Best Baby Back Ribs

This has got to be my favorite recipe for ribs.  It takes some time to get these delectable ribs to the table, but it's not a lot of effort and so worth the time.

I found this recipe in the June/July 2004 edition of my Taste of Home magazine and it has been a favorite since the first time I made it.  These ribs get all 9's on the Melnarik rating scale and friends whom we share them with give them 10's all around!

To begin, in a medium bowl I combined the chicken broth, soy sauce, sugar, cider vinegar, olive oil and garlic cloves.  Using a whisk, I combined them thoroughly.

After cutting the ribs into pieces that would fit into a 2 gallon zip lock bag (the only place I can find these larger bags right now is Target), I placed them in the bottom of the bag.

Then, I poured 2/3 of the marinade over the top and sealed the bag.

I turned the bag several times to make sure all of the ribs had at least a little bit of marinade on them.  Then I placed them in the refrigerator to marinade over night.  The remaining 1/3 of the marinade that I didn't add to the bag, I placed in a small bowl. Then I covered and refrigerated it until the end of the grilling process the next day.  The next morning, I turned the bag over to let the "other side" of the ribs sit in the marinade until grilling time later in the day.

Keeping in mind that the ribs will be on the grill for almost 1 1/4 hours, approximately 1 1/2 hours before serving time, I took the ribs out of the bag, placed them on a couple of cutting boards and discarded the marinade and the bag.

For the dry rub, in a small bowl, I combined the sugar, salt, paprika, chili powder, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.

This seasoning rub even smells good at this point!

I sprinkled some on one side, rubbing it in with my fingers,

then turned the pieces over and sprinkled with more seasonings and rubbed them in.

As you can see from the picture above, I used a rib rack on which to grill my meat.  First I coated it with a non-stick spray so the ribs wouldn't stick.  The ribs should be cooked with the indirect heat method, which means they are not directly over the heat source.  Notice that I have a foil pan beneath the ribs with the charcoal briquettes around the foil pan.  This makes the grill operate more like an oven and because no juices drop on the hot coals, there is never a flare up of flames to scorch the ribs.  If using a gas grill, check the manufacturer's instructions for cooking using indirect heat.  Because I was using a grill rack, I cooked the ribs for 40 minutes, then basted them with the reserved marinade (this is also called mopping) from the refrigerator and grilled an additional 40 minutes, basting several more times with the reserved marinade.  If a grill rack is not being used, the ribs should be turned after the first 20 minutes of cooking and then cook an additional 20 minutes before basting with the marinade.  During the last portion of cooking time, each time the ribs are basted, they should be turned.  I like my grill rack not only because I don't have to check on the ribs for the first 40 minutes, but also because the ribs take up less room on the rack because they are sitting up right.

Everyone was so eager to get their ribs that I didn't even get to take a picture until the last few were the only ones left on the platter!  That's how good they are!  Enjoy!

Best Baby Back Ribs

Marinade:

¾ cup chicken broth

¾ cup soy sauce

½ cup sugar

6 tablespoons cider vinegar

6 tablespoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 racks pork baby back ribs, about 4 ½ pounds

Seasoning Rub:

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon paprika

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

dash cayenne pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the marinade ingredients.  Cut ribs into pieces that will fit into a 2 gallon resealable bag; place ribs in bag.  Pour 2/3 of the marinade over the ribs; seal the bag and manipulate so all ribs are coated in marinade.  Refrigerate over night.  Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

When ready to grill, remove ribs from bag; discard marinade.  In a small bowl, combine seasoning rub ingredients; rub over both sides of ribs.  Grill ribs, covered, using indirect medium heat, for 20 minutes.  Turn and grill 20 minutes longer.  If using a rib rack, coat with non-stick spray before adding ribs and grill for 40 minutes, no turning necessary.  Baste with reserved marinade; cook 20 to 40 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer shows 160°F and pork is tender.  During final cooking time, turn and baste ribs occasionally.

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu

I have several recipes for Chicken Cordon Bleu, each one cooked differently.  This is one of my favorite ways of making this tasty dish during the warmer weather, when I tend to grill more frequently.  It doesn't take a long time to prepare these special chicken bundles and they don't take long to cook.  Also, they can be assembled up to 8 hours in advance and kept in the refrigerator until ready to grill them.  That comes in handy when entertaining or when attending a barbecue meal where each guest is to bring their own meat to grill plus a side dish or dessert!

I found this recipe years ago in a Taste of Home magazine in the tear out recipe section.  There is no date on the recipe, but it does indicate it was submitted to the magazine by Shawna McCutcheon from Homer City, Pennsylvania.  This dish gets 8's all around on the Melnarik rating scale.

The week that I was making this dish and taking pictures for this blog, chicken tenders were on sale at the market, so I used them instead of chicken breasts.  The only difference is that the bundles are smaller when using the tenders.  I apologize for not having pictures of the flattening process.  To do so, I placed each piece of chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, and using a meat mallet, pounded each piece until it was 1/4-inch in thickness.  Above is the flattened chicken tender.

It gets really easy from here.  The recipe calls for 1 piece of deli ham.  For more flavor, instead of cutting it in half to fit the smaller size of the tender, I chose to fold the ham in half before placing it on the chicken.

I did choose, however, to cut the slice of cheese in half before adding it on top of the ham slice.

I then rolled it up, beginning with one of the narrow ends, and secured it with a wooden toothpick.  I repeated this process with each of the remaining chicken tenders.

After brushing each piece with olive oil, I rolled them in the seasoned bread crumbs.  At this point, the bundles could be refrigerated in an air tight container for up to 8 hours before grilling.

I then grilled them, covered, over medium-hot heat for 15 to 18 minutes, turning once during cooking.  This ensured they were cooked completely into the middle and that when cut, the juices would run clear.

When they come off the grill, they are a beautiful golden brown.  Guests get a nice surprise when they cut into these tasty bundles and they discover the ham and melted cheese.

When I prepare the bundles earlier in the day, I have more time to make a nice side dish as an accompaniment, plus the short cooking time is just enough to prepare a nice salad also.  Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Cordon Bleu

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

6 slices Swiss cheese

6 thin slices deli ham

3 tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs

Place chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap.  Using a mallet or rolling pin, beat the chicken to flatten it to ¼-inch thickness.  Place one slice of cheese and one slice of ham on top of each flattened piece of chicken, cutting as needed to keep the cheese and ham from going beyond the area of the chicken.  Roll up each piece of chicken and secure with a toothpick or thin metal skewer.  Brush each piece with oil and roll in bread crumbs to coat evenly.  Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 15 – 18 minutes or until juices run clear.

Salsa Chicken Shortcakes

I like this dish because it can be prepared and served in less than 30 minutes, plus it's a very different way to serve chicken.  Also, on a warm day, the oven isn't on long enough to heat the kitchen to the point of being unbearable.

I found this recipe years ago in the Pillsbury 38th BAKE-OFF Contest Cookbook at the market.  I don't make these tasty sandwiches often, but when I do, they are gobbled down as quickly as I can get them to the table.  This recipe gets 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale, plus some more 9's from some of my boy's friends.

As you can see, I almost forgot to take a picture of the first step, which is baking the biscuits according to the package directions.  I always buy the Pillsbury Grands! biscuits so they are large enough to make a decent size sandwich.

For the filling, I began by placing the chicken with the garlic in a large skillet in which I had heated some oil over medium heat.  In this case, I used some already cooked chicken breasts, which I cubed.  The recipe calls for raw chicken breasts that are to be cubed and cooked over high heat with the garlic.  I've done it both ways in the past.  The reason I added the previously cooked chicken to the skillet with the garlic is to allow the chicken to heat as the garlic cooks, which will help meld the flavors.

Once the garlic was cooked and the chicken was heated through, I added the cumin and stirred until the chicken was coated.  The heat of the pan helped sear the seasoning to the chicken.

Then, I added the frozen corn (no need to defrost) and the salsa, mixing thoroughly.  I continued to cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the mixture thickened slightly and the corn was heated through.

To assemble, I cut each biscuit in half crosswise.  I put some of the chicken mixture over the bottom halves, topped them with the top half and added a bit more of the chicken mixture.  I cut each slice of Pepper Jack cheese into 4 strips and criss-crossed 2 of them over the top of each sandwich.  The heat of the sandwich melted the cheese a bit over the top.  The easiest way to eat these tasty sandwiches is with a knife and fork.   These are so tasty, it's next to impossible to eat just one!  Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken Shortcakes

1 can (10.8 oz.) Pillsbury Grands Refrigerated Flaky Biscuits

1 tablespoon oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound) cut into ¾-inch pieces

1 garlic clove, minced

1 ¾ cups thick and chunky salsa

1 cup frozen corn

1 teaspoon cumin

4 oz. sliced Pepper Jack cheese, cut into 1-inch strips

Heat oven to 350°F.  Prepare and bake biscuits as directed on can.  Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Add chicken and garlic; cook and stir 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Add salsa, corn, and cumin; mix well.  Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly.

To serve, split each warm biscuit.  Place bottom halves on individual serving plates.  Spoon half of chicken mixture over biscuits.  Cover with biscuit tops, remaining chicken mixture; top with cheese.