Brendan's BBQ Ribs

Intro

In 2016 I did this crazy amazing thing and went on a 3 month round the world tour staying with people in the Koha library community. One of the incredibly hospitable homestays was with Brendan and Sonia in Portland. And we had BBQ ribs!

Ingredients

• Baby back pork ribs - 3 racks

Spice rub

• 1 part Lawry's seasoned salt
• 1/4 part white sugar
• 1/8 part McCormicks Montreal steak seasoning
• 1/8 part spice to your liking: eg cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, coriander
• 1/8 - 1/4 chilli powder / cayenne / smoked paprika etc (ie a pepper)

Method
Combine rub ingredients, pat it 'in' to the ribs, leave to rest for about half hour (sweaty meat)

Put in your smoker or oven (indirect heat) for 135 degrees for about 3 hours. Scratch test (spice rub kind of set not flaky). Not  too much smoke - a kiss of smoke (3 fist sized chunks and briquettes - 135 degrees)

We cooked these on a Weber - Ceramic kamdo grill dome (see photo)

Remove from heat and then coat in sieved brown sugar. Sprinkle on 2 or 3 tblsps of liquid per rack: apple juice / peach juice / pineapple juice / ginger lemonade).

Wrap in tinfoil like a burrito, put back in heat ie oven 135 degrees for about an hour,  toothpick test to see it goes straight meat without tension

Remove from heat, divide into ribs.

Pork Belly

Spice Rub

• 2 teaspoons cardamom pods
• 1 star anise
• 3 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 3 teaspoons coarse salt

Roast spices in a heavy frying pan for 5-6 minutes. Grind together in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder.

For the Pork

• Piece of pork belly
• Olive oil
• spice rub above
• veges: eg. approx: 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 sticks of celery, 2 granny smiths

Preheat oven to 220 degrees.

To prepare the pork score pat it dry then score it with a stanley knife or other sharp knife; don't cut too deep. Rub the pork with olive oil, then rub the spice mix generously over the whole piece of meat - all sides and into the score marks if you can. 

Cut the onions in half, carrots into 3 pieces and other veges into large pieces. Place them in a roasting dish along with a cup or 2 of water. Place the pork on the vegetable bed and place in the hot oven.

Roast for 40 mins then drop the oven down to 160 degrees and roast slowly for at least 2 hours. The longer you roast the more fat is rendered out. If the skin is not well crackled well you can turn the oven up high for a while but watch it like a hawk.

Oven Fried Chicken

Intro

I do cook real food, although from looking at the blog so far it would appear we live on cocktails, antipasto and enormous amounts of chocolate :) 

So for the first of many recipes of 'real' food (since tequila and chocolate apparently aren't) here is a chicken ovenbake. I make these a lot because they cook on their own while the chef is socialising with guests :) This is my oldest chicken bake - one I found as a Child Bride suddenly required to produce an evening meal every night! I reckon you could use this as a marinade, use chicken wings or niblets, and throw these on the bbq instead of in the oven. I'd double the marinade quantities. The best way to marinade I know is to put the ingredients into a plastic bag, squish to combine then throw the meat in. Suck all the air out - with a reverse balloon pump thingee of course and certainly not with your mouth ;) - and then just turn the bag over and wriggle the meat apart a bit every now and then. 

Recipe

• 500g chicken drumsticks
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 3 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
• a few drops of tobasco sauce
• 2 teaspoons of curry powder
• half teaspoon oregano
• quarter teaspoon paprika
• 1 chicken stock cube

Place chicken in an over proof dish in a single layer. Combine all ingredients together, brush over the chicken. Bake in a moderate oven for 20 minutes, turn chicken over, baste with any remaining marinade, Bake for another 15 minutes.