St Louis Style Spare Ribs

 

Everyone does bar-b-que different. For that matter, everyone spells... BBQ different. If you want some good bbq, but you don't have a big fancy smoker or grill, you can make some good bbq in the oven. I usually use baby back pork ribs, but the online shopping service I used substituted St Louis Style Spare Ribs. 

2 lbs pork spare ribs
liquid smoke
apple cider vinegar
garlic powder
salt & pepper
bbq sauce of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat ribs with a few shakes of liquid smoke and vinegar. Sprinkle garlic, salt and pepper on all sides of the ribs. Place in a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for about 2 hours. Remove foil and cook for about 20 or 30 minutes or until the ribs are golden brown. Slather with sauce and  cook another 20 to 30 minutes. 

Be sure to watch and not let the ribs burn once you put the sauce on them. Most bbq sauces have a good amount of sugar in them and have a tendency to burn if left too long. (I've even burnt bbq sauce in a crock pot, and I didn't think that was possible!!!)

Las Vegas... through a foodie's eyes!

Since we arrived in Vegas early in the morning, our travel mates (Carl & Lynn... yes, another Lynn) had rented a car. We decided to travel out to Red Rock Canyon and do some site-seeing until we could check in to the hotel. On the way out, we decided to get a quick bite to eat. In Vegas, the highways are lined with a wall to create a noise barrier for the housing developments, which makes it hard to spot a restaurant from the road. We were getting close to the end of town, so we just ducked down the next exit. That's when we came across Beach Pizza. There was a menu on the window, and it looked good... so that was it. It was about 10:30 in the morning, but it was open. The lady running the place said that she opens early on Sundays for a little lady that comes in every Sunday morning. She orders her food and sits reading her paper... lucky for us! Carl & Lynn ordered Sausage and Pepper Subs.

The hubby got a Steak and Pepper Sub.

Guess what I found on the menu???

A REUBEN!!! YAY!!!
I was hungry so I ordered a large.

When she sat this in front of me, I almost fell out the chair!
Ummm! This is two sandwiches, not one large! LOL

I have no idea what I was doing...
but it was 107 degrees in the desert,

and the wind was blowing like a furnace!

Red Rock Canyon

We watched a Thunderstorm roll through the canyon.
That cooled it off, and it was nice... for a little while!

Then, it was off to the hotel! We checked in and took a little break... about 5 minutes and off to the races again! We decided to just get a quick bite in the casino before hitting the strip. Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill was on the second floor of the hotel/casino. I was so excited! 

I don't have any pictures, because quite frankly, I was very disappointed. The waitresses were very tackily dressed. Yes, I know it's Vegas, but I really don't want to see boobs and butts while I'm eating! Guys, I'm not being prejudice! I don't want to see half dressed men while I'm eating either. Well, shirtless men wouldn't be as disturbing as girls in push-up bustiers and chaps with black shorts that looked more like thongs! Yikes! Well, I had a Catfish Po' Boy... It was supposed to have "fried, cornmeal dusted catfish topped with Toby's slaw & a tangy remoulade sauce served on a hoagie roll". Well, there was definitely bread. As for the rest of the ingredients, there was a very small, thin piece of fried catfish and maybe a tablespoon of slaw, and I saw some color on the bun. I was left to assume that that was the remoulade. Why didn't I send it back? Well, apparently the jacked up boobs prevented them from hearing me. I would say that it affected their sight also. No one got refills either. Ugh! I hope they were just having an off night, because I had heard good things about the place. On to the strip...

The hubby to took this one for our friend Michele! :-)

The next morning, we ate at the Harrah's Flavors Buffet for breakfast. Not bad food, but not photo worthy. Enough fuel to get us underway! LOL We traveled to the Hoover Dam. We walked the Mike O' Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. Now, I'm not truly afraid of heights, but I'm not that fond of them either. I'm ok not looking down and staying away from edges, but  this bridge has a concrete wall on one side and railings on the other. Needless to say, I hugged the concrete wall, until I was MADE to stand by the railing to take a picture. We took the cruise tour around Lake Mead on the Desert Princess.

TAKE THE PICTURE, AND LET ME GO!

Well, that night I got to make the supper decision! My friend Ally, had suggested that I try Firefly. I almost didn't take pictures there also... not because it was bad, but because it was AWESOME! I almost forgot to take pictures! Firefly is a tapas restaurant. It's a wonderful way to sample a lot of different foods without having to take an extra trip to the bank! (It was cheaper than that breakfast buffet!) Excellent food... when we drove up to the restaurant, Carl and the hubby weren't too thrilled. They're thinking... I don't like Mexican! I told them that this is not rice and beans like we are used to at home, and it's Spanish, not Mexican! Same difference, they say... NOT!

This was the point where I realized that

I hadn't taken any pictures. LOL

Complimentary plate of crispy bread,

Almond-Honey Butter and Olives. YUM!

 Firefly Fries... Parmesan, Herbs and Aioli

Babyback Ribs with a Mango BBQ Sauce

(Not Pictured... Steak and Mushroom Skewers)

I don't know why... 

Petite Filet with Herb Cheese, Roasted Potatoes,

Mushrooms and a Red Wine Sauce

Finally... 

Big Bowl - Pasta with Veggies and a Tomato-Pepper Sauce

and an add-on of Grilled Chicken

Then... Another night on the strip catching the

different shows at the hotels and casinos...

the water show at the Bellagio Fountains,

the Sirens show at Treasure Island,

and the Volcano at The Mirage.

A couple of breakfasts at Denny's under the belt... eh... so-so. The hubby loves his breakfast omelets and grits and eggs, so I go along and eat a Fried Chicken Caesar Salad for breakfast. You have to work hard to screw up a salad! I forgot the camera, but I don't think you'd care about pictures of Denny's food. The pics in the menu look better anyway!

We were on our own for a while and the hubby remembered the other place that my friend Ally had suggested. I was sure that the restaurant was in The Quad, but most of it was under renovation. Well, the hubby found out where it was and how to get around the construction. My next culinary treat was in the making... Hash House A Go-Go!!!

The hubby ordered...

Slow Cooked Bar B' Que Pork Ribs

St. Louis ribs braised with the house soy bar b' que sauce, carrots

... and a side of Bacon cheddar mashed potatoes!!!

Under the "Just For Grazing" section of the menu was Fried Green Tomatoes, so I figured that since I wasn't starving, I should just order something to nibble on... BOY HOWDY was I wrong! It was HUGE!!!

Fried Green Tomato Stack
with Homemade Chicken Salad, Goat Cheese & Balsamic Vinaigrette

... served on a big ole chunk of watermelon!

I have never tasted anything like it in my life! The crust on the tomatoes was

awesome, and the Balsamic Vinaigrette totally sent the dish over the top!
If you ever get a chance, this place is a MUST TRY!
(and if you leave hungry, it's your own fault! LOL)

We traveled over to Fremont Street that night. Fremont Street is the original Vegas Strip established in 1905. They had three different stages with different music style bands playing. They took occasional breaks for the light show to take place on the archway ceiling! 

On the last night, we grabbed a burger at Ruth's Diner in the Airport and caught our flight out at 10:55pm. When we arrived in Charlotte that morning, Carl & Lynn had a craving for Cracker Barrel's Sweet Tea and breakfast. As the hubby says, there's always room for breakfast!

Arrivederci... Las Vegas!

BBQ Baby Back Ribs

When I went to shop for a catering job, I notice that my local Piggly Wiggly grocery store had Baby Back Ribs on sale for $2.99 per pound. Here, that is an awesome deal. I actually bought 3 slabs of them. I've also been looking at a dry rub and finally decided to try it. I usually just use my house blend of salt, pepper and garlic, but this dry rub has caught my eye several times. I tend to stay away from spice blends that are loaded with paprika because to me, it makes them bitter. This blend has paprika, but it is very well balanced. The flavors blend very well, and none stands out to strong. Willie's Hog Dust is a very good dry rub for these ribs! I heard that the manager of The Pig uses it on his steaks every time he grills out! I'm sold!

1 slab of Baby Back Ribs
Willie's Hog Dust

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. I cut the ribs in half and heavily dusted the ribs with Willie's Hog Dust. Place them on a grill pan or a rack in a pan.

I cooked them for an hour 

and turned the pan for them to cook even. 

I cooked them for about 2 more hours.

Sauce:

1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp butter
1 cup ketsup
1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Texas Pete hot sauce
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce

Saute onion and garlic in butter in a large pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes. Remove ribs from oven and slather heavily with sauce. Increase the heat to 300 degrees and return them to the oven for about 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and created a sticky glaze on the ribs. (Be careful not to let the sauce burn!)

Done!

This one has a sweet yet spicy rib sauce...

 This one has Daddy's BBQ Sauce...

 Potato Wedges on the Side...

This is when I remembered that 

I hadn't taken a picture of the finished ribs! LOL

Bar-B-Qued Country Style Ribs

country-style boneless pork ribs
salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste

Sauce:
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp oil
1 cup ketsup
1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Texas Pete hot sauce
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season ribs with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place ribs in a baking dish and cover. Bake ribs for 1 1/2 hours or until done. Saute onion and garlic in oil in a large pan. Drain any excess oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes.

Remove ribs from oven and drain the pan. Coat the ribs well with bar-b-que sauce and return to the oven for 30 minutes. Turn and baste after 15 minutes, making sure not to let the sauce burn.

Sauerkraut Inspired Recipes

Sauerkraut Balls

1 pound Idaho potatoes, peeled, diced and cooked until tender
2 cups sauerkraut
1 cup small diced Bavarian ham
2 egg yolks
3/4 cup whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons milk
3 cups fine dried bread crumbs
Oil, for frying
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Using a food ricer, rice the potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add the sauerkraut, ham, egg yolks, 1/4 cup of mustard and chopped green onions. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into small balls, about a tablespoon each. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer and freeze for 30 minutes.

Preheat the fryer. Season the flour, egg wash, and bread crumbs, with salt and pepper. Roll each sauerkraut ball in the flour, coating completely. Dip each in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off. Finally roll each in the bread crumbs. Fry the sauerkraut balls in batches until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the fryer and drain on paper towels. Season with salt.

In small mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of the mustard and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Serve the sauerkraut balls on a large platter with the mustard dipping sauce. Garnish with parsley.

Cocktail Reubens

36 slices party rye bread (1 mini loaf)
Thousand Island salad dressing
2 pkgs (4oz each) cooked, sliced corn beef
German spicy mustard
1 cup sauerkraut, drained
6 slices of swiss cheese

Spread each slice of bread with salad dressing. Top with 2 slices of corn beef. Add mustard, and then 1 teaspoon of sauerkraut. Cut each cheese slice into 6 pieces; place 1 piece on each appetizer. Broil at 425 degrees 4 to 5 inches from heat, for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Spareribs and Sauerkraut

2 sides spareribs
salt and pepper
2 stalks celery
1 medium onion
1 can sauerkraut
1 teaspoon caraway seeds

Cut spareribs into serving pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place into a deep pan or dutch oven. Add 2 cups hot water, sliced celery and onions. Simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hrs. (Ribs may be browned before cooking in water, if desired.) Lift out spareribs, place sauerkraut in bottom of pan. Mix in caraway seeds and a little sugar. Place ribs over sauerkraut. Cover pan and continue cooking for 30 minutes.