The holidays are the best time to bring families together around the table for delicious meals and great conversations!
Netflix let’s members enjoy their favorite TV shows and movies anytime and anywhere they want. With Netflix you can watch your favorite shows on an iPad in the kitchen, the big screen in the living room, or even on your phone while waiting in line at the grocery store.
The holidays really do seem to bring families just a bit closer. Every family member has their favorite holiday movie that they like to watch, and while the holiday meal is being prepared, they can stream their favorite movies or shows and haggle over who get’s to watch what first. See, I can feel the closeness already.
We love to stream movies from our big screen television while cooking in the kitchen. Luckily for us, we can view the TV right from the kitchen. When outside grilling, we just take our iPad with us and continue right where we left off. I love to get caught up on my episodes of The Pioneer Woman on Netflix while prepping dinner. This holiday, I will be watching all my favorite movies like, Christmas Vacation, Elf, A Christmas Story, Planes Trains, and Automobiles. The list goes on and on.
We all know more time is spent in the kitchen around the holidays. As much as I love cooking and baking, I really need something in the background to keep me occupied on more than just watching the stand mixer go round and round. Holiday movies help tie in the whole holiday feel of it all. This year, I’ll be streaming all my favorite cooking shows and holiday favorites as already mentioned, so I don’t have to miss a thing while I’m in the kitchen.
Spice Rub:
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
BBQ Sauce:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup whiskey
1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 cup honey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Ribs:
4 racks pork baby back ribs (2 1/2-pounds each)
3/4 cup cider vinegar
*Optional Special Equipment to Barbecue the Ribs*:
One 13 × 9-inch (or larger) disposable aluminum foil pan
3 cups hickory wood chips, soaked in cold water to cover for 1 hour
Clean spray bottle
Grill
To prepare the spice rub:
The day before you cook the ribs, make the spice rub. In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, paprika, black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin together. Place the ribs on 2 large baking sheets and rub the ribs all over with the spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
Meanwhile, to make the barbecue sauce:
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the garlic is tender.
Stir in the paprika, then stir in the whisky and vinegar, bring just to a simmer, and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in the broth, ketchup, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Bring the sauce to a simmer over high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring often to prevent scorching, for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly. Remove from the heat.
To barbecue the ribs:
Prepare an outdoor grill for low cooking over indirect heat: For a gas grill, place the foil pan over one or two unlit burners and half-fill the pan with water. Turn on the remaining burner(s) and heat the grill to 300°F. Spread 1 cup of the drained wood chips on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the foil directly on the lit burner and wait until the chips are smoking before you add the ribs to the grill.
For a charcoal grill, place the foil pan on the charcoal grate on one side of the grill and half-fill the pan with water. Build a charcoal fire on the other side and let it burn until the coals are covered with white ash and you can hold your hand just above the cooking grate for 4 to 5 seconds. (To check the temperature more accurately, cover the grill and drop a long-stemmed metal candy thermometer through the top vent; it should register about 300°F.) Sprinkle 1 cup of the drained wood chips over the coals.
Combine the vinegar and 3/4 cup water in the spray bottle. Season the ribs with the salt. Place the ribs on the cooking grate over the water-filled pan. (Don’t worry if the ribs extend over the pan, as the pan will still catch the majority of the dripping juices.) Grill, with the lid closed, turning the ribs over and spraying them every 45 minutes or so with the vinegar mixture, adding another cup of drained wood chips at the same intervals, for about 3 hours, or until the meat is just tender.
For a charcoal grill, you will need to add 12 ignited charcoal briquettes (or the equivalent in hardwood charcoal) to the fire along with the chips every 45 minutes to maintain the grill temperature. (Light the charcoal in a chimney starter on a fire-safe surface, or use a small portable grill or hibachi.) For either grill, do not add more wood chips after the 1 hour and 30 minute point, as too much smoke will give the ribs a bitter flavor.
Once the ribs are tender, begin brushing them lightly with the barbecue sauce every few minutes or so, allowing the sauce to set before applying the next coat. Continue brushing the ribs with the sauce, turning occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until the meat has shrunk from the ends of the bones. Transfer the ribs to a carving board and let rest for 5 minutes.
Alternatively, to bake the ribs:
Position the racks in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Cover the ribs on the baking sheets with foil. Bake the ribs, rotating the baking sheets and basting the ribs after the first 45 minutes, and recovering them with foil, for 1 1/2 hours, or until the ribs are tender and the meat has shrunk from the ends of the bones.
Uncover the ribs, baste them with the barbecue sauce and continue baking for 10 minutes, brushing them lightly with the barbecue sauce every few minutes or so, allowing the sauce to set before applying the next coat.
To serve:
Using a large sharp knife, cut the racks into individual ribs. Arrange the ribs on a platter and serve with the remaining sauce on the side.
