A simple Meat Rub You Can Make Yourself

You may have noticed a wide range of "dry rubs" available at grocery market and specialty food market lately. These fragrant combinations of herbs and spices add texture, color, and, of course, flavor to everything from steaks to chicken. Sometimes though, the industrial rubs are very salty and many contain Msg, which may give some population a headache. So why not try to make your own dry rubs with whatever herbs and spices you have in your pantry or spice rack?

A simple Meat Rub You Can Make Yourself

A simple Meat Rub You Can Make Yourself

---

A simple Meat Rub You Can Make Yourself

A simple Meat Rub You Can Make Yourself

Try this basic rub which is adequate for about 10 steaks.

Basic Steak Rub

1 tsp. Chili powder

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Garlic powder

2 tsp. Paprika

3 tsp. Cinnamon

4 tsp. Brown sugar

2 tsp. Oregano

3 tsp. Ground cumin

Combine the ingredients in a large, shallow baking dish. Place one steak in the dish and slowly pat it down to coat the lowest side of the meat with the rub. Flip the steak over to coat the other side. slowly rub the composition into both sides of the meat.

Repeat the process for each steak. Let the steak rest for about an hour or so, coated with the rub, then grill as usual once the steaks are at room temperature.

Note: Throw away any of the leftover rub that came into touch with the raw meat.

Serving the Steaks: Serve steaks without steak sauce since it will overPower the rub and you will only taste the steak sauce.

Other Herbs & Spices To Try In Rubs:

Marjoram, basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, lemon pepper, dry mustard, celery salt, red pepper flakes, Chipotle powder, etc. - experiment until you get just the right composition of ingredients for your version of the excellent rub.

A simple Meat Rub You Can Make Yourself

Related : Rechargeable Batteries | Green Battery Chargers | Peg Perego Stroller

How to Smoke A Rack of Spare Ribs

There are many separate opinions and techniques for smoking a rack of ribs. The
best way to find out what works for you is to practice and experiment with separate
available recipes, or new recipes you come up with. No matter what method or taste
you are finding for, the key to turning a plain rack of ribs into a tender, juicy,
perfectly smoked rack of ribs is "Low and Slow." This means low climatic characteristic
(225-250 degrees F) and al long time (about 5 hours for a 5 lb rack).

How to Smoke A Rack of Spare Ribs

How to Smoke A Rack of Spare Ribs

---

How to Smoke A Rack of Spare Ribs

How to Smoke A Rack of Spare Ribs

When I get ready a rack of spare ribs for smoking, I commonly get ready the ribs the night
before I am going to smoke them to let the rub soak in to the meat. This will give
the rub plentifulness of time to work. A rub is basically a blend of seasonings that is
applied to meat before smoking. You do not have to use a rub, but I propose it
because it will add flavor to the meat. How much flavor depends on your rub recipe,
but that is another story.

The rack of spare ribs referred to in these instructions weighed 5 pounds, and was
smoked using indirect heat (225 F) for about 6 hours.

Freshness

When I choose a rack of ribs for smoking, I make sure that the meat has not been
previously frozen. Sometimes choices are limited, but fresh meat will have a better
flavor, and it will be very tender when smoked correctly. If the ribs have been
frozen, as most have, no biggie. Make sure your thaw them out in the refrigerator.

Trimming The Ribs

When you purchase a rack of spare ribs, there will be a membrane placed on the
underside of the ribs. Most habitancy have separate opinions concerning removing the
membrane or leaving it on. I reMove the membrane with a sharp knife, or I have my
butcher reMove it for me. If you are new to removing the membrane, you may ask
your butcher to reMove it for you the first time, and maybe he or she will even show
you how to remove it. You can also leave it on because if the ribs are cooked
correctly, the membrane will pretty much dissolve while cooking.

If you choose to remove it, begin by trimming it away from the bone on one end of
the ribs. You can whether continue cutting it off, or if you get lucky, you can grab it
with a pair of pliers, and pull the whole membrane off at one time.

When trimming the fat off of the ribs, make sure you leave a little. There will
probably be an excess whole in some places. Just trim it down until it looks right
to you. The fat will render, turning into oil, and it will help to keep the ribs moist.

Seasoning

Prepare your rack of ribs the night before you are going to smoke it, allowing 15 or
so hours to let the rub soak in.

Coat the ribs with a thin layer of olive oil before applying the rub.

Season both sides of the ribs with your favorite dry rub. There are a few listed on
thesmokerking.com. If you rule to make your own rub, remember, the goal is not
to overPower the taste of the meat with seasonings, but to add to the flavor by
correctly blending separate seasonings together that will improve the flavor of the
meat.

Some habitancy like to marinade their ribs, but I have had the best results with using a
dry rub.

Cooking

Remove the ribs from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before cooking them so
they are closer to room temperature.

I smoke the ribs at a consistent climatic characteristic of 225 degrees F for about 1 hour per
pound, but commonly no more than 6 hours.

Place the ribs bone side up in the smoker. I use a rib mop sauce that has no or very
little brown sugar, and no tomato products in it. These two ingredients will burn
before the meat is done, and yield bad results. It is best to apply a finishing
sauce or glaze towards the last 30-40 minutes of smoking.

A great mop sauce that I use is to mix 2/3 cups of Apple Cider Vinegar and 1/3 cup
of olive oil in a spray bottle. Shake the bottle and spray the ribs down about every
45 minutes. The Apple Cider Vinegar will help tenderize the meat, and make the
ribs a exiguous sweeter.

When applying the finishing sauce, turn the ribs over so that the bone side is down,
then apply the sauce. Do this during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

The ribs are done when the meat retracts and exposes the edge of the rib bones by
about 1/2 inch or so, and basically each rib section will tear apart with ease. The
internal meat climatic characteristic will be about 180 F when done. An instant read
thermometer is a must have for checking the doneness of the meat.

After a while, you will manufacture a feel for doneness.

Using separate types of wood will yield separate smoke flavors in the meat. I
usually use mesquite, apple, and charcoal. Too much mesquite can add a strong,
smoky flavor to the ribs, so use it sparingly. Hickory and oak are also some of the
commonly used woods for smoking ribs.

Serving

Let the smoked rack of ribs rest for about 10 minutes before cut into it.

Cut down the middle of each strip of meat between each rib bone. Add your favorite
sauce, and enjoy.

How to Smoke A Rack of Spare Ribs

Related : Rechargeable Batteries | Green Battery Chargers | Replacement Parts for Beef Eater Grills Cimarron Comfort Toilets

Get Your Guy the perfect Christmas Gift

All right. sufficient is enough. We've been inundated with requests for Christmas gifts for guys, mostly from women who don't understand the men in their lives. We're going to lay it out to you right here, gals, and it's not going to be pretty. What it will be is direct, practical and effective.

Get Your Guy the perfect Christmas Gift

Get Your Guy the perfect Christmas Gift

---

Get Your Guy the perfect Christmas Gift

Get Your Guy the perfect Christmas Gift

To acknowledge this, we went and did the unthinkable. We asked guys what they'd always wished their girlfriends or lady friends had given them. Now, all identities have been changed to keep the guilty...and unlike similar things you'll find in Cosmo, these aren't "filtered by what we expect a dream guy to be". Nor are they the gift guides from Maxim or Fhm - though they're closer to that than whatever else.

In particular, don't be expecting your guy to get this as some sort of subtle relationship signal. Guys don't think like that. Guys are direct, think that pickup lines like "That dress should be in a pile on my bedroom floor" is subtle, and think playing Halo 3 together on the couch is at least as good as a movie date. And you know what? We really, honestly, wouldn't them any other way.

So, the next quiz, to ask:

Is your guy a geek? If so, he's probably made your life a lot easier. You don't have to be a geekette to outline out what he wants. Go rifling straight through his video game collection some night when he's in the bathroom, listen to what some of his friends are geeking out over, and keep reasoning notes - is there a game that's getting good word of mouth buzz that he doesn't have yet? Your shopping list just got a lot easier. If you're worried about him getting that game from person else, get him a GameTap subscription. Now, be warned - if you get him the Uber Game Of The Year, you don't get "whining privileges". Guys will obsess about these things until they conclude them; really, it's the outlet for the same kind of reasoning that brought food back to the cave when it was mastodon season.

Does your guy like sports? whether as a Watcher or as a participant? If he's a Watcher, and he's got a cable holder or DirecTv, see if there's a network holder or satellite holder to let him get the games he wants to see. If there's a professional team he follows, discrete fan gear is usually safe...and admit it. Sprawling on his couch wearing a sports jersey for him to keep and your intimate underthings would literally spice things up. (Feel free to tie a ribbon colse to yourself in strategic places to get the hint that he should be unwrapping you, too...) If he likes to play sports, you're going to have to do a bit more explore on what sports he likes, and here, as with the computer game examples, talking to his buddies and doing a bit of Google searching are your friends.

Is your guy good with his hands? This one takes a bit of explore as well. Nothing is as much of a disaster as being the only chick checking out Power tools at Lowe's. You'll get patronized - not deliberately insulting, but patronized. Here's where you recruit one of his buddies to be your "shopping escort" - preferably one who works on guy projects with him. Remember, it doesn't have to be the spiffiest tool on the rack, it has to be one he'll literally use, and appreciate using. Same applies to buying car parts, or car accessories, or most electronics gadgets.

Lastly, one thing that nearly every guy likes is seeing at half naked to naked girls. Yeah, yeah. We know, he's with you, and he doesn't need to look any more. Get real. He'll look - the trick is to remind him that seeing is Ok so long as he never wanders, and a good way to do that is a subscription to a pinup site. And trust us, he'll remember that you bought him that subscription for a very long time. Two tasteful ones are Met-Art and Domai - you can Google for exact Urls.

Get Your Guy the perfect Christmas Gift

See Also : Rechargeable Batteries | Green Battery Chargers | hercke cabinets Under Counter Toaster Oven

Striped Bass Recipes

How tasty is striped bass? It's pretty freakin' delicious, especially when cooked properly. Here are some of my popular recipes for cooking striped bass. Enjoy!

Striped Bass Recipes

Striped Bass Recipes

---

Striped Bass Recipes

Striped Bass Recipes

Roasted Striped Bass

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

1 tbsp. Minced fresh thyme

2 tbsp. Minced fresh basil

salt and pepper

4 center-cut pieces of striped bass (each 1/2 pound and about 1 1/2 inches thick)

2 tbsp. Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Place the fish pieces on waxed paper. With your hands, generously rub the oil on both sides of the fish. Sprinkle the bread crumb-herb blend evenly on the fish, then pat it so that it adheres. Place the fish on a cake rack in a roasting pan. Roast until the fish just flakes, 10 to 15 minutes. To crisp the top, turn the oven to broil and place the fish under the broiler for about 2 minutes. Replacement to a serving platter and serve immediately. Note: This may be prepared 4 hours in strengthen through step 3 (except for preHeating the oven) and refrigerated.

Spanish Style Striped Bass

2 lbs. Striped Bass fillets, trimmed and cut into serving size portions 2 tomatoes, medium size, thinly sliced 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped 1 cucumber, small, thinly sliced 1/2 cup onion, chopped 1 clove garlic minced 2 tbsp. Butter or margarine 2 tbsp. Parsley 1 tbsp. White wine 2 tbsp. Lemon juice 1/2 tsp. Marjoram

Prepare striped bass fillets by cutting fillets in half removing the dark flesh along the dark lateral line that runs through the town of the fillet. Also reMove any dark flesh on the side of the fillet that had the skin and along the belly area. Cut trimmed fillets into serving size portions and place in a greased baking dish. Dispose tomato and cucumber slices on top of the fish. In a saucepan, cook onion, green pepper and minced garlic in butter until onion is tender but not brown. reMove from heat and stir in parsley, wine, lemon juice and marjoram. Spoon sauce over the fish. Bake in an oven preheated to 375¡F for 20 to 25 minutes or until fish begins to flake categorically with a fork.

South Carolina Striped Bass

Ingredients:

2 Striped Bass Fillets

1 cup white corn meal

1 cup all purpose flour

2 cups buttermilk

Lemon Pepper seasoning, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oil in fryer or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

2. Cut bass into nuggets, place in a bowl with buttermilk and allow to soak

(refrigerated) for at least four hours.

3. Drain buttermilk, but do not rinse fish.

4. Integrate corn meal and flour in a zipper top plastic bag.

5. Add fish pieces to the flour blend a few at a time, shaking bag regularly to coat. 6. reMove fish nuggets and determined place into hot oil. 7. Fry for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. 8. remove from oil, drain, and sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning.

Striped Bass Recipes

Related : Rechargeable Batteries | Green Battery Chargers | Curious George