Instant Pot Pork Ribs

I love to cook ribs low and slow, then grill them with BBQ sauce to make them crisp and flavourful.  But slow roasting the ribs in the oven takes hours.  You can get the same tender results in the Instant Pot in minutes! 

I normally make at least two racks of ribs in the oven, since it takes so much time and effort, but with this method, I can justify making just one rack for a weeknight dinner.  I never thought I'd have homemade ribs on a weeknight!

I use a homemade spice rub when I make ribs, but you can season them any way you like.  Montreal Chicken seasoning is great for ribs.  

In the Instant Pot you need to use the rack to cook ribs.  You also need some liquid for pressure cooking.  I used chicken stock this time, but apple juice, cider or beer would be great!

For tender ribs, cook on Manual for 21 minutes.  It will take about 40 minutes when you include time to build up and release the pressure.  Still reasonable for a weeknight dinner!

You can spread the ribs with your favourite BBQ sauce and serve when they come out of the Instant Pot, but I like to crisp them up on the grill.  

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
1 rack spare ribs
2 tablespoons spice rub (see recipe below, or make/buy your own)
1 cup chicken stock, apple juice, beer or cider
BBQ sauce

Directions
Rub ribs all over with spice rub
Place rack in Instant Pot
Add stock, juice or beer to pot
Place ribs on rack in pot
Seal Instant Pot lid
Set Instant Pot to 21 minutes on Manual setting
Once done, let pressure release naturally
Grill or broil ribs, brushing with BBQ sauce until crisp



BBQ Spice Rub
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions
Mix all spices together and store in a sealed container. 

Road Trip - Bayfield, Ontario

Wow, it's been a while since there's been a new post on this blog! Since we moved last December there has been lots going on and now that it's summertime, we're really enjoying our new yard and garden. 

This is one of the things we've been spending time on.  Our house's previous owner planted beautiful perennial gardens so every week brings a new surprise.  

But last weekend we decided to take a break from our garden and head on a little road trip to Bayfield, Ontario.  Bayfield is a little village on the shores of Lake Huron, between Goderich and Grand Bend.  It's only about an hour from home.  We've been there on day trips several times but this time we stayed overnight at The Little Inn of Bayfield, located right on Main Street in the centre of town. 

The Little Inn is an historic property recently under new ownership and it was a perfect place to stay. We had a little room with a king sized bed on the second floor. Service at the front desk was beyond friendly and helpful. In fact, service was absolutely fantastic everywhere we went in the Inn and its restaurants and bars. 

The first thing we did when we arrived was make a beeline to the Inn's weekly Backyard BBQ, every Saturday this summer from 11:30 am until 3:30 pm or until the food is gone. It's all you can eat for $19.99 per person and the food was surprisingly delicious!  We had pulled pork, ribs, chicken, brisket, corn, potato salad, pasta salad, coleslaw, amazing biscuits, and even pie for dessert. 

We also ordered some craft beer for Matt and a bourbon sour for me.  The BBQ is served outside in a lovely back garden with plenty of sun and shade. The service was once again terrific, especially from the young man handling the grill.

Next we headed for a walk down Main Street, which is great for shopping.  And then we walked down to the marina and main beach.  There are three beaches in Bayfield and we had a lovely time swimming in the lake.

For dinner we headed to the Black Dog Village Pub. We've had lunch here many times and we were looking forward to being able to stay longer and enjoy their extensive beer and cocktail list.  Unfortunately, service wasn't quite up to their normal standards so we were only able to order one cocktail each with dinner.  

The food was fantastic though!  This cauliflower & quinoa salad was so good I can't wait to attempt to make it myself. 

After dinner we were still thirsty so we headed to the Ashwood Inn's bourbon bar.  This place has been nicely renovated and has a huge patio.  

We headed back to our Little Inn for one last cocktail in their wonderful bar.  

We had a great sleep and in the morning we were delighted to find that breakfast was included with our room rate.  The breakfast buffet had eggs, bacon, sausage, cold meats and cheeses, excellent chicken and roasted vegetables, salads and desserts, plus juice and coffee. It was an unexpected treat. 

Before leaving Bayfield we stopped at the cutest bird store I've ever seen. Porter's Hill has a great selection of bird feeders and seed, plus other great gifts. And the service is extremely knowledgeable and friendly.  We will be back here for sure. 

On the way home we stopped by one of our favourite places, Twin Pines Cider House. We've been here several times but were pleased to see they now they have a new tasting room on the main floor.  We picked up some cider and glasses and headed home. 

It's so great to have such a wonderful getaway so close to home. Bayfield is definitely close enough for a day trip, but it was very relaxing to stay overnight. We will be back soon for sure!  

  

Beer Baron: Christmas in June | The London Beer & BBQ Show 2016

The Beer Baron is back! This post comes from Matt and you can find him on Twitter & Instagram @geekcanuck 

The London Beer & BBQ Show has steadily been getting bigger and hoppier with each passing year. At last year’s show, I discovered Elora Brewing Co.’s Lady Friend IPA and Maclean’s Ales’ Luck & Charm Oatmeal Stout, two fantastic beers that I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy many times since. What wonderful Ontario craft beer discoveries are in store for this year? Read on to find out!

The Ontario craft beer scene certainly seems healthy and ever growing. It’s pretty amazing what has happened in the last decade. This year, my most pleasant discovery of the show was Four Fathers Brewing Co., from just north of Guelph, which is a pretty wonderful part of the province for craft beer.

There is no such thing as a bad time for Russian Imperial Stout, so despite the almost-summer heat, I couldn’t resist trying their Pyotr Chetyre Russian Imperial Stout with Cinnamon and Vanilla and I’m glad I did. Hiding it’s 8.5% abv well, it was a welcome addition to the Ontario stout scene and was nicely balanced and not at all overwhelming, despite the style and spices.

On the other end of the abv and flavour spectrum - but no less a wonderful craft beer discovery - was Highlander Brew Co.’s Beerded Lady, a delicate but lively light ale that they somehow managed not to call a session ale, despite the rising popularity of the name. Beerded Lady had a subtle sweetness and a light hop finish that would make it a perfect summer ale.
    

                                         

Speaking of summer, Neustadt Springs Brewery brought their Sour Kraut raspberry lager to town, which is always a nice, tart treat. While you can sometimes find it Milos’ Craft Beer Emporium in London, the brewery in quaint and adorable Neustadt, Ontario is worth a visit if you happen to be heading up to Wiarton or Tobermory and need a nice place to stop for a break. The people and the historic brewery are both top-notch, as is the beer, though it seems in need of a marketing refresh to compete in the bold new age of Ontario craft beer.

Speaking of marketing and none-too-subtle segues, we have Cameron’s Brewing from Oakville, Ontario, who just this February rebranded and launched their bold and wonderfully simplistic new labels. Cameron’s beer has always been solid but I expect their rebranding will serve them well, just as Wellington Brewing did with their own bold rebranding and subsequent growth years before.

On the newer sider of the Ontario craft beer scene, we have Whitewater Brewing Co., from the Ottawa Valley. Interestingly enough, I first tried their Midnight Stout oatmeal milk stout at the tiny but wonderful Bayfield Wine & Food Festival in May. There is nothing tiny about Midnight Stout, it is creamy, bold and inviting and - god and LCBO bureaucratic processes willing - I’ll be thrilled to see it on the LCBO shelves this fall.

While it is the London Beer & BBQ Show (and a shout out to Shmokey’s for always having the best BBQ in town), there were a couple other surprises to be had, namely in the form of booze! The Clockwatching Tart and I both love gin and the Tobermory / Georgian Bay area, so it is no wonder we were drawn to the trying a gin & tonic from Georgian Bay Spirit Co., which featured juniper sourced from the Georgian Bay area and was really quite wonderful.

Just as the Georgian Bay Spirit Co. adds local flavour to make its product special, so too do the people behind Chic Choc spiced rum, who import their rum and then add a blend of nordic spices from the Chic Choc mountain region of Quebec. Smooth and happily not sweet, Chic Choc was another nice discovery and makes an excellent dark and stormy mixed with ginger beer or dark ginger ale.

That wraps up another London Beer & BBQ Show for us. Like Christmas, it was full of wonderful surprises, amazing scents and tastes, and fantastic people - and is also followed best by a nice afternoon nap. Cheers!

BBQ Beef Ribs

Beef ribs - a tasty summer treat!  I usually make pork ribs, which are a great meal on the barbecue, but I saw beef ribs on sale in the grocery store and decided to give them a try.   

The ribs came in a full rack, but the meat shrank on the bone and ended up looking a bit like short ribs in the once cooked.

First, I braised the ribs in beer!  Cut the ribs into single-rib segments. 

Soy-Ginger Flank Steak with Sweet Slaw

Grilled flank steak is easy to make and takes on the flavour of any marinade.  This recipe from Epicurious uses a soy-ginger marinade and pairs it with a sweet and spicy slaw.  Extremely refreshing and summery!

Short & Sweet Sunday - Shmokey Rob n' Sons

This weekend we had takeout and it was so good!  Shmokey Rob n' Sons is in an old mall near our house.  There's not much else in the mall but it's worth the trip.  

I can't speak to how authentic their BBQ is, since I've never had the opportunity to taste real southern BBQ, but I can tell you their food is delicious.  We've tried a few things on their menu, but our favourites (so far) are the brisket sandwich and cassava fries.  (Cassava is a starchy, tuberous root that has a taste and texture slightly similar to potatoes but more starchy and firm.  They hold up way better than french fries for takeout too.) 

Aside from the brisket and pulled pork sandwiches, fries and cole slaw, they also have specials like ribs and "burnt ends" which are smoked, braised brisket ends.  We've never had the pleasure of sampling them since they've been already sold out every time we've visited, but some day!

I had my brisket with some Julian Cherry Bomb hard cider which is deliciously tart.

If you live in London or come to visit, I can't recommend this place enough.  The mall atmosphere isn't fantastic, but the place itself is super cute with table service and beer on tap as well as takeout.  Give it a try!

Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks

Barbecue chicken drumsticks are one of my favourite summer meals.  We actually grill them all year round.  Whenever drumsticks are on sale I buy a bunch, remove the skin, and freeze them in a marinade so they can thaw in the fridge while marinating and be ready for the grill any time.  

Let me show you a tip that changed my life.  I used to pay a premium for skinless chicken drumsticks because I found removing the skin myself to be frustrating and complicated. I was using a knife or just my fingers to cut and peel the skin off and it was a huge, slippery hassle. 

I found a tip online that is so simple it is hard to believe.  Use a paper towel to grip the skin and just peel it away.  This is a miracle and makes removing the skin so easy! (I also wear gloves but that's not necessary.) The skin is full of flavour but removing it lets the marinade penetrate the chicken more easily and drastically lowers the fat content.  

Toss the chicken drumsticks in a large freezer bag.

Then add your marinade.  My favourite marinade to use on these is a store-bought spicy Buffalo chicken wing sauce but you can marinate them any way you like. Olive oil, dijon mustard, garlic and white wine is nice.  

You can throw these in the freezer, which allows the marinade to penetrate the chicken while freezing and thawing, or leave them in the fridge overnight to marinate.

Heat your grill to medium hot.  It's a good idea to use a nonstick spray on the grill when grilling drumsticks without the skin.  

Drumsticks are much more forgiving than chicken breasts so you can err on the side of overcooking them without worrying about drying them out, according to my grill-expert husband.  Flip them when golden to cook the other side.  

When they're 5 minutes from being done, brush with spicy barbecue sauce.  My favourite is Diana's spicy barbecue sauce, which is impossible to find.  Any sauce you love will do!

Bring these in on a big platter to share.

I served them with steamed green beans and roasted cauliflower.  Delicious, summery treat that's great all year round.  

BBQ Ribs My Way

I've read a lot of cooking blogs and forums and one of the most contentious, controversial food items I've seen discussed is the "right" way to cook ribs. I know different places in the US have long BBQ traditions but where I live, we usually just grill the meat.  These ribs might not be done by any traditional method but there's no denying that they taste delicious!

First I braise the ribs in the oven. No, I don't boil them or smoke them, maybe you or your ancestors do but these are ribs my way!

Sometimes I use different liquids and spices but this mix is super easy and turns out delicious. I brush the ribs with apple juice and then sprinkle with Montreal chicken spice.

These are pork back ribs but you can use side ribs.

I brushed the apple juice and spices over the ribs and wrapped them in foil. 

I braise these in the oven for a long, long time at a low, low temperature.

I braise them for three or four hours until they are very tender. 

I then cut the ribs into smaller pieces for the grill.

My ribs are smothered with barbecue sauce on the grill. You can make your own or use store bought sauce (I like Diana's Spicy the best).

Grill until hot and lightly charred.

For an embarrassingly enormous meal, serve with a baked potato and grilled asparagus.

These might not be ribs the traditional way or your way but they are my way and there's no denying they're delicious!