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Pork

Sweet & Sticky Ribs with Peach Salsa

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Sweet & Sticky Ribs with Peach Salsa are dry rubbed, slow cooked, then slathered with sauce and grilled to perfection, then topped with juicy peach salsa.

Are you ready for the official grilling season kickoff? Memorial Day is a little over a week away and we have the B E S T recipes to fire up that grill! From mouth watering ribs to juicy burgers and fresh sides. Make sure you check out these sides that pair perfectly with these Sweet & Sticky Ribs

These mouth watering ribs get cooked low and slow then slathered in my favorite barbecue sauce and finished off on the grill…but that’s not it! They’re topped with fresh, juicy peach salsa that can double as a dip.

Here’s a few tips for the best Sweet & Sticky Ribs.

  1. Always remove the membrane on the back of the rack of ribs. If you buy your ribs at Costco, the membrane is usually already removed. Just do a quick check and see. Turn your rack of ribs over to the ‘non-meat’ side and look for a very thin white layer covering the length of the rack of ribs. Starting at the end of the rack, slide a dinner knife over the bone and under the membrane to get it started. Then pull to remove. It’s slippery, so you may need to use a paper towel for this step.
  2. Always cover your rack of ribs while cooking. Essentially you are “steaming” the ribs in their own fat and juices. You want to keep all that moisture contained so your ribs won’t dry out.
  3. Don’t try and speed up the cooking process. Low and slow is the best cooking method and perfection takes time. This method allows the fat and connective tissue to break down and literally melt, softening up the meat into tender, fall apart yumminess.
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Sweet & Sticky Baby Back Ribs with Peach Salsa

Sweet & sticky, fall off the bone baby back ribs topped with fresh peach salsa.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Pork
Keyword Fourth of July Recipes, Memorial Day Recipes, Party Food
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours

Ingredients

Ribs:

  • 2 racks baby back ribs membrane removed
  • 6 oz. Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 18 oz bottle Stubb's Sweet & Sticky Barbecue Sauce

Peach Salsa:

  • 2 large Costco size peaches, peeled and diced
  • 1 tbsp cilantro chopped
  • ¼ red onion minced
  • ½ serrano pepper minced
  • ½ lime squeezed
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Rub mustard all sides of both racks of ribs.
  • In a small bowl combine smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, light brown sugar and salt and pepper.
  • Rub mixture over all sides of racks of ribs.
  • Place racks of ribs on large sheet pan and cover with foil.
  • Place ribs in the pre-heated oven. Reduce heat to 225 degrees.
  • Bake for about 3 hours or until fork tender.
  • While racks of ribs are cooking prepare peach salsa by combining all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside until racks of ribs are ready.
  • Remove foil and coat racks of ribs with Stubb's Sweet & Sticky Barbeque Sauce.
  • Place under broiler or on grill for about 5 minutes until starting to bubble and caramelize.
  • Remove from oven and top with peach salsa.

Handmade Authentic Tamales

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Delicate, flavorful Handmade Authentic Tamales filled with red chili pork or poblano jack cheese deliver the taste of Mexico in your kitchen.

This essential step by step guide will make you crave fresh tamales everyday. There are so many filling possibilities from traditional red chili pork to vegetarian poblano jack or even bean and cheese. Get creative.

Looking at the amount of steps in this recipe may seem daunting, but these Handmade Authentic Tamales can be made in steps. I like to make the red chili pork the day before, so all that’s left is the masa and assembly. Plus, this recipe makes quiet a few tamales, so it’s a really great way to meal prep for later. You can store the tamales for up to six months in the freezer.

When you are ready to plate these beautiful tamales, top with your favorite ingredients. My topping of choice is this Salsa Verde, which is super easy to make with your blender. Other suggestions are chopped radish and cilantro, avocado or pico de gallo.

Freshly made Red Chili Tamales are tender and flavorful with diced radish and cilantro

Ingredients

  • Masa – Instant corn masa found in the Mexican aisle of grocery. I used Maseca brand. The bag will indicate used for tamales.
  • Lard – Use your rendered lard or purchase at the grocery next to the masa.
  • Pork – Use either shoulder, picnic or Boston butt, which is intended for slow cooking and shreds easily.
  • Corn Husks – Sold in packages in the Mexican aisle of the grocery. They are used to wrap and steam the masa and meat, making the tamales.
  • Guajillo Chili – Dried, sold in package in Mexican aisle of grocery. Has a deep, fruity, smoky flavor with mild heat.
  • Chiles de Arbol – Known as bird beak chili, adds the heat.
  • Cumin – A warm, earthy spice that gives depth of flavor.
  • Chipotle Powder – Smoke dried jalapeno peppers ground into powder.
  • Garlic – Pick hard, firm to the touch garlic.
  • Tomato Bouillon – Knorr tomato chicken bouillon cubes.
  • Onion – Pick firm yellow onions.

Preparation

  1. Prepare the shredded pork first. Combine chili powder, chipotle powder, cumin and salt. Rub mixture over pork roast.
  2. Heat lard in a dutch oven or large heavy pot. Sear pork roast over medium high heat on each side creating a browned crust.
  3. Add water, tomato bouillon cubes, onion and garlic to the pot. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until fork tender about 3 hours.
  4. Remove pork roast from pot, shred, reserve cooking liquid.
  5. Make the sauce by toasting guajillo and arbol chilies in dry pan over medium heat until warmed, being careful not to burn. Remove from pan and soak in 2-3 cups hot water or broth for 10 minutes.
  6. Place soaked chilies, garlic cloves, and cumin in a blender and blend until smooth.
  7. Heat lard in a medium pan over medium heat, add sauce from blender and about 3 cups reserved cooking liquid, cook until darkened (about 10 minutes). Combine shredded pork in a large bowl with sauce.
  8. Start soaking your corn husks in hot water. Either spread out in a large pan or in the sink.
  9. Prepare the masa by hand mixing masa, baking powder, salt, chipotle powder, chili powder and cumin, then add lard and butter. Slowly add cooking liquid until dough forms. Dough should be a thinner, wetter consistency. Using your hand, mix the dough, repeatedly, until very smooth.
  10. Assemble the tamales by taking a soaked corn husk, wide side towards you, and spreading a thin layer of masa, edge to edge, about 3/4 of the way up the corn husk.
  11. Place about 1/4 cup shredded pork in bottom middle portion of the corn husk. Fold sides in and top over. Tie with a strip of corn husk.
  12. Set up your tamale steamer with water to just under steaming rack and place a piece of foil over steaming rack. Set tamales in steamer open side up.
  13. Place tamale steamer over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and steam for about 45 minutes.
Freshly made Red Chili Tamales are tender and flavorful with diced radish and cilantro

Handmade Authentic Tamales

Tender, flavorful Handmade Authentic Tamales filled with red chili shredded pork or vegetarian poblano cheese.
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Prep Time 3 hrs 30 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 20

Ingredients
  

Red Chili Pork Filling

  • 3 lb. pork butt / picnic / shoulder roast
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 tbsp. chipotle powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp. lard
  • 1/2 yellow onion rough sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic rough chopped
  • 2 cubes Knorr tomato chicken bouillon smashed
  • 6 cups water

Red Chili Sauce

  • 8 guajillo chili peppers dried
  • 4 chili de arbol pepper dried
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp. lard
  • 2-3 cups reserved cooking liquid from pork

Masa

  • 3 1/2 cups masa
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup lard
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 1 tbsp. chipotle powder
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • reserved cooking liquid from pork

Poblano Jack Filling

  • 8 poblano peppers prepared (see notes)
  • 8 Monterrey Jack cheese sticks cut in half

Other

  • 1 package corn husks separated and soaked in warm water

Instructions
 

Red Chili Pork Filling

  • Combine chili powder, chipotle powder, cumin and salt. Rub all over pork roast.
  • Heat lard in a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Sear all sides of seasoned pork roast.
  • Add remaining ingredients to pot, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer until fork tender about 3 hours.
  • Remove pork roast from pot, place on large dish and shred. Reserve all of the cooking liquid from pot to use in recipe.

Red Chili Sauce

  • Place a dry sauté pan over medium high heat. Add dried guajillo and chili de arbol peppers. Toast until fragrant, just a couple minutes, being very careful not to burn. If burnt, they will taste horribly bitter and you will have to re-do.
  • Remove chilies to a bowl and cover with 2-3 cups reserved cooking liquid. Soak for about 10 minutes until softened.
  • Put soaked chilies, cooking liquid, garlic and cumin in blender and blend until smooth.
  • Melt lard in a pan over medium high heat. Pour blended sauce in hot pan with lard and simmer until darkened about 15 minutes.
  • Combine red chili sauce with shredded pork in a large bowl. Add a little more cooking liquid, if needed to make saucy.

Masa

  • Combine masa, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  • Cream lard and butter together, them mix in with masa.
  • Slowly add reserved cooking liquid until dough forms. You want a pretty wet dough because it needs to easily spread on the corn husks. Then, mix, mix, mix, with your hand until very smooth. You want all the masa granules gone. It really takes a lot of mixing.

Poblano Jack Filling

  • Prepare poblano peppers by placing on a sheet pan, broiling until charred, removing from oven, placing in a covered dish to steam for a few minutes, then removing from dish and peeling off the skin and removing the stem and seeds. Cut each pepper in half.
  • Place one half of each Monterey Jack cheese stick on one half of prepared poblano.

Assembling the Tamales

  • Prepare your tamale steamer or large over sized pot with steamer rack in the bottom. Fill about 1/4 of pot with water, to just under steamer rack. Add a sheet of foil over steamer rack to protect from water.
  • Prepare your work area by setting a stack of soaked corn husks, a stack of torn pieces from the corn husks (used to tie finished tamal), your bowl of red chili pork or poblano jack filling and the bowl of prepared masa.
  • Place a corn husk in your hand with wide end towards you. Spread a scoop of masa over corn husk, reaching to edges, but only 3/4 of the way up towards smaller end. You want a thin layer. This masa will expand when steamed. If the masa is not spreading easily and not sticking to the corn husk, you may need to add more cooking liquid.
  • Once, you have a nice, thin layer of masa, add about a 1/4 cup of red chili pork to the center
  • OR if using the poblano jack filling, place one half poblano with one half Monterrey Jack cheese stick in the center.
  • Fold the sides in and the bottom up. Tie with a strip of corn husk. Not too tight, just enough to secure. Set open end up in steamer pot. Continue with remaining ingredients until it's all used up.
  • Place steamer pot on burner. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and steam for about 45 minutes. Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes. This allows the masa to firm up. They are now ready to eat, just don't eat the corn husk!
  • You can store tamales in Ziplock bags in the freezer for about 6 months.

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Sweet Tea & Sage Ham

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Sweet Tea & Sage Ham accentuates the natural flavor of a spiral bone in ham, making a tender and delicious meal for your family.

Sweet & Citrusy Spiral Ham

Oh Southern sweet tea, how you look so lovely glazing my spiral ham. Really, though, just look at that beautiful golden brown coloring on this ham. The sweetness of the tea balances the saltiness of the ham and the sage?

Let me tell you about the sage. I LOVE sage. I love it for drying and smudging; I love it for cooking with; and I love it for garnishing. Sage has a strong, clean scent, but also pulls bright citrus notes as well. This is why it works in this Sweet Tea & Sage Ham. Add a few oranges and lemons to tie it all together and keep everything juicy.

All that citrus will combine with the glaze in the bottom of the baking dish and when you pull it out of the oven, you’ll want to spoon all that liquid goodness right over the top just before serving. Scroll down to see what I pair this beauty with and make it a meal PLUS dessert!

Sweet tea balances the saltiness of the ham and sage adds a nice citrus note.
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Sweet Tea & Sage Ham

Sweet Tea & Sage Ham accentuates the natural flavor of a spiral bone in ham, making a tender and delicious meal for your family.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Easter
Keyword Easter dinner, Spiral Ham
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 16

Ingredients

  • 1 9 lb spiral cut ham (pre-cooked)
  • 3 cups sweet tea
  • 1/4 cup fresh sage chopped
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2-3 oranges, lemon, limes halved

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Make glaze by combining sweet tea, sage, honey and smoked paprika in a small pot. Simmer over medium high heat until reduced by half and starting to thicken.
  • Place ham, cut side down, in a baking dish. Set citrus around the ham in the baking dish. Brush 1/4 of the glaze over the ham, cover with foil and place in oven.
  • Bake for 10 minutes per pound, brushing with more glaze every 30 minutes. (A 10 pound ham cooks for 1 hour and 40 minutes) Remove from oven and brush with juices from baking dish. Slice and serve.

Pairs Perfectly With:

  • Golden browned red potato gratin with warm and spicy Serrano peppers
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  • Delicate Spring greens, juicy blood oranges and creamy ricotta rolled in lemon zest and cracked pepper combined with crunchy sunflower seeds.
    Delicate Spring greens, juicy blood oranges and creamy ricotta rolled in lemon zest and cracked pepper combined with crunchy sunflower seeds.
  • This carrot cake gets it’s moisture from crushed pineapple and coconut milk

Citrus Chipotle Ham

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Citrus Chipotle Ham combines bright flavors of grapefruit and orange together with warm smokey chipotle for extra flavorful bite.

Throw out that little spice packet and jazz up your holiday ham with the flavors of citrus and spice. Bright tones of orange and grapefruit blend perfectly with smokey chipotle and give this ham the beautiful color everyone hopes for.

This Citrus Chipotle Ham will be the center of attention at your holiday table with the caramelized edges and tender juicy inside. Serve with Classic Potato Gratin which compliments this bold flavored ham with it’s tender creaminess. Complete the meal with Northern Winter Salad featuring shaved brussel spouts, hazelnuts, cranberries and Beecher’s Flagship cheese. That’s all you need, I mean, except dessert, of course!

Pairs Perfectly With:

Tender, creamy Classic Potato Gratin can be tailored to your taste by adding fresh herbs.
Northern Winter Salad combines all the the Pacific NW favorites like crunchy Oregon hazelnuts, sweet Washington cranberries and Beecher’s Flagship cheese tossed together with pear, Brussels spouts and kale.
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Citrus Chipotle Ham

A little sweet, a little spicy for the perfect combination 
Course Main Course
Cuisine Pork
Keyword Easter dinner, ham
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 12

Ingredients

  • 1 8-10 lb bone in spiral cut ham

Citrus Chipotle Glaze

  • 1/4 cup shallot minced
  • 1 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce
  • 1/2 cup grapefruit juice fresh squeezed
  • 1/2 cup orange juice fresh squeezed
  • 1 tsp garlic minced
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp green onions chopped
  • 2 tbsp butter

Instructions

Ham

  • Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
  • Unwrap ham, discard glaze packet that comes with the ham, place ham in a large oven safe pan and cover with foil.
  • Bake 12 minutes per pound. (My roast was 9 lb. and I baked for 1 hour and 45 minutes) You want the internal temperature to be 140 degrees. The last 10 minutes remove foil and brush glaze over the ham and in all the nooks and crannies.  Crank the oven up to 425 degrees and bake for 10 minutes. 

Citrus Chipotle Glaze

  • In a small sauce pan over medium heat cook shallot and chipotle for about 3 minutes. Add grapefruit juice, orange juice, garlic, cumin and brown sugar.  Simmer until reduced by half, about 10-15 minutes.  Add green onions and butter until melted.  Set aside until ham is ready to glaze.

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

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Spice it up with these chili rubbed pork chops and corn relish. Tender grilled pork that’s been rubbed with a blend of chili spices and topped with a seasonal relish of corn, peppers and tomatoes. Celebrate summer in just 15 minutes with this easy to follow weeknight meal.

Spice it up with these chili rubbed pork chops and corn relish.

When summer rolls around, it’s time to eat corn. I love coming up with creative ways to use corn. Anything from a quick relish, like this, to a corn puree and of course, just plain old buttered corn. It’s fresh, it’s seasonal and it’s budget friendly. All things that make me very happy.

I like buying my corn on the cob from the local farm stands, simply because you know where it’s coming from. There are still a few farms around here that go by the honor system. You know, pull up to a huge bin of corn, leave a few bucks in the drop box and away you go with fresh corn. This year is my first year trying to grow my own corn. My dad was an expert corn grower and very adamant that your corn had to be ‘knee high by the fourth of July’ and his was just that. I have a small garden where I planted 3 rows of sweet corn and 1 row of Indian corn (this may or may not be the correct term, but that’s what we call it). Only 4 stalks were knee high by the fourth of July, so I’m praying and hoping it all works out. If not, I’ve got some great decorations for fall.

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Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

Spice it up with these chili rubbed pork chops and corn relish.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Pork
Keyword 15 minute meals
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

  • 4 bone in pork chops
  • 1 can ginger ale
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Corn Relish

  • 4 ears corn cut off the cob
  • 1 cup red onion small diced
  • 1/2 jalapeno seeded, small diced
  • 6 mini sweet peppers sliced in rounds
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

  • Soak pork chops in ginger ale while the grill heats up.
  • Combine paprika, garlic, salt, cumin, pepper and cayenne in a small bowl. Remove pork chops from ginger ale and rub with spice blend. Drizzle with olive oil.
  • Grill until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. About 3-4 minutes on each side.

Corn Relish

  • Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add onion, jalapeno and peppers. Stirring for about 2 minutes. Add corn, stir for a minute. Add tomatoes and stir for an additional minutes. Remove and serve over pork chops.