7th Place Ribs

Every July my parents have a rib cook-off. It's a big deal with all their friends because everyone wants to win and are super competitive, it's also really fun.
This past summer I was able to be there so I decided to make ribs for the first time. Ever.
I picked this recipe because I didn't know really what flavor to go for, some people like lots of barbecue, some like lots of spices, or beer, or sweet, or just smokey. This recipe had spices, brown sugar, and beer, which was different from what I've seen before. It's actually pretty easy too, all the men were giving me a hard time about not starting my ribs days in advance and letting the spices and flavor soak in the ribs for a long period of time. Until they tasted them that is. Overall, my ribs get 7th out of about 20 entries, but i think the real test is how soon they're all gone. Mine were around the third to run out and everyone was saying how good they were. The ribs are juicy, full of flavor and cooked just right. and really what more can you ask for?
By the way I used Bud Light for the beer, but you can use whatever your personal preference is.
I had a missing summer moment and decided to make them again, see if they were as good as I remember, I have to say that they were and I was quite happy with the results.
Now, when I originally found these ribs they were off a blog online and i printed it out and only saved the page that i printed so i don't have the original site i got the recipe from, so if you know where its from, let me know so i can give them credit.
If you try these or any of my other posts make sure you leave a comment and tell me how it went or what you thought!

Ribs

The rub
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon ancho chile powder or chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

The Ribs
pork spareribs, prepped
1 cup dark brown sugar
12 ounces beer, (your favorite) 

Prep your slow cooker of choice for 250 degrees F indirect, adding smoke wood as directed by the manufacturer.
Prep your ribs if needed, using a paper towel to get all the crud off.
REserve 1 tablespoon of rub and coat the ribs with the rest., using twice as much on the meaty side as the back side.
Next, coat the meaty side with a layer of brown sugar and let it rest n the counter until the sugar dissolves, about 30-45 minutes.
Sprinkle the reserved rub over the dissolved sugar and cook for 3.5 hours.
When times up, remove the ribs to a sheet of foil.
For every pound of meat, drizzle 1 ounce of beer.
Wrap the ribs up completely in the foil and return to the grill for another 1.5 hours.
remove from grill and consume with the rest of the beer.

Pork and Chorizo Chili

Every fall my parents friends all get together for their annual chili cook-off. 

Everyone makes a pot of chili and four people are judges and they have to try all of them and rank them. The winner get the traveling chili trophy. There's also a hay-less hayride through the town. So much fun. 

It was today and seeing as how I am in Florida and they're all  in Illinois I didn't get to participate. So as my own way to join in I made chili; and I must say that there is a chance I would have won.

All of the ingredients blended together near perfectly and it was spicy just the way I like it. 

I hadn't made a pork tenderloin before, but I think I did a pretty good job.

I never herd of hominy before, but I guess it's some kind of mexican corn. I found it in the ethnic section in my local grocery store. 

Tis the season for some chili! Make a pot and enjoy. 

I always freeze half of mine and get some later.

Recipe slightly adapted from Pink Parsley

Pork and Chorizo Chili

for the pork tenderloin

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons plack pepper

1/2 tablespoon unsweeteded cocoa powder

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 pork tenderloin

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

for the chili

8 ounces chorizo

1 medium onion, (diced)

4 garlic cloves, (minced)

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, (minced)

1 teaspoon adobo sauce, (from canned chiles)

3 tablespoons flour

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

15 ounces hominy, (drained and rinsed)

14.5 ounces diced tomatoes, (drained)

15 ounces black beans, (drained and rinsed)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

the pork tenderloin from above

for the pork tenderloin:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix the cumin, pepper, cocoa powder, and allspice together.

Pat the pork dry with a paper towel.

Thoroughly rub the spice mixture onto the pork.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet until just smoking.

Brown the tenderloin on all sides, about 6 minutes.

Transfer to a baking sheet.

Roast in the oven until a instant-read thermometer registers 140 degrees, about 15-18 minutes. 

Remove and transfer onto a cutting board.

Tent with foil and allow to rest until the temperature reaches 150 degrees, about 10 minutes. 

Cut into 1 inch cubes.

for the chili:

In your pot that you are cooking the chili in, cook the chorizo over high heat, cutting and stirring with a wooden spoon as to cooks, about 4 minutes.

Add the onion and let it cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in the garlic, chipotle, and adobo sause and let cook about 30 seconds.

Add the flour and stir until incorporated. 

Add the chicken broth, hominy, black beans, tomatoes, sugar, and oregano and bring to a simmer. 

Reduce hear to medium-low and continue to simmer at least 20 minutes.

Stir in the pork and cook about 5 minutes.

Stir in the cilantro and pepper to taste.

Serve.