When I'm gone, I have an old high school friend, a retired Police Officer, check on my house. Every so often he has to drive all the way out when the alarm goes off, to find absolutely nothing wrong. For this, I owe him SOMETHING. His choice, smoked baby back ribs for dinner.
You and I both know he's taking his life in his hands to come and eat at my house. Hopefully, if everything works out, he will be none the wiser.
Up early this morning, I was finally ... for the first time ever ... able to get that piece of whatever it is off the back of the ribs. I read somewhere to use a spoon handle to get it started, then use a piece of paper towel to pull it free. It worked like a charm!!
Next, I slathered them with plain old yellow mustard. Slathered might be an exaggeration ... I covered them with enough so the dry rub would stick. glb 34 yd ly snpt. Sorry, I have one puppy on my lap and one on the chair behind me. It's always cozy in the morning when I'm at the computer. Back to the mustard ... it doesn't impart any flavor at all, but the vinegar does help just a tad in the tenderizing department.
Next up, a generous application of your favorite rub. I make my own, adding a little more brown sugar than the recipe calls for. There are dozens of recipes on-line, you just have to find one that sounds good and try it out. Honestly, I've purchased lots of pre-made ones and have yet to like any of them.
After sitting in the fridge for six hours, they will go into the smoker for two. Unlike pork roasts, ribs require a lot more attention. Every so often I'll spray them with apple juice. Like the mustard, it's not for flavor, but for moisture. Then they come out, get wrapped in foil for another hour in the cooker ... or your oven if you wish.
I hope my security guy appreciates all this work, because then they come out one more time, are unwrapped, sprayed and placed back with NO foil for one more hour, depending on the doneness at the time. It's pretty close to rocket science, which is not my forte!!
Keep all your fingers and toes crossed that this all turns out well. Baked potatoes and cole slaw will round out the meal. If disaster happens, Kentucky Fried Chicken is about two miles away.
Just a reminder ... it's the holidays. That means single people all over are sitting home wondering where all their "friends" went. Invite your single friends to lunch ... or to dinner ... or just to go shopping. Maybe even stop by for absolutely no reason whatsoever. You might actually invite them to Christmas dinner at your house. It's hard enough being alone the rest of the year ... the holidays make everything MUCH more difficult.
Next up, chocolate mousse ... the easiest recipe ever with amazing results!! Twelve ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips in a food processor with one teaspoon vanilla and a pinch of salt. Heat up one cup of whipping cream just to a boil and pour in the processor while it is running. It's terribly loud, so cover your ears. Let it cool. Mix another two cups of cream with 1/4 cup sugar and beat into stiff peaks. Fold in to the chocolate. Done!!
I drop it by spoonfuls into champagne glasses and refrigerate. I've topped it off with cherry pie filling, whipped cream, raspberries ... just about anything you want. I promise if you like chocolate, you'll be licking the glass. Not exactly heart healthy, but champagne glasses don't hold very much.
Now to drag out the smoker and find a suitable replacement for the pan of water in the bottom. I mistakenly thought the last one was an old rusty dog food bowl, which I promptly threw away. AARRRHHHHH!!!
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