A ‘Little’ Rib Dinner!

Recently, my cousin Nate and his wife Janice stopped by on their circuitous route from Mission Texas to Fenton Michigan…after spending quality time with their new grandson Craig, their daughter Elizabeth and her husband Justin.

After resting for a night, we decided that we should serve them a Tennessee specialty…a BBQ pork rib dinner!  We started out with some nice bread…both from The Fresh Market in Farragut. (They have great bread!  We’re thankful that this store isn’t too close to our home.  Check out Fresh Market stores at http://www.thefreshmarket.com/)

To cover our health concerns, (vegetables and fiber), we made up some cole slaw…sweet and creamy...

Then, knowing that a nice pot of beans should work well with the ribs and slaw, we offered this as a side dish.  To give the beans that special touch, we added a liberal amount of shredded Benton’s Prosciutto.  What the heck...if chefs all over the country can adapt Benton’s products for use in their recipes, why can’t we!?

(For more on Allan Benton’s products, go to http://bentonscountryhams2.com/)  The added flavors from the prosciutto were a winner… The next time, for a different flavor 'pop' combo, we’ll add Benton’s Bacon!

Oh yes…this was the platter of pork ribs as it came to the dinner table.  I probably should have wiped off the messy portion of the platter for a better photo, but when you see the next photo of the rib platter, any pretense of a neat and clean presentation is out the window. Credit to Nate for this photo. (Note: If you have a weak stomach, do not look at the next photo!)

These ribs, (2 luscious racks!), were rubbed and smoked by our good buddy, Larry, aka ‘Big Dude’. (Check him out at Big Dude’s Blog Site: http://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/) I hit the ribs on our grill for about 2 minutes per side to put a little char on them and to pop the flavor just a touch more.  BBQ sauces available on the side were Gates Hot from Kansas City, (http://www.gatesbbq.com/default.aspx), Famous Dave’s Sweet and Savory plus Famous Dave’s Devil’s Spit. (http://www.famousbbq.com/)

Sorry for the mess…it is a bit disgusting but those ribs sure were tasty! Considering that the ladies ate about 8 ribs between them, it must be said that cousin Nate and I had plenty to eat…

I’d show the dessert that we had after the meal, but we were just too stuffed to have dessert following this tasty and very filling dinner…

Thanks for sharing our family meal!