Picture Perfect Cooking

If someone asked me to pick my favorite meat dish, more than likely I would choose BBQ pork ribs.  I almost always order that when C & I eat at “steak house” type restaurants and I usually enjoy them.  I have wanted to try to duplicate that taste at home, but it is hard to find baby-back ribs at my local groceries.  I guess that most of them end up at restaurants instead.

Right before Memorial Day weekend, our local Kroger advertised baby-backs on sale no less.  I made a quick trip to the next town on my lunch break to purchase some and, wouldn’t you know, I managed the get the very last package that was in the meat case.  Whew, that was close!

The basis of this recipe was on Kraft’s website and I altered it to suit my taste.  I ended up overcooking them just a little because I wanted to make sure they were done.  Next time, I will cut the cooking time down by about 5 or 10 minutes and just go by the instant-read thermometer.  The recipe below will show the altered cooking time, not the time I used for this recipe.  Just remember to check them with a meat thermometer and you will be fine.

1 rack baby-back ribs

BBQ rub & sauce of your choice

Preheat your grill to medium heat, about 425 degrees.  Slice off the silver skin (the white membrane) from the back of the ribs.  This is just connective tissue and will get tough when it is cooked.

Liberally rub the ribs with the seasoning.

Place the ribs on a large sheet of aluminum foil and then cover with another sheet of aluminum foil.  Fold up the ends of the foil so the ribs are encased in a foil bag leaving one short end open.  Pour one cup of water into the foil bag and close up the last side leaving just a small hole for steam to escape.

Place the ribs on the preheated grill and cook with the lid down for 40 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the foil, but be careful of the remaining water because it will be really hot!  Spread the sauce over the ribs and cook for 10 more minutes or until the internal temperature of the ribs is at least 160 degrees.  Take them off the grill and let rest for 15 minutes, slice, and enjoy!  Don’t forget your napkin!

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I am a big fan of pork, whether it is pork chops, shredded pork BBQ, baked ham, or this simple recipe.  I came up with this one on my own so it is REALLY easy!  Ha!  I am not the person who usually comes up with the recipes, I just cook them.

This one is my little creation with just three ingredients and about an hour of your time needed.  That’s not too bad, is it?

Pork tenderloin, approx. 1-1.5 lbs.

Montreal grilling seasoning

BBQ sauce of your choice (I want to try to make my own sometime.)

Season the loin with the grilling seasoning.  Preheat your grill to medium (about 375 degrees) and then prepare it for indirect heat.  My grill has three burners so I left the middle and the right side on medium and turned the left burner to low-medium.  Then I put the pork loin on the left side.

Grill the meat for about 15 minutes then turn once, and only once.  I have learned in my limited grilling experience that the fewer times you touch the food, the better it will be.  Also, use tongs to turn it, not a fork.  When you stick the meat with a fork, you will lose the good juices.

Cook for about 10 more minutes, then apply the BBQ sauce and cook for about 5 minutes more.  Using this method, the sauce won’t burn and become hard.

Let the meat rest for about 20 minutes then slice and enjoy!

Please join me over at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage for her Full Plate Thursday feature.

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