EQ2Wire BBQs!

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I was posting some BBQ recipes for baby back ribs and grilled chicken breast on another forum and thought some folks here might like to read ’em. If you’d like more, post a Comment. Baby Back Ribs & Grilled Chicken Breast recipes after the jump.

Baby Back Pork Ribs

I liberally rub John Henry’s Pecan Rub all over 2 baby back rib racks (regular, not spare), wrap in plastic, and put in the fridge over night.

Next day I soak 1-2 cups hardwood chips like Apple or Hickory in cold water for 30 minutes, drain, and then put in a large foil pouch. I poke holes all in the pouch on top and bottom and drop that onto the hot coals (or directly over the hot burner if on propane/gas). Then I put the ribs on the opposite side of the grill and close the top.

After 3 hours of smoking, the flavor is great, but the fat is not broken down like I like it. Actually the ribs are kind of tough like this. So I take the ribs off and wrap them tight in foil, then stick them in a 350F oven for 1 hour. I take them out and let them rest.

After about 20 minutes of resting, the fat is melted and the ribs are juicy and moist and fall-apart tender. I was shocked the first time I tried to pick up the ribs by the bones and the bones just popped out.

Only 1 person asked for BBQ sauce. Rest ate them as-is.

Grilled Chicken Breasts

I’ve eaten (or tried to eat) so many overcooked Grilled Chicken Breasts that I set out to make my own recipe.

Chicken Breasts are so easy to overcook. Just 30 seconds and you have the difference between too pink and dry as a bone.

My secret (not really a secret) is to brine them in saltwater. I put 1/2 cup of kosher salt or 1/4 cup of regular salt into cold water, and then add the chicken breasts. I let them soak for about 1 hour, then dry off and put on a foil sheet.

Now for seasoning. There are lots of choices. Penzey’s spices has a Northwoods Seasoning which is pretty good. McCormick Chicken Rub is also pretty good.

If you love garlic, then I tinkered until I made this recipe and it’s pretty darn good. It’s a fast marinade, just 20 minutes, and really punches the flavor up. I mix this up in a bowl:

• 2-3 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 diced shallot
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• freshly ground pepper
• chopped fresh thyme or rosemary

then I move the chicken breasts around in the bowl until they have a good coating on them. You could also dump all those ingredients in a large Ziplock bag and then add the chicken breasts and shake the bag and you will get the same result.

Then I get the grill going and put the chicken on there on the hot side first to get nice grill marks, just a few minutes each side. Then I move to the cool side or turn down the heat. All told about 8-10 minutes you can use a thermometer or start checking by cutting into one of the breasts.

Again, it’s really easy to overcook chicken breasts. So I’d take it off as early as you feel safe doing it, then cover with foil and they will continue to cook. The saltwater gives you some extra leeway on cooking but you can still make it shoe leather if you go too far.

I make grilled chicken breast now about once a week with different combinations like above. I also do something similar with Chicken Thighs, but those have to be cooked a LONG time on the grill to get done. When you think it’s done, cook another 5 minutes. Thighs are hard to overcook.