We don’t cook baby back ribs that often, but when we do, we usually do a wet marinade. This time we decided to try our hands at creating a Memphis style rub for a change of pace and it turned out quite delicious. We cooked the ribs on the grill, but we didn’t put them directly on the rack, but instead used a foil-lined baking sheet. They turned out to be moist and tender with just enough spice to have a little zing. The rub is something that could be used on different types of meat such as pork or chicken as well. We matched it with a Southwestern Pasta Salad that we’ll share the recipe for next week.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Rack of Baby Back Ribs – membrane removed
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Paprika (we used a hot paprika, but smoked paprika is fine)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Coriander
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper or to taste
1/4 tsp All-Spice
1 tbsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all of the spices in a bowl. Using your hands, rub the ribs generously with the spice mixture. Let the ribs marinade in the rub for 2 to 4 hours in order to let the flavors absorb into the meat. Heat a grill to a medium-low heat, about 325 degrees. Place the ribs, bone-side down, on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with a non-stick spray. Set the baking sheet onto the grill and close the lid, keeping the heat around 325 degrees. After 10 minutes, flip the ribs to meat-side down. After another 10 minutes flip the ribs back to bone-side down. Cook another 10 minutes and remove from the grill. Let the ribs rest for about 5 minutes, then cut into individual ribs and serve.
Memphis Style RubRibs with RubBarbequed Baby Back RibsRibs with Pasta Salad
Over the summer, when we were in Fort Collins, Colorado, we had ordered shrimp and grits at Jax Fish House. It was a special that they were experimenting with and we had talked to the chef about it after our meal, which was very gracious of him. In the spirit of “imitation is the greatest form of flattery”, we decided to do our own variation on their recipe. We found the Tabasco butter to be a little too oily, so we chose to do Hollandaise with a Louisiana pepper sauce instead. The Hollandaise sauce turned out nice because it gave a little bit of a lemon taste to the shrimp, but it still had some heat. We also used some Old Bay Seasoning on the shrimp, a little reminder to our east coast roots. We’re not sure if they used cheese in their grits or not, but who can argue with a little cheese. The centerpiece was the soft-boiled egg that had been fried. We have to admit, trying to replicate that was quite the challenge and took us a couple of tries. In the end, we think we hit the mark, perhaps not the same as the original, but we quite enjoyed it. We hope that you will as well. 🙂
Shrimp and Grits with a Fried Soft Boiled Egg
Ingredients
3/4 cup Quick Grits
3 cups Water
1 cup Whole (or Skim) Milk
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Hollandaise Sauce (Packaged or Homemade)
1 – 3 tbsp Louisiana Pepper Sauce (or Tabasco)
4 Soft Boiled Eggs
1/2 cup Flour
2 Eggs – whisked
1/2 cup Panko (or Bread Crumbs)
2 lbs Large Shrimp
1 – 2 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tbsp Fresh Parsley – finely chopped
Salt and Pepper
Shrimp with Old Bay Seasoning
Instructions
This is one of those meals that has a lot of things that have to come together at the same time, but if you do them in the right order, it all comes together quite well. We’ve given the instructions for each of the pieces, but we recommend that you do the steps in a specific order, multitasking whenever possible. First, soft boil the eggs. When the eggs are done, start cooking the grits and bring the oil up to temperature to fry the eggs. While the grits are cooking, prepare the Hollandaise sauce. When the grits are done, start sautéing the shrimp. When the shrimp are done, fry the eggs and then set them aside on a paper towel to dry while you plate the meal.
Fried, Soft Boiled Eggs – For the soft-boiled eggs, bring a small pot of water to a boil and carefully add the 4 eggs to the boiling water, cook for 6 minutes and immediate place the eggs into an ice bath. In a fryer or sauce pan, heat vegetable oil to approximately 350 degrees. Roll the eggs in the flour, then the whisked egg, and the Panko in order to batter them. Carefully place the eggs into the oil and fry for no more than 2 minutes. You may need to roll the eggs over to ensure that they brown evenly.
Fried Soft-Boiled Egg
Cheesy Grits – In a sauce pan, over medium-high heat, add the 3 cups of water plus a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Add the grits and milk to the water, bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 4 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add a pinch of pepper and the cheese, stirring constantly until the cheese has fully melted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Cheese and Grits
Hollandaise Sauce – Prepare the Hollandaise sauce according to the package or directions and then add the pepper sauce (adding more or less to your desired heat), stirring to mix completely.
Hollandaise Pepper Sauce
Sautéed Shrimp – In a large skillet, add the oil and butter and heat on medium heat until the pan is hot. Add the shrimp and Old Bay Seasoning and cook until the shrimp are pink and translucent, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Once cool enough to handle, remove the shells and set aside.
Sautéed Shrimp
To plate the meal, place the desired amount of grits on the center of the plate, add 1/4 of the shrimp to the grits. Cut one of the eggs in half and place on the grits. Pour Hollandaise sauce around the grits (and over top of the shrimp, if you’d like). Sprinkle with parsley and a little Old Bay Seasoning. Makes 4 servings.
