Baby Back Ribs

The opening of College Football season is fast approaching, so it's time to plan the meal for the first get-together.  We've done steaks, both barbecued pizzas and Chicago-style deep dish pizza, and barbecue pork sandwiches in the past.  But I'm ready to have a meat fest and baby back ribs sound absolutely perfect.

You can feed the masses for a reasonable price.  If you go to Costco, you can pick up 3 racks for around $30.  This can feed 6-8 as a meal, or if it's part of a gameday buffet, you can cut them up in 2 rib groups and spread the meaty love around.

Baby Back Ribs

1 Costco vacuum pack (three full racks) of baby back ribs


Rub
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder

Braising Liquid
1 cup apple juice or apple cider (alcoholic is OK)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon hot wing sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon honey
2 minced garlic cloves

1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce or make a batch of ours

The night before, combine all of the rub ingredients in a small bowl.  Open the pack of ribs and rinse them off.  Apply the rub to both sides of each rack. Lay out a long piece of tin foil at least six inches longer than the rack of ribs. Fold up the sides, then fold up the ends. Place another smaller piece of foil on top to seal the foil cocoon.   Repeat the process for each of the racks, then let them sit in the fridge overnight.

When you're ready to start cooking, Add all of the braising liquid ingredients into a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, take it off of the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.

Place the racks onto cookie sheets and unfold the end of each of the packages.  Pour 1/3 of each of the braising liquid into the foil packets and then seal tightly.  Place the racks in the oven, set it to 250 degrees and let them cook for four hours.

When the four hours are done, remove the racks from the oven and fire up the barbecue, open the packs and then brush them with your barbecue sauce.  Place them on the barbecue for 2 - 2 1/2 minutes on each side,  Pull them off the grill, cut them up into 3-4 rib sections and then serve to the masses.

Summer Sour Cucumbers

My mom made these as a cool summer side dish for our barbecues, but they make a great snack that will chill you out during the hot summer days.  There's a little sourness, there's a great flavor from the apple cider vinegar and garlic, and very few calories, even if you eat the whole bowl!

Summer Sour Cucumbers

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 to 2 1/2 cups water

1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

2 cucumbers

Pour the vinegar and water into a large bowl with a lid and stir.  Add the black pepper, garlic and mustard and mix thoroughly.  

Slice the 2 cucumbers into thin slices and place them in the brining liquid.  Seal the container and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  They'll stay fresh in the fridge for up to one week.

And if you eat them quickly, you can cut up more cucumbers and re-use the brining liquid for up to one week.

Roasted Ranch Red Potatoes

We've been barbecuing a lot of meat recently since the weather has been so great.  While the occasional cold potato, macaroni or summer pasta salad are a good option, sometimes you just want a great hot side dish with lots of starch.   This is it, and it's extremely easy to do.  Cut up some reds, shake them up to coat, toss them in an oven when you're prepping the meat for the grill and it'll be ready just in time.

Roasted Red Ranch Potatoes

3 pounds red potatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
1 dry packet of Ranch dressing mix
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Wash the potatoes, then dice the potatoes into approximately 3/4 inch cubes.

In a gallon size ziploc bag, add in the olive oil, the dry ranch dressing mix and the pepper and shake or squish the bag until it's well combined.  Add the potatoes to the ziploc bag and seal tightly,  Shake or roll the bag until the potatoes are completely coated.  Pour the contents of the bag onto a cookie sheet with sides so the additional oil does not spill out, then spread them out into one even layer. Lightly salt the entire sheet.

Place the potatoes into the 400 degree oven for 40 minutes or until they are tender,