Pork Rib Roast and my New Favorite Toy

With New Years right around the corner, I thought it would be helpful to repost my recipe for Pork Rib Roast.  I hope you find it helpful...

One of our family traditions around here is Pork and Sauerkraut on New Years Day.  It is supposed to bring good luck and money in the New Year.  Being a person with a scientific mind, I should not be influenced by superstitions, but I am a superstitious sort.  So, why tempt fate.  ;)  Plus, I love pork roast and sauerkraut.

This year, instead of using my roaster, I decided to use my 9 quart dutch oven for roasting duties.  Why?  It is big enough, it is well seasoned, and it makes clean up a snap.  My dutch oven is a Lodge Logic 9 quart that I picked up on sale at Amazon for $79.  I don't know how they do it for that price, but I am not one to complain when I find a good deal.

Here is the quest of honor.  It is a 5.5 lb pork rib roast, ribs still in place...

To cook this beautiful piece of meat, it is not hard at all.  First, I placed the roast in the dutch oven, bones down.  Then, I rubbed the ends, and only the ends, with olive oil.  Then, on the top, I seasoned with sea salt, cracked pepper, rosemary, thyme, and sage...

I heated the oven to 425 F, then placed the roast in the oven on the middle rack.  After 20 minutes, I lowered the heat to 325 F for the rest of the roasting time.  I roasted until the internal temp was 150 F.  Then, we drained our sauerkraut, placed around the outside of the roast, and put back in the oven until the roast reached 155 F internal temp, about 20 more minutes.  Total cooking time was about 2 and a quarter hours...

Once the roast was done, resting is a snap.  Just put the lid on the top of the dutch oven and sit on a counter out of your way...

After about 15 minutes of resting time, I cut the bones off the back of the roast and sliced for serving...

I also cut the bones down into little tasty, hand held treats.  The roast itself had a nice flavor with hints of sage and rosemary.  Cleaning up the cast iron was a snap.  Just scrape off the browned bits, rinse with hot water, dry, and put away until you need your dutch oven the next time.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Using up your Leftover Prime Rib

Left over prime rib?  It does happen.  But, you always have those bones.  Some people slow roast them the next day with BBQ sauce for a tasty treat.  The only problem with that is they can be riddled with fat and chewy.  I like to turn the ribs from my rib roast into stock for soups.  That way I can enjoy this flavorful stock months later.  How do you make this stock?  It is easy.  Off to the kitchen.

First, into my 12 quart stock pot with the strainer insert, I put in the ribs from my roast.  I also add the over cooked end slices of meat and any scraps from the carving process.

Next, I add the following:

1 medium sweet onion, quartered
4 carrots, broken in half
2 ribs of celery, broken in half
3 garlic cloves, paper removed
About 1/8 cup of dried parsley
Enough water to cover everything

Bring to a rolling boil, then simmer lightly on low heat over night.  This batch went about 12 hours.

After the simmer, remove the strainer and discard the veggies and bones.  Then, when cool enough, place in your fridge to cool and to allow the fat to come to the top and solidify.  Conveniently, Mother Nature provided us with three inches of refrigeration material yesterday.  So, I did not have to use refrigerator space.

After about nine hours outside, the fat had come to the top and solidified nicely.  I brought the stock pot inside and removed the fat with a slotted spoon.

There you have it.  99% fat free stock that is just bursting with beef flavor.  I will use half of this to make some soup this weekend and the other half I will portion, vacuum seal, and freeze for later in the year.  Tune back in next week for the outcome of the soup.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Merry Christmas from Three Dogs BBQ

Hope and I, plus the kids, would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

The best scene from the best Christmas comedy ever...

Here is to hoping that Santa was good to you this year.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill

Quench your Holiday Thirst. A Beer for the Season. Part Two.

Our next holiday brew is my holiday favorite.  Today we will review St. Nikolaus Bock from Penn Brewery.

Penn Brewery is a local award winning brewery in the Pittsburgh area.  They make a very good pilsner and their dark has won numerous gold medals at the World Beer Cup in Munich.  They have branched out into some seasonal brews over the years.  Nut Roll Ale and Pumpkin Roll Ale come to mind.  They have been less than stellar offerings that are what you would expect: sweet, one and done  type beers.  But, Penn Brewery has been making St. Nikolaus for years.  I look forward to its release every year.

This beer pours with a nice, strong head with a deep amber color.  You can smell the malty goodness that is associated with a good bock.  This beer starts crisp and has a nice malty finish, with a slight hint of the chocolate malt used in the brewing process.  This beer pairs well with holiday appetizers and meals and won't bog you down.

Unfortunately, it is hard to find this brew outside the Pittsburgh area.  Also, they make a limited amount.  So, if you see it on the shelf, buy a case for now and one for later.

Thanks for stopping by,

Bill