Crowd Sourced Barbecue Ribs Recipes

CROWD-SOURCED MEAT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Rub the bottom and sides of a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish (about 5 quarts) with olive oil. Set aside.
• Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon oregano and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beef and sausage and cook, breaking up the meat into crumbles with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until everything is well coated and the tomato paste is a shade darker, about 2 minutes. Add the vermouth and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until almost dry. Add the crushed tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups water, the remaining 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until the sauce reduces slightly, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; add a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes taste sharp.
• Meanwhile, cook the noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring, until just al dente and pliable, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a colander; run cool water over the noodles and separate them.
• Make the filling: Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the ricotta, 2/3 cup Parmesan, the parsley, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and stir until combined.
• Assemble the lasagna: Spread a thin layer of sauce (about 1 cup) in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, laying them lengthwise. Top the noodles with one-quarter of the remaining sauce (about 2 cups). Dollop one-third of the ricotta mixture (about 1 1/2 cups) on top and spread in an even layer. Top with 3/4 cup mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Repeat these layers two more times (noodles, sauce, ricotta mixture, mozzarella and parmesan). For the last layer, add the remaining 3 noodles, sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Cover the baking dish with foil, sealing the edges (do not press the foil into the cheese). Bake until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until golden brown, 20 to 30 more minutes. Let cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.

BARBECUE RIBS

Steps:

• For the ribs: Pat the ribs dry with paper towels. Combine the brown sugar, black pepper, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper, in a small bowl. Completely coat both sides of ribs with the dry rub, pressing it into the meat. Wrap each rack tightly in aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Put the foil-wrapped ribs on a baking sheet and bake for 2 hours. Cool for 15 minutes, then carefully remove and discard the aluminum foil.
• For the barbecue sauce: Meanwhile, put the sugar, cayenne, red pepper flakes and garlic powder in a medium saucepan. Mix well together to break up any lumps. Stir in the ketchup, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is melted and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Makes 3 1/4 cups sauce.
• Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Brush the ribs liberally with the barbecue sauce and grill until the sauce starts to darken, about 10 minutes. Cut into individual ribs and serve warm with any extra barbecue sauce on the side.

CHIPOTLE BARBECUE RIBS

Steps:

• For the ribs: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking pan with foil.
• Place the ribs on the prepared baking pan meat-side up. Sprinkle them with the paprika, garlic powder, 1 tablespoon salt and a generous amount of pepper. Rub the spices all over the ribs.
• Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake until the meat is very tender and can easily be pulled off the bone, about 2 hours.
• For the barbecue sauce: Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until very soft and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the ketchup, orange juice, Worcestershire, chipotles and adobo and 1/2 cup water. Increase the heat to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to keep at a simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth (be careful when blending hot liquids). Alternately, an immersion blender can be used in the pot.
• Finish the ribs: Preheat the grill to medium-high (or set the oven to broil).
• Reserve about a cup of the barbecue sauce for serving alongside the ribs. Brush a small amount of the remaining sauce on the bone side of the ribs and a generous amount on the meaty side.
• Grill the ribs, meaty-side up, until the underside is lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Turn the ribs over and grill until the meaty side is charred in spots, 3 to 5 minutes (if using the oven, simply broil for 3 to 5 minutes). Transfer to a cutting board and cut each rack in half. Serve immediately with the reserved sauce on the side.

CROWD-SOURCED MASHED POTATOES

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by 1 inch; season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain well and return the potatoes to the pot.
• Add the butter to the potatoes and mash with a potato masher or fork until well combined. Add the milk and sour cream and stir well; season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer the mashed potatoes to a bowl and top with chives.