Smmmmmmokin!

I realize I have not posted on this blog for a while. A quick peak over at my adoption blog will give you some idea how busy we've been lately!

So, for our anniversary today, I finally got a chance to smoke some baby back ribs. At the types of restaurants where ribs are a popular option, they are usually my 3rd or 4th choice. I order them sometimes, but usually go for something else. The red head loves them, as do a few of my best friends, so I often end up with a shared rib anyway. (OK, pathetic attempt at a very subtle joke).

Quick credit (can't bring myself to say props) to the blog My Husband Cooks for the rib rub recipe (scroll down and you'll see it). Instead of the glaze they use, I left it dry for the smoking, then dipped in Sweet Baby Ray's and Monty Smith's. Yah, I've made some pretty good BBQ sauce on my own before, but just didn't have the gumption this time.

I pretty much used the same technique as I do for pulled pork, but only for about 4 hours. They turned out great - sweet, smoky, and tender.



Here they are plated with some tasty potato skins. These were created from a combination or recipes I found on the web, most closely matching this one. They're crispy, potato-ee, and cheesy. I've learned with a little research that the big secret to good tater skins are in how much potato one removes. Most restaurants are lazy, and don't bother removing much of the potato. Then they become just baked potatoes with cheese and bacon. Far from being real potato skins. Here the are plated with the ribs.



Happy Anniversary! And Happy 1-month birthday, Carmen!