Cocoa-Cola Baby Back Ribs

It's May!!!! In Memphis that means sun, fun, festivals, and none other than what we're famous for: BBQ! I tell every out of town friend I have, if you visit Memphis, make sure it's in May! Every weekend, there's something fun going on, but the biggest weekend yet is the World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest! Tents line Tom Lee Park along the river with the smell of BBQ in the air. The entire week is one big party and some serious competition! 

Tres and I go every single year, spending a lot of our time at our good friends' tent, Pigs Gone Wild. Those guys are a blast, and to go along with them having a tent bursting with celebration, they can also cook some mean BBQ! BBQ Fest... It's literally the BEST WEEKEND IN MEMPHIS! So in honor of the weekend coming up, I'm doing my own version of ribs. Cocoa-Cola Ribs are exactly what they sound like... A little bit of chocolate and a little bit of Coke make these guys sweet, hearty, and will always make me think of the city I live in and love!

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!!!! 

Grocery List (4 people): 

• 2 racks baby back ribs

• 4 tbsp good quality unsweetened cocoa powder

• 3 tbsp brown sugar

• 2 tbsp salt

• 2 tsp liquid smoke

• 2 tsp all spice

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1 1/2 cup regular coke

• 4 medium onions - roughly chopped into large pieces

• 1 cup good quality barbecue sauce

Directions: 

1. Rinse the ribs and pat dry with paper towels. Mix the cocoa, brown sugar, salt, liquid smoke, all spice, paprika, and pepper together in a bowl. Rub the mixture onto the ribs and press to adhere. Cover ribs and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

2. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Prep two baking pans by pouring 3/4 cup of coke into each pan. Add the chopped onions over the coke. Place the ribs on top of the onions. Cover the pan tightly with foil. Roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until meat is tender and almost falling off the bone (I like my ribs to still have substance to them.. Not quite falling off the bone). 

3. Using tongs, move ribs to a baking sheet lined with foil. Strain the onions from the coke. Reserve 1/4 cup of the coke and mix with barbecue sauce. Brush a thick layer of the sauce onto ribs. 

4. Put ribs back in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve with the extra cola-barbecue sauce on the side! 

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!! 

Andrea's Cooktales - Series 2, Episode 5 - Cocoa-Cola Baby Back Ribs

GET THE FULL RECIPE HERE! 

Apple Arugula & Orange-Bourbon Slaw

Living in Memphis, every BBQ place is unique and everyone has their favorites. I've grown up going to so many of them and am no exception. Any time I cook anything BBQ related, it takes my mind to the sweet city of Memphis. Every slaw recipe is so different, no matter where you go. Mine has an even bigger twist to it, but it's so very "sweet," just like the great city of Memphis.

Grocery List:

• 1 large Granny Smith apple - julienned

• 2 cups arugula - chopped thin

• 1 small carrot - peeled and grated

• 2 green onions - sliced thin

• 1/4 cup OJ

• 2 tbsp bourbon

• 2 tbsp mint - chopped

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tsp honey

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt • 1/4 tsp pepper

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Directions:

1. In a large bowl, toss together the apple, arugula, carrot, and onion.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the OJ, bourbon, honey, mint, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper.

3. Pour the dressing over the apple mixture and toss together.

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4. Taste for seasoning. Add more salt if needed.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!

Best Memphis Burger Fest -- Fun to be a Judge

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One thing I've learned about having a cooking blog... There are definitely perks. And in "perks" I'm talking about free food tasting! This past weekend, I had the honor of judging the third annual Best Memphis Burger Fest, and I've never eaten so many delicious burgers in my life! The burger festival was held in the parking lot of Minglewood Hall with more than 20-something tents and fired-up grills. When I stepped out of the car, there was no denying burgers were being cooked as their juicy, charred smell filled the air. The categories of the burger fest included Best Burger, Best Bloody Mary, Best Veggie Burger, and Best Anything-But (Beef) Burger. I judged the Anything-But category, and loved it! It was so much fun to see how creative people got with the challenge of creating a burger NOT made of typical beef. As judges, we were given four boxes with one whole burger for each of us. That means, we each got one whole burger to ourselves (x4). Nothing wrong with having four burgers to eat! We judged the burgers on appearance, taste, and tenderness. I have to say, being a burger-taster was one of the more fun jobs I've had in life!

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But you don't have to be a judge to enjoy delicious burgers at this festival! If you live in Memphis, and you didn't attend the burger fest this year, you should most definitely attend next! You pay a small fee to get in the gate, and for a small donation, you try different burgers from the contestants all day long! The best part?! The proceeds went to the Tunica Humane Society, the Streetdog Foundation, and the Fayette County Animal Rescue, so a small fee was paid to eat burgers all day and help sweet whittle babies! What an amazing event!! I also must give a huge shout-out to my friends, Pigs Gone Wild (aka PGW), who absolutely killed it in their very first year entering Memphis Burger Fest! They took home 10th PLACE in the Best Bloody Mary category and 6th PLACE in Best Burger. I saw the magic that went into their burger making and know their honors were WELL deserved! Congrats guys!!!!

CHEERS TO HAPPY BURGER EATING & ANIMAL RESCUE!!!

Balsamic BBQ Meatballs with Rudolph's Pork Rinds

These one of a kind meatballs are my final recipe that was featured on Local Memphis Live last week. A sweet and tangy balsamic BBQ sauce gives these meatballs a fun twist, but it's really the pork rinds that make this recipe stand out. Pork rinds in meatballs?!?!?! What in the world?! Well, traditionally breadcrumbs are featured in meatballs, and we've all had a BBQ flavored meatball so put the two together and you have quite a unique meatball! Pork rinds were a fun subject for me to discuss on the Local Memphis Live segment because it immediately brought back a childhood memory. When I think or pork rinds I think of being a kid on a road trip. When I was a kid, we would go on summer trips to the beach, and what I remember most were the gas station stops. We would make pit stops and stock up on snacks for the car. As strange as it may sound, pork rinds were always a family favorite. I've grown up eating pork rinds, so cooking with them made a lot of sense!

Grocery list (makes about 20 meatballs):

Sauce:

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup balsamic

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp Dijon

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tbsp Worcestershire

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

Meatballs:

1/2 lb pork

1/2 lb ground beef

1/3 cup grated onion

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 cup parm

1 tbsp cream or milk

1 egg - beaten

2 tbsp basil - minced

1 tsp salt

1 cup Rudolph's Original Pork Rinds (or breadcrumbs) 

Directions:

Step 1:

Start by making the sauce. In a small saucepan, whisk together the ketchup, balsamic, brown sugar, Dijon, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic power, and salt. Set over low heat and whisk until smooth.

Step 2:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the meatball mixture. In a mixing bowl, combine the pork, beef, onion, garlic, parm, cream, beaten egg, basil, and salt with a fork. Don't over mix. In a plastic bag, crush your pork rinds into very fine crumbs. You can also do this in a food processor. Add the crushed pork rinds and combine the mixture with your hands. Again, don't over mix. Just mix together until well combined.

Step 3:

Make your balls. You can use your hands but I like to use a small ice cream scoop so they're all the same size. Place meatballs on a baking sheet and spoon a small amount of the Balsamic BBQ sauce over each ball. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Serve extra sauce alongside for dipping.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!

Jalapeño Cheese Grits w/ Rudolph's Hot & Spicy Pork Rinds

My second live TV segment aired today on Local Memphis Live on Channel 24! It's been so much fun cooking on TV and sharing fun recipes with local Memphians. Today I cooked with Rudolph's famous Pork Rinds. I shared three recipes on the segment but I'm going to start by sharing the grits on the blog. These grits are extra creamy with a hint of crunch from the pork rinds. The combination may sound strange but creamy and crunchy together are quite the match! Grits remind me of the time Tres and I went with two of our good friends to Charleston. It was Tres' 30th birthday, and since he was born in Charleston, I planned a surprise trip for him. He was ecstatic and we had the best time. And guess what?! I decided on that trip that I really liked grits! I think I'd like to dare someone to eat grits and not think of Charleston. It'd be impossible.. The two go hand in hand.

Stay tuned for more of my "Rudolph's Pork Rind" recipes this week!

Grocery List (4 people):

1 cup of Stone Ground Grits

3 cups milk

1 cup cream

1 1/2 tsp salt - or to taste

1 large jalapeño - seeded and chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup Gouda cheese - grated

1 cup Rudolph's Hot & Spicy Pork Rinds - crumbled

Directions:

Step 1:

Heat milk and cream in a large saucer pan over medium high heat. When the liquid starts to get hot, pour in the grits. Whisk grits together with the liquid. When the grits start to bubble, turn down the heat to low.

Let the grits cook on low for about 8-10 minutes, stirring every 1-2 minutes.

Step 2:

While the grits are cooking, sautée your chopped jalapeño over medium heat until soft.

Step 3:

Stir the sautéed jalapeños and the cheese into the grits. Taste and add more salt if needed.

**Note: if the grits start to get hard, add more milk to the mixture and stir. There's nothing worse than "un-creamy" grits, and it's very easy for grits to get hard, as they soak up any liquid put in them very quickly.

Step 4:

Serve grits by putting in a family size bowl or small separate bowls and top with the crumbled Rudolph's Hot and Spicy Pork Rinds and parsley for garnish.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!

Smoky Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates

Some "cooktales" are a little more special than others. Last weekend, I cooked for a very special occasion: my brother'a wedding. It was my first catering job of sorts, and the food got rave reviews which made me more than happy. This recipe happened to be the hit of the wedding food spread. It's one of the quickest, easiest recipes I've ever created, and people will think you spent hours making it taste so great!

Grocery List:

20-30 dates - pit removed and sliced in half Smoked salt

8-10 oz goat cheese - room temperature

1/4 cup milk

40-60 whole pecans - roasted

Balsamic glaze - for drizzling

Directions:

Step 1

Heat a grill pan to high heat and brush the pan with olive oil. Lightly salt each date half with the smoked salt (they look like little bugs... Don't be alarmed. Haha!)

 Step 2

When grill pan is hot, grill the dates. Start cut side down and grill for one minute on each side or until dates have dark char marks. Set dates aside and let cool.

Step 3

Mix the milk and goat cheese together until smooth. Fill each date with about 1 tsp of the goat cheese mixture.

Step 4

Lightly sprinkle more smoked salt over the goat cheese. Top each date half with one roasted pecan and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!

Mango Salsa Halibut with Pink Peppercorn Brussel Salad

As a self-proclaimed "chef," there are a lot of things I don't want y'all to know about me. But I'm going to tell ya anyway. One of those things is that I used to be an incredibly picky eater. Picky as in pepperoni pizza only, chicken strips with BBQ sauce only, hamburgers and hot dogs plain unless they were chili-cheese coated, no salads because I hated dressing, no sandwiches unless they were on "sub" bread because regular bread grossed me out as did mayo and mustard, no cheese unless it was on pizza, and never ever in a million years get fish of any kind near me - no, not even sushi.

Ew, ew, ew. That was my response to nearly everything. But there was a reason I was so picky. There's only ONE reason for a picky eater: they refuse to try anything new. They claim to "not like" certain foods, but I bet if you ask them if they've ever tried what they're claiming to "not like," I bet 99% of the time they haven’t. Ultimately, they shut themselves off from an incredible food society. I mean, I understand that we all go through a time in our lives - as children - that certain foods gross us out, but the reality is, if we never try new foods, we will never recover from the picky eater stage. I recovered. Thank goodness.

I have a low tolerance for picky eaters and I don’t feel bad about it because I used to be one. If you’ve tried it and you don’t like it, then “ewwwww” away! I realize as humans there will always be one or two or several foods all of our taste buds just don’t comprehend. Mine is blue cheese. I don’t care how much someone tells me I will love blue cheese one day, I know deep down inside of my soul it will never happen. However, if you say ew to something and I ask you if you’ve ever tried it and you say no, I have nothing for you.

The purpose of the cooktale and how it even relates to this recipe is that seven years ago, I would’ve turned my nose up to just about every ingredient in this dish, but thanks to my husband, I will now eat anything (except blue cheese). He, the non-picky eater that he is, encouraged me to try new foods and brought me to some of my very favorites that I never in a million years thought I would like. I’m talking escargot, bone marrow, duck liver, sweet breads… I mean, let’s get real, if a set of eye balls are on a platter, presented beautifully and someone tells me they’re delicious, I will at least try them. Trying these new, adventurous foods led me to discover my inner chef. I truly thank my sweet husband for helping me discover my love of food. In my opinion, he is responsible for every recipe I have ever created. He’s the reason I spend hours in the kitchen with a smile on my face because I can’t think of a happier place to be, and he’s the reason this blog even exists.

Grocery List:

Halibut:

• 1 small mango – cut into small cubes

• 1 small avocado – cut into small cubes

• 1 small jalapeno – seeded and chopped

• 1 green onion – chopped (white and green parts)

• 2 tbsp cilantro – chopped

• 1 lemon – zested and juiced

• Kosher salt

• Pepper

• 4 Halibut filets

• 2 tbsp olive oil

Brussels:

• 1 tbsp good quality, fruity olive oil

• 1 lb of brussel sprouts - sliced very thin

• Kosher salt

• Pepper

• 1 tsp of pink peppercorns – crushed (if you don’t have these, you can omit)

• ½ lemon – juiced

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp agave nectar

Directions:

1. Make the salsa by adding all the chopped ingredients to a bowl. Then add the lemon zest, juice, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Stir and set aside.

(Remember: Mangoes have a long flat seed in the middle, so you have to slice around it and also remove the skin. Also, avocados have a pit. The best way to cube these are to cut the avocado in half, take the pit out with your knife, then cut little rows in both directions of each half, creating squares, and scoop them all out with a spoon, directly into the bowl). 

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub each side of the halibut with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let bake for 10-12 minutes or until flaky.

3. Thinly slice the brussels. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add brussels with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Toss around and let cook for about 5-7 minutes or until a little bit brown on the edges. Set aside and let come to room temperature.

4. Make the dressing by crushing the peppercorns into a bowl. Then, add the lemon juice, vinegar, agave, salt, and pepper. Finally, whisk in the olive oil to combine.

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Once the brussels are cooled, add the dressing and toss together. At this point, taste the brussels. It’s important to never serve until you have tasted – you may need to add more salt.

To plate: Put the brussels down first, put the fish atop the brussels and top the fish with the salsa.

CHEERS TO HAPPY EATING!!!