Pork Ribs

For Labor Day, we barbecued pork ribs. I pulled out the old charcoal grill for this one.

First, I got the charcoal going with the goal of getting the grill to 250 degrees. I overshot (it got up over 450) and had to wait for it to cool down.

While the coals burned, I seared the ribs in some oil, meat side down for just a few minutes. Then I added a little bit of seasoning (Lawry's mesquite, I think).

After an hour and a half, the coals were down to 350 and I couldn't wait any more. I pushed all the coals toward the outer edge of the grill so that the ribs would cook by indirect heat. I put the ribs, bone-side down, in the middle of the grill and let them cook for an hour and a half.

After that, they were ready to eat. We had a few bottles of barbecue sauce. The one we liked best is one made with habaneros (although it's not very spicy) that I bought in Austin called Salt Lick.

Buffalo Burgers

Again with the stinky cheeseburger. But this time I made it with ground buffalo. And I took pictures.

The Stuffing

The Grilling

The Finishing

Pork Chops with Grilled Peach & Chipotle Salsa

I got this recipe from the Whole Foods app on my iPhone. It let's you put in a few ingredients you have on hand and gives you a recipe that uses them. I put in peaches and chicken and got this one. The original recipe uses chicken, but I decided to use pork chops instead.

2 ripe peaches, pitted and quartered
Salt and pepper to taste
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 bunch chilantro, chopped
4 boneless pork chops
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Preheat grill. Season peaches with salt and pepper, transfer to grill and cook, turning occasionally, until just blackened, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate, set aside and let cool then roughly chop and transfer to a bowl. Add chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, green onions, cilantro, salt and pepper and toss gently to combine. Set salsa aside.

Toss pork with oil, cumin, salt and pepper and transfer to grill. Cook, flipping once, until just cooked through. Transfer to a platter, spoon salsa over the top and serve.

Fried Dumplings

I think most of you already have my fried dumplings recipe. I recently came up with a very good sauce for them, so I thought I'd share the sauce.

First, in case you don't have the fried dumplings recipe, here it is:

2 lb. ground pork
3-4 chopped green onions
3 leaves Chinese cabbage
1½ tsp. garlic
1 tsp. ginger
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 large mushrooms, finely chopped (optional)
1 egg
1 pinch salt
wonton skins

Mix all ingredients. Form mixture into a small ball and wrap in a wonton skin. Fold the wrapper similar to a diaper. Secure the edges of the wrapper with a small amount of water.

Fry dumplings in a small amount of oil until golden, turning once. Once both sides are golden, add ¼ cup of water and immediately cover the frying pan with a lid. Reduce heat to medium and cook 5-6 minutes. Serve with rice and dumpling sauce or soy sauce.

Here's the sauce:

Mince about a teaspoon of ginger and a couple teeth of garlic. Warm some sesame oil in a saucepan and lightly sauté the ginger and garlic. Before the ginger and garlic burn, but while the heat is still on, add about a cup of low sodium soy sauce. (I found that regular soy sauce is too salty and requires more sugar to balance the salt.) Add a few tablespoons of brown sugar until the sauce is just sweet enough. Remove the sauce from the heat and add some finely chopped green onion and another dash of sesame oil.

If you want to make them spicy (I do), put some chili garlic sauce on your dumplings along with this sauce.

Stinky Peach Burger

I had about 15 minutes to make a quick dinner tonight before McKenzie's soccer practice, so I made a quick variation on Hebe's Stinky Cheeseburger recipe.

I took a turkey burger patty and stuffed some Shropshire Blue cheese into it. (In case you're not familiar with Shropshire Blue, I included a picture. I can sometimes find it at Whole Foods.) I threw that on the grill and dashed on some Texas Pete hot sauce (very much like Frank's Red Hot). I didn't have time to make full-fledged buffalo sauce. While the burger grilled, I toasted my hamburger bun on the grill.

I put some spicy brown mustard on the bottom bun and topped the burger with a fresh sliced peach. (We got a bushel of fresh picked South Carolina peaches last week.) That was it.

The burger was awesome. Multiple flavors blended nicely: the spice of the Texas Pete and mustard, the tang of the cheese, and the sweet of the peach. I will definitely do it again... every year when the peaches are in season.

Carley's Spaghetti

Just as a note, I don't measure most of what I put in here. So start with the measurements I have listed and add more or less to your tastes. The two most important flavors are the brown sugar and the red wine vinegar.

1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
1 onion - chopped
2-14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
2 small cans of mushrooms (I've made will less or none - Hebe doesn't like them)
1-15 oz can tomato sauce
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C red wine vinegar
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves

First, brown your hamburger in a pan with the chopped onion. Brown the meat until it's cooked through and onions are clear-ish. (At this point I take the meat and onions out of the pan an blot with a paper towel to get the excess grease off - you decide)
Next, just dump it all in and mix it around. Play with the flavors a little. Sometimes I add a little salt and more basil and oregano. Like I said you want it a little sweet and a little tangy.

There really isn't a rhyme or reason to this recipe. It's a sort of use what you have and make it taste like you like. It would also be good to use Heather's spaghetti pie recipe with...

Lomo Saltado

This is the Peruvian recipe I made at Mike & Karen's last week. I always substitute chicken for beef, which technically makes it "Pollo Saltado" (Lomo Saltado means "tossed beef").

Aji amarillo can be hard to find. At Mike & Karen's, I had to substitute sweet yellow peppers. They worked fine.

Ingredients

• 1 cup corn oil
• 2 lbs large potatoes, peeled and cut into French-fry sized pieces
• 1 lb beef fillet, cut into little finger-sized slices
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• ½ cup sliced onion
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup chopped fresh tomato
• 1 fresh aji amarillo, seeded and cut into thin slices, or 1 teaspoon dried yellow aji chilli powder

In a wok or skillet heat the oil over moderate heat until hot. Add the potatoes carefully and French-fry them. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Carefully pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil.

Combine the beef, garlic, onion, cumin, salt, and vinegar. Heat the oil in the wok or skillet, add the beef, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, tossing.
Add the tomato and aji and fold in the French fries. Combine gently, frying the saltado for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serve warm, with rice.

Serves 6