BBQ Ribs

One of my favorite things about getting out the grill is ribs!!!!  I love ribs.  So, here is my favorite way to make them.  Plan ahead, they need to cook in the oven for about 3-5 hours beforehand

You Need:

1-2 racks of ribs OR 2-3 lbs of Country Style Ribs
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 T. balsalmic vinegar (or vinegar of your choice)
2 t. liquid smoke
1 can soda-NO DIET (Coke, root beer, cream soda, lemon-lime, ginger ale...)
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1-2 T. your favorite BBQ rub (I like Famous Daves, Durkee, and McCormicks)

Mix together everything but the ribs.  Taste to make sure it's to your liking.  You don't want it too spicy because it has a lot of time to develop while it's cooking. 

Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Lay the ribs on the cookie sheet meat-side down.  You want the side with the visible bones and tendons facing up so the meat can absorb all that yummy sauce.  Spoon some sauce over the top.

Tightly cover the sheet with tin foil.

Bake at about 250 for 5 hours.  (You can up the temperature to 300 or so for a shorter cooking time. The ribs will cook through in about 2 hours, but to make them tender you want 3-5 hours.)  Remove from the oven and take the foil off.

Check out the tenderness of these ribs.  I am TOUCHING it, not even pulling in the picture below.

Cut the rib racks in half in order to make removing them easier.  Preheat your grill to a high heat.  Put your favorite BBQ sauce in a bowl and baste onto the bone side of the ribs.

Sweet Baby Ray's is my FAVE! 

I use a paintbrush as a baster.  It cleans so well, and has lasted way longer than any of my "real" basters.  Put the ribs on the hot grill BBQ sauce-side down.

Once on the grill, baste the meat-side.  Close the grill cover and let sit for about 2-3 minutes.  This is going to caramalize the sauce and give them that nice "bark" on the outside.  Turn the ribs to the other side. 

Again, let sit for about 3-5 minutes.  Then remove to a serving plate.  Serve immediately.  We like them with Twice Baked Potatoes and a vegetable.

These will make your significant other love you FOREVA!

Barbacoa Pork Tacos

This recipe is a copy cat of Cafe Rio's Barbacoa Pork.  When I first tried this recipe and saw the ingredients, I didn't think there was any way it would be similar, but it is almost exactly the same.  It's so easy, too.  It's a slow cooker recipe, so it needs a lot of time, but you don't really have to do anything once it's cooking.

You need:

1 Pork Roast (about 3 lbs.), cut into 3 pieces
1 16 oz. jar salsa
1 can Coke, NO DIET!
2 c. packed brown sugar
Tortillas or Taco Shells

Taco Toppings, like:
shredded cheese
sour cream
taco sauce
lettuce
tomato
olives
onion
cilantro

Put the pork roast pieces into the slow cooker.  Fill with water until water covers 3/4 of the roast.  Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours.

 At 6 hours, drain the water from the pork roast.  In a bowl, mix the salsa, Coke, and brown sugar.

Whisk together until all the sugar is disolved (About a minute or so).

Pour over the pork in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for about 3 more hours.

When the pork is cooked, remove it to a large bowl.  Use two forks to shred the meat.  Since it has been cooking for 9 hours, it should shred easily. 

Add the sauce to the shredded pork.  Let it sit while the taco toppings are prepared. 

Create the tacos with the pork, tortillas or shells, and toppings.  SO YUMMY!  I serve mine with sweet rice and refried beans.