4th of July!

Hope you all had a wonderful Independence day! Mine was great, throwing together some last minute plans with some friends, with good food, good company and of course fireworks! Normally the 4th would mean hot dogs (or brats!) and hamburgers in my family, so this year I wanted to try something new and decided baby back ribs sounded good. Trouble is, we don't have a grill, so I decided to do them in the oven instead, and they turned out delicious! The kids and adults liked them, and they were so packed with flavor. I also made some coleslaw, another first for me, and it turned out pretty good. I didn't cut the cabbage quite thin enough, but it was still very tasty. Sorry the pictures aren't too great this week, I forgot to bring along my camera and had to settle for the one on my phone.

Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients:

• 2 whole slabs pork baby back ribs (or you can substitute beef, but I haven't tried it so I'm not sure how they'd turn out)

Dry Rub:

• 8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 

Braising Liquid:

• 1 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Place each slab of baby back ribs on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle each side generously with the dry rub and pat it into the meat. Top the ribs with another sheet of aluminum foil and fold the edges to seal it. Refrigerate the ribs for a minimum of 1 hour. In a microwavable container, combine all ingredients for the braising liquid. Microwave on high for 1 minute.
Place the ribs on a baking sheet. Open one end of the foil on each slab and pour half of the braising liquid into each foil packet. Tilt the baking sheet in order to equally distribute the braising liquid. Braise the ribs in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. To test to make sure it's done, either cut them in half and check the color, or if you try to twist one of the bones about a third of the way into the rack and it actually gives way and moves, it's done.
Once the ribs are done, transfer the braising liquid into a medium saucepot. Bring the liquid to a simmer (just before a boil) and reduce by half or until of a thick syrup consistency. Brush the glaze onto the ribs. Place under the broiler just until the glaze caramelizes lightly. Keep an eye on them, cause this can happen very fast, and quickly turn to black and burnt! Slice each slab into 2 rib bone portions. Place the remaining hot glaze into a bowl and toss the rib portions in the glaze.

Note: When I made this I completely failed and mixed up my timing and didn't get to the glaze portion as people were so hungry! They were still delicious, but definitely make sure you allow enough time for it to cook! Depending on the size of the rack of ribs it may take longer than the 2 1/2 hours to cook all the way through.

Creamy Cole Slaw

 

• 1 head green cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 large carrots, finely shredded
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons grated Spanish onion
• 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons celery salt
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. You can use the store bought cole slaw mixes, but it's cheaper to do it yourself. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery salt, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl, and then add to the cabbage mixture. Mix well to combine and taste for seasoning; add more salt, pepper, or sugar if desired.