Cheesy Yummy Garlicy Garlic Bread

Ok, Y'all.  We all love garlic bread, that is a known fact.  I know people who can't eat bread will suffer the consequences for some good garlic bread.  Here's the secret: I have cracked the code!  I am sharing with you now something that will change your life!  This is how much I love you.

You can make this garlic bread ahead of time and just bake it or throw it on the Bar B Que as you are putting your meal onto serving dishes, or adding the last minute touches to your meal.  

Here's what you need:

1-2 French loaves (there will be enough spread for 2 loaves)

8 oz Unsalted Butter room temperature

8 oz Mascarpone or Cream Cheese

1 tbsp minced Fresh Basil

1 tbsp minced Fresh Thyme

1 tbsp minced Fresh Parsley

4 cloves of minced Fresh Garlic

1 1/2 cups Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp Black Pepper

1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (Optional but needed)

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp dry basil

Here's how I make it:

In a bowl combine:

Room Temperature Butter

Mascarpone or Cream Cheese

Minced Fresh Basil, Fresh Thyme, Fresh Parsley and Minced Fresh Garlic

1 cup of the Grated Parmesan Cheese (the rest will be used later)

Black Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes (This doesn't make it too spicy for my youngest son.)

Salt

Set this aside.

Take the French Loaf and cut it into 1" slices. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH!  You want to be able to pull this apart.

Rotate the French Loaf and then make slices so you are cutting the loaf into 1" cubes.

Now spread apart all of the slices and smear the spread into every slice of the loaf.  The messier the better!

Now is the time you are going to combine the remaining Parmesan Cheese with the Dried Basil and set aside.

Ok, so when you bake this (or put it on the BBQ) you are going to wrap it in two sheets of aluminum foil.  So you don't waste any of the Parm Cheese, put the loaf on the first of the sheets of aluminum foil.  Then go to town with the Parm.  The more, the happier your people will be!

Isn't it pretty?  Just wait...  Now is the time to start wrapping the loaf.

Bake this beautiful ball of goodness at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or throw it on the BBQ for 20ish minutes.  Then pull the foil off (to save on the mess, leave the loaf on the bottom foil.) and enjoy.  You might want to make one for yourself because it won't last long and if you are busy, you won't get any... Trust me.

Hellloooo Lover!  For real!  This is so stinking good!  I promise.  

Enjoy!  We did!  

Smoked Ribs on Bertha (or in the oven!)

Ribs.  

I love me some good, slow smoked, dry rubbed, pork ribs.  Sometimes I am good for a beef rib, but I find that pork ribs are a little bit more delicate.  They are easier to handle and you don't look like a Cave Man eating them.  You can still eat pork ribs with your pinkie out.  These ribs are called Baby Back Ribs.  No, that doesn't mean that they are from baby pigs, it is just where they come from on the pig.  Baby Back Ribs come from up high on the back of the pig, up near the spine, that's why they have the curve on them.

When I am smoking or oven cooking ribs, or any beef or pork, I let it sit out for at least 30 minutes, an hour is better.  Getting your meat to room temperature (cool when you touch it, but not warm (About 70 degrees) ensures you get a more even cook.  When I have let my beef/pork sit out, I pull it out of the fridge, pat it dry and then I season it and let it sit out.  I have found that the seasoning has more of a chance to seep into the meat while it is relaxing from being so cold.  

For my rub pork I add Brown Sugar or Agave to the seasonings.  The lightness of the pork takes to the sweetness more than beef.  With beef I add a touch of coffee or I just keep it a simple salt/pepper/garlic powder rub.  But more on that when I make a pot roast or a brisket.  

When making pork ribs, there is a natural membrane on the underside of the rib.  You can't see it.  It's like a layer of plastic, if you will.  You need to peel this off.  If you leave it on, it can get tough and you will not be able to chew through it.  You can have your butcher remove this (it will take 5 seconds for them) or you can try to do it.  It's super simple, you take a small knife (or I use my fingernail. Totally grosses out my husband, but it gets the job done.) and skim it across the top or the bottom of a rib.  you will see a clear, thin layer of "plastic" separate from the bone and the meat.  Get a good hold on it and pull it off of the entire slab of ribs.  You will see what I mean when you do it, and you can ask for your butcher to show you how to to do this step or to show you what this membrane is.  They will be happy to help.

I prefer to use a dry rub when smoking meat.  I haven't found a sauce that does well with smoking. And to be honest, using a dry rub, there is much less of a mess in my grill/smoker/oven to clean up later.

With these beautiful Babies, I made the rub as follows: (yes, I would do this if I was baking the ribs in the oven too.)

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c black pepper

1/4 c onion powder

1/4 c garlic powder

1/4 c paprika

1/4 c salt

2 tbsp dry mustard

You will have plenty left over after you rub your ribs.  This keeps great!  Just keep it in an air tight container in a dark cabinet.  Paprika, when it is exposed to too much light goes bad, and you don't want that.

While Bertha (my Big Green Egg) is warming up (I use wood charcoal with oak or apple wood for pork) I let the ribs rest on a sheet pan, on my counter.  I let Bertha come to temp slowly so it is easy to cap her at the perfect temperature.  

I don't have one of those fancy Rib Stands (yet) but I make due with wrapping the ribs into a circle and tying them off with Kitchen Twine.  (Now, if you will be baking these Babies, you don't need to do this step you will just leave them on a baking sheet flat and they will be just fine.)  

I get Bertha (or my oven) to 225 degrees and I will smoke (or bake) these Babies for 5 1/2 hours.  Make sure you have a little pan with some water (in the oven or the smoker, this is important), doing this will ensure that your ribs stay moist and fabulous.  

I know I have talked about this before, but it is so important: when your meat (any meat: beef, pork, chicken, venison, bison, etc.) is pulled from the Oven, Bar B Que, or Smoker LET IT REST!  For at least 15 minutes AT LEAST!  This will make the juices go back into the meat and you will be a happy person.  Please do not skip this step.

When you do cut in to these beautiful ribs you will get to enjoy the beauty of them.  Everyone will smell them and come running.  My boys can't keep their fingers off of my cutting board, trying to get any crispy bit or piece of meat that they can get their hands on.  This is also great for a party!  People will think that you slaved in the kitchen for hooooouuuuurrrs, when you really didn't.  I hope you enjoy this recipe.  If you make your own Baby Back Ribs, Tag @bethanysfoodadventures on Instagram, I would love to see how they turned out!  Cheers!

Forman's Tavern

A few days ago, I went to Forman's Tavern.  The last time I was in this building, it was Lucy's 51 and looked completely different on the inside and out. There is some seating out front, perfect for our great LA weather (as I am posting this it is raining out, but you know what I mean).  You walk in and there is a large community table in the middle, small tables off to the left and to the right there is a beautiful bar with plenty of seating (and hooks for a ladies purse, I love it when they do that!) and there are seats at the front windows.  I love the decor, simple, rustic, clean, fun!  There are Steins on the ceiling and here and there, they are going with the Tavern theme, but it doesn't seem overdone at all.

The selection of spirits is impressive.  So is the beer selection, there is something for everyone! 

Enough of the decor and drinks, let's talk about the food already!  I had the Fried Chicken Sandwich.  I have had many chicken sandwiches, this one was pretty damn good!  Sometimes the chicken is dry and cardboard-like, SO NOT IN THIS CASE!  The Chicken was moist and the batter on it is super crispy and deeeeeelish!  There is a dill pickle and the slaw, yyyyyyeah man!  There is something in the slaw that adds a spice and a zip every once in a while.  I can't pick what it was, if it was jalapeño in the slaw or red pepper flakes in the pickles, I don't know what it is! I need to have it again to see what it is!!  I also had fries on the side.  The fries were great!  They were double fried and then dusted with a seasoned salt.  They were great.  But, call me cheap, but paying $14 for a chicken sandwich and then you have to pay an extra $4 for a side of fries?  I'm not down with that.  The ketchup wasn't even doctored up or home made.  

In conclusion, I will be going back to Forman's, for sure.  I won't be ordering any extra fries, but I will be going back to try something new!  Cheers!

Franklin Barbecue- A Meat Smoking Manifesto

I picked this book because I liked the cover, and it has 4 1/2 stars, honestly.  I haven't been able to put it down!  Aaron Franklin had a dream.  It wasn't a dream "what I wanna be when I grow up" kind of dream.  It was a dream that just happened one day.  It was a dream about Bar B Que.  He started out with no money and feeding his friends from his front yard.  As time went on his group kept getting bigger and bigger and so did his smokers.  Then one friend started collecting money for his buddy to start a restaurant.  You have to read the book to find out what happens, but this book is so much more than a story about how a guy opened a BBQ joint or BBQ recipes.  

This book tells you the difference between smokers, how a smoker works, why people started using smokers, what kind of wood to use for different flavors on different kinds of meat and so on!  A great book if you are thinking about joining the BBQ world, this book must be close by at all times.  

You can purchase this book off the bottom of my blog, my Add Libra Bookstore.  I will be adding more books as I read them.  I hope you enjoy!