Slow Cooked Baby Back Pork Ribs

Baby Back Pork Ribs are great for parties like the Super Bowl or to finish on the grill in the summer. The ribs themselves are not too expensive ($9-$15 per rack) and two racks will serve about 5-6 people.

If you set it up ahead of time like we did below then this dish is really easy to prepare and you won't waste any time the day of your event.

For dry rub ribs we usually do not use any sauce but if you want some extra kick then we suggest a vinegar type hot sauce like Franks Hot Sauce.

Method

Place a large sheet of aluminium foil across a half sheet pan and place either one or two racks of baby back pork ribs.

The next day bake for 3 hours at 250° F or 2 hours at 300° F.

For the last 15-20 minutes remove the top piece of foil and let brown.

Beans are delicious, hearty, nutritious, rich in protein, budget-friendly and versatile. A perfect part of someone's diet in other words. While you could purchase canned or frozen beans, why not buy a bag of dried beans and cook them yourself. It's easy, relaxing and cheap.

Beans, lentils and peas are all part of the food category legumes. There are many different kinds of beans such a pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, black eyed peas, white beans etc... Since so many different kinds exists you can vary your recipes and try different options. All these different kinds of beans (and chickpeas) are cooked using the same method. Only the cooking time is varied depending on their size.

Sorting
First of all you want to look through your beans to make sure there are no small rocks or pebbles. Mostly you won't find any dirt, but it doesn't hurt to give the beans a quick look.

Soaking
Soaking limits the time the beans need to cook, makes the beans more digestible and some people claim it makes them taste better as well.

There are two basic methods of soaking.
The soaking method that requires the least amount of effort is the long soak. Simply cover the beans in water and soak them overnight (about 8-10 hours). You don't want to soak the beans for too much longer, then they can absorb too much liquid and loose their texture and flavor. If however, you soaked your beans and want to wait to cook them, then drain the beans and store in the fridge until you're ready.

The second method is a little quicker and doesn't require as much preparation. Put the beans in a large pot, add water and bring up to a boil. Let the water boil for about 2 minutes, then remove from the heat, cover the pot and let soak for about 1 hour.

Cooking
No matter which method you used for soaking, you want to use fresh water to cook the beans. So drain the soaking water and refill the pot. If you didn't soak the beans, then that's fine too, they will just take a little longer to cook, make sure you rinse them first.

Use a large pot such as a dutch oven to cook your beans. Make sure to take into account that the beans will expand quite a bit when they cook (one cup of dried beans is about 3 cups cooked), so add enough water. We usually add the beans to the pot and top with water about one inch and a half above the beans. If however, you didn't soak them, then you would need to add about twice that amount of water.

When you cook them, you want to have a gentle simmer and not a rolling boil, a too high boil can split the beans. So simmer the beans gently and skim off any foam as you go along. How long your beans will need to cook depends on how long they soaked as well as their size. They can take anywhere from 1 ½ to 3 hours to become soft. Try them out as they're cooking until they achieve a perfect softness.

Flavoring
Depending on what you're planning to make with your beans, it might be a good idea to add some flavorings. If you are making a pot of beans to serve as is, then you'll want to add plenty of salt and spices. If you are cooking beans with the intention of freezing them or keeping them pretty unflavored, then it would still be a good idea to add some basic herbs.

A basic combination of flavors to add at the beginning of the cooking process includes dried bay leaves, dried thyme or rosemary and whole garlic cloves or onion pieces. Other classic spices include chili pepper and cumin. If you want to provide some more richness to your beans, then add some bacon slices or some salt pork. Add salt when the beans are almost done, this will prevent the skins from becoming tough.

The Cooking Water

The water the beans have been cooking in has taken on their flavor and earthiness. This water will make a nice broth for a bean soup, so don't necessarily drain it once they're done cooking, save it.

Storing

Once your beans are cooked, you can either store them in the fridge for a couple of days or freeze them. Here are some great tips for freezing beans.

This cheese sauce is based on a Béchamel Sauce. We utilize sharp cheddar cheese for this recipe, but any good, flavorful melting cheese can be used, or a combination of various cheeses. Good choices include Emmental, Gouda and Monterey Jack.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon of dry vermouth (or white wine)
• 2 cups of sharp, grated cheddar cheese
• salt, pepper

	Method: Start out with a saute pan on medium heat. Melt the butter, then add the flour and whisk vigorously until a paste forms.
	By letting a paste form and continuing to whisk the flour begins to cook and smell nutty. Once this occurs, add the milk. Once you begin to whisk the milk in the mixture will thicken fast. It will be at its most thick when it is at or near a boil. Add the lemon juice and lower the heat to low. Take off the pan and start to add the cheese slowly.
	First off, add about 2 tablespoons of cheese, then stir and whisk until it’s absolutely incorporated – this may take a minute or two. If your sauce gets a little too cold, place it back on low heat until it’s warm again and stir continuously. Once your cheese is completely integrated, add some more and do the same process over again.
	It’s very important that your sauce doesn’t get too hot, and that you never stop stirring, Don’t add too much cheese at once and always take your time so that each batch is completely melted before you add more cheese.
Once all the cheese is incorporated, add the vermouth and some salt and pepper. Stir and possibly add some more liquid (milk/vermouth/lemon juice depending on the taste) if your sauce is too thick and taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. If you need to keep your sauce warm, then simply keep it on low heat and continue to stir. Another alternative is to pour into a warm thermos and keep on hand. Once the cheese sauce cools off, its consistency might become slightly grainier – so serve this sauce immediately while it’s warm.

Sugar cookie dough is a great way to create all sorts of interesting cookies with the same basic dough. Depending on how you cut the dough, or form certain shapes, the possibilities are endless.

See also:

Making and Decorating Sugar Cookies with Icing

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Method

Place flour, baking powder, and salt in a work bowl, whisk together to combine. Set aside.

Place butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light in color.

Add egg and milk and beat to combine.

Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until the dough comes together.

Place the dough on parchment paper and form into a log. Roll up in the wax paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. This dough can be left in the refrigerator for the next day, or frozen for a month.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Now that the dough has harneded in the refrigerator unwrap the parchment paper and slice your cookies with a sharp knife to about 1/4 inch thick.

Lay out your sliced dough on a cookie sheet and place back in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes.

Then bake for 10-14 minutes.

Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.