Contributions to SouthMouth: –“He’s only got one oar in the water.” (not all there) –“If she were an inch taller she’d be round.” (overweight) –“He’s busier than a one-legged man in a butt kickin’ contest.”

Having had a few weeks away from blogging doesn’t mean that I didn’t cook a thing while I was out-of-town but I had issues with the app on my iPad so I just took notes on a few special goodies that I made including a great bowl of split pea soup and a 15 bean “pasta fagioli”. I had the best meaty smoked pork shanks about two pounds each that I am convinced made them the best soups that I’ve made lately.  For now and until I can peruse my notes I’ll share last night’s dinner of Denver Lamb Ribs, Pork spareribs both cuts from Rainbow Meadow Farms and poppy-seed  dressing chopped slaw.

For the whisky BBQ sauce I toss together the basics and adorn with several other pantry items for a sweet-tangy, smoky cooked sauce. A simple rub for the ribs add extra flavor to the meaty ribs and I allow them to rest wrapped in heavy-duty foil packets overnight in the refrigerator.  Remove ribs from the refrigerator an hour or so before placing the packets on a low fire (225-270°) with wood chip pan ready for a gentle smoke throughout the cooking time.

Use indirect method for  the ribs. Place ribs on grill and slow smoke for about 2 hours then turn heat to high grilling temp, unwrap ribs and finish on the grill, brushing with sauce and turning for some char over ribs.

Basic Spice Rub for Ribs (sprinkle both sides of ribs) of course I didn’t measure but the photo gives you a look at the light dusting over the rack of ribs…

1 tablespoon
Salt and 2 teaspoons pepper
Paprika and Chili Powder
Cumin Cajun/Creole seasoning
A little cayenne

Whiskey BBQ Sauce

1 large can tomato sauce
½ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
½ cup molasses
3 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
Pinches of smoked bacon, diced
½ diced onion or if you have the dried minced onion that works as well *optional teaspoon of Tajin seasoning

Simmer for 20 minutes and add about ½ cup good whisky the last 5 minutes of simmering time.

Poppy Seed Dressing

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup rice wine or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons poppy seeds, lightly toasted
1 cup chopped red cabbage
1/ 2 English cucumber thinly sliced
1 grated carrot
3 cups chopped green cabbage
1 small red onion, sliced thin
2 green onions, sliced thin on bias

Toss all of the vegetables and sprinkle the sesame seeds over, add dressing and toss.  Goes nicely with spicy and tangy dishes.