Redemption weekend

Made beer can chicken again last night. The skin was not burnt like the first try, but it wasn't as crispy as I was hoping it would be either. Maybe a little longer on the grill next time. Still, the meat was really tender. Wife made boursin potatoes which were really good, too.

Lunch today was some leftover ground turkey, mixed with goat cheese, mustard and Worcestershire sauce, thanks to an online recipe. It actually called for ricotta, but you work with what you got. They came out very tasty.

I also owed wife some ribs to make up for the carbonized bones I served on July 4th. So I went for some baby backs again, brined and rubbed, with one soaked mesquite chunk (I heard that mesquite can be too overpowering, so I figured one larger chunk soaked for a few hours should be OK).

These are the ribs freshly on the grill. Looks a bit like a sauce, but they were in the fridge with the rub on for over 3 hours.

Only took a shade over two hours to get them to the point where they fell apart when I picked them up, so I closed the vents and let them stay on for another hour. They were a bit smaller than what the recipe called for, and I had the kettle vents almost fully closed the entire time, and yet still the temp was over 350. Another time, when it's not 95 degrees out, I want to do a true low & slow smoking at around 225-250. Nevertheless, it worked out fine for these. I foiled them and put them in a paper bag until dinner (about an hour and a half later), something I read helps keep them warm and moist.

Grilled corn with chipotle butter, and reheated the ribs from still warm to toasty hot - the 620 is the perfect outdoor cooking surface. (Didn't brine the corn this time, and it came out fine with a mopping of butter about 75% of the way done.)

Unused Texas toast from the 4th was a good side.

 

The ribs came out just how I like them - fall off the bone, but they still had some meat and chew to them. Sauce was completely unnecessary... for me. Wife thought differently. Wife is wrong.

I grilled every meal except breakfast this weekend, and loved every minute of it. Plus I was able to get some around-the-house stuff done, just checking on the ribs every half hour. It was also nice being outside without a shirt, though I can't say others watching me would have the same opinion. Over 90 degrees = shirtless. But, I'm feeling it where it hurts - pants are a bit tighter tonight, and I need to start exercising... this way, I can do this one or two days on the weekend and not regret it.

I'll still have beer can chicken and the other rack of ribs for leftovers this week - I'll be interested to see how well they hold up after two days in the fridge. But smaller portions and lots of veggies this week.

I thought ahead at the farmer's market and picked up some more brisket and a tri-tip for the next available smoking session. Mmmm....

Back to le' grind...