Weekday Ribs
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup barbecue dry rub seasoning
2 slabs pork baby back ribs (about 3 to 4 pounds total)
Vegetable oil, for grates
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
Preheat an oven to 300°F.
Place each slab of ribs on a double layer of aluminum foil. Evenly slather both sides with the mustard. Generously season the ribs with the dry rub. Tightly wrap each slab of ribs in the foil and place on a baking sheet. Cook until meat pulls away from the bone and is easily pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat a clean grill to medium-high with the lid closed for 8 to 10 minutes. Lightly brush the grates with oil.
Carefully remove ribs from foil, pouring off any liquid. Brush the barbecue generously on both sides of the ribs.
Place the ribs on the grill. Close the lid and cook the ribs until sauce begins to bubble and brown around the edges, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve ribs with extra sauce, if desired.
Serves 4.
Cooking Tips:
For Memphis-style dry ribs, leave off the barbecue sauce and add extra dry rub prior to grilling the ribs.
Use your favorite homemade or bottled barbecue sauce in this recipe.
Homemade BBQ Sauce
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
In a large saucepan combine the ketchup, water, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, red pepper flakes, onion powder, dry mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Over high heat, bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Mexican Corn-on-the-Cob
From “Simply Grilling” by Jennifer Chandler
Every time I go to Las Tortugas, an authentic Mexican deli in Germantown, TN, I order their “Elote.” This sweet yet fiery corn-on-the-cob is a popular street food in Mexico. Luckily for us, this deliciously different dish is easy to make at home.
Vegetable oil, for the grates
4 large ears corn, shucked
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 cup cojita cheese, crumbled
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
Cayenne pepper
4 lime wedges
Preheat a clean grill to medium-high with the lid closed for 8 to 10 minutes. Lightly brush the grates with oil.
Brush the corn with the butter. Grill the corn, turning occasionally, until just tender and slightly charred on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. Remove from the grill.
Spread the cheese on a large plate. While the corn is still warm, spread 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise evenly over each cob. Roll the cob in the cheese, sprinkle with the cayenne pepper to taste, and finish with squeeze of lime.
Serves 4.
Cooking Tip: Cotija cheese is a salty semi-hard, crumbly cheese that resembles grated Parmesan. Grated Parmesan or crumbled Feta are acceptable substitutes.
Variation: Want a simple grilled corn? Minus the toppings, this is the basic technique for grilling corn-on-the-cob.
Grilled Peaches and Pound Cake
Vegetable oil, for the grates
4 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 pound cake loaf (homemade or store-bought), sliced 3/4 inch thick
1 pint vanilla ice cream
4 tablespoons honey
Preheat a clean grill to medium with the lid closed for 8 to 10 minutes. Lightly brush the grates with oil.
Brush the cut sides of each peach half and both sides of the pound cake slices with the melted butter.
Place the peaches on the grill, cut-side down. Close the lid and cook until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until the peach softens and is just heated through, 4 minutes more. Remove the peaches from the grill.
Grill the pound cake slices until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes on each side. Place 2 cake slices on each plate, spoon on the grilled peaches, top with ice cream, and drizzle with the honey. Serve warm.
Serves 4.
Cooking Tip: When buying peaches, look for fruit with a fragrant aroma and flesh that yields a bit when pressed gently. If a peach is rock-hard or mushy, don't buy it.
Variation: Most stone fruits are delicious grilled. Try substituting nectarines, plums, or apricots for the peaches.
Pete’s Baked Beans
1 can (15-ounce) black eyed peas, drained
1 can (15-ounce) black beans, drained
1 can (15-ounce) red kidney beans, drained
1 can (15-ounce) pinto beans, drained
1 bottle (12-ounce) chili sauce
4 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 pound bacon (about 10 slices), cooked, drained on paper towels, and crumbled
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion (one small onion)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Hot sauce, to taste
Preheat a clean grill to medium-high with the lid closed for 8 to 10 minutes.
Place the black eyed peas, black beans, red kidney beans, pinto beans, chili sauce, yellow mustard, brown sugar, bacon, and onion in a cast-iron Dutch oven. Stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place the pan directly on the grates and close the lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded and the beans have slightly softened, about 30 to 35 minutes. Season with hot sauce is desired.
Serves 6 to 8.
Cooking Tip: I usually have this dish cooking off to one side of my grill while I am cooking the entrée on the other side.
Variation: For a vegetarian version, omit the bacon.
