Easy Pork BBQ

Do you know what makes flavorful tender BBQ pork? It's all in the preparation.

Your favorite butcher, (i.e. Farmer John, among others) will prepare the ribs in packages that are around 2.5 pounds in weight uncooked which will serve two people.

Many online recipes call for you to boil the ribs before placing them on a BBQ to finish with sauce. This is a great idea if you've got the time to do it, but in the real world, this cook needs to sometimes be able to prepare meals without having to stand over a hot stove to do it. Enter the crock pot.

I added one tablespoon of garlic powder and one teaspoon of ground black pepper to the crockpot, cut the side of ribs into 2-3 riblets per serving (so the rack fits into the crockpot better lying flat), and added just enough water to cover the ribs.

I let this "boil" in the crockpot for 4 hours on low.

Once done, then I started my BBQ and allowed it to get up to at least 400 degrees before placing the ribs on the grill. I grilled them on both sides to gain a slight char (this should take no more than 20 minutes because, let's face it the ribs are already cooked through due to being boiled) and then slathered them with your favorite BBQ sauce de dour.

Meatloaf My Way

This meatloaf recipe is a combination of one totally ripped off from Alton Brown and one inspired by my cousin Chrissy who served it at a family dinner.

1 lb ground Angus Beef (could use ground pork)
1 lb lean ground sirloin
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tsp steak seasoning
1/2 tsp California garlic powder
1 egg, beaten

Glaze:
1/2 cup catsup
1 tsp cumin
Dash Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon honey


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. This fits into one loaf pan. Cook 45 minutes.
Put the glaze on top the last 10 minutes of the cooking time.

Pork and Mushroom Shumai

1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice or white wine
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 package wonton wrappers, thin, corners cut off
Parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray

Place parchment in the bottom of a steamer and spray lightly with cooking spray. To make filling, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Place one teaspoonfull of meat mixture onto prepared wonton wrapper and form shumai in your hand to be open on the top. Place shumai on prepared parchment and steam for 10 minutes.

Vietnamese Egg Rolls

1 lb. ground pork
1 c. shredded cabbage
1/2 c. shredded carrot
1/2 pack rice vermicelli-soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
1/2 c. black fungus-rehydrated or fresh if available
2 T. good oyster sauce (Lee Kum Kee Premium, in the tall slender bottle)
2 t. ground pepper
2 t. salt
1 pack Simex Lumpia wrappers
Water and a pastry brush for sealing the wrappers
Canola or peanut oil for frying
Butter lettuce (serving suggestion)

Julienne black fungus, and cut rice noodles into 3-inch pieces then mix with carrots, cabbage, oyster sauce, salt, and pepper—let stand for 1 hour. After resting, squeeze as much moisture out of the vegetable mix as possible. Mix with the pork, and sauté a little portion to check your seasoning. If satisfactory, start rolling. The directions for rolling are on the back of the lumpia package. Fry at 300 degrees for approximately 5 minutes or until the sizzling has subsided—make sure your rolls are cooked through. Serve with butter lettuce leaves (for wrapping the rolls) and nuoc cham for dipping. These freeze wonderfully for later use.

Makes about 24.

Nuoc Cham
1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. fish sauce (I use Three Crabs Brand)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. warm water
1/2 Serrano chili, seeded and sliced
1/4 clove of minced garlic

Mix all together and stir until the sugar dissolves.

From MSPMag.com Foodie File Blog by Philip Dowart