Bacon Wrapped Ribs With a Brown Sugar, Chili and Bourbon Glaze

This was one of those ideas that just came about from eyeing two separate items almost simultaneously in my fridge. I am probably not the first person to wrap bacon around ribs, but...let's just for the sake of fun, pretend I am. I feel better about myself already.

Mainly, the best thing about this recipe is that it, once again, combines two of my absolute favorite edible items: bacon and bourbon. And it was just as good as I thought it would be.

This is one of those recipes that you really can't go wrong with, you can switch in and out any spices or sauce, making it sweeter or spicier. Whatever pleases your palette most.

Ingredients

1 lb boneless pork ribs

bacon(you will need one slice per rib)

2 cups bbq sauce(homemade or store bought)

1/4 cup bourbon

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp chili pwdr

1/4 cup apricot jam(optional)

Mix together the brown sugar and chili powder to create a rub. Wrap each rib in a slice of bacon. Brush the ribs with the bourbon and sprinkle one side with the rub. Place in a very hot saute pan(I had used olive oil to prevent sticking), seasoned side down. Brush unseasoned side with bourbon and sprinkle with the rub. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side to get slightly crispy. Place in crockpot and top with bbq sauce and apricot jam. You can also add any left over bourbon or spices.

or if you want...just add more bourbon. Period.

Keep on low for for 7 to 8 hours, or high for 4 to 5.  If you want the ribs to maintain their "rib shape" integrity, you may want to cut cooking time by about 30 min. Otherwise  it is fall apart and still beyond delicious. If you do not have a crockpot, you should be able to bake these at 375 for 2 hrs or so, keeping watch to make sure you have enough liquid. 

If you have some left over, they are perfect for shredded pork tacos.

Linking up with

Taste of Tuesday

Crockpot Cream(cheese) Corn

A few years ago the place I was working at was holding our annual Chili cook off and one of our co workers brought a crock pot full of creamed corn. We were all slightly confused (as was she). She had a slight language barrier and thought she was supposed to bring anything in the crockpot, she didn't win that year but what she had was so beyond delicious that we made an entirely new category just for her the next year.

We all went to have a taste of something that seemed almost...boring. oops. Not Exactly, this simple side dish was almost unexplainable as to how tasty it was. I asked for her recipe and have made it for quite a few holidays and it is always a hit.

Ingredients

2 bags frozen corn(or one very large)

8 oz cream cheese, cold and cut into small pieces

4-6 tbsp butter(cold and cut into small pieces

Empty one bag of frozen corn into the crockpot, lay half the butter and cream cheese on top and top w/a liberal amount of salt and pepper(I also sometimes like to add season salt and red pepper flakes) then add half of remaining bag of corn and the rest of the butter and cream cheese, add more salt & pepper to taste. Put on high and let set for an hour. After an hour, stir together and scrape sides, let sit another hour.  Turn to low and stir every  half hour. Cook for about another hour to hour and a half. (although I have discovered that different crock pots/slowcookers cook at different speeds so maybe it takes an hour, maybe it takes two, just pay attention!)

first step

finished creamy, buttery product

after first half hour

Then sit back and enjoy the goodness. The last time I made this I mixed it up and added the new lemon herb cream cheese. it was quite tasty.

Somehow though...no matter what I do and no matter how good mine comes out, it never quite touches VJ's. This has led me to draw upon the only reasonable conclusion I can...she had a magical crockpot.