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Palo Santo Wood Beer Braised Baby Backs

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Update

It has been a busy and stressful fall for us. So busy that I haven’t had much time to cook. Kinda bums me out. I also have several new recipes I need to get posted. It takes a lot of time to keep up on a food blog. From photography to writing witty banters. As much as I love it, it’s been a low priority for me. Sad.

For the holidays, we head to our families for Christmas eve and Christmas day. No menu planning for me, but I have to bring something. I went hunting in my freezer and caught a few racks of ribs. I was thinking, “I don’t have the time to make this recipe, but ribs sound yummy. What can I do?”

I’m actually going to make a version of this in the slow cooker for Christmas. One would think that slow cooking would take longer, but this will cut the time in half. You will not need to marinade, use as many ingredients, or have as many steps. So why not just always make ribs in the slow cooker? Well, I still prefer the recipe below because I prefer dry ribs with a dipping sauce. If I had a grill, that would be the best way.

Let’s get started

Obviously, the full rack of ribs will not fit in your slow cooker. I’m going to cut three ribs together, and toss in the following ingredients.

2 Rack of Ribs, cut

1/2 Cup of dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon of Old Bay

1 medium onion, diced

1 bottle of dark beer

1/4 cup of honey

1/3 cup of Worcestershire

1/4 cup of white wine vinegar

Cook on high for about 4-5 hours, or until the meat is nice and tender (falling off the rack). That’s it!

I hope you enjoy your holidays. Peace to you and your family.

Original Post

In the past, the only way I’ve made baby back ribs is on an open campfire with just a little season salt and ground pepper. However, for Mother’s Day, I had to add a BBQ sauce for my favorite mother-in-law. Not a fan of BBQ, I had to really put my thoughts together on this recipe. Of course I wanted her to love it because it is for her after all, but I also wanted to enjoy the ribs. I’m cooking it after all.

Hmm. Where do I begin. The rub…

A mixture of spices make the world go round. I love the unique smells and flavors of each of them.

You can do this a few hours before, or at least one hour before cooking. Better still rub down your meat the night before and let it chill out in the refrigerator.

Rub Ingredients

1/2 Cup of dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon of ground cloves (I buy whole and ground myself. Makes me feel like a chef, I guess)

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

1 teaspoon of green jalapeno seasoning

1 teaspoon of Old Bay

1 teaspoon of ground thyme

1 Tablespoon of chili powder

1 medium Mayan onion, grind in a blender for juices

Mix all of the above together.

Place a rack of ribs on a long piece of aluminum foil. Rub both side of the rack, making sure to cover the meat.

Take another long piece of foil and set it on top. Pinch and fold the layers together to seal. Place in the refrigerator over night or a few hours before cooking.

Time for the saucy stuff that makes you go yum…

Grab a beer, and make sure you get one for yourself.

Sauce Ingredients

I used Dogfish Head that is brewed in Palo Santo Wood.

Palo Santo means “holy tree,” and its wood has been used in South American wine-making communities. The caramel and vanilla complexity unique to this beer comes from the exotic Paraguayan Palo Santo wood…

via Dogfish web site

But I’m a strong believer that beer makes sauces better, so try it with another malt beverage if you choose.

Add in…

1/4 cup of honey

Add in…

1/3 Cup of Worcestershire. I love Lea & Perrins. L & P is like Heinz is to ketchup. – Nothing better.

1/4 Cup of white wine vinegar

The remaining ingredients…

5 garlic cloves, chopped

6 green onions, finely chopped

1/4 Cup of dark brown sugar

1 Cup of Heinz ketchup (I’ll warn you now. Do not use anything but Heinz)

1/4 Cup of olive oil

1 Tablespoon of Chinese chili garlic sauce

Bring it all to a boil. Simmer over medium heat. Let it reduce and thicken for about five minutes. Set aside and cover.

Preheat your oven for 250. Take the ribs out of the refrigerator and open the foil. Pour 1/4 cup of cooked sauce over the top. Reseal and place racks in a roaster, or on a baking sheet. Cook for 1 1/2 hours. Turn heat up to 275 and cook for another 1 to 1-1/2 more hours. or until ribs are tender and done.

Take the ribs out of the foil and place on a baking sheet to broil until skin becomes crispy.

Warm up the sauce and put into a serving dish.

Slice the racks into four rib bone portions. I always allow each guest to add their own sauce. The recipe makes just enough for dipping three racks of baby backs. If you like your ribs nice and sloppy, double the recipe.

Fantastic. I love how they smelled up our house. So moan-worthy.

The reason for this recipe was inspired by mom. A conversation with my mother-in-law prior to making these delicious ribs…

Me, “If you were on death row, what would be your last meal?” Mom, “Lasagne. Well, I like everything. Hmmm. Well. I don’t know. Oooo, I really like baby back ribs. Oh! And, I like shrimp scampi.” – Stay tuned for the shrimp scampi recipe.

What’s your favorite baby back rib recipe? Because this girl likes to eat.

Shrimp Scampi Pasta

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

This is a continuation to our Mother’s Day dinner. This scrumptious pasta accompanied the beer braised baby back ribs.

The recipe is simple. My version was inspired by the Food Network Kitchens. Only, I added more garlic and lemon. I also bought already-cooked jumbo shrimp, and served it over Linguini. Because I served it over pasta, I increased the recipe.

Let’s get started…

Ingredients

31-40 count frozen cooked jumbo shrimp

1 pound of Linguini

1 stick of unsalted butter

2 garlic bulbs

1 1/2 cups of extra dry vermouth

2 lemons

1/4 cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Lemon zest from one lemon

Sea salt and group black pepper

Directions

Thaw shrimp overnight in the refrigerator.

Cook pasta according to packaged instructions. I like it al dente; firm but not hard. It depends on how much pasta you are cooking, but for one pound, I cook it for about 10 minutes. After eight minutes, I start checking the pasta by removing a piece and taking a bite. When the pasta is done, drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

Melt unsalted butter in a pan. Meanwhile, start to chop up your garlic and parsley leaves, and zest your lemon. Once the butter is melted, add garlic and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to brown.

Pour in your vermouth and squeezed lemon juice. Bring to a boil.

Food Network says to use a wooden spoon to help scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. I’ve found this works the best.

Stir in the lemon zest and parsley. The sauce is done.

Toss the pasta, shrimp and sauce all together right before you are ready to serve. If you do it too soon, the pasta will suck up all the juice and become dry.

Grate fresh Parmesan over the pasta and garnish with parsley.

Cooking the pasta takes longer than the sauce, and it’s amazing. I really enjoy this dish, especially, with a crusty bread.

Next up, the dessert. Stay hungry.

Holy Moses White Ale Potato Salad

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

Featured in Taste of Home Simple & Delicious

This potato salad and the Kale salad are great for hot, outdoor picnics because it does not call for mayo. It calls for beer. And, who doesn’t like beer? I’m not a potato salad fan, but I have to say, “I really love this.”

I’m not a fan I guess because most people use Miracle Whip, and I’m always hesitant to eat a mayo based salad on a hot day, especially, when it sits out for more than an hour. This salad has a longer picnic-table-shelf-life.

Let’s get started…

You’ll Need:

1 (24 oz.) bag of Fingerling potatoes

4 cups of baby arugula, or chopped kale

1 (11-12 oz.) package of grape tomatoes (or cherry)

2/3 cup crumbled bacon

6 green onions, diced (about 1 bunch)

1/2 cup of chives , diced

 1 (4 oz.) package of Gorgonzola crumble cheese

Dressing Ingredients 

1 package of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix

 1/2 cup of white ale style beer  (drink the rest)

2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Prep

You can cut the potatoes anyway you wish, however, I like cutting them at an angle. It makes it look more fancy, I think.

Boil the potatoes in a little sea salt for about 6-8 minutes, or until ‘fork’ tender. Drain and let cool.

While the potatoes boil, chop up your chives and green onions.

For the bacon, I bought a big bag of Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon, and have been keeping it in my freezer.

You can cut the tomatoes in half if you like, but I think it makes the salad soggy. Not to mention, it’s more work.

Whisk your dressing ingredients together. Very important: Consume the other 1/2 of the beer. Cooks don’t waste!

In a large bowl, toss in all the ingredients with the Gorgonzola cheese. If you do not like the blue taste of Gorgonzola, use feta. Feta gives the salad a milder taste.

Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss.

Tip: If you use baby arugula, you can get everything ready the day before. However, wait to toss it before you serve it. The arugula can become wilted. Kale is more hearty and can withstand sitting overnight in the refrigerator.

Secret Ingredient: I used Holy Moses White Ale by Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Enjoy!

Beer Cocktail – Celebrating Independence Day

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

It’s Saturday at 10 AM. Instead of coffee, I wanted to come up with a cool layered drink for July 4th. After trying to layer in a few liqueurs, I failed. I’m a drinker, not a bartender. Don’t judge me.

After realizing it’s now 10:30 AM, I couldn’t pour it down the kitchen sink, right? I quickly thought, “It’s Five O’Clock somewhere.” Then, “Boom Boom Pow!” It may not be layered red, white and blue, but it tastes like sweet berries.

I’m not a ‘fancy drink’ kind of girl. As we know, I like my beer, and I had to come up with something fun.

You’ll Need:

A tall glass with ice

1 shot of Smirnoff Whipped Cream Vodka

1 shot of Blue Curacao

1/2 bottle of Framboise beer (use the other half as a chaser)

Instructions:

Stir and drink. Easy!

Since it’s not layered, like I wanted, add a sparkler for garnish.

Side Note: The photo shows a small glass but it was 10:30 AM, after all.

If you try it, please share your feedback because this girl likes to drink.

Caramelized Lace – For any dessert!

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

For my Mother’s Day dinner, I served baby back ribs and shrimp scampi along with this sweet delight for dessert.

This idea came to me when I heard the story of Glen and his mom loving a dessert, they once shared, with a crunchy lace topping. They tried to explain it several times to me, but I turned to a friend for advice. It’s not exactly what they once shared, but I’m told it’s pretty close.

I wasn’t sure what to call it because you can use it in many dessert recipes. It is definitely caramelized and has a lace texture to it. So, as clever as I am (haha), I’m calling it caramelized lace.

Let’s get started…

You’ll Need:

4 3/4 cup of Special K Oats and Honey
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
1 stick of unsalted butter (do not use salted butter)
A small pinch of kosher salt
2 container of Dolci Frutta (sold with four small containers)
Parchment paper

To Do…

Preheat oven to 275.

Gently crumble cereal in a mixing bowl.

Toss in your brown sugar, salt and melted butter. Mix it all together.

Place the parchment paper over a cookie sheet. The mixture will stick to your pan if you do not use parchment paper. Trust me. I learned the hard way.

Spread the yummy mixture over it. Don’t worry if it doesn’t spread out evenly. – As it cooks, the butter will do that for you.

Cook for 15 minutes. Once cooled, you can start to pinch off chunks.

You can serve it this way, or…

I loved dunking it in dark chocolate, but it’s not necessary. The caramelized lace can stand alone.

Glen found Dolci Frutta at Sam’s Club. It’s advertised to use on fruit, but I thought why not add it to the lace. Just follow the instructions on the box. Hint: You have too work fast, it hardens quickly.

Crumble a few pieces of the lace in the bottom of your serving dish then top with ice cream. I served it with Breyers Pure Vanilla ice cream. Heat another Dolci Frutta and drizzle a spoon full over the ice cream. The chocolate will harden even faster over the coldness of the ice cream. Add in your caramelized lace.

It’s a sweet and salty dessert. Tastes like chocolate caramel turtles. Enjoy!

Any cool tricks or recipes you want to share? Let me know because this girl likes to eat.

Easter Sunday 2012

Posted on by Jenny MacBeth

The Boy and I spent our Easter Sunday with my family. My sister’s house is always filled with a buffet of mouth-watering foods. We ate so much that we went hiking that evening. – Work hard to play hard.

Here are a few photos of food, family and fun.

“C is for cookie, it’s good enough for me; oh cookie cookie cookie starts with C.” – Cookie Monster

Family pup.