Carrie’s Sweet Life

I have had a craving for ribs lately but wasn’t really in the mood for BBQ ribs. For some reason brown sugar was sticking out in my mind so I ventured to google and this recipe was the first to pop up.

This was a rather complex recipe but actually rather simple as it was most mix and marinate, throw in oven so not alot of hands on time. Since we ate late and didn’t want to fire up the grill I browned these a little under the broiler, I am not sure we would of been able to do them on the grill as they fell off the bone instantly.

These had really really good flavor and were a really yummy dinner for a Friday night, we will be making this again and again, per Adam’s request

Brown Sugar and Bourbon Ribs (From: Epicorious)

Basting sauce

• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/2 cup apple butter
• 1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons apple cider
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Ribs

• 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 2- to 2 1/4-pound racks baby back pork ribs

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 6 thin rounds peeled fresh ginger
• 1 1/4 cups apple cider

My mom’s work served this one day and she came back from lunch and told me “You HAVE to make this” I finally got around to it. I loved it, Adam didn’t like the roast with gravy but liked the mashed potatoes with gravy?? Not really sure on that one.

I will make this again, when he will be gone for the night. I served with my green beans.

Sesame Pork Roast (From: Twin Cities Live)

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 3 or 4 green onions, sliced (about ¼ cup)
• ½ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons molasses (any type)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons wine vinegar
• 4 pounds pork shoulder roast
• 3 tablespoons flour for gravy, if desired

Toast sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over low heat until golden and fragrant. Place seeds in a bowl with the green onions, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger, molasses, salt, curry powder, pepper, water and wine vinegar. Stir to mix thoroughly. Place meat in a large bowl and pour the marinade over the meat. Marinate, covered, 2 to 3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Place meat and marinade in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 9 hours or on high for about 3 hours.

Pour pan juices into a 2-cup measure. Skim off fat, returning 2 tablespoons of the fat to the pan. If defatted pan juices do not equal 2 cups, add enough water or chicken broth to do so. Whisk 3 tablespoons flour into fat in the pan, and cook over medium heat on the stovetop until bubbly, scraping the bottom of the pan to release all the flavor from juices cooked to the pan. Slowly stir in pan juices and cook until gravy thickens, stirring constantly. Put gravy through strainer, if desired, and serve with roast.

You should know by now that Adam and I love pork chops, last time we were at the grocery store they had some really nice thick pork chops, which I of course  had to buy. But I knew I wanted to do something different with them.

This recipe was awesome, and something different then what we normally do. The flavor was both sweet and savory in them, it was wonderful. I served with mashed potatoes and green bean casserole.

A very yummy and wonderful meal.

Pork Chops with Balsamic-Maple Glaze (From: Elly Says Opa)

• 2 pork chops
• 2 tsp. herbs de Provence
• salt and pepper
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

Pat the pork chops dry and then rub each chop with 1 tsp. of herbs de Provence. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the pork chops and cook until a little underdone (about 2-3 minutes per side, will vary depending on thickness, etc.). Remove pork chops from the pan.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the balsamic vinegar. Deglaze the pan, scraping up all the browned bits, and reduce the vinegar by about half. Stir in the maple syrup. Add the pork chops back into the skillet and continue cooking until done, about a minute per side. Most of the glaze should be soaked up by the chops. Drizzle the chops with any additional glaze.

I love Qdoba for one reason there burritos. Something about the yummy soft shell. I decided it was time we attempt them at home again. We had extra pork in the freezer and decided we could do shredded pork burritos.

This meat was great, it had great flavor and was just full of yumminess. We just wrapped the meat, lettace, some rice, cheese, and sour cream in a burrito. It was almost as good as Qdoba.

Shredded Pork Tacos (Inspired From: PBS)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 3-pound boneless pork shoulder, cut in half lengthwise

In a large (5-quart) heavy pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, garlic, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Add pork, and 2 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Discard bay leaves.

Using tongs, transfer meat to a large bowl; shred with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat or gristle. Return meat to pan, and simmer until sauce is thick, 30 to 45 minutes more. Season, if necessary, with salt and pepper.