Month: June 2021

Smoked Ribs with a Cocoa Dry Rub

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Cocoa Smoked Ribs

I love using my smoker. It’s an easy way to cook something and be able to do other things since you don’t have to watch it. Plus cooking meats in a smoker imparts some amazing flavors and keeps the meat moist and tender.

Ribs of course are a go to summer barbecue staple. They are simple to make and cooking them in a smoker is easy to do and frees you up to do other things while they are cooking.

Cocoa Dry Rub

The cocoa dry rub takes just a few minutes to mix together and rub on the rack of ribs. Don’t worry about getting all the lumps out of the brown sugar, you are going to rub this into the ribs.

Ribs with Cocoa Dry Rub

Once you’ve trimmed the sinew and excess fat off the ribs, place them on a long piece of plastic wrap. Rub half the rub mixture into each side of the ribs.

Now wrap the ribs up tight in plastic wrap, put them on a plate and refrigerate overnight.

Ribs Ready to Smoke

The next day, remove the ribs from the refrigerator and the plastic wrap and place it bone side down on a smoker rack.

Now get your smoker ready according to manufacturer instructions, preheat it to 225 degrees and do a chip burn. Add the ribs when the smoker is ready.

I like to use hickory and cherry wood chips for my Cocoa Dry Rub Ribs, but use what wood you like. I also only fill my wood chip pan about half full. I like the smoke flavor, but I don’t want it overwhelming.

Smoked Ribs

After about 4 1/2 hours you will have deliciously smoked and tender ribs. These are tasty on there own, or try them with a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce.

I like to make Grilled Loaded Potatoes to eat with the ribs and leftovers I freeze until I’m ready to make Rib Burgers.

Enjoy!

Cocoa Smoked Ribs
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Smoked Ribs with a Cocoa Dry Rub

Cocoa Dry Rub Smoked Ribs turn out a little smokey and a little spicy, and very moist and tender. Finger licking good!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time4 hours 30 minutes
Resting Time12 hours
Total Time16 hours 40 minutes
Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cocoa Dry Rub Ribs, Ribs, Smoked Ribs
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 462kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • Cutting board and knife
  • Small Bowl
  • Smoker

Ingredients

  • 1 rack St Louis or Baby Back Ribs
  • ½ pan hickory cherry, or apple wood chips

Cocoa Dry Rub

  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp granulated garlic
  • ½ tbsp chili powder
  • ½ tbsp chipotle powder
  • ½ tbsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  • Trim ribs of excess fat and sinew.
  • Mix together dry rub ingredients.
  • Rub ribs with dry rub the night before, wrap in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator.
  • Get smoker ready according to manufacture directions. I like to use ¼ pan hickory and ¼ pan cherry wood chips.
  • Pre-heat with a chip burn to 225 degrees.
  • Smoke bone side down for 4 ½ hours.
  • Remove from smoker, slice and serve immediately.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

The dry rub has a touch of heat to it. A sweeter or smoky barbecue sauce pairs well when serving the ribs.

Nutrition

Serving: 2ribs | Calories: 462kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 514mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1013IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 4mg

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad

One of the things I love about summer is coming up with new side dishes to serve with whatever I am grilling. This pasta salad goes well with many different grilled meats, meat alternatives, and veggies.

Start by getting your pasta cooking in boiling salted water. While the pasta is cooking, mix together the dressing ingredients so it is ready to add the pasta right when it is done.

Once the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain and add directly to the dressing. Mix it in. The warm pasta will absorb the flavors of the dressing. Put this in the refrigerator to start cooling down.

I always made this with sundried tomatoes that I reconstituted, then one time I decided to make it a little easier and bought them packed in oil. I didn’t take into account the additional oil when I made the dressing and my dish turned out too oily. This recipe is adjusted for sundried tomatoes packed in oil. So, if you decide to use dried tomatoes that you add hot water to soften them, you may need a little more oil in the dressing, but wait until the end to determine that.

Also, I usually use roasted red bell peppers because they are easier to find in jars in the grocery store, but I happened to have some roasted green peppers from my garden in the freezer that I needed to use up, so that’s what I used this time.

Once you have your ingredients ready, mix them in with the pasta and dressing.

Refrigerate for about an hour to cool down completely. 

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Pasta Salad
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Mediterranean Pasta Salad

This salad is slightly tangy from the olives, artichoke hearts, and lemon juice, yet very fresh tasting. Goes great with just about any outdoor BBQ meal, pairs well with many meat entrees.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Cooling Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: Artichoke Hearts, Kalamata Olives, Pasta
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 351kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • large saucepan
  • 1 large bowl and whisk
  • Cutting board and knife

Ingredients

  • 2 cups bowtie pasta uncooked
  • ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes jarred in oil, rough chopped
  • ½ cup kalamata olives pitted, rough chopped
  • 1 each roasted bell pepper red or green, diced
  • ½ cup artichoke hearts rough chopped
  • ½ cup pepitas raw pumpkin seeds
  • ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese shredded

Dressing

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • ½ each lemon juice and zest
  • 1 each leek small, cut in ½ moons
  • 5 each basil leaves fresh, sliced
  • ½ tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 pinch black pepper

Instructions

  • ring 4 to 6 cups of water to a boil, add a couple tablespoons of sea salt and pasta. Cook to al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain.
  • While pasta is cooking, combine dressing ingredients and start preparing the rest of the salad ingredients.
  • After pasta is drained, add to the dressing, mix in and put in the refrigerator.
  • Finish preparing the rest of the ingredients and mix into the pasta and dressing.
  • Refrigerate for 1 hour, stirring a couple of times.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 754mg | Potassium: 640mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 348IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 159mg | Iron: 3mg

Ginger Soy Pork Chops

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Ginger Soy Pork Chops

I love spring, summer, and fall months because that means I use my barbeque a lot more. I like just about anything grilled, a good burger or brat, chicken, beef or pork, and many different grilled veggies.

I created an Asian Slaw for my Asian Burgers and wondered what else could I make to serve with the Asian Slaw. That’s how I came up with this recipe.

Ginger Soy Pork Marinade

It’s as simple as whisking together a few ingredients, letting the pork marinate for a bit, then cooking them on the grill.

So, whisk together the marinade and set aside.

I used 2 pork chops that I had cut down from a large pork loin that I bought when it was on sale and froze. Use, whatever you want, but you will want to use a boneless pork chop since you will be cutting it in half. If you desire a whole pork chop, this marinate could handle up to 4 regular size pork chops.

I cut my 2 pork chops in half to make 4 servings then got it in the marinade and let it hang out for about 1/2 hour. You could go up to about an hour if you want.

Ginger Soy Pork Chops Sauce

While the charcoal is getting ready, remove the pork from the marinade and set it on a plate ready to bring out to the grill.

Add the marinade to a saute pan with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of butter. You could omit the butter, but it gives the sauce a silkiness.

Heat up the sauce to a simmer and whisk it while simmering for a couple minutes. You are cooking out the raw pork juices as well as thickening the sauce. After a couple minutes, you will have a rich, dark sauce to pour over your pork chops when they are ready.

Ginger Soy Pork Chops Grilling

It’s time to grill. Over medium heat, grill the chops about 5 minutes per side, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.

Top with the sauce, green onions, and toasted sesame seeds.

Try this with Asian Slaw and Fried Rice.

Enjoy!

Ginger Soy Pork Chops
Print Recipe

Ginger Soy Pork Chops

Tender, juicy grilled pork chops with an Asian flair.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Resting Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Asian
Keyword: Asian Pork Chops, Glutenfree, Pork, Pork Chops
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 58kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • Medium bowl and whisk
  • Cutting board and knife
  • Small saute pan
  • Barbeque

Ingredients

  • 2 each pork chops boneless, cut in half, about 1 pound total

Marinade

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce or wheat-free tamari
  • 1 tbsp mirin or brown rice vinegar
  • ¼ tsp cornstarch or arrowroot
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 pinch cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp dry mustard
  • ½ tsp ginger fresh minced
  • ½ tsp garlic fresh minced

Sauce

  • Marinade from the pork
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp butter

Toppings

  • 1 each green onion sliced
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted

Instructions

  • Whisk together soy sauce, mirin, and cornstarch. Then whisk in the rest of the marinade ingredients.
  • Trim the most of the fat off the pork chops and cut in half.
  • Add pork to the marinade and cover all sides with the marinade. Let sit for ½ hour.
  • While the grill is heating up, remove pork chops from the marinade and set aside.
  • Put marinade ingredients in a small saute pan with 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 teaspoon butter. Bring to a simmer and whisk for about 2 minutes until it thickens and turns a deep, rich brown color.
  • Grill pork chops over medium heat about 5 minutes per side to an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
  • Top with the sauce, green onions, and toasted sesame seeds.
  • Serve with Asian Slaw and Fried Rice or Fried Quinoa.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 58kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 546mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 34IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg