Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce

      I just love Dr. Pepper and its 23 flavors.  It's my drink of choice if I am going to drink a soda, so when I was discussing BBQ sauce with a friend and she brought up Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce I was all over it! I researched a couple of recipes and modified until it set my purposes.  I think the Dr. Pepper added a sweet tang and depth to the pulled pork I made.

Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce

4 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons tomato paste
One 12-ounce can Dr. Pepper
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ancho or New Mexican chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
     In a saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the flavors have blended. Continue cooking until the sauce begins to thicken, 20 to 30 minutes.

     Let the sauce cool for 15 minutes and then blend with an immersion blender.

Pineapple Coleslaw

Dear Blog,
I am sorry that I am such a horrible writer.  I apologize for all the days I have neglected you, choosing instead to play in the summer sun, eat veggies from our CSA, go on long walks, and pick sun ripened strawberries on the vine.  I am also sorry that my work schedule has sucked so hard and made all of those things plus the basics to live on be crammed into one and sometimes two days in the week if I am lucky. 
Love, faith

Ugh.  I am a horrible blog mommy!!!  I feel like this summer is getting away from me and I am in a desperate rush to enjoy every moment of sun filled loveliness I can before it gets cold and rainy again.
This coleslaw was a delicious accoutrement to Dr. Pepper pulled pork which I will hopefully get up before the weekend is over.  I used both white cabbage and a napa cabbage that we got in our CSA and didn't find any difference. 
I love the addition of pineapple to this recipe, its a fresh alternative to a sometimes boring side dish.  Next time I would like to add a few poppy seeds to the dish to see what they might add to it.

Sorry I don't have a good picture of just the slaw but it was the best topper for this pulled pork!

Pineapple Coleslaw

5 cups of shredded cabbage

2 cups of fresh pineapple cut into pieces

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup of mayo

1/3 cup sugar(next time I want to use agave!)

3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper

Mix cabbage and pineapple and then mix half and half, mayo, sugar, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix cream mixture with pineapples and cabbage and store in refrigerator for 5-6 hours before serving.

Happy 4th of July! and Going Country...

Country--
Style Ribs that is!!!
Today was a pretty great day, and the start of what will most definetley be an awesome week. BBQing had to be done today, however, to celebrate the 4th and the only thing I had in the freezer was some country style ribs. I had no idea how to cook those bad boys but I knew I needed to do something to make them tender and to add the the flavor since we have a gas grill, not a charcoal grill, and I have yet to get any cedar planks or woodchips to practice with.

Country Style Ribs
8 pork country style ribs
3-4 Tbsp. Mustard
1 Tbsp. Braggs Amino Acids

Rub:
1/4 C. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. seasoning salt
2 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. grated orange rind
1/4 tsp. cumin

1.Combine the Rub ingrediants, and smear ribs with mustard and amino acids. Sprinkle 1/2 cup rub mixture evenly over the ribs. Press into mustard and wrap ribs tightly in aluminum foil.
2.Now here you have two options, you can either cook them on the grill on low for 90 minutes or you can do what I did and put them in a 350 degree oven for 90 minutes. Since I was cooking with a gas grill, I really saw no point in wasting gas for that long when it really wasn't necessary.
3.Remove the ribs from foil and sprinkle the remaining rub mixture over the ribs. Place the ribs on the grill over indirect heat. Cover the grill and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the ribs so they are facing meat side up. Cover grill and continue cooking an additional 10 minutes or until ribs are tender.
You should definetley check the ribs before ten minutes because I actually overcooked my ribs a bit, but they had a great taste and the mustard did a lot to make them both flavorful and tender.
I served these with some twicebaked potatoes, and wanted to have some baked beans, but unfortunatley, we were out of beans, or maybe that will be fortunate ;).