Ribs - Another excuse for Townline BBQ Sauce

You may have seen the post for the Townline BBQ Sauce.  UD and I really do love it.  And since we had some left over, we decided to try it with ribs.

I covered the ribs with the sauce and sprinkled with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Then I covered them with foil and let them marinate in the fridge for about 2 hours.  If you don't have that much time, not to worry.  The flavor will still be there if you go immediately to the grill from here.

UD had them on the grill at a low heat, approximately 300 to 325 degrees, for about an hour and 15 minutes.

We let them sit for another 15 minutes.

Then we sliced them up,

and dug in!

We added a green salad and what appears to be the ever present potato salad.  Honestly, we don't eat that every day.  It just seems like it.

A bientot!  See you soon.

Harbor Seal Sighting

We took a boat ride last Tuesday on a beautiful sunny day.  We were heading down the Sheepscott River to Wiscasset.  On that route, you can often see Harbor Seals sunning their fat bellies on a stretch of rocks shortly after "The Gut".  But only around low tide, which luckily for us, it was.  Here we are coming up to the rocks, and it looks like we will be in luck for a sighting.

As we get closer, we are guessing there are between 15 and 20 of them.

There they are in all their splendor!  When they are in the water they all look the same color, black.  But when you see them dry, you can see they come in all sizes and colors.

This guy was a little intimidating.  I think he was saying that we had been there long enough.  So, we took our leave.

As we were pulling away, we saw one more seal, taking a solo swim.

When we arrived at the public docks in Wiscassett, this guy was sitting on a sign.  He was not at all bothered by us, and in fact seemed to be posing.

So I took a couple of pictures of him, and I think it made him proud.

A bientot!  See you soon.

Best Barbecue Sauce

I recently saw an episode of The Barefoot Contessa with Ina Garten on the Food Network.  On it, she had a guest named Joseph Realmuto, a very famous chef.  He was showing Ina a barbecue sauce recipe that she absolutely raved about.  It is called Townline BBQ Sauce.  Considering the fact that my ego was still smarting from my original attempt at Pulled Pork Sandwiches (see Yuck and Fine), I decided it was time to get back up on the horse and give it another try.

I cut the ingredients from the recipe in half, because I didn't think I would go through 4 quarts of sauce with just the two of us.  After tasting it, I wish I had done all 4 quarts.  It was that good. 

I started with sauteing the onion and garlic.  Always put the onion in before the garlic, because the garlic will cook faster and you don't want it to burn and taste bitter.  5 minutes with the onion and then add the garlic and saute for another 5 minutes.

Then the rest of the ingredients go in the pot, along with 3 cups of water.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.  It is as simple as that.

Most people like to smother their pork with the sauce, but UD and I prefer a lighter amount.  So I put the sauce in a gravy boat and the pulled pork in a separate dish.  We got some incredibly fresh bulky rolls that day and used them to complete the sandwich.  By all means, if you like to smother your pork with the sauce, then just pour the sauce over the pork and mix it all up before you put it on your bun.

I have redeemed myself, thanks to Ina and Joseph!  This is now the official BBQ sauce that will be served in the house that Nellie sold us.

We still have lots left over and it is stored in perfect little jars supplied by J and L.  Now I can't wait to try it on ribs!

A bientot!  See you soon.

 

Perfect Turkey Burgers

I am a big fan of The Food Network Magazine.  It has great tips and ideas, along with lots of interesting recipes.  The June issue was called the grilling issue.  One of the articles was called Pick a Patty.  It featured 5 different burgers, beef, salmon, pork, veggie, and turkey.  They all looked delicious, but I went with the Perfect Turkey Burger.  I figured it was good to try for a leaner, healthier version of a burger, so I gave it a shot. 

You will need:

1 large portabella mushroom (I used a medium size)

1 tablespoon of chopped shallot

3 tablespoons lightly packed fresh parsley

1 and 1/4 pounds of lean ground turkey (I used a little less than a pound)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

8 thin slices of manchego or white cheddar cheese (I used 3 slices of cheddar)

4 English muffins, split (I used three {do you see where this is going?} and I used the larger sandwich size version.

Dijon mustard and mayonnaise (I mixed them together, 2:1 mayo to mustard)

Sliced avocado for topping (I omitted this)

Scrape out the grills from underneath the portabella mushroom.  Then coarsely chop that and the shallot.

Put those items, along with the parsley, in the food processor.  If you don't have one, just really finely chop all of it together.

Pulse until they are finely chopped.

Add the mixture to the turkey along with the EVOO, Worcestershire, salt and pepper.

Mix gently until combined.  Do not over mix.  The heat from your hands and the friction of mixing can break down the small amount of fat that the turkey contains.

Divide into four even sized balls.  I used less meat, so I divided into three.

Press into 1 inch thick patties.  Cover and refrigerate until they are firm.  Any where from 30 minutes to a couple of hours.

Grill 8-10 minutes on the first side and then turn over and grill 6 or 7 more minutes.

Add the cheese and cover the grill until the cheese melts.

Let them rest while you toast the English muffins.

We served ours with our now favorite potato salad.  And as Paula Deen from the Food Network always says, don't forget your greens. :)

A bientot!  See you soon.

The Put In

On June 6 2011, UD and I launched the Putt-Putt.  We decided we would like to keep track of when we get it in the water each year.  This August will be 5 years that we have had the Putt-Putt, and I have no idea of when it was launched the other 4 years.  So now we will have a record.

Hitch her up UD!

Coming out of the garage after a very long winter.

Here we are at our favorite put in area in Linekin Bay.  I do the  backing up, and UD does the unhooking of the boat.

Just about there.

The Putt-Putt is in.

Leaving the put in behind us.

Here we are heading towards Cabbage Island.  They have a wonderful clambake there, all summer long.  I have been a few times, and the last time was with Darling, M, W and J.  We had a great time, and the food was wonderful.  If you would like a peek at the feast, click here, and look toward the second half of the post.  You will see three gorgeous young people enjoying their bounty.

This is the main house, and there are picnic tables over most of the island that you can plop down and enjoy your lobster feast!

This was a funny/scary thing we came upon on the way to the marina.  It looked like a person's hand floating in the water.

Upon closer inspection, we discovered it was just a glove that must have blown off another boat.  Whoa Nellie, what a relief.

The marina is just ahead.

We are just about at slip #37.

Back in the marina, safe and sound, just waiting for the next time out.

A bientot!  See you soon.

The Lupine are in Bloom

This is the time of the year that the lupine are blooming, and they are beautiful.  Every year UD and I say we have to get pictures of it, and every year we curse ourselves for not having the camera at the right time.  The other day we were getting ready to go over to Augusta, and UD reminded me that there are a lot of lupine sightings on the way.  So we finally remembered the camera (or he did) at a very opportune time.

This is in front of a veterinarian practice on Route 27.

Some cows and horses are hanging out across the street.

They are so pretty.

We finally remembered the camera.  Yahoo UD!

A bientot! See you soon.