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Tailgate Baby Back Ribs

There are forums out there dealing with BBQ, and then there are forums. While I have always loved cooking and grilling I always veered away from smoking. Not really sure why. But then about six years, on a clear Florida Christmas Eve....Santa Claus put a smoker under the tree. From that point on I have been hooked.

Same with The Smoke Ring. I have gotten many recipes off this site. It has taken me to many places in cyber word that should me tricks and techniques. On the forum there is an area for throwdowns. This is where basically someone throws out a challenge. Could be anything....I entered one a while back dealing with cooking SPAM (love the stuff).

(a couple of weeks after the throwdown)

So there is a new addition to our house...his name is Mateo. He is our little miracle baby...what does that have to do with the throwdown you ask?....Well, a few days before the throwdown occurred he was diagnosed with something called Tetrology of Fallot. It is a heart condition.

Anyway...I didn't quite feel like posting or doing much of anything as I researched what was happening with my little over a week old boy. That was fifteen days ago...in fact haven't really been here since then.

Update....we saw the Pediatrician yesterday (the 28th), and things are a lot better than originally thought. There is much happiness in this house let me tell you...

Now on to the ribs....

Tailgate Baby Back Ribs



Here is a shot of the ingredients:

Slab of baby back ribs; I had the butcher cut them horizontally for smaller pieces
Can of chicken broth
12 oz beer (yup that is the king)
Olive Oil
Dried Oregano
Paprika
Minced garlic, about 4-6 cloves....to taste is always best
pinch of salt
Couple turns of pepper
One aluminum lasagna pan



Now I took the ribs, that were cut horizontally, and cut them into individual pieces. One bone to a piece. Next step is to mix all of the ingredients in the aluminum pan...then add the ribs.



Put the pan on the grill....




Covered for about 1 hour and 15 minutes....



After ribs are done, just brush with favorite home made...or store bought sauce. These were brushed with "Open Pit". Remember this is a tailgate...so bite sized and easy are the rule for the day...(unless someone else is doing the cleanup and driving, then it is no holds barred)

Jim Beam Original Hot Sauce

Sometimes it may be better to have no expectations....or even low expectations. Well that is how it was with me the other day as I cleaned out one of the kitchen cupboards. I was quite pleased at some my finds. For starters it was a meat injector...now I wondered where that had gotten to...

Another find was a little grouping of bottles. There were different bottles of sauces purchased at an Asian market here...(long past their turning point). To my surprise though were some bottle of hot sauce that appear to have sneaked past my grasp.

After looking the bottles over I decided to open the one with the soonest "Use By" date. You guessed it by the title of this entry, I opened the "Jim Beam Original Hot Sauce". The sauce is Vita Specialty Foods in West Virginia. This company brings all types of sauces and toppings to the market, all with name brand products.

FROM THE COMPANY WEBSITE:
"When it comes to our family of Jim Beam sauces, it’s all about the taste. That’s because we use only authentic ingredients, like genuine Jim Beam Whiskey and real sugar. Jim Beam has been making the world's finest bourbon for seven generations and we’re confident you will thoroughly enjoy these exceptional sauces."

This item also says that the sauce adds a kick of spiciness...

Well this is what I think: The sauce was good. The flavor was nice. It was not all that hot and did not over power. What is my gage? With hot sauces I like to make a bowl of plain white rice so I get the flavor, then I try to figure out what to do with the sauce.

Anyway... although not all that hot, the flavor was good. I would buy it again, (think I got this bottle as a gift pack), but I would not go out of my way to purchase it. The name is misleading, as I did not taste Jim Beam to save my life...I would know as Jim Beam is something that I know a lot about (going to leave that right there).

Don't shy away from this one, but don't go out of your way either. If it falls in your lap....enjoy.

Picture Says 1000 Words

And it has begun

The journey has been long.... (not really)

This has been something that has been in and on my mind for a long time. I have this love for cooking outside, actually a love for all things cooking. But I am drawn to the open flame...the smell of wood smoke...and the wonderful, mouthwatering flavors of the BBQ.

I have spent my life (most of my life since I was inspired by the Galloping Gourmet as a youth, but that is another story) with a love affair with food. And all things food. Do I consider myself a "foodie"? Nope. I have much to learn, and for some reason the term foodie makes me think of a "Know it all snob". Me, I just like to kick back and cook.

Over the last several years I have tried to write down my thoughts on food, and cookie. Always having the feeling there was something to say, but never quite sure how to say it. Plodding along there would be great ideas that only stayed in my head. Never knowing exactly how to put the words down on paper I let it be, only to be picked up again at a later date.

Memories of my past actually motivates me at this point to have this new beginning. An old friend from college resently got in tough with me and asked some questions about BBQ, and a new smoker that he had gotten as a gift. Another friend wanted to reproduce a rub that I had made. The son of a "smoker" enjoyed a meal at my house saying that it was nice to taste something different. The list could go on and on, but I will leave it at that.

I am just going to start writing about things that go on one of my grills. Things that happen around my grills. Things about life and my world of food. I promise not to try and be something that I am not, and promise not to think I know it all (because I never will).

Along the way I hope to have a little fun. And if nothing else, hopefully I will inspire myself to get better at what I love to do.

If you happen upon this....hope I don't waste your time.