Best Ribs I Ever Made... Ever!

My experiments with brine went so well with chicken and with pork chops that I wanted to try it with pork ribs.  I have made ribs in several different ways over the years, but many of those recipes have too many steps, and some of them didn't come out very well.

Brining ribs has turned out to be the most successful so far - they were juicy and flavorful and falling off the bone with only a few steps.

Boil 4 c water with 1c kosher salt.  Stir until salt dissolves, which is only a few minutes.

Add 1 tsp red pepper flakes.   (optional)

Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then add 3-4c apple juice.  Soak ribs in brine at least 6 hours.  You can make more or less brine, as long as you have enough to completely cover the meat.  I usually do this in a plastic container, but you can use a plastic bag also.

Remove ribs from brine, place on a piece of foil in grill with low/indirect heat for 2 hours, flipping only once.  It helps to spray the foil with cooking spray before putting it on the grill...


Baste with bbq sauce and roast for another 10-15 minutes.  Flip ribs, removing foil, and baste the other side with sauce too.  After 10 minutes or so, flip once more just to flame the last side a little bit and caramelize the bbq sauce.

That is really all there is to it: soak the meat, then grill.  No parboiling, no messy pans, no browning in oil, no fussing with tons of ingredients, and no need to heat up the oven.

There now, wasn't that easy?

2 Ingredient Shortcake!

The awesome part is that one of the ingredients is ICE CREAM!  you can use any kind you like, which opens up a lot of opportunities for different flavor combinations.


You will need:

4 c. softened ice cream
3 c. all purpose flour

Mix together, spread in greased pan.

The dough doesn't rise, so the finished product will look the same as it does before baking.



This quantity will make one 8x8 baking pan, one loaf pan, or 12 muffins.


Bake 350F.
30 minutes if loaf or baking pan.
18 minutes if muffins.


Turn out onto wire rack to cool.



Don't use bread flour - comes out sticky.

DO use ice cream with fruit or nuts, or mix some in with the flour.

Serve as you would any shortcake, topped with ice cream, fruit, whipped cream, maybe even a cherry...

Cheesy Cornbread!

For years I've been on a quest for the perfect cornbread. This recipe is the most successful so far.  The only drawback is that they are much better when hot, so you can't really make them in advance and serve cold.  It is best to serve right after baking.

Blend well in medium bowl -

1 stick butter, melted
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs

Add:
1/2 c. milk
14oz can creamed corn
optional - 2 TB chopped jalapeno

Blend well in large bowl:
1 c. shredded cheddar
1 c. flour
1 c. cornmeal
1/2 ts. baking soda
1/8 ts. salt

Gradually stir dry mix into wet mix.

Pour into greased muffin pan or 8x8 baking pan.


350F for 40 minutes.
Cool in pan 5 minutes.
Turn out onto wire rack.
Cool 5 minutes.
Serve and enjoy right away!