Wood Pellet Grill Spare Ribs

Want to do spare ribs on your wood pellet grill? If you do lets get cookin'!

First, always look for spare ribs on sale. I see them hovering around the four dollar range a pound, but many times they are on sale for $2.99 or even $1.99 a pound.

Spare ribs are not real ribs, per say and are located between the real ribs (baby backs) and the stomach area of a hog. The word “spare” is loosely translated from the German word that means “spear” ribs. Way back when folks use to spear the meat and cook it over a fire.

Not much has changed, dude...you going to follow suit and cook the meat over a fire, too? It's just that the spearing thing comes later.

Wash the ribs thoroughly and rinse. Place in a safe marinating container. A sturdy plastic bag that you can close will work but I prefer a Tupperware Marinating Container. Health-wise, do not use metal or aluminum containers to marinate anything.

You can use any quality Rub you want, however for this particular session on my Traeger Wood Pellet Grill I used Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Barbecue Seasoning. This is an “out of sight” Rub! And, it's economical and readily available.

Sprinkle on the Rub generously and rub in thoroughly on all parts of the ribs. Sprinkle on a second time but don't rub it this time. Cover in some type of an airtight container and re fridge over night.

Next day, let the spare ribs sit out on the counter while you heat up your wood pellet grill. Once lite, let it get up to high and leave it. I used Cherry pellets, but Apple is excellent also. When you put the ribs on the grill the temperature will meander down to 350 degrees or so from high...keep it there!

You can grill spare ribs directly on the grill, but I prefer to slow cook them in a shallow pan. This helps keep the moisture in. Also, it doesn't hurt to have a metal dish filled with water or brew sitting next to the ribs for additional moisture and/or taste.

Cooking time is about two hours or 175 degrees. In the last fifteen minutes of cooking, get yourself a squirt bottle and fill it with a half a cup of orange juice and about a quarter cup apple cider vinegar. Mist the ribs slightly...don't go berserk with the misting. Turn em' over and mist the other side, too.

You can additionally smoke the ribs by going into the “Smoke Mode”, but I think it drys them out. Take them off the grill immediately when done and wrap them in foil for fifteen before serving.

OK, some folks like a dipping sauce, so try to make this if you do. If it ain't hot enough add more Tabasco. If it really isn't hot enough, forget the Tabasco and substitute Habanero sauce.

Just remember the whole premise is to be able to taste the meat!

Your Very Own Spare Rib Dipping Sauce

1 cup Ketchup

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 dashes Tabasco

1 cup Water

1/4 cup Distilled Vinegar

1 tbsp Brown sugar

1 tsp Salt

4 tbsp Finely Chopped Celery Leaves

1 tbsp Minced onions

Do I have to tell you to put all this stuff in a pot and cook it? Cover and bring it up almost to a boil and then simmer for two hours.

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef, best griller in the world, and friend George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you only send a little! See the Donate Button upper right. It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads. Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!

Bratwurst Recipes | Real Simple

There are probably hundreds and hundreds bratwurst recipes...here's just one!

The first documented bratwurst, the very first Brat, dates back to the year 1313 A.D. Which means they date me by just a few years.

All this empirical and grand documentation took place in Nuremberg, Germany which is a little east of Mt. Angel where Oregon's super-cool annual “Octoberfest” is held and the Brats are in abundance.

Years ago, I use to head-up an annual picnic for the paper mill I worked for. There was all kinds of meats served....grilled steaks to order, grilled chicken, bratwurst and whole hogs barbecued up.

By far the most popular was the bratwurst. They were boiled in beer and spices in super large pots and then put on the grill.

Folks ate them by themselves, or with a special wheat bun, with or without mustard, horseradish , sauerkraut or whatever. Nothing disappeared faster than the Brats.

Personally, I have tried many ways to fix Bratwurst but I always get back to the best way and that is to boil them in beer until they turn grayish. You can add a fair amount of peppercorns to the beer for an additional taste. Then grill those suckers!

You can just boil them in beer until cooked and then serve them. Forget the grilling and peppercorns. 

Add a good sauerkaut and mustard and you've got it!  I've looked at many recipes on the net. Some require that you spend all day preparing bratwurst...doing this and doing that. You will find that simple is better.

One of the keys is finding good bratwurst. Ask around and you will get some good answers.

Another post on the subject: Grilled Bratwurst Recipes

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef, best griller in the world, and friend George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you only send a few dollars! See the Donate Button upper right. It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads. Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. Semper Fi to all Marines!

Finding a good mustard is a must! I favor the Beaver Brand...no fancy packaging, just good taste.

Country Style Pork Ribs | Go For The Meat

Above is a pic of a whole bunch of Country-Style Ribs that have just got off the barbie and are all squished together like sardines in a can.

Lets get right to it, not to mess up your day but Country-Style are not really ribs, but they're kind of real close to where the actual ribs are on a hog. They even look like the real thing!

Baby Backs are the real ribs, and probably more popular, especially in BBQ joints, maybe because of the presentation thing. The preparation of both types is the same except with Baby Backs you will have to remove the membrane which is not all that big of a deal.

If you are thinking about Country-Style Pork Ribs look for them on sale. Often you can get a good price on them if you shop carefully. Try to get a minimum four pound package of ribs. This usually consists of five huge ribs.

Wash the ribs and pat dry. There are hundreds of "Dry Rubs" that you can use on ribs.  You can  make and use your own, but there are some excellent ones like Paul Prudhomme's "Pork and Veal Magic" or his "Barbecue Magic" that are extremely cost effective.

And, I don't think you could buy all the ingredients and make them any cheaper or better.  Chef Paul does his homework!

Get yourself a marinating pan, something like a Tupperware Marinating container or a large, heavy plastic bag. I prefer the Tupperware because you can use it over and over. And, I like the fact it stores easily, and when not marinating it stores home-made cookies extremely well. Is the brain starting to rally? Any lights starting to turn on? Is the engine starting to fire on all cylinders? 

Place the ribs in the container and sprinkle Dry Rub on all sides of the ribs and rub in thoroughly. Next apply plain old mustard. I mean plain old yellow mustard to all sides of the ribs. The wimps may want to use a small brush to apply the mustard so they don't get their gorgeous mitts all yucky.

Yellow mustard had some neat ingredients in it that makes it an excellent marinade like, for example: vinegar, turmeric, paprika. Apply more Dry Rub, but don't rub it in this time. Cover and place in the fridge over night.

Next Day: Get out of bed! Get your ribs out of the fridge! Let them sit out on the counter for a half hour. Meanwhile, get the oven or grill up to 325 degrees.

For the grill, you want to do your ribs on "indirect heat". You'll burn them if you don't. It's not like grilling a steak.

Yes,  you can grill ribs over direct heat. But, when I cook them I am after moisture and tenderness and the only way I know how to accomplish that is through slow cooking.

I cook ribs two ways. On my Traeger Grill, I place the Country-Style Ribs in a shallow pan lined with aluminum foil. The Traeger naturally cooks on indirect heat and there is no problem with burning.

On my gas grill, also using a shallow pan, I light only one side of the grill and cook on the cool side with the hood down. But the best way is using a water pan with a grill on top of it to cook the ribs.

This is patterned after the ancient Chinese method of steaming and more recently the Water Smoker grill. This method of cooking is self-basting and adds moisture and taste to whatever you are cooking.

You can add things to the water and that is absorbed by the meat like onions and spices. You can substitute cola, root beer for the water...adds taste and puts a nice glaze on things. (See this post)

Put the hood down and leave it down for an hour. A low two zone fire on a charcoal grill should get the same results.

Whether it is an oven or the grill, the ribs should be done in about an hour or until they reach a temperature of 170 degrees.

Take them off the grill or oven and drain off the fluid. You can coat them with a quality barbecue sauce, but I like to coat them with "Fischer and Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce" and put them back onto the grill or oven for 15 minutes.

You can add smoke to Country-Style Pork Ribs for these last fifteen minutes also. On a gas grill, you will have to get a "smoker box".

Follow the directions on the package. Smoke the ribs for the remaining 15 minutes. With the charcoal grill, add chunks of fruit wood rather than chips.

The latest craze has been to boil the ribs first before you BBQ them.  Best advice...don't do it!  You'll screw them up!

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef, best griller in the world, and friend George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”


I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you only send a few dollars! See the Donate Button upper right. It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads. Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!

Chickens On Wood Pellet Grills

The two chickens shown above are about to be cooked on a Traeger Grill. Wood pellet grills like the Traeger are one of the best ways to BBQ chicken or any other thing, period!

If you are like me you like to experiment with different Rubs and marinades. I make a lot of my own Rubs but I also like to use other folks' as well, and my favorites are almost any type of seasoning that comes from Chef Paul Prudhomme's kitchen.

Now, as far as I know he is not regarded as the King of BBQ, but if you familiar with him you might regard him as one of the Kings of Spice and Hot. And, of course any of the food he prepares is extremely colorful and good tastin'.

On my Traeger Grill when I do chicken I like to do two at a time. Just one chicken doesn't get it.

Rinse the entire chicken, inside and out with warm water and pat dry. Place in a marinating container like Tupperware or a plastic bag.

On one chicken, I used Prudhomme's “Little Italy Seasoning” as a Rub and Catalina Dressing as a marinade. On the other, I used Prudhomme's “Poultry Magic” as a Rub and Fischer and Wieser’s Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce as a marinade. Naturally, you can do both chickens the same but that may be boring. See below on where to get all this stuff.

On both chickens, generously pour on the Rub and rub it in, dude, all over the chickens and into the cavities. Get those mitts messy!

Pour on the respective marinades and brush on thoroughly. Pour an extra amount into the cavity.

Pour on some more Rub, but don't rub it in this time. Cover and place in the fridge over night. Don't marinate anything in aluminum or metal containers for health reasons.

Next day, you are ready to cook! Get your wood pellet grill started, get it up to a high temperature and then bring it back down to a medium temperature of 325-350 degrees. Make sure the chicks sit out on the counter for at least 15 to 30 minutes before they go on the grill.

Cooking time will very from an hour and a half to two hours, but whatever you do make sure you use a meat thermometer to see that they are done. Place the thermometer under one of the wings and make sure it reads 190 degrees. If not, shut the hood and cook em' some more.

I use a shallow pan, lined with foil when I do chickens. With all that marinade I don't want it all over the grill. Also, just a theory, keeping the juices in a pan while cooking adds more moisture to the meat.

When the chickens are done, bring up the foil so that it completely covers the chicken and let it sit out for fifteen minutes before serving.

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef, best griller in the world, and friend George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you only send a little! See the Donate Button upper right. It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads. Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!

Catalina Dressing makes an excellent marinate.  It has all the right ingredients to add exquisite flavor and even color to your chicken.  Another is the Fischer Chipotle Sauce.  Not only a super marinade but make for an excellent salad dressing.  

Unless you're going to BBQ for an entire Marine Corps Regiment I recommend a smaller wood pellet grill. You will be surprised what you can get on the smaller Traegers. Personally, I have had huge turkeys on my own Traeger while doing a huge ham at the same time.  Although, I don't think I would buy the Junior Traeger...it's just too small.

Purchasing Chef Paul Prudhomme's spices is very economical...sixteen ounces for around eleven something. The Little Italy product link says $23 but that's for two 16 oz. cannisters. You get a lot for your money.  

The Tupperware containers are a must if you marinate things more than twice a year. They are heavily constructed and airtight.  When not in use they are great for storing cookies...is the brain lighting up?

How To Cook Beef Bottom Round Roast

“Ladies and gentleman...boys and girls, step right up to this here platform and get your beef bottom round roast at only $2.99 a pound while they last!  Y'all better hurry or y'all goin' miss out !"


Actually, watch the ads! Beef roasts like this are on sale quite a bit of the time at $2.99 and even less at your local butcher's.

Why pay $9.99 a pound for deli roast beef when you can prepare and cook your very own beef roast that's going to surpass most over-the-counter sliced deli meat in taste and quality?

Whether you cook this in a kitchen oven or put it on the grill you can come out with something that will knock folk's socks off. So knock their socks off!

I started out with a three and a third pound beef roast. Butchers like to label beef roasts a little differently but look for something like:” Beef Round Sirloin Tip Roast”, or something similar. Capisce?

I like to season it and marinate overnight to tenderize it a tad. We don't want it to turn out tough do we?

Wash it and pat dry. Poke numerous holes in it with a big ol' fork to help the seasoning and marinade penetrate the roast. Still awake?

For this one time, I used Chef Paul Prudhomme's “Little Italy Seasoning” as a Rub. Poured it on generously and rubbed it over the entire roast. I also used a generous amount of a cool product, "Apple Valley's Huckleberry Pear Grilling Sauce” as a marinade. Love fruit flavors!

Now, you can do what I did. But, any quality seasoning and marinade will do the trick. For example, Italian dressing makes for an excellent marinade. You can even skip the Rub because Italian dressing has all the necessary ingredients to flavor and tenderize your beef.

When you marinate something it's wise to use a plastic bag or plastic container to marinate things in the fridge overnight. Metal, aluminum and marinade are a bad combo health-wise.

I favor a Tupperware Marinating Container. They seal airtight and are heavy duty and I have had one of my two containers for over 30 years.

Next Day: While getting up to a medium temperature...325-350 degrees, let the roast sit out on the counter for one half hour before cooking.

If cooking in the oven place the roast in a ribbed roasting pan that keeps it elevated away from the bottom of the pan or it will burn. Add more marinade to the pan so you have some liquid at the bottom.

On a grill cook on indirect heat. Meaning: Light one side of the BBQ and cook on the other with the hood down at a medium temperature.

Cooking time is around two hours for a three plus pound roast or 140 degrees for medium rare, longer for medium and well done.

Use a meat thermometer, don't guess!

Before carving, let the roast sit out for fifteen minutes before carving. Slice thinly at a slight angle.

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef, best griller in the world, and friend George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you do! It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads....it helps keep up the blog and my fragile spirit! Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!

 I'm a big fan of Chef Paul! He's one of the best right along with Chef Hirsch. His products are superb and very cost effective. You look at the Amazon Product Link and it says,"$23", but that is the price for two 16 oz Containers. Unless you run a restaurant that will last you a millenium and a half.

The thing about his spices is that they are all unique.  His "Little Italy" isn't "Italian Seasoning" like you find in the grocery store...it's about ten times better and I personally use it for all kinds of dishes...including using it as a Rub like I did with this Beef Bottom Round Roast. Ooh, use it in your  marinara sauce too!

There is a cool restaurant in Portland called Henry's Tavern, home of the old Henry Weinhard Brewery...you know, "Hey, there where y'all going with all that beer"? Anyway, they have a macroni and cheese dish that's to die for!  I asked for the recipe and guess what they use as a spice? Paul Prudhomme's "Seafood Magic Seasoning"! Off the wall, but you won't believe what it does for Mac & Cheese.

Personally, I have purchased and used about all the different spices that he makes and they are all good.  

Grilled Pizza Tips | Fit For A Vegan

Have you ever made a grilled pizza? If you haven’t here’s your big chance to be cool…maybe shock all kinds of folks with a new skill…your very own grilled pizza on the BBQ! And, this pizza is vegan! 

And, this is going to be real simple pizza…nothing that will blow your mind. There’s no making pizza dough from scratch, which means there’s a bit of cheating/deception involved. But, we won’t tell anybody.

Tip 1: Go buy a Boboli Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (Don’t show the packaging to anyone. You can’t! Do you want to be known as a cheat?)

Tip 2: Boboli Pizza Squeeze 

Tip 3: Fresh Spinach, Red Onion, Artichokes, Mushrooms and Black Olives

Tip 4: Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomatoes w/Zesty Peppers

Tip 5: Feta, Mozzarella Cheese or Shredded Sheese for Vegans

Tip 6: Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Pizza & Pasta Magic

Now it’s time to make pizza, mon! To grab the brass ring, dude!

You don’t really need a pizza grill pan to put on the grill, but it makes things a little easier if you use one. I have two: A pizza grill pan and an old Papa Murphy Stone.

• Ok, the first thing is to squirt on the pizza squeeze. Brush it on the entire Boboli
• Pile on a generous portion of fresh spinach. It will cook down, so pile it on
• Drain and shred a can of artichokes on top of the spinach
• Add sun dried tomatoes on top with the peppers, cut up mushrooms*, onion, olives
• Non-Vegans shred Mozzarella and spread on top along with chunks of feta
• For Vegans use Shredded Sheese (Geez, get a grip!)

*I sauteed the mushrooms before I added them to the pizza.

Start the grill on high and bring it down to 350 degrees. The Boboli(s) are pre-cooked and there is no need to turn the grill up any higher. The idea is to get the spinach to cook down and the cheese to melt. It goes fast! Keep the hood shut while cooking!

Watch how long you have the pizza on the grill. Anything around ten minutes and you will start to have a crispy crust. Place pizza on a cutting board and cut with a pizza cutter.  As an option, sprinkle on Prudhomme’s Pizza & Pasta Magic.

This recipe makes for an impressive, tasty pizza.  For non-vegans, you can add meat. The one in the photo has grilled chicken on it. But, it’s excellent without any meat.

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef, best griller in the world, and friend George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you do! It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads....it helps keep up the blog and my fragile spirit! Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!

Vegan Grilling Ideas | Get A Life, Dude!

Challenging, maybe more than barbecuing and grilling meat is coming up with ideas for grilling veggies and getting healthy!

En Eefecto: Vegan folks like to grill as much as their meat-eating friends. For me grilling veggies and fruit can be both challenging and rewarding. Plus, it should be part of the “total meal experience”.

The closest many of the pure meat lovers get to vegan grilling is a shish kabob…a couple of cherry tomatoes, a green pepper and maybe some chunks of pineapple. Well, at least it’s not all meat.

I will have to admit, I blog more about barbecuing meat than I do about grilling vegetables and fruit. However, in reality I grill more fruits and veggies than I do meat, especially when they are in season.

The above photo is of four zucchini (2 yellow, 2 green), two ears of corn and a head of cauliflower, fixed a very special way. I think you will like the recipe for the cauliflower.

I cut the zucchini length wise and rubbed EVOO (only olive oil safe for vegans) on them so they would not stick to the grill. I husked the corn and also rubbed EVOO on it.

I am a big fan of Chef Paul Prudhomme. I used his “Vegetable Magic” on both the zucchini and the corn.

Before I put the corn on the grill I zapped both ears for 4 minutes in a covered pie plate, and poured a tad bit of water into the dish. I figured that this saves a lot of grilling time, and the idea is to have everything cooked and done at about the same time.

Clean a head of cauliflower and brush on Spectrum non-egg mayo and yellow mustard. Next, finally chop up a couple tablespoons of red onion and distribute over the entire head. Sprinkle on Prudhomme’s Vegetable Magic. Cover and zap for 4 minutes, with a little water at the bottom of, like a Corning Ware dish.

Place the cauliflower in a separate pan and place shredded “Sheese”, a non-dairy type of cheese over the top before putting on the grill. Actually, the cauliflower is cooked, but the Sheese is not completely melted. Hey, anyway, it’s going to look cool on the grill.

Light up one side of the grill to medium heat or 325 degrees. Place the cauliflower in a metal container, lined with foil and place on the unheated side. Close the hood periodically to help melt the Sheese.

Place the corn and zucchini on the heated side. This will go fast! Flip the zucchini after a couple of minutes on the grill. If overcooked they will become soggy. The corn is less sensitive. Make sure you get the cool grill marks.

Enjoy! Like my favorite chef, best griller in the world, and friend George Hirsch would say: “Know your fire!”

I don’t ask that you send me 100K for my BBQ and cooking tips. But, hey, it's cool if you do! It really helps with the bills. If not, please check out my sponsors and ads....it helps keep up the blog and my fragile spirit! Thank you, it’s appreciated! Please see bottom of page for Product Disclosure and Privacy Disclosure. “Semper Fi” To All Marines!