Stacey's Secret Spice Rub



spice rub!



This actually takes some effort to make, but it will last for a long time in your cupboard. The best flavor is derived from harvesting your own tomatoes and onions and dehydrating them.  If you cannot do this,  I have offered some options below.

(to grind any of these ingredients to powder form, you will need a spice grinder or a coffee grinder)

½ C ground dried onions* (dry your own onions to grind or purchase and grind dried onion flakes)

¼ C garlic powder

3 T Kosher salt

4 T raw cane sugar (the blocky, cubey kind that is sort of tan)

1 T ground black pepper (don’t bother grinding it from corns, just use the stuff in the can.  The smoked pepper is especially tasty!)

¼ C Italian seasoning

2 T Stacey’s dried ground tomatoes* (I really like to dehyddrate the leftover skins from tomatoes after I've been making sauce.  But, this is probably impractical for most folks.  You can slice 25-30 cherry tomatoes and dehydrate them to get a good result.  Add some red pepper flakes when you grind them into powder or skip the dehydrating state and just grind some purchased sundried tomatoes with the pepper flakes to make 2 T.  You will likely need to dry roast your sun dried tomatoes in the oven or dehydrator to get rid of the chewy tendency. When they are crispy, they are ready to grind.  Do not ever put moist ingredients into this mix, as it will mold.)

2 T curry powder

2 t chili powder

2 T granulated sugar (table sugar like you put on your cereal. Yea, I know there was already sugar in this recipe)

Combine and store in a covered jar in your cupboard until needed.

*To dry onions and tomatoes—separate processes:  use a food dehydrator and follow the directions.

Note:  everyone these days adds smoked Hungarian paprika to spice rubs.  It’s great.  If you want to add it to this recipe, slip in an extra tablespoon.  But if you can dehydrate your own homegrown tomatoes, that is the ultimate and you will really enjoy it.

Sparerib #9

“I didn’t know if it was day or night. I started kissing everything in sight.”—Love Potion #9

Unlike the famous Love Potion #9, this recipe does not “smell like turpentine or look like India ink”. It is named Sparerib #9 because that’s how many were in the bag when I packaged them to put into the freezer. It is also likely the 9th recipe at least that I’ve tried to perfect these porcine bones. The secret is beer.

In fairness to you (full disclosure), there are three things I have trouble making: shirred eggs, beef stroganoff and spareribs.  So, there will likely be improvements. But at least I am trying!

(Mr. Artifact:  Are you shirr?)



They really tasted better than they looked.  But, they froze mahvelously. 
And because they were super big ribs, we got 2 additional meals out of these (for a family of 3). 



Ingredients

For the ribs:

·         1 rack of regular pork chops (baby backs are nice, but not nessa*)

·         1 beer of character (whatever you like—I used a wheat beer, but a flavored fruit beer would be nice)

·         Stacey’s Special Spice Rub (see subsequent recipe) or another favorite dry rub

·         Olive oil

For the sauce (a very vinegary, sweet sauce):

·         2/3 C catsup (not “ketchup” for you troglodytes)

·         ½ C apple cider vinegar

·         ¼ C Dijon or spicy/seedy mustard

·         1T grated fresh ginger (use the tube in the grocery store!)

·         2T Worcestershire sauce

·         ½ t or more red pepper flakes

·         ½ C maple syrup

·         Salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Massage ribs with a little olive oil. Sprinkle lavishly with special spice rub. Put into a large sheet pan. Pour the beer over and around the ribs. Bake uncovered at 325 F for 2 hours. Remove and check. If not “fall off the bone tender” increase heat to 350F and cook until done, probably about 30-45 minutes. Much will depend upon how big your rack of ribs is. You might want to cover them with foil at this point to avoid a major crusty bake down in the sheet pan.  (Don’t worry.  Your husband will clean up the pan.  In fact, he’ll clean up the whole damn dishes this is so good.)

Once you determine the ribs are to the doneness you want, remove pan from oven. Let set 10 minutes. Cut ribs into individual pieces.  Put back on the baking sheet and slather with sauce. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes to get that sauce stuck like glue onto those ribs.

Serve with coleslaw and artichoke ricotta mashed potatoes.
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*nessa:  “Nessa?  I know what’s nessa.  You don’t say what’s nessa.  I say what’s nessa!”  (Professor Li’l ol’ man   from  High Anxiety.)

The Artist at Work



This is a much better picture of Mr. Artifact working on the chair.  See the post  from 9/26 called "Chair and Back Again".