Kiss Yo Mama! Country Style Pork Ribs

Early on in the cooking process, skosh more brown sugar sprinkled

I am not one to brag, but good golly miss molly, this meal this past weekend was one for the books!  I thought we had company coming, so had thawed out a large package of country style pork ribs.  I’d purchased these some months ago for a gathering and ended up taking another dish.  A large package of boneless ribs, but well priced at less than $6 for quite a bit of meat.  Well marbled meat, I might add.  I share this so you can create your own magic in the oven!

I have a recipe for ribs that has been a big hit with guests before, ending in licking the bowl, after drinking the broth.  Seems I change it up a bit each time based on what is on hand, and this was no exception.  I’ll outline the basic recipe and then mention the ingredients altered.

Typically, I have made this in the crock pot, and this dish is well worth making this way if you need to walk away from the kitchen. That being said, if you have the time and plan to be around, this oven method was far superior.  Things just don’s caramelize quite the same in a crock pot, but the broth is still dynamite, so, it is worth doing either way!

Here is the recipe as written in my kitchen notes book.  The amount of meat is not indicated, so I have always just altered the dimensions to suit my needs.  It is easy to make substitutions to these ingredients as well.  The idea, as I see it, is for sweet, salty, savory, smoky, and spicy elements to mingle and dance.

Boiling broth:

2 (12 oz) bottles of beer

2 (12 oz) cans of cola

6 crushed cloves of garlic

10 Bay leaves

2 C. sliced onion

1 c. soy sauce

1 c. salt

2 Tbsp. hot sauce

1 Tbsp. black pepper

2 Tbsp. liquid smoke

4 Tbsp. sugar

Mix all in a large sauce pot or dutch oven, and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer, for 10 minutes and then add ribs, and enough water to cover the ribs.  Simmer 60-90 minutes.

There is also a barbecue sauce recipe to accompany, which I have used to guide me in my own alterations of the broth.

Barbecue Sauce: 

6 oz ketchup

2 oz. chili sauce 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. orange juice

1 Tbsp. liquid smoke

3 Tbsp. molasses

1 Tbsp. chili powder

½ small onion, diced small

Pinch of all spice

Pinch of dried crushed chilies or a sprinkle of chile flakes

Simmer 20 minutes.  Coat ribs with sauce.  Place on grill and braise for 10-20 minutes.

Now, this recipe sounds good, which is why I have kept it, but it also sounds like a pain to the cook!

I’m sure there is a reason why the ribs are boiled first and then sauced and braised, however it seems like an awful waste of delicious broth…so here is how I do it!

The first difference might be in my choice of ribs.  I prefer boneless country style ribs, which end up being tender much like the comfortable pot roast of childhood memory. Boneless ribs seem like a better value, and the only real loser is the dog.  We use the grill less often in the winter, and so the grill step would not work for much of the year.  I also intend to simmer these ribs to the point of submission and they would fall right through the grill by the time I am finished with them.

January's Ribs:

Step one, for the boneless pork or beef ribs, is to brown them.  I was working with pork ribs for this recipe by the way.  I browned them vigorously in a med. hot cast iron skillet on each side, including the fat side. No oil needed for this browning step.  The ribs make plenty of their own oil.  After which I would normally put them in the crock pot and cover with some version of the broth, but it was the weekend and the temps chilly outside, so the oven heat sounded productive and I was going nowhere.

I found a casserole dish large enough to accommodate the well browned ribs and slid them in a pre-heated 350 F. degree oven, with these items sprinkled and poured over them:  partial can of ginger ale, partial bottle of beer, soy sauce (1/4 c. or so), ¼ c. or so of pineapple juice, Worcestershire sauce, to taste. Drizzles of sriracha sauce, tamarind paste,liquid smoke, some peach jam, a rich dark molasses, a lovely teriyaki sauce, a skosh more sweetness in the form of sprinkled brown sugar. One might mix these all together in a separate bowl, but since it will simmer and bubble for so long, I just didn't see the point.

  Salt and pepper generously.  

Sliced carrots and onions were thrown in to flavor the bath. 

  Roasted garlic was added later in the cooking process, but garlic could and should be added in any form and at any time.  

I baked the ribs at this temperature until they began to boil and spit a bit, which was about 30- 45 minutes.  Heat was reduced to 300, for another hour or so, and then again later to 250.  The main goal here is to bake them low and slow until they fall apart when touched with a fork.  In this case, these thick ribs took 6-7 hours.  This might seem like a long time, but if you are at home anyway, it is no burden to peek in the oven every hour or so.  I was busy all the while with other activities, which included roasting a pumpkin which we then stuffed with some quinoa, pecans, sun dried tomatoes and parmesan.  The quest to make a perfect fried potato took over a good portion of an hour, which led to discussions aplenty on facebook and many great ideas, some of which contradict each other.  J  Since the oven was already on, I opted to bake the potatoes first, to semi firm shape, then drizzle with oil,coat in herbs,  and place in a cast iron skillet with half butter and half coconut oil.  Mitch took over the skillet at this point, but the trick seems to be to leave them be as much as possible, and not flip them constantly.  I seasoned the russet potatoes with some herbs from the garden (sage, parsley, rosemary, Cuban oregano) and generous amounts of salt and pepper.  They were mighty fine!  All in all, this was one of the best meals ever cooked in this kitchen, and one that will probably never be recreated exactly, so thank goodness for leftovers!

I wish the photos were better.   At the time I took the last few, I was really focused on digging in! The ribs were very well caramelized, to the point that they looked nearly burnt, but it was merely the brown sugar and jam that had melded in the warm oven with the darker savory elements of the broth.  Let me know how you change it to suit your needs!

 Yes!  the casserole dish did come clean!

The life of a pie

The life of a pie

story and photos by January Wyatt
January 12, 2013

I have only made a few pies in my life, maybe three or four.  Pies have never been high on my list, because I am not a huge fan of pie crust.  I know that most of you are, and that’s ok J

I like pumpkin!  It’s a super food you know!? Pumpkin lowers blood sugar, fights off cancer cells, is packed with fiber and antioxidant vitamins and minerals.   I eat it often in savory recipes, usually buying canned puree.  Pumpkin is very easy to digest for dogs, if you ever have a dog with digestive issues, look into it as a supplement.  Pooh bear loved pumpkin.

We grew 3 sugar pumpkins very late in the season (planted in August) and while searching for ideas on how to prepare them, pie did not come to mind right away, but slowly a pie beyond pumpkin began to morph into existence.  I thank my Facebook friends for their suggestions and inspiration!  The end result was good enough to record and share.  Not a pumpkin pie for purists, but more like 3 pies for the price of one.  Perhaps you can help me name this pie!?

This fall I found granola crust in the baking aisle and really liked it for pear pie, which I made for a holiday gathering.  The first pie I ever made was a pear pie, for a pie supper fundraiser.  I convinced sweetie to buy it J

Anyway, back to the pie at hand…

First step is to roast the pumpkins, and I found three options online (boiling, roasting or microwaving).

I opted for roasting, because it seemed easiest and would add some warmth to the cold kitchen.

It’s vitally important to have a sharp knife when slicing open a squash, and to know how to handle said sharp knife.  There are many websites that will help here, but ‘no digits in the food’ is my motto!

Once the Squash is open remove seeds and stringy fibers.  I tried using a spoon here, but found that my  fingers worked best.  There is something very grounding about getting your hands into food preparation.  Ordinarily, I would roast the pumpkin seeds, for a treat, but we own a seed company,  www.dustbowlseed.com, and so the seeds were set aside for storage, to plant and sell.

 Next step was to scoop the flesh from the peel, which I learned just today (a wee bit late for this pie of the past) can be done perhaps more easily, by just peeling the peel off the somewhat cooled squash, while still face down on the oven sheet.  I believe that this peeling method might prove less wasteful, since scooping tends to leave some of the fruit stuck to the rind.

The third step is now to puree the flesh of the pumpkin, which called for a food processor.  I don't have one, but do have a mini processor which is great for small jobs, however it did not hold up to this one. I decided to try the vita mix, which is a miracle of a machine and it worked well with a bit of coaxing, and some added heavy cream, which is completely optional.  I'd like to try this one day with a real food processor to compare.  I am not sure I have the extra counter space, if it's not completely worth it! :)

Now, the puree is seasoned.  I chose typical pumpkin pie spices and did not measure (I don't care for measuring unless really necessary).  More cinnamon than anything else (probably a Tablespoon or so) and then a bit less nutmeg, and even less ginger and clove, and also perhaps a teaspoon of cardamom, just because I love it so, but any of these are optional, if they aren't your T. of spice!  I think the cinnamon is essential, however.  Also added here, are one large egg, and some brown sugar, which I'd guess was about 1/2  a cup. I also added about half a package (4 0z.) of cream cheese.  I'd have added an entire package if I'd had it to add!  I did allow a recipe from Betty Crocker, for pumpkin cheesecake, to guide me on possible ingredients, as well as cooking time.  I am sure there are many variations online, but this pie was mine to do with as I will.  I did not over mix these ingredients, which for me ended up being one of my favorite things about the pie.

Next, I topped the granola crust with cacao nibs.  These are new to me and I had been looking for a job for them other than just in hand.  Their presence was not overwhelming at all, but just provided a nice crunch and mysterious chocolate undertone.  A cubed, then diced gala apple was added next, just atop the crust and along side the nibs.  Puree was poured over the apple and chocolate, and a few large walnut halves were placed so there would be one per bite.

Pie in oven, temp 350f, timer set for 30 minutes, even though the recipe in Betty C. called for much longer.  My recipe had 3 fewer eggs, as well as a different sort of crust, so I just wasn't sure how long she might take.  Oven light on!  I wanted to watch this one.  I didn't write this part down, but I believe it took an hour or slightly more to set up to the toothpick test, but the pie really let us know it was ready by scent.  The nuts and sugar caramelizing in our noses. 

 If you like sweeter desserts, add more sugar to your version of this pie.  I enjoyed the first slice solo, but the next day added some freshly made elderberry jam, which was quite nice combined with the creamy texture of the pie.  I really enjoyed the large chunks of apple, but some folks might have preferred them to be a bit smaller or mixed in as an applesauce even, for the puree purists out there.  I enjoyed the big spaces of cream cheese, but again, to some it might seem half mixed, so cook to your preferences, but do consider combining the flavors of pumpkin, apple, cream cheese, chocolate and nuts.  I do think I might add more nuts, were it a do over day today.  The walnuts paired quite well with every flavor, but there was only the one per slice.  Another type of nut would work well too, such as some crushed and toasted pumpkin seeds, peanuts, or pecan.

You could easily make this recipe vegan, by omitting the egg and using chia seeds or other.  What should we name it?  It's a pie I will certainly revisit again!                            

A life to Harvest

My name is January...                                                                 

I have been learning my way around a kitchen rather late in life.

My Mother, Donna Jo, was a fantastic cook and kept us all well fed and healthy.

 Donna Jo is on the left in this photo.

I made a chocolate cake once, in the sixth grade, for show and tell, and mashed the potatoes each Thankgsiving, prior to setting the table.  It’s likely I whipped up a box mac and cheese a time or two as a teenager, and could make really swell cinnamon toast, but I had no reason to cook.  Donna Jo fed us.  I did not require much food when left on my own, perhaps an apple smeared with some peanut butter, or a pop tart.

When I was 16, I had a boyfriend that Mother really liked, and she convinced me to make him a dinner.  I remember it being her idea, but I could be wrong.

I do recall that I picked the meal and I dove right off into the deep end, choosing London Broil, with twice baked potato, rolls and asparagus.  The boy and I discussed marriage soon after this meal. J

The second meal I learned was lasagna, and the sauce was made from scratch from a recipe in a small authentic Italian cookbook, which I still use, even though the pages are splattered with stains.

As a teenager I worked in various jobs, but all of them provided meals, so I really had no reason to learn more than how to make food for courting.  Even when I moved out, the restaurants where I worked were where I got my sustenance, and I did not buy my first cutting board or paring knife until I was in my mid to late twenties.  I’ll never forget that day.  I ran into my friend Jules and her Grandma Pauly, who was so excited, at my news of buying something so necessary, she said ‘if I had a bell I’d ring it!’  I have loved that saying ever since.

My Mother gave me a set of blue non-stick pots and pans, and they were used mainly for heating up cans of food, on the rare occasion I used them at all.  My first big purchase, for the kitchen was a hand hammered wok which kept me alive through much of my single life and followed me on any move I made around the state or country.  One pot to clean per meal, is a good thing for a single person.  I often had a tiny kitchen or shared one with a roomie.  Relatively good food was easy to come by and not very expensive in the city, so my wheelhouse of cooking knowledge was very small.  I did not seek out recipes.  I had one Chinese food cookbook.  I had craft projects, friends and nights out on the town.

Then I moved to the country, with a boy, more accurately, a rural lake surrounded by wild woods.  Within one month, my dog and I were walking and we ran into a cougar!  Toto (her name was really Pooh bear) we are not in Tulsa anymore!

There are restaurants in town, but town is far away when one is warm and cozy and busy with gardening and other crafty projects.  I try to keep trips to town down to a minimum and accomplish as much as possible with each visit, to save gas and lower my carbon footprint, not to mention the time it takes.  I find time to be the most valuable commodity.  We also choose to grow as much of our own food as possible.  This saves money and it is really nice to know just where the food comes from and how it was grown, especially now that GMO crops are so abundant and so frightening and unknown.

My maternal Grandmother, Miss Lillie, passed along a green thumb to me and a drive to create flower beds out of nothing at all.  My sweetie has a degree in Horticulture and soon enough our rocky terrain was littered with gardens.  After a few years he started a seed company (www.dustbowlseed.com) which meant that soon I was trying to figure out what to do with baskets of produce, all at once!  It’s an adventure to cook this way, and creativity is necessary.  I love to eat and healthful food is vitally important to how I feel, so it’s become a priority.  After many long threads regarding food and recipes, on facebook, it has been suggested to me that I should write a blog, so here we go.  Let’s cook up a life!

 Miss Lillie and her prize winnin' sweet taters!

I have a feeling we will find inspiration in each other!  Let's talk about gardening, food, books, pets,  herbs,  art, crafts projects, and who knows what else.  Welcome!