Smoking Pork Ribs

This post is rather specific and concerns a food event I am helping with this weekend for 30+ guests. My job is to smoke 12+ racks of pork ribs in a smoker designed for 4 racks. Rather than cutting the racks in half and placing 2 halves on each shelf (4 total shelves) I have modified my smoker to hang 6 rib full racks at a time x 2 consecutive batches. This will reduce the total time from 18 hours to 10 hours. It’s complicated...because the second stage of smoking is wrapping in foil so I will move the first 6 racks to the bbq kettle for 2 hours then unwrapped and back to the smoker for 1 more hour while I put the 2nd 6 racks in the smoker same as first 6. I am posting some pictures of my modification to hook setup. Next post will be the process and results.
Wish me luck!

More Bacon!

I've been wanting to try these bacon wrapped beef filets for a long time.

3-4 min per side plus a few more minutes around the edges. Sweet Potatoes!

Coals still hot? Use them! Lunch for weekdays.

Grilled bacon wrapped scallops, and garlic zucchini

Pasta Salad with Chicken

Remove skin and bones from half a grilled or roasted chicken and break into bite size.

Chop 2 green onions/scallions into small pieces
Slice 1/2 can black olives in half
Slice marinated artichoke hearts from jar into bite size for 1 cup
Slice mushrooms 1/8 in thick for 1 cup

Prepare Italian salad dressing:

Use 1 package "Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing and Recipe Mix" yielding 8 oz dressing. Follow instructions on package. We use Balsamic vinegar and less oil to more water. This makes much more than you need...use only enough to coat all ingredients.

Boil 1 12-16 oz. package pasta of choice in salted water, we use tri-color rotini .
Drain and rinse with cold water.

Pour all ingredients into mixing bowl and mix well.

Salt and pepper to taste.

This would be all the better with additional ingredients such as broccoli, par-boiled and sliced asparagus, diced sweet peppers, cilantro, peas or any extras of your choice.

I often add crushed red chili peppers or a spice blend at the table to personal preference.

Naw Mai Fan "naw my fawn" (Chinese)

Here is a family favorite adapted from recipes of family members and other research. It is pretty close to one of the dishes we enjoy every year at our Thanksgiving feast in the San Francisco area brought by sister-in-law Mabel from Hong Kong or another family member.
The key ingredient is sticky rice. There are several kinds of sticky rice or glutinous rice. I am attaching a link here if you are interested. http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutinous_rice

I confess I have made it maybe 5-6 times now and the recipe changes a little each time. I use "sweet rice" at the suggestion of my cousin-in-law Jane for several reasons but am told by my sister-in-law that this not true naw mai fan which uses a different variety of rice sold as "glutinous rice" and is steamed for a longer period. I tried it that way the first time I made it and have switched to "sweet" which can be boiled in a pan or rice cooker with less work and good results. It took me about 2 hours all together and has made about 6 servings.

3 cups sweet rice rinsed very well to remove starch.
6 Chinese sausage (Lop Cheung), (not the kind with liver)
2-3 Green onions/scallions washed and sliced small
3 oz  or 1/2 cup dried shrimp
18 Dried black mushrooms or a hand full of dried sliced shitake mushrooms
1 tspn sugar

Liquid ingredients:
3 TBspns reserved water from soaked mushrooms
3 TBspns Soy sauce
2 TBspns Rice wine or pale dry sherry
1 TBspn Sesame oil
1 TBspn Oyster or fish sauce

Soak the mushrooms and shrimp with warm/hot water to cover in separate bowls for 1 hr.

Meanwhile boil the 6 sausage for 20-30 minutes, carefully remove and cut in quarters lengthwise then in 1/4 inch pieces.

Drain the mushrooms remove stems and slice into small strips (save the liquid)
Drain the shrimp and rinse well.

Cook the rice in rice cooker or 2 qt saucepan with equal parts water, covered for 20 minutes or until done (if in pan start on boil and reduce to low)

Simmer the liquid ingredients and the sugar while the rice is cooking not to reduce but to cook off the alcohol.

Place all of the rice, mushrooms, shrimp, green onions in a large mixing bowl begin to mix then pour the liquid ingredients all around and continue to mix thoroughly.

Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with Chinese parsley/cilantro if desired.

I have heard some people add peanuts or chestnuts (not water chestnuts) but I have not tasted or cooked it this way.

We have had this as a simple dinner by itself or as one of many banquet items.

Red Cabbage with Apples (German)

Wash a 2-3 lb red cabbage.
Remove outside leaves, cut in quarters, cut out white core, slice into 1/8 in strips.
Place in large glass bowl and sprinkle with:
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt

Warm 2 Tablespoons Bacon Fat or Lard in large heavy pot.

Meanwhile peel 2 cooking apples such as Granny Smith, core, cut in half and cut into 1/8" slices.
Dice 1 medium onion, red or other. I used 1/2 red onion and one shallot.

Place apples and onions in pot with bacon fat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add the cabbage to the pot along with 1 bay leaf and 1 half teaspoon of ground cloves or 3 whole cloves and one cup boiling water. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer at lowest heat for 1-1/2 - 2 hours.

Remove bay leaf and whole cloves

Mix 3 tablespoons of dry red wine and 3 tablespoons of currant jelly. Add and stir into the cabbage just before serving on a heated platter.

Spring Teaser - Then it rained all week...

Last Saturday our plans were to enjoy a barbecue with a great friend. There are all kinds of great friends but Rich is famous for bringing generous and spectacular ingredients, a bottle of good wine and lots of laughs to our special get-togethers. This time is was four pork loins, several pounds of multi-colored fingerling potatoes, and some huge artichokes.


At the last minute he was reminded he had other plans for the evening. With many sincere apologies he told us there was no way he could stay so we reluctantly prepared the meal without him and packed up some nice leftovers for the next day. I rubbed the loins with some unfamiliar but nice seasoning blends to marinate for the afternoon.

I ran to the market and picked out ingredients for another side dish I have enjoyed with pork chops, ham etc. This was red cabbage cooked with sliced apples, red wine vinegar, red wine, sugar, cloves onions etc. It is a very colorful and tasty sweet-sour accompaniment for the slightly salty seasoned pork. See tomorrow's post for the recipe.