Nothing smells better on a Sunday afternoon than slow smoked ribs.  We are big fans of ribs and there are thousands of great ways to cook them.  They can come sloppy wet, sweet and tangy, dry and tender, or even deep fried (yeah I have done that too).

Today I am going to go through my process of slow smoked dry ribs.  This is a lot like the way I used to cook them in competition with the exception of secret spices. 

When shopping for your ribs, try to to get St. Louis Cut pork spare ribs.

These are sometimes also called "three-two ribs" or "Three Downs".

Just try to keep the size less than four pounds if they are untrimmed.  That way when they get trimmed they will lose about a pound.   These ribs will be cooked with a sweet spice.  Most of the rub includes brown sugar.  One I like to use is called Gordon's Grub Rub. 

It has a pretty mild flavor and mixes well with any sauce. Use whatever makes you happy.  If you want a spicy sweet rib, use a rub that has more pepper or mustard. 

Preparing your ribs is one of the most important parts to making a good rib.  After you have your smoker started and the temperature is ready, take your ribs out and make sure to wash and dry them.  Get all the water off the ribs so the rub sets into the meat well.

When trimming the ribs you want to remove any extra fat from the ribs. 

Also remove the cartilage from the bones so all you have are short meaty ribs.  After the fat is trimmed down remove the caps from the ribs.  This is the soft cartilage part of the rib.  This is best done with a cleaver.

Make sure to cut along the bone of the actual rib.  This will ensure that all you bite into is sweet ribs and not a bunch of fat or cartilage. 

Even though we don't want to keep these together they are still tasty.  You can cook these closer to the fire and they will give you a little half way point treat.  They also will give you an idea if your rub is working out. 

Once the ribs are trimmed the next step is to remove the thick membrane off the back side of the ribs.  This is what can make a rib tough.  To remove the membrane flip the ribs over and run your finger just under the membrane.  If the ribs are good and dry it should come off easily.

If the membrane is hard to pull off grab a tea towel and use it for leverage.  You can also use a butter knife to help get the membrane loose.

Once the trimming process is completed, the ribs should look like this.  MMMMMMM  Yummy.

the next step is to apply the rub.  This should be "rubbed" in not just sprinkled.  Coat the ribs and the rib trimmings thoroughly with the spices. 

This is also one of those great times to get your kids involved.  They get to hang with you and feel like they are being a part of the process.

Let the ribs set for a few minutes and make sure your smoker is ready to rock.  I like to cook my ribs between 200 and 250. 

This will ensure a good 5 hour cook.  Yeah, slow smoking is slow but there is a trick to enjoying the time.  This is also a good time to send your buddies off for the Bee Double E Double R-U- N.  BEER RUN!

Generally I hang my ribs but for this cooking we were also roasting corn so we had to lay them flat.  Just make sure to keep the ribs as far away from direct heat as possible. 

Once they are set in the smoker take a good look and shut the door.  You won't be back for at least 2 hours.

If there is room on the smoker add the trimmings to the hot side of the pit.  These will cook fast and make a good snack about half way through the cooking.  My kids love these and they are ready just about the time they start to complain that it is taking too long.

After about two hours, I go out and spray the ribs down with a little apple juice.  This ensures that there is still moisture on the outside and the ribs get a little sweeter. After about 3 hours the trimmings are ready.  My kids call them RIB-EEESS!

These cook closer to 350 degrees so they cook faster.  These are only for serious rib eaters.  you have to eat around all the junk to get a good hunk of meat. 

They are pretty good to share with a little dog too.  I don't think much is going to hit the floor.

Let the ribs smoke for a few more hours.  After the trimmings feast it is generally best to rest. (Yes, we are all asleep.)

 Once the nap is over the ribs should be close to done.  Take them out and let the ribs set for about 10 minutes. The ribs should look almost jet black.

Another indicator of doneness is if the meat is pulled back from the bone about  to 1.5 inches.

Cut the ribs down and then enjoy with your family. These are relatively dry but can be basted with sauce to make them sticky.

And that is the way that I like to cook ribs. Our family loves them with strawberry pie too!

God Bless Texas and God Bless the BBQ!

Posted by danny at 06:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So if you have noticed lately the grocery stores are pushing strawberries pretty hard these days.  Well the next time you go to the store you need to grab hold of some strawberries and a few other goods to make one of the best pies for the summer. 

Strawberry pie is pretty tasty and not made often enough.  I know it is one of our neighborhood favorites.  Here is the run down on the recipe.  Click here to get a printable version of the recipe.

Set your oven to 450 degrees

You need to get 1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1 package of refrigerated pie crust.  You can make your own but it is not necessary.

4 to 8 cups of strawberries.  Whatever you think you want.  The more the better.

Your also going to need one egg and some additional sugar for the top crust.  Take the pie crust and line the bottom of a deep pie tin.  I have a cobbler dish I like to use because it is deep.

Being perfect is not important.  Just make sure you cover the bottom.

Cut the strawberries in quarters but be gentle so they don't get too mushy. 

Add all the dry ingredients to the strawberries and mix gently.

Add the berries to the pie pan and then cover with the other pie crust.

Brush the top with a little egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.  This makes a yummy sweet top to the pie.

Now here is the tricky part.  Place the pie in the over but make sure and set it on a pan because it will bubble over the edges.  the pie will cook for 10 minutes at 450 then change the temperature to 350 for 50 minutes.  The pie will be ultra hot and could really hurt you so feel free to make it early in the day. 

When you dive into the pie the strawberries should actually be purple and gooey.  If you let it cool the strawberries will absorb a lot of its juices back. Otherwise there will be a lot of liquid  when you spoon it on. 

And the only way to really enjoy this awesome desert is to fill up on BBQ first then add a little ice cream to the pie.  Once your done try not to use any heavy machinery or operate a vehicle.

Posted by danny at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

A couple days ago I mentioned my love affair with the Turkey sandwich.  Sunday the weather was great for a Turkey sandwich and a nap.  I managed to get the Turkey sandwich part done but apparently the kids were not going to let me nap.  So in all its wonderful glory we grabbed a few images of the sandwich for your recipe enjoyment.

Turkey Sandwich: Prep Time - 5 minutes

What you will need: 

2 slices white or wheat bread
A bunch of turkey
A couple slices tomato
A couple slices of onion
Mayonnaise

OK so here goes.  Get the bread:

Slap some mayo on the bread:

Get the Turkey on the bread.  (Its better with the real deal but cold cuts work too.)

Slice your tomato and lay that on the Turkey.

You can add a little pepper and salt if you like.  Then slice the onion and pile on.

Slice it and enjoy.

Posted by danny at 06:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This afternoon Denise and I met Farrah and Julie at Garson Fine Persian Cuisine for lunch.  With the busy holiday rush for pictures we have not had a chance to have lunch together.  I have been to Garson's once before and it was rather tasty.  I looked forward to trying something new and chillin out with my buddy Farrah for a short while. 

I chose a chicken and crayfish dish for the day.  Since crayfish are out of season they substituted it for shrimp.  It was really quite awesome up until I noticed the cooks had sauteed my shrimp with roaches.  That's right, a roach.  And not like a piece of one where I wasn't sure if it was a roach.  It was a complete, long legged, brown speckled, dirty kitchen roach.  And to top it off, it was found on the bite I was about to put in my mouth.  So in conclusion, if you decide you would like your food sauteed with roaches I suggest heading on over to Garson's Fine Persian Cuisine.  I think the chicken and shrimp dish with roach sauce is an "off menu" dish so be sure and ask if the cook is preparing it that day first. 

But to be completely fair, the owner did comp our meals.  Not one of us was able to continue our lunch.  There really is no saving yourself in that sort of situation. The manager offered a free meal the next time I came but she could tell I probably was not going to be coming back.  I'm just glad they didn't charge me extra for the roaches.

Garson Fine Persian Cuisine:
2926 Hillcroft
Houston, TX 77057

As a disclaimer I am sure I have eaten some pretty nasty things in restaurants.  But like most things, it is sometimes best not knowing what is in my food.  But I draw the line at identifiable insects in my food. 
 

Posted by danny at 04:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This smoked chicken is one of my favorite recipes.  Not only does it look rather cool, the technique creates the juiciest chicken you will ever eat. 

I picked up the recipe from a crazy Pharmacist cooker in George West.  If you are ever at a cook-off and see a rowdy bunch called the Drug Store Cowboys stop in, ask for Tim and tell him Danny from Houston sent you by.  You may not get to eat any BBQ or find out their secrets but you will definitely be welcomed.   

What your gonna need:

• Small fryer chicken. I like the Kosher chickens because they are smaller
• Some small oranges
• Yellow Onion
• Chicken Rub (Use a basic rub nothing with Chinese 5 Spice it will make the crust bitter)
• Cotton Ham Netting - You can get this at Butcher Supply Stores
• Any type of vinegar based mop.  Or just use orange juice with a little oil in it.

The big secret to this type of chicken is that the netting will keep the chicken real tight so the juices are forced to run through the meat. 

We always suspend this chicken in our smoker so the chicken cooks evenly.  This is not a one hour chicken either.  It is one that takes a good 5 hours to slow smoke.

Prep your chicken and stuff it with a couple oranges and half an onion.

Take your netting and slide the chicken in leaving enough room on either side to tie a knot.  The check will be suspended with the breasts facing town and the legs at the top.  So leave about 5 inches of netting on the top to tie to your smoke box. (Note:  this can get messy so make sure and wear an apron.  The netting is not easy to manipulate.)

Rub the outside of the chicken with orange juice and your chicken rub.

Get the birds on the smoker that is roughly 200 to 225 degrees.  You should smoke these for about 4 to 5 hours basting with your mop every half hour after the first three hours of cooking. 

Because of the netting the goodness inside just simmers and doesnt leak out.  This will be one juicy bird when your done.  After the chicken is cooked to doneness and the juices run clear the bird is ready .

Remove the birds and let them sit for about 10 minutes before you cut open the netting. 

For competition just split the birds in half.  Otherwise just get on it and start enjoying the feast.  For those that compete, be careful using this technique.  Some judges consider it "marking" your entry so you could get disqualified.  It will stand out in the crowd not only in appearance but in taste too.

Hope you enjoy the yard bird!

Posted by danny at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cooking is just as much a passion as photography is for me and getting creative is always fun.  My kids love helping out and REALLY enjoy eating the goods once their done.  The best part is getting them to help me. 

Whitney and I wanted to smoke an apple pie to go with or dinner but we decided to try something different.  We still have not decided on a recipe name so suggestions would be helpful.

Here are the ingredients:

• 8 apples - whatever kind you like granny smith works best though
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 3 Tablespoons of cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon of nutmeg
• PreMade refrigerated pie crust

Generally you would do this in the last couple hours of BBQ for the day.  I don't know why you would want smoked apples without a bunch of BBQ chicken, ribs and other goods to go along side it.  The smoker can be relatively hot (around 250 to 300) degrees.  Once you are there than start getting the apples ready.

First you want to peel and core your apples.  We use this handy dandy apple peeler.

Mix the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and roll each apple completely coating them. 

Set the apples aside and roll out your pie dough.  Cut the dough into four pieces.

Take each piece and wrap the apples with the dough. 

Set the apples on a pan with the exposed apple side down.  Make sure and use a pan or glass dish you don't mind roughing up a bit.  It will get rather nasty in the smoker. 

Since this was a test recipe we first tried to cook the apples in our little pot smoker. 

Unfortunately it was going to take too long for the smoker to get to temperature so we moved it to the big smoker.  Cooke the apples on the hot side of your smoker for about one hour.  Most smoked pies work best with a fruit or nut wood.  We use Cherry, Apple and Pecan wood for the process. 

We also threw in a real apple pie.  Some people don't believe me that I smoke pies but here is proof.  They are delicious and top off any great BBQ meal.

When the apples are done the crust will look golden brown.  This is the same for the pie.  Remove from the smoker and let sit a few minutes.

These little nuggets of happiness ROCKED.  Our neighbors came by and tried them out just to confirm they were as super-ramma-lamma-ding-dong good as we thought.   They may send you to the hospital if you add ice cream to them so be careful!

Oh and the Apple pie kicked butt too!

So try it out for yourself and let us know what you think.  It is a ridiculously easy recipe that kids can help with. 

Posted by danny at 07:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Few people know this but my wife's favorite type of food is Soul Food.  We both have lived in Houston a long time and have grown to love Soul Food.  Today we took our good buddy Chris from Eclectic Production over to This Is It Soul Food and I can tell you THIS IS IT!

We didn't go crazy on our first outing so I passed up the Ox Tails but I did get into the steak. Denise and Chris partied with the smothered pork chops.  We didn't take any pictures but if you could imagine a large plate with brown food on it that was pretty much the deal.

My favorite thing about the whole meal was the lady serving our plates.  Chris kept talking to another guy in the line holding everyone up.  The lovely lady behind the counter said, You better move on ahead or else you gonna get a whoop'n!  I knew right then and there this place was great.  They have a mission, get you fed and out of there!

The sweet tea was sweet and the candied yams were candied.  Bottom line the food was awesome and we will definitely use them at our next open house!

So swing by their kitchen at 207 Gray just 5 minutes from downtown Houston.  Your belly will thank you for it!

Posted by danny at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is one of our families favorite recipes.  Rarely do we get to enjoy such a timeless treat.  This year we would like to pass the recipe on to you.  Please cherish this as we have and let us know what you think.  Send us a picture of your families cranberry sauce and we just might send you a gift.

Prep Time:  1 Hour

1 Can Cranberry Sauce

1 Gold Rimmed Plate

 Open Can from both ends and gently plop the cylinder of jelly on the plate.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

For those spicy nights you can add a little flare to the dish by gently running a butter knife through the jelly to create "slices".  Garnish with pecans and enjoy with your favorite holiday meats.

Posted by danny at 08:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tonight we hosted a party for the ever famous Maroon Monkeys end of year event.  It was a nice little change of pace for the Clark crew and everyone seemed to have a great time. 

My little man James was my Chocolate Chip Cookie Tester.  He tore that cookie up!

We had Double Dave's Pizza brought in and a big box of pizza rolls.

We also made this awesome salad that my cousin in Dallas hooked me up with.  Thanks Kari for the great recipe!  Everyone enjoyed the salad.  As promised I said I would include the recipe here on the blog. 

Click here to get to the recipe for Southwest Cornbread Salad.

I bought a bunch of soccer balls for the girls to sign as a gift.  Each girl signed each ball to go along with their trophy. 

After we ate and the girls ran around the studio, we took a few portraits of each girl.  Trying to get them to look tough wasn't hard but couch was a little nervous about being cool.

I tried to get a tough look and sweet look from each girl.  Tough looks were hard to come up with and we were all stocked up on sweet.

Little Ms. Evan's sweet look.

Tough Nike look! JUST DO IT!

Christina was super intimidating with those big eyes.  Don't let the sweet smile fool you.  She can take your shins out with one full sweep!

Sweet Look!

Adidas Tough Look! IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING!

Selena was a real tough one on the field.

Sweet Selena!

Tough Under Amour Selena! CLICK-CLACK!

Little Ms. Mackenzie was all smiles on the field. 

Sweet Mac!

Tough Umbro Mac!  CONTROL FREAK!

Sarah had this great Monkey dance she did for us while warming up on the field.

Sweet Sarah.

Tough Reebok Sarah!  I AM WHAT I AM!

And lastly we have little Maddie.  She looks sweet but I saw her hunt down another player like a wild monkey hunts down whatever it is that wild monkeys hunt. 

Sweet Maddie!

Tough PUMA Maddie!  EVERY 96 HOURS!

And lastly we had the whole team get together for group tough shot.  Man is this a mean looking group of soccer fans!

But we couldn't end the evening without the sweetest couple of girls around.  Whitney and Molly got to play together today too and they were excited to get their picture taken. 

Thanks everyone for coming to the studio.  We love our print and its going on the wall first thing in the morning!

Posted by danny at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This is an awesome salad that is easy to make.  Try it out on your thankful feasting family this Thanksgiving and let us know what you think!

Posted by danny at 09:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We came across the coolest site from the great culinary photographers at The Still Life With blog site.  If you ever want to see some fantastic food photography and get some great recipes please check out L. 

Tastebook is a new site that lets you build your own cookbook.  It even puts the recipes in categories with tabs.  We have started working on ours and will let everyone know when it is ready.   

And yes we will have a section with our ever famous strict family menu. 

For those of you that don't know about our family menu we originally got the idea from my grandmother GiGi.  Growing up I always heard my uncles and aunts talk about the dinner table rules.  While they probably didn't realize it then the concept of a strict dinner plan is quite important.  With our hectic days and Denise's travel we had to come up with a standard for our kids.  Every night was a challenge to make a good meal they would like and it not take all night to cook.  So I developed a menu specific to their likes, health needs and weekly schedule.  I can just her them now telling people they know what day of the week it is by what they have for dinner. 

Here is the weekly menu:

Sunday:  BBQ Chicken, Mac & Cheese, Broccoli

Monday: Meatloaf, potatoes, salad or green beans

Tuesday: Spaghetti and peas.

Wednesday:  Free night (we usually eat at church or go out to dinner)

Thursday:  Pork Chops (Sorry Daddy Clark) corn, broccoli

Friday:  Fajitas, black beans, salad

Saturday:  Free night or hot dogs

Desert is available only after baths and the choices are Jello or Yogurt

When I came up with the menu I thought about all the things that my grandmother would have had 50 years ago.  There were no microwaves, processed foods or fast food joints so we tried to keep everything simple.  The best thing to do is stay on the outside isles of the store.  This way you only get whole food that is healthy and easy to cook.  You would be surprised at how easy these meals are.  Each one only takes about 30 to 45 minutes to get done and there is plenty of time to play with the kids.  The other thing we found was that sticking to the menu reduced our weekly grocery bill to about 50 dollars a week.  You would be surprised how much you spend on crap at the store. 

The menu was built to carry food over the week.  Sunday's dinner is lunch for Denise and I for a couple days.  Monday's meatloaf actually makes two good size loafs.  We freeze one and only eat half on Monday.  Tuesday's spaghetti has the leftover meatloaf in the sauce.  Pork chops can carry over to Friday's dinner.  The only prepackaged food we purchase is the pre marinated fajita meat. 

Overall the kids love the meals.  James is eating his vegetables and we never get home not knowing what we are having for dinner.  Not every week runs as smoothly but since we started this about 3 months ago we have spent very little time dealing with the problems most people have at dinner.  Probably the best thing is that we make it a house rule that everyone has to sit together at the dinner table.  The kids participate in getting the table set while we cook.  And the time we get to chill with our little munchkins is priceless.

Sometimes all this technology and easy living we have now isn't always the best thing for the family.  Slowing it down and keeping it simple is just as good as buying something to make it easier.  Thanks GiGi for being so awesome!

Posted by danny at 08:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This time of year we stat trying little recipes for the holidays.  With parties, events and gifts, different recipes come in handy.  We tried a new one today that even the kids enjoyed making.  Its relatively easy and they are pretty good too.

Peanut Butter Candy Bar Brownies - a Southern Living Recipe

1 - (16 oz package peanut shaped peanut butter sandwich cookies (Nutter Butters)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 - (14 oz) can sweetened  condensed milk

1 - Tbls. vanilla extract

5 -  Packages of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups chopped (refrigerate first)

2 - (2.1 oz.) Butterfingers Bars chopped

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut.

Combine crushed cookies and butter in a medium bowl.  Press crumb mixture into bottom of a greased aluminum foil-lined 13"X9" pan, allowing foil to extend over ends of pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes.

Combine condensed milk, peanut butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl. stirring until smooth.

Sprinkle chopped candy bars, chocolate morsels, peanuts, and coconut over crust.  Drizzle condensed milk mixture over coconut and candy mix.

Bake at 350 degrees for 27 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove to a wire rack, and let cool in pan.  Use foil to lift uncut brownies out of pan.  Peel foil away from sides of uncut brownies, and cut into bars. 

The bars are pretty good but really sweet.  The kids enjoyed making them because the measuring was easy.  I think the hardest part for them was waiting for the bars to cool. 

Posted by danny at 03:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So we stoked up the clay pots today but with the pork butt.  I have never cooked a pork butt but learned a valuable lesson.  It is a tasty piece of meat but is better to cook it super slow.   

I started the 8.5 pound meat around 9:00 this morning and took it off around 7 this evening. It was internally close to 180 degrees.  The meat was good and tender but not "pulled pork".  But this was nothing the old Chinese Meat Cleaver couldn't fix. 

I found out after reading a few forums that the best pulled pork is around 200 internally.  Now this is pretty hot for meat temp so going from 180 to 200 could take another 10 hours.  We will just have to see how it goes next time. 

So the meat is done the kids are resting and we are headed to my dads house tomorrow.  He wanted BBQ for fathers day so I had to obliged.  We will have pictures of the fun tomorrow.

Posted by danny at 03:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First let me welcome everyone to our new blog.  It has been a while and I have fought this but have finally decided to create one. 

I thought the best way to kick this blog off is by discussing two of my passions.  One is photography and the other is cooking.  SO as you can guess I take a lot of pictures of cooking.  Today we took a swag at building our very own clay smoker.  The smoker consists of the following items:

1. 21 Inch tall clay pot
2. 21 inch short clay pot
3. 9 inch electric burner
4. 18 inch grill grate
5. smoker thermometer
6. heavy duty pie pan

With these items I was able to construct basically a cheap version of The Big Green Egg.  While these are very cool they are very expensive.  The total cost for the items above was about 65 dollars. 

Today we started our smoker with trial run of Turkey legs.  We are smoking them with Hickory and Cherry Wood.  Checkout the pictures of the build.

 So far this seems to be pretty cool.  It looks like the smoke stays quite consistent and cooks at a relatively low heat.  Approximately 200 degrees.  Well once the turkey is done we will let everyone know how it is. 

Tomorrow we are smoking a pork butt so that should be an interesting experiment.  Of all the meat I have cooked, a pork butt is something I have never tried. 

Posted by danny at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)