Fall Off The Bone, Melt In Your Mouth Ribs

I dont buy ribs too often as I am intimidated by them.  Meat in general.  Its take me a long time to learn how to cook meats.  When I was first starting out as a cook I wish there was the classes there are today. I think two important things to learn are techniques for cooking meat and knife skills. Those are tops. I will never forget one time I was at a friends house and she was using a steak knife to cut her carrots.  I just about died.  Besides prep time there is the larger issue of her losing a finger.  Invest in a Chefs Knife.  Totally worth it. You dont even need to pay a high price just find one that feels right in your hand.

This is the easiest and best ribs and I am quite sure you can find it all over the internet.  I wanted it here on my blog so I knew right where the recipe was because indeed, I will make it again!  So good.

MELT IN YOUR MOUTH RIBS

Baby Back ribs, membrane removed

dry rub- I used Penzey Barbeque Seasoning 3001*

Cover the ribs with aluminum foil. Do it so that you can open it up later and leave it under the ribs. This will make clean up a breeze.

 

Bake the ribs at a low temperature (275°F) for 3 to 4 hours or until they are tender. It may be sooner than that,depending on your ribs.

Cover the baked ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce then broil (or grill) the ribs for a few minutes until the sauce is caramelized. If you dont have a grill, the broiler works fantastic. So no sweat. Keep an eye on it as you dont want it to burn. You can see a little scorch mark on mine.  Didnt matter though. Taste was amazing.

* no plug for them, was not paid to say that.  Just is what I have.  But you can get crazy creative with your rub. All kinds of ideas out there in the internet land. 

BEST Meatloaf, EVER!

If you don't already make your meatloaf with oatmeal, you should.  Its really good.  It gives a great texture to the meat!  Perfect!  This recipe will blow your socks off.  You have to do the sauce, that is what makes it.  Creamy and delicious and packed with flavor.

I know everyone makes claims about the "best" this and that.  But, honestly, this is really the best I have ever eaten.

I had extra sauce so I served it on the side.

BEST MEATLOAF

Makes two 5 x 8 loaves, one for eating and one for freezing.  Certainly have it if you only want one.

3 pounds ground beef
2 cups diced peppers that have already been sauteed
4 eggs
1/2 cups soy sauce
2/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder
sprinkle black pepper
2 cups rolled oats (plus)

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
3  tablespoon mustard
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven 350. Mix all meatloaf ingredients together.  You want it to be able to form a shape- not too loose.  If you need to add more oatmeal, do so.  Place in loaf pan or mini tins. Mix all topping ingredients together and brush on top. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 160F.  One loaf pan is about 75-85 mins. 

Wet Brining Your Turkey

If you haven't brined your turkey, you must absolutely try this.  I know, probably a lot of you deep fry your turkey.  Color me jealous, I have never had that kind of turkey.  I know, crazy, huh?   I hear everyone go on and on about it.  Since I have never even had it and it costs money, plus money for the oil, I just can't justify it.  Some day, at a garage sale, I will find one, and I might just buy it.

Until then, I will happily make my brined turkey. It's juicy and delicious and the gravy you make with the juices is amazing!

One week away till the American Thanksgiving!

Source:  Graphics Fairy

Brined Turkey

For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger or a chunk of ginger

oil, peanut, vegetable or corn

About 2 to 3 days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature. Add in the vegetable stock.  Refrigerate.

About 24 hours before you plan to cook the bird start with these instructions. Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours. Turn the bird over about half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine. Place the bird on a roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels. I know this temp seems counter intuitive but really it puts a beautiful brown crust on the bird and traps in the moisture for the remainder of the baking process. Tuck the wings underneath the bird. Liberally smooth oil all over turkey skin.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500°F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161° F.

It's about 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting for a 20 pound turkey. Remove from oven. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving. A perfect amount of time to get your gravy done.


I may not be the best carver but this turkey is moist.  Even though it looks brown and crispy above. The skin and the roasting at the beginning help to lock in the moisture.

Ham in the Crockpot

Aren't crock pots wonderful?  I have two.  One oval and one round.  I do use both of them.  I feel like I really need to use them more.  Its always great to come home to a meal already prepared.  Like you have your own personal chef.  

This is not the best picture. But this is the best way to prepare ham, especially if you have things to do.  You can tuck that sweet little ham in the crock pot for the day while you go out sledding or shopping or skiing or whatever.  Then when you come home you can cook up whatever sides you like and you are good to go for dinner.

I don't cook a lot of hams but when I do this is my preferred way to do it.
 

Ham in the Crock Pot
Printable Version Here

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, divided
1 can pineapple chunks or crushed
1 ham (I used a spiral sliced ham)

In the crock pot, place a cup of brown sugar at the bottom, smoothing it out in a thin layer.  Place your ham on top of the brown sugar.  Pour the can of pineapple over top.  Then sprinkle about a 1/2 cup more of brown sugar on top.  Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours. Crock temps can vary, adjust accordingly.