1 good handful cilantro
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
  1. In a blender or a food processor combine avocados, buttermilk, scallions, cilantro, parsley and lemon juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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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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Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin

November 3, 2011 by · 8 Comments

This is my third pork tenderloin recipe on this site and I love that each one is so different and so delicious in its own right. My all-time favorite has always been my Pork Tenderloin in Mushroom Gravy and we also really liked the Grilled Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, however I have to say, this is my new favorite. I might even be able to say that it is my favorite meat recipe that I have. Seriously, it is that good. It’s an Ina Garten recipe so maybe that will convince you to at least give it a try?

Both Jim and I agreed on how good this was, and we have even brought it up a few times since we had it on Sunday. I wish I had taken pictures of the pork when it was sliced and you could see just how juicy it was. I am usually a sauce person with my meat, but I didn’t even miss it with this pork. Ina did a good job with this one. The only thing at all that we did different was that we grilled it and Ina roasts it in the original recipe. This was a recipe that my mom picked out of an Ina cookbook one time when she was down here visiting and I swear that the recipe that she had said to grill. I am sure either way is great.

Definitely make sure that you give the pork plenty of time to marinate and make sure to use all fresh ingredients – please:-). I also threw in some fresh parsley (trying to use up all of my herbs before they kick the bucket from the frost.) The herbs cling to the pork when you take it out of the marinade and they add so much flavor to the finished dish. Finally, and I am sorry to say this, but it’s true…don’t be stingy with the salt. It not only adds flavor to this dish, but it helps to make it incredibly juicy. Don’t forget you are adding salt for two pork tenderloins. It’s not like you are eating all of it. Plus, since this is a homemade dish there is no added sodium so you can afford to add a little salt (the nurse said my blood pressure was impressive at my last check-up so don’t give me a hard time about salt – ok??)

We served this with some organic yams that we got from Fresh Market and we decided that they were the best yams we have ever had (Sorry sweet potatoes:-() For our veggie we had some Trader Joe’s frozen corn which was also completely awesome. I can’t get enough of TJ’s frozen veggies – they taste just like fresh, I swear. It was actually somewhat humorous, the girls had a neighbor friend over for dinner that night and Jim and I kept saying how good everything was and I think she thought we were a bit crazy.

So anyways, I can’t sell this dish enough. If you don’t trust me, you should at least trust Ina enough to convince you to try it.

Enjoy!

Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin
 
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Recipe type: Main

Ingredients
  • 1 lemon, zest grated
  • Juice from 3-4 lemons,
  • Good olive oil (I probably used about 4 tablespoons. Use more if it seems too lemony
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
  • 1½ tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 pork tenderloins (I only used 2)

Instructions
  1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag. Combine well and add the pork. Marinade for several house and preferrably overnight.
  2. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and let it drip back into the bag, but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper.
  3. We grilled ours over medium on our grill to a temperature of 137 turning several times and basting with the marinade. Once you take it off the grill let it sit covered in foil for about 5-10 minutes.
  4. Slice the pork in ½ inch slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Ina says that the thickest part may be pink and that is fine, but the smaller ends will be well done. Spoon the juices that collect over the slices of pork.
  5. For the original recipe and Ina’s instructions for roasting in the oven, click here.

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