Smoked Pulled Pork

Pork Souvlaki w/ Tzatziki

Souvlaki

Tzatziki

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced finely

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 cup greek yogurt, strained

1 cup sour cream

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced

1 tsp. chopped fresh dill

Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Using a whisk, blend the yogurt with the sour cream. Add the olive oil mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Finally, add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill. Chill for at least two hours before serving.

*Recipe courtesy of http://greekfood.about.com/od/dipsspreadspures1/r/Tzatziki.htm

Sweet 'N Sticky Babyback Ribs

I love BBQ. But it has to be good BBQ. We recently moved to Texas and I came with high expectations of indulgent, delicious BBQ. After all, this is cowboy country. So I was heartbroken to discover that I don't like Texas BBQ, at least not that I've tried thus far. Apparently, Texans don't do sweet meat. Seems a cryin' shame to me. So a couple of weeks ago when our friends from Louisiana invited us over for dinner and served us some juicy, tender ribs, slathered in a sticky, sweet sauce, I quickly got over my disappointment. I borrowed their recipe for the sauce with a couple of alterations. Go on and try these. The meat literally falls right off the bones. Who knew oven-baked ribs could taste this good? Okay, I'd better stop. I'm drooling.

Oh, and if you need a side to go with it...those chipotle cranberry corn fritters in the photo were awesome too. I didn't have pine nuts, I added extra cheese, and used about half the amount of cranberries. http://www.oceanspray.com/recipes/Chipotle_Corn_and_Cranberry_Fritters.aspx?id=2866&nid=1

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Ribs:

1 rack (about 2.5 lbs) babyback pork ribs
kosher salt

freshly cracked black pepper (it really kicks the flavor up a notch)

Thaw your ribs. Remove the membrane on the underside of the ribs. The membrane acts as a barrier, so if you don't remove it the seasoning won't get through and your ribs won't be as tender. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, this video will help. http://www.ehow.com/video_2339996_pork-rib-membrane-removal-tips.html ). Put a huge strip of tin foil across a cookie sheet. Rub a generous amount of salt and pepper (and when I say generous, I mean go to town with the pepper. The results are amazing.) all over the ribs. Fold the tin foil up over the ribs and seal making a sort of tent to lock in the moisture, while not touching the meat. Cook 275 degrees in the oven for 3 hours. Remove ribs and baste with bbq sauce (recipe follows). Crank heat up to 325-350 degrees and bake another 30 minutes uncovered, basting every 10 minutes. Then broil for 2-3 minutes, just long enough to caramelize the sauce. Finally, die and go to meat heaven.

BBQ Sauce:

1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. + 2 T. brown sugar
1 T. brown mustard
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. honey + 1 T.

Throw all into a saucepan and stir on high heat until it starts to boil. Remove from heat.