Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs

This post is long overdue. I have been meaning to blog about my recent dinner party but my other hobby which is Card Making took all my attention for the past weeks. I have this Paper Craft blog on the works and also Classes in my place so my foodblog has been put aside for the moment.

I made this Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs for the recent dinner party I hosted. Both my guest and my husband really enjoyed it. This recipe tastes as good as it looks. Fall off the bone tender and succulent. I got the recipe from the Kitchen of One Perfect Bite.  Although I did not follow her Barbecue Sauce recipe and used the store bought barbecue sauce instead, this dish still turned out awesome.  I highly recommend everyone to try it. Next time, I will make the Barbecue Sauce from scratch.

Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs Recipe
Adapted from : the Kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
For Dry Rub
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
For Barbecue Sauce
1 cup ketchup
2/3 cups Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup golden brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
1/4 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup flour
1 (12-oz.) bottle non-alcoholic amber ale
For Baby Back Ribs
2 slabs baby back ribs, silver skin and under flap removed
1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Cooking Directions:
1) To make dry rub: Combine salt, granulated onion, granulated garlic, paprika and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
2) To make barbecue sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients, in the order listed, in a large pot with a heavy bottom. Whisk until smooth. Place pot over low heat and cook for 1 to 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes, until thickened. Set aside. If not using immediately, cool to room temperature and refrigerate.
3) To make the ribs: Rub top surface of ribs with liquid smoke. Sprinkle top surface of each rack with 1 teaspoon dry rub. Turn and sprinkle bottom surface of each rack with 1 teaspoon dry rub. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 250° F. Remove covering from racks. Place on an aluminum foil lined baking pan or cookie sheet. Cover pan with foil and bake in preheated oven for 3-1/2 hours. While ribs are cooking, remove sauce from refrigerator and warm. Remove ribs from oven. Let rest for 10 minutes, remove foil and drain accumulated liquid. Spread both sides of ribs with barbecue sauce, return to oven and bake, uncovered for an additional 30 minutes. Serve hot. Yield: 4 to 6 servings

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Garlic Herb Pork Chops

Sorry, I have been not blogging lately.  I admit, I have been occupied with my other hobby whick is Paper Crafts. But here is a super easy Pork Chop recipe. You will be able to pull out an amazing dinner in no time. I prepared this for a dinner of 4 and they loved it. Since there were only 3 ingredients, this was not difficult at all.  I didn;t even need taking a trip to the store. A very simple recipe yet very flavorful and tasty. Everybody enjoyed this dish.

Garlic Herb Pork Chops Recipe

Source: McCormick

Ingredients:

4 bone-in pork chops, 1/2-inch thick (about 1 1/2 pounds)

4 teaspoons McCormick® Garlic Herb Seasoning
2 tablespoons oil

Cooking Directions: 

1. Coat pork chops evenly on both sides with Seasoning Blend.
2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add pork chops; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until desired doneness, turning once.

3. Serve and enjoy ! Please share!

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Beer Butt Chicken Barbecue

This is my father-in-law's version of the famous Beer Butt Chicken. This barbecue dish is a bit unorthodox but once you have tried this Beer Butt Chicken (some calls it Beer Can Chicken or Drunken Chicken) you will never go back. Don't be intimidated with the name of this dish, it is really simple to make. Just take a chicken, slather with butter or olive oil and meat seasoning, open a can of beer, drink a few glugs then insert the opened can into the cavity of the chicken and off to the grill it goes. The idea is to use the beer can as a tripod where you stand the chicken.  And the beer will help the chicken stay moist while it cooks. The result is an awesome chicken that's moist, and so tender it will fall off the bone! So what are you waiting for, open a beer and grab a whole chicken and let's start cooking!

Beer Butt Chicken Barbecue Recipe

Ingredients:

1 (3½ to 4 lbs) whole chicken

1 cup butter or olive oil
1 (12 oz) can beer (cut off top with a can opener)
2 tablespoons garlic salt or 4 to 5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper or to taste
Fresh or dried herbs of your choice
Coarse salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Cooking Directions:

• Preheat barbecue grill (spray grill  cooking spray). Drink (or pour out) ¼ of the beer from the can.
• Get the chicken ready for cookin'. Trim some of the fat, get rid of the giblets . Rub liberally inside and out the chicken with your favorite meat rub. I prefer olive oil, basil, lots of fresh press garlic, paprika, salt and pinch of cayenne.
• Using a can opener, open up and top off the bear can and drop in the crushed garlic.
• Oil up the can and slide the top of the beer can deep inside the chicken cavity (the head end).  If the opening is especially wide, a carrot or slice of potato can be slid in beside the can to seal off the cavity. Push until the can is almost fully inside the bird. The bottom of the can and the two legs bent slightly downward form a tripod which keeps the chicken upright on the grill.

• Cover barbecue with lid, open any vents, and cook over low to medium heat for approximately 2 to 3 hours (depending on your heat source) or until a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165°F (juices will run clear when cut with the tip of a knife). Check the chicken every 20 minutes or so and brush on more of the butter/seasoning mixture or olive oil as needed. If the chicken is browning too fast, cover the chicken with aluminum foil.
• When the chicken is done, remove from the grill and let the chicken cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the oven).
• Serve and Enjoy !

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Chicken Afritada (Filipino Chicken Stew)

Afritada is an authentic Filipino recipe which can be made in two different versions - Chicken Afritada or Pork Afritada. This Filipino dish is prepared with an interesting blend of ingredients, from soy sauce, tomato sauce and some vegetables. It is a Chicken stew that we  undoubtedly adapted from Spanish cuisine. The Spanish have a similar version of this dish called Pollo Guisado. Here is my version of Chicken Afritada - a very easy to make dish , very tasty and economical.

Chicken Afritada Recipe:

 

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs of chicken, cut into pieces

2 pieces of potatoes,peeled and halved

2 pieces of carrots, peeled and cut into wedges

3 large pieces of fresh tomato ( you can use tomato sauce)

1 medium onions, diced

1 head garlic, minced

1 green and red bell pepper, sliced into strips

2 cups of chicken broth

2 tablespoon of tomato paste

2 tablespoon of fish sauce

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

3 tablespoon of cooking oil

½ cup of frozen green peas

salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions:

• Heat pan, add 2 tablespoon of cooking oil and brown the chicken. Set aside.

• In another pan, heat up 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Sauté  the onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook until tomatoes has caramelized and mushy.  Add the tomato paste and fish sauce. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add the bell pepper, carrots and potatoes. Stir fry for 1 minute before adding the browned chicken.

• Add the chicken broth and season with soy sauce. Continue to simmer on low heat until meat and veggies are fork tender. Add the frozen peas. Cook for 1 more minute. Adjust the seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve hot with white steam rice. Enjoy!

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Chicken Thigh Glazed with Chimichurri Sauce

Chicken Thigh Glazed with Chimichurri Sauce is a quick and easy chicken dish that is perfect for weeknight meal. You can serve this with some Spanish rice or Fried Plantains and you are good to go! A Chimichurri is a popular sauce used in many Latin American cuisine. It is used for marinating or seasoning steak, chicken and chorizo sausages. Chimichurri Sauce/ Marinade is a mixture of chopped parsley and other seasonings, including shallots, garlic, herbs, oil and vinegar.

Chicken Thigh Glazed with Chimichurri Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

5 whole Skinless, Bone-in, Chicken Thighs
1 Tablespoon Goya Adobo
4 Tablespoons Chimichuri Sauce (see Note Below)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Chicken Stock (Beer or White Wine)

Cooking Directions:

• Preheat oven at 350°F.
• Clean and wash the chicken thighs thoroughly. Dry with paper towels.
• Season the chicken with the Goya Adobo seasoning.
• Heat a skillet with olive oil at medium-high heat, lightly brush chicken with chimichurri sauce and brown chicken in the skillet in batches, about 5 minutes. Transfer browned chicken to a glass baking dish.
• When done browning the chicken, de-glazed the skillet with your choice of broth, beer or white wine. Be sure to scrape up all the yummy brown bits.
• Pour broth with yummy browned bits over the chicken.
• Generously brush the chicken with the remaining chimichurri mixture.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until juices run clean, basting periodically.
• Serve with steams rice or rice and beans. Some fried plantains will complete your dish.
• Enjoy and share!

Chimichurri Marinade/ Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup parsley, 1 cup cilantro – finely chopped 
• 2 shallots, minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon of oregano
• ¾ teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon of kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup olive oil

Directions:

• Place chopped parsley and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Add all seasonings to taste. Add vinegar, then slowly whisk in the olive oil until the marinade emulsifies.
• Use the sauce to marinate meat before grilling. (Marinate at least one hour; can marinate up to 8 hours or overnight.)
• Remove meat from the marinade and grill.
• If you like, reserve some marinade and puree it for use as a sauce.

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Gallo Pinto ( Costa Rican Rice & Beans )

Gallo Pinto is considered the national dish of Costa Rica. Gallo Pinto is served all throughout Latin America, though each country names it differently. Cubans call it "Congris" and in some parts of Nicaragua it is called " arroz y frijoles"- meaning "rice with black beans".  I had a chance to taste this Authentic Costa Rican dish when we stayed on a very quaint B&B in El, Valle - one of the highlands of Panama. The owner of the B&B place is  a Costa Rican and he served this delicious and hearty breakfast. He said Gallo Pinto means " spotted rooster" , I was expecting a meat but I was amazed to learned that it was actually "meat-free". It is a very tasty rice dish with beans, herbs and spices. I highly recommend this for you to try, it is super easy to prepare. For Asians like me, the cooking technique is like cooking fried rice.  Only, the spices are different.

Gallo Pinto ( Costa Rican Rice & Beans ) Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup white  rice
½ vegetable or chicken broth or knorr cubes
1 cup of black beans
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon  ground coriander
2 dried ancho chilie peppers ( remove seeds or substitute with bell peppers)
1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
1 large onion (finely chopped)
3 cloves garlic ( minced)
1/3 cup cilantro ( finely chopped)
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Direction:

The Beans

• Soak beans for 8 hours. Refrigerate.
• After soaking, change the water and add 6 cups of water and bring to simmer for around 90 minutes. Check water once in a while. Check beans for doneness. You can do this step on pressure cooker or crock pot.
• Reserve beans with some of the water.

The Rice

• Cook rice with the dissolve broth cubes. ( I used 1 part ratio for rice and cooked in a rice cooker)
•  Refrigerate the cooked rice overnight.

Gallo Pinto

• Heat pan with vegetable oil. When oil is hot, add onion. Sauté for 5 minutes or until onion turns translucent.
• Add garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander and bell peppers. Sauté for another minute. Add more vegetable oil if necessary.
• Add the cooked rice and stir fry for 1 minute, breaking up any chunks.
• Once all the rice change color, add the cooked beans, starting with 1 cup. Make sure the ratio of beans will not over power the rice. Add 2-3 tablespoon of the bean water. Combine the rice and beans evenly and cook until mixture is heated through.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro.
• For breakfast, serve this with scramble egg, fried plantains and chorizo.
• Enjoy and share!

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Chicken Marinated in Wine

This Roast Chicken Recipe with red wine marinade  is good on anything from chicken or turkey breast to chicken thighs. I got this recipe from a Spanish Recipe magazine. It was a challenge for me because I had to find English translations for the ingredients and cooking directions. Well, I made that easy for you now because I am posting the English version. This recipe came out so good, it was super moist and flavorful and very easy to prepare. I will be posting the roasted potato side dish soon. Give this recipe a try and let me know how it turned out.

Chicken Marinated in Wine Recipe

Ingredients:

1  (3-4 lbs) whole chicken
1-½ cup of red wine
1 cup of thinly sliced red onion
1 teaspoon of thyme
2 tablespoon of olive oil
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoon of unsalted butter


Cooking Directions:

• Combine first 9 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator for 4 hours or up to 24 hours; turning occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Place the chicken on a buttered baking dish. Reserve marinade. 
• Bake chicken for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the juices runs clear.
• Bring the reserve marinade sauce to boil. Let it simmer under low fire  for 10 minutes or until reduced to half.
• Strain reduced sauce and return to pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
• Add remaining butter to the reduced sauce and stir continuously until butter is melted. Reserve.
• Once chicken is cooked ( should registed 160°F). Remove chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.
• Serve with the reserved marinade sauce and roasted potato on the side.
• Enjoy and share!

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Filipino Pork Barbecue ( Pinoy BBQ)

Filipino Pork Barbecue is a favorite appetizer (pulutan ) and street food in the Philippines. This authentic Filipino recipe is a very popular and a requested dish during parties or potlucks. This is a very delicious and easy to prepare dish. There are many variations of this Pinoy recipe but this is basically made with pork, marinated in a sweet and sour sauce, skewered and grilled. Give it a try and do not forget to share with others.

Filipino Pork Barbecue Recipe

Ingredients:

2 pounds of pork cut into cubes ( I prefer combination of pork butt and pork belly)
1 small onions, minced
1 cup soy sauce
1 whole garlic, peeled and smashed
¼ cup of calamansi juice or lemon juice
½ cup of 7Up or Sprite soda/pop
1 cup of Banana Sauce (Ketchup)
5 tablespoon of dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of sesame oil

bamboo skewers- soaked overnight

Directions:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except pork and cooking oil. Mix thoroughly.
• Add the pork cubes, make sure that it is well coated. Marinade for a minimum of an hour, preferably overnight on the fridge.
• Pre-heat grill. Skewer the marinated pork.
• Bring the marinade mixture to boil. Let it simmer until it is reduced to half. Transfer into a bowl and add oil. Mix well. This would be used as a glazed for the barbecue.
• Grill pork barbecue for about 5 minutes each side. Brush both sides with the prepared barbecue glaze.
• Serve hot with Green Papaya Pickle ( Atsara ) or your favorite Dipping Sauce.
• Share and Enjoy!

Note:

• Easy Dipping sauce would be a mixture of crushed garlic,minced onions, red chili pepper and sugar cane vinegar. Pinch of sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
• Use charcoal grill for best authentic taste.

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Bistek Tagalog (Filipino Beef Steak)

Bistek Tagalog or Filipino Beef Steak is one of my husbands favorite Filipino dish next to Chicken Adobo. It is made with thinly sliced beef marinated in calamansi or lemon juice, soy sauce and garnished with caramelized onion rings. It is truly amazing how so few ingredients can make something so very good. Give this a try because this is definitely a winner.

Ingredients:

1 lb of beef sirloin, thinly sliced and tenderized
¼ cup of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce (optional)
1 large onion (sliced into rings)
1 lemon (zest and juice) or 4 pieces of calamansi juice
1 teaspoon of black pepper
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
3 tablespoon cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste


Cooking Directions:

• Marinade the beef in soy sauce, oyster sauce, calamansi or lemon juice and crushed garlic  for several hours or overnight.
• Heat pan with  vegetable oil. Add the onion rings and fry for 1 minute. Drain in a paper towel and set aside.
• Remove beef from marinade. Using the same pan, under medium high heat, fry the marinated beef until brown about 3 minutes each side. Set aside.
• Pour the marinade mixture on the pan. Allow to simmer until reduced. Then add the fried beef. Cook for 1 more minute.
• Serve over white steam rice. Garnished with caramelized onion rings. Enjoy !

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