Baby Back Ribs

I saw this recipe on line and thought I'd try it to see if any part of it would work with my smoker.  I felt guilty about doing the ribs in the oven when it was nice outside and I had a pile of apple wood at the ready but I did it anyway... at least until the end when I reduced down the mop.  It never thickened like I expected it would and the taste was good but not what I am used to. I added some KC Masterpiece which I am not fond of but Charlie likes it and put it under the broiler for a couple minutes. It was good but not something I think I'll do again. I like my old way on the smoker better.

I used Seanna's recipe for the Brussels sprouts, except I added a little water and steamed them at the end. I didn't plan ahead to have them, I just got them a while back on a whim and decided I'd better use them.

Alton Brown Baby Back Ribs 

oven method

RUB

8 parts light brown sugar

3 parts Kosher salt

1 part Chili powder

1 black pepper

1cayenne

1 jalapeño shake

1 old bay

1 dried thyme

1 onion powder

shake generously on both sides of baby back ribs laid on heavy duty foil, close up and refrigerate at least 1 1/2 hours.

Make liquid

1 C. White wine

2 T. white vinegar

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

2 T. honey

2 Cloves mashed and chopped

Pour half liquid  into each rib and bake @ 225º 2 1/2 hours.  Drain liquid into sauce pan. (1 1/2C.) Heat on high for 5 to 10 minutes until thicken glaze. Pain on ribs and run under broiler for 30 seconds.  Serve.

Ingredients:

24 small brussels sprouts

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing

fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice

Directions:

Wash the brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and gently rub each half with olive oil, keeping it intact (or if you are lazy just toss them in a bowl with a glug of olive oil).

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Don’t overheat the skillet, or the outsides of the brussels sprouts will cook too quickly. Place the brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning. Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they’re tender throughout. If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes.

Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a dusting of grated cheese. While you might be able to get away with keeping a platter of these warm in the oven for a few minutes, they are exponentially tastier if popped in your mouth immediately.