Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Turkey Bacon and Spinach

1 13.25 oz box elbow pasta
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic power
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup cheddar, diced or shredded
1/4 cup swiss, diced or shredded
1/4 cup havarti, diced or shredded
1/4 cup smoked gouda, diced or shredded
5 slices of Turkey bacon, diced.
1 cup frozen spinach, squeezed
cooking spray
1/4 shredded cheese.

Step 1

Preheat Oven 350. Boil Pasta in accordance with the package instructions. Drain and place it in a large bowl and cover. Beat the egg in a small bowl and reserve. Dry the pot used for the pasta, and place it over medium heat. Add the butter to the pot and melt. Once melted whisk or stir in the flour.  Continue whisking or stirring for 2 minutes. This is to cook out the rawness of the flour.  After two minutes, little by little, slowly whisk or stir in the half and half. Continue to whisk or stir constantly.  DO NOT allow the sauce to come to a boil. This sauce is commonly called a white sauce, but it's name is really a béchamel sauce.

Step 2

Stir in the next four ingredients. Once the seasonings are well combined, stir some of the sauce into the bowl with the egg a little at a time. The goal is to slowly raise the temperature of the egg so that it can be added to the sauce without scrabbling. This process is called tempering the eggs.  Add the egg sauce mixture to the large pot and combine well.




Step 3

Add the cheese to the sauce a cup at a time. Stir continuously until all the cheese is melted evenly.  Once the cheese is melted add the bacon, the spinach, and the pasta to the large pot and combine well. Apply cooking spray to a 11 x 13 pan. Pour the mixture into the pan.  Shake the pan to ensure even distribution and then sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes uncovered.

Beef Back Ribs

First, I must apologize for the two month hiatus. Normally August and September are extremely busy times of the year.  Thank you for your patience.

I was an adult before I ever had Beef Back Ribs. I was at a restaurant called Hill Country in Washington, DC.  They were different than the pork ribs I grew up eating.  They are not as meaty as pork spare ribs, but the flavor is bolder and richer just like their related cuts: Short Ribs, Rib Eye Roast and Rib Eye Steaks, and Prime Rib. This preparation begins with a rub with chili pepper and cumin, brown sugar and salt. Are they as good as Texas BBQ?  You can be the judge, but they are darn close for this Mid-Atlanticer. The production here was scaled down to only one 1 slab, just incase it didn't go well. Let's just say, I wish I'd prepared more.

Ingredients:

Rub:

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon garlic power
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Chipotle pepper or 1/16 teaspoon smoked paprika

Wood:
1 cup hickory wood chips

Meat:
1 3-pound slab beef back ribs


Step 1:

Mix the rub together, and rub the ribs. Place them in a zip top bag and refrigerate for 4 hours at a minimum.






Step 2:

Soak the wood chips for 30-45 minutes prior to smoking.  Add the ribs to the smoker and smoke for 6 to 8 hours at 180 to 200 degrees F.






Step 3

Retrieve the ribs from the smoker. Allow them to rest for ten minutes, and then eat.

Fall Off The Bone Tender Smoked Chicken

1 cup alder wood or apple wood chips

5-6 pounds of chicken leg quarters or drumsticks
3 tablespoons season salt
2 tablespoons black pepper

Step One:
Start the smoker.  While it come to temperature soak the wood chips for 15 to 30 minutes.  Monitor the smoker to ensure it reaches no more than 200 degrees Fahrenheit.  Add the wood chips to the smoker. 

Step two

Clean and trim the chicken parts.  Wash the chicken parts and pat them dry with a paper towel.  Season the chicken with the season salt and pepper.

Step Three:

Place the chicken in the smoker and smoke the chicken until the chicken parts reach 180 degrees. This will take about 3-4 hours. The chicken will be fall off the bone tender, and very, very flavorful. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes, and then enjoy.

Smoked Country Spare Ribs

Country Spare Ribs are not ribs at all, they are actually a cut from the shoulder. They are a bit tougher, but they are very flavorful. They lend themselves to many cuisines from BBQ, Asian, Pacific Islander, Cuban, and many more.  This preparation is to smoke them.   The basics here are: a good rub (spice blend), good wood, and slow and low even heat. For those without a smoker charcoal grills and even some gas grills can be modified to achieve pretty good results. Unfortunately the smoked Country Spare Ribs can not be made in an oven and liquid smoke flavoring products will not do the end result justice. To modify this for the oven reduce the brown sugar in half and baste the Country Spare Ribs with your favorite smokey BBQ sauce during cooking. It wont be the same, but it will still be delicious.  Lastly, if you don’t have all day to smoke the Country Spare Ribs, you can smoke them for about 1 to 2 hours, and then pop them in the oven set to 200 degrees, or a slow cooker on low for the remaining time.

5 pounds Country Spare Ribs

4 cups water

2 cups apple wood chips soaked
¼ cup kosher salt 2 tablespoons brown sugar 
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 
1 teaspoon Everglades All-Purpose Seasoning or other all purpose seasoning.
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

2 teaspoons garlic powder

Step 1: 

Remove the Country Spare Ribs from the refrigerator, and place them at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl to make the spice rub. Rub (massage) the country spare ribs well. Place the rubbed Country Spare Ribs in a sealed container or zip top bag and refrigerate for at least 2 to 4 hours.

Step 2: Soak the wood chips in the water for 30 to 45 minutes, drain,  and reserve.

Step3: 

Remove the Country Spare Ribs from the refrigerator.  Get the smoker going to 180- 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the wood chips. Once the chips are smoking place the Country Spare Ribs inside the smoker. Ensure the temperature is no more than 180 to 200 degrees through out cooking. Smoke the Country Spare Ribs for 6 hours.