Ribs!!

So DH and I decided to do something a little different for a meal yesterday.
Normally we are fairly conservative...well, DH is conservative, I tend to be a little more adventuresome at times.

Anyway....our local supermarket had a special on pork back ribs and as I had seen a few rib recipes and DH had sampled some ribs recently, we decided that we would bite the bullet and try BBQ'ing our own.  

We were initially surprised at how long it takes to cook them on the grill, however, we set up our times, and in the end, it was still a late dinner but that wasn't a problem, because we had a late lunch! 

The recipe we chose (recipe meaning basically the rub) was entitled Memphis-Style Ribs which is available on the Simply Recipes blog . It was suggested (after applying the rub) to "marinate" several hours or overnight ( we chose about 6 hours) then  to cook 4-8 hours at 220 deg. (we ended up 3 1/2 - 4 hours at 275 deg).
 A few pictures.....

This was right after we applied the rub....note the dryness.....

These are within minutes of applying the rub...note the subtle changes in texture....the moisture is starting to appear.....

This is after the 6 hour "marinating" time...note that the dryness has pretty much disappeared and there is a definitely moisturized coating....almost a glaze with spices.

The final product after nearly four hours of grilling off the flame at about 275 - 300 deg. F.

They were quite delicious and very tender, nearly falling off the bone, which makes eating it sooo much easier. We served it up with steamed baby potatoes and coleslaw (from a homegrown cabbage!!)

So now we have done this, we are in a position to change up the rub...to add our own take on spiciness so to speak. There are pros and cons to removing the inner membrane, we left it on with no ill effects. It's not a difficult dinner to make, just time consuming...although once you put on the rub and let sit in the fridge, you're free to do whatever, and then grilling it is basically a "check back once every hour" thing to flip the ribs. No basting required (with this recipe anyways) as the the fat bastes itself....at least that's what the recipe says....and it seemed to work.

So....I would consider this cooking experiment a success.....and there is some left over for tonight!!

Slainte!!

I am still around!!

Yes....I am still here, albeit somewhat battered and bruised and hot and tired....but here nevertheless.
We are going through a rather hot period in the summer (isn't everyone??) which is peppered with thunderstorms and lightning and unending heat.  I say unending, although, looking at the weather forecast, there may be a drop in temperature by about 3 degrees over the next little while....woohoo! I shouldn't grumble though, because a few degrees is better than no change. We were away when the heat attack struck and when we arrived home it was 39 deg. Celsius....which is nothing if you live in Arizona, or Texas, or even some parts of eastern Canada....but for us....it was close to a knockout punch!! We now luckily have a portable air conditioner, as we are not blessed with central air.....so, as a friend said, the bedroom is now feeling somewhat like a meat locker!!! Cool!!!! (literally)

It's been a busy early part of the summer with trips to Portland, Alberta, White Rock and Langley and a visit from our family, but from here on in, we're pretty much around home, tending to the garden and catching up on reading and other things.

Lots to talk about in the days to come, so I'll close this for now and head to bed to curl up with a book. Chaunce is shaking his head and stretching...."Time for bed Mom, get a move on!!"

Talk soon
Slainte!!