Fall Off The Bone Rib Perfection

There are people out there that say you can't make great ribs on a gas grill. I am here to now tell you differently. These ribs that I made today were every bit as good as those smoked on a charcoal grill, or dare I say a Big Green Egg (BGE). Only difference were that these ribs lacks some of the smokiness that you will find with those latter methods. These were prepared and cooked the same exact way as you would via charcoal, but instead was cooked over indirect heat on a gas grill.

I prepared these ribs by first removing the silver skin on the back and trimming away some of the excess fat. Once that was completed, I then rubbed down the pork ribs in a little honey mustard before applying the the dry rub to every inch of the rack. The honey mustard was an experiment, since I was out of regular mustard, and it proved to be a nice compliment to the spicy bite of the dry rub.

After a lot of tinkering with the heat on the grill I was able to get it set to just a little over 250 degrees. This was barely having on the flames on the 2 outer burners. I then places some soaked apple wood chips in the middle in hopes that I could get that flavor up to the ribs. I knew I wouldn't get the smoke that I normally would get with a charcoal grill, but that didn't matter as I got tons of flavor into the ribs as is. The smell from the ribs and the apple wood chips were amazing and this couldn't have worked out better. I also sprayed down the ribs every 30 min or so with a 50/50 combo of apple juice and apple cider vinegar.

Cooking time was pretty easy as well thanks to the heat being perfectly regulated. I let these go 2 hours on the top rack, 2 hours wrapped up in foil, and then one more hour back on the rack as I applied the sauce. Two applications of the sauce did the trick and these ribs were done.

As you can see by the pics these ribs were not only a thing of beauty but were also cooked to perfection. The meat fell right off the bones, was moist, and had flavor for days.

If you are one that has been afraid to try and cook ribs on a gas grill, I am here to tell you that it can be done and be done easily.

Pinata Apples (I learned more about apples today than I even knew to begin with)

Pinata Apples, also called Pinova, are a cultivar apple from Washington. A mix of  a cross between a Golden Delicious, Cox's Orange Pippin and a Duchess of Oldenburg. Pinata's haven't been around very long - marketing and official growing only started in 2004. 

I saw these for the first time at the Dekalb Farmers Market on Sunday. Never heard of them either so I figured I'd grab a couple and see what was up. (Looking back, another factor in my attraction toward these was the display setup. There was only one small section - about the size of a box - with Pinata apples. Other varieties had much larger setups so I think some internal consumer kicked in and said scarcity = demand = good.)

It was a darn good apple. Crispy, sweet, but not too sweet, had a little tart to it, but my favorite thing is that it had a distinct 'apple' flavor. I really can't explain that part, but it was good. 

Pinata Apples are on Facebook  (I 'like' them now) and there's also a handy youtube video that talks about them: 

Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia

This place was very cool and had something for everyone. Part farmers market, part food court, and all cultures...RTM is a place to go to get a great feel for some Tastes of Philly. I got a Philly Cheese Steak with provolone, onions, and mushrooms. The Dutch apple turnover is an Amish treat. Whole apple peeled and cored. It is then filled with butter, brown sugar, spices, and other good stuff. They thing wrap it in dough and bake it. Amazing!

More from Savannah Candy Kitchen

Crazy Candy Apples, World Famous Pralines, and the best Fudge! The fudge was original and chocolate with peanut butter.

http://www.savannahcandy.com/

Breakfast of Champions...

A bowl of Apple Jacks with 2% milk and 2 slices of toast with sweet orange marmalade!

Apples + peanut butter = good. Apples + Peanut butter smoothie=??

Not bad actually. I usually add peanut butter but for some reason I wanted an apple after Krav Maga yesterday. Since I was too lazy to chew I cut it up and threw it in with my protein powder and some peanut butter. I don't think the average person would enjoy it but if you're used to drinking shakes/smoothies 1-2 times every day like I am it's a welcomed change.