Earl Cooks Pork Rib Chunks & Gravy Over Potatoes with Asparagus

More often than not, I don't plan meals in advance. I think that having ingredients on hand inspire my day-to-day cooking. I had two applewood rubbed and roasted ribs (see my) post Jurassic Pork - Ribs 
and an idea was forming for the meal. I also had some sous vide asparagus which would make a great side dish. Since it was a weeknight and time was precious, I grabbed an envelope of pork gravy I had hiding in the back of the cupboard, and one of my favorite quick sides—Idahoan Potatoes.
 —Using the previously roasted ribs, I trimmed all of the fat and diced the ribs into ¾" inch pieces. 
—I made the gravy in a deep frying pan and added the pork to the gravy and heated it through.
—Next, I made the potatoes per package instructions, and added a tablespoon of REAL butter. My asparagus is cooked so I just need to heat it in the microwave and dinner is served!

Results & Conclusions
This was really good! I was fortunate to have prepared the asparagus sous vide earlier, and roasted the pork beforehand. You could say this was leftovers elevated. I don't know if I will make this again because I don't have any packaged pork gravy left!😃

Earl Cooks Jurassic Pork - RIBS

I was in Sprouts Market the other day and I walked past their Butcher Shop, and something caught my eye...Country Style Ribs ON SALE! We love pork at our house, what with bacon, ham, pulled pork, sausage, chops, etc. We eat more pork than any other meat.These were very large and very good looking. I started with 3 simple ingredients: a new Applewood Rub from McCormick in their Grill Mates line; a Hickory BBQ sauce; and the Jurassic Ribs.
—I started by preheating my oven to a low 225℉. Low and slow was my approach, and I had all the time I needed.
—Next I covered the ribs with the rub on both sides.
—Then I placed the rubbed ribs on a baking sheet I had lined with SALT and covered the salt with a baking rack. The salt created a layer for the fat to drip into without burning and makes for quick cleanup.
—I placed the rack of rubbed ribs on the center rack of my oven for 60 minutes. —After the 60 minutes had passed, I turned the top element of my oven on to apply heat from the top-down. You could also simply flip the ribs over if your oven doesn't have a top element. Now is a good time for rotating the rack of rubbed ribs front to back for even heating.
—Remember, cooking times depend on the thickness of your ribs, so adjust accordingly.
—Lastly, I remove the rubbed rib rack and slather on the BBQ sauce. Use your favorite, or make one of your own. Place the ribs back in the oven at 250℉ for 15 minutes on each side. By now they should be tender and juicy.

I was very happy with the new rub and recommend it! I served ours up with riced cauliflower and a few tomatoes and it was great, and provided lunch for my wife the next day. It was so good in fact that I went back to the butcher and and picked up several more meals worth for us. I will happily live in a Jurassic Pork World!

Pork On Pork Makes Gpa Proud

This is about a proud moment in a grandpa's life. My youngest,  grandboy (he's 6'5") called me for advice on COOKING! I would like to think I was first on the list to call, but like a good son, he called mom first, which is okay because I would like to think we share some of the same cooking genes.

Let me preface this by saying that since he was old enough to eat, I have been a short order cook for him whenever he came by, and for awhile, before school. I even gave him a skillet so he could fry eggs. He has grown a bunch, but I still enjoy cooking for and with him...now on to the proud moment.

He called and said he wanted to cook bacon-wrapped pork chops and asked me how to do it. The photo shows 2 pork chops perfectly browned, wrapped with bacon and finished in the oven. He said they tasted GREAT, and the photo shows that.

Most of my posts are about my cooking, but I felt so proud I had to share! Way to go CC!

Addendum:

I learned today that my grandboy saved some for his mom and she said "it was AMAZING!"

Earl Eats Porterhouse Pork Chop at Outback

I should start by saying that I have never cared for Outback Steakhouse. I have always felt a bit disappointed by their offerings. In fact, while checking my journal (facebook) I found it had been 5 years to the day since we ate there last! But my wife A.K.A "Turkey", got a gift card and that was enough to make me be less disappointed no matter the food, so off down under we went. Let me begin by saying that the staff was great! We went early enough (5 p.m.) to eat and get back in time to watch the Utah Jazz. We were seated right away with no waiting. The whole restaurant was spotless. The lighting was of particular interest because it gave us plenty of light without being harsh or overly bright. On to the meal...

They started off by letting us know that they were out of "their" bread because of the successful holiday traffic (it was 2 days after the New Year) which surprised and disappointed me (there's that word again). Bread is something that can be made in-house or purchased from a commercial bakery fairly easily. They probably have some special recipe they have shipped in frozen since they are a chain, but that's no excuse. However, they did not let us down! They offered their Bloomin' Onion appetizer rather than bread at NO CHARGE! Great save, Outback! It was a great way to save the day👍, and the onion was zesty and hot and their dipping sauce delicious, even though not quite enough, but they brought more upon request.

I ordered what they call their Porterhouse Pork Chop after seeing this picture from their menu. It was very tasty and cooked just right. It was fork tender and came with 2 sides (mashed potatoes and broccoli, which were just okay), and I found myself picking it up to get the last of the meat from the bone. It was reasonably priced and worth the money.


My wife ordered a seafood trio which included a lobster tail, a crab cake, and 1 grilled shrimp skewer. She also upgraded her side salad to a lettuce wedge, which she shared with me. She enjoyed the crab cake. She would not let me tell them that the lobster tail and shrimp were a bit rubbery, so I didn't. The salad was the star of her meal and we do like their bleu cheese dressing. Rather, let me say I LOVE bleu cheese, and she likes it on this wedge.

Conclusion:
While there were disappointments, we were not disappointed with the overall experience. I am not sure what the significance of going to a restaurant with "steakhouse" in the name and not wanting a steak is, but we would go back, just for the Lettuce Wedge and Bloomin' Onion!
By the Numbers:
Overall Experience ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
Price 💲💲💲