Texas Pork Ribs and Mexican grilled Corn

Last year I kinda went on a ribs kick and every time we went out to eat, I wanted ribs! I know, real girly right? The servers were always a little confused when they brought out the meals and the ribs were for me. Anyway, I went searching for a great ribs recipe, and this is what I found. It totally lived up to all my expectations! You get really messy eating them, but it wouldn't be a true ribs experience if you didn't! I like to grill corn on the cob when I make these ribs, Tyler Florence has a great recipe for Mexican grilled corn that I've used many times.

Texas Pork Ribs
recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 6 pounds pork spareribs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder

Sauce (or you can cheat and just buy bbq at the store)

• 5 tablespoons pan drippings
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups ketchup
• 3 cups hot water
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup wood chips, soaked
  

Directions

1. Clean the ribs, and trim away any excess fat (rinse and pat dry, then remove membrane). In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, 1/4 cup salt, ground black pepper, paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Coat ribs liberally with spice mix. Place the ribs in two 10x15 inch roasting pans, piling two racks of ribs per pan. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Bake uncovered for 3 to 4 hours, or until the ribs are tender and nearly fall apart.
3. *Remove 5 tablespoons of drippings from the bottom of the roasting pans, and place in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion in pan drippings until lightly browned and tender. Stir in ketchup, and heat for 3 to 4 more minutes, stirring constantly. Next, mix in water and brown sugar, and season to taste with cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, adding water as necessary to achieve desired thickness.
4. Preheat grill for medium-low heat.
5. When ready to grill, add soaked wood chips to the coals or to the smoker box of a gas grill. Lightly oil grill grate. Place ribs on the grill two racks at a time so they are not crowded. Cook for 20 minutes, turning occasionally. Baste ribs with sauce during the last 10 minutes of grilling, so the sauce does not burn.

*I have to be honest, I haven't actually made the sauce like the recipe calls for, I just cheat and buy store bought bbq sauce.

I've made these ribs quite a few times and always get rave reviews! So if you're a ribs girl like me, give them a try!


Mexican Grilled Corn
recipe from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• 4 ears corn
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 lime, juiced
• Red chili powder, to taste
• 2 limes cut into wedges, for garnish

Directions

Remove the husks of the corn but leave the core attached at the end so you have something to hold onto. Grill the corn on a hot grill or cast iron griddle pan until slightly charred. Turn it so it gets cooked evenly all over. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and cilantro together. Grate the Parmesan in another bowl. While the corn is still warm slather with mayonnaise mix. Squeeze lime juice over the corn and shower with Parmesan. Season with chili powder and serve with extra lime wedges.