• Homemade Chicken Potpie
• Gourmet Meatloaf
• Ham & Au gratin Potatoes
• Spaghetti
• Homemade Chili & Grilled Cheese
• Chili Dogs (Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs, Steak & Shake Chili)
• Turkey & Dressing
• Country Fried Steak
• Grilled Rib-eye
• Prime Rib
• Tacos
• Pot Roast
• Oven Baked/Breaded Pork Chops
• Breaded Pork Tenderloins
• Homemade Pulled Pork
• Barbecued Pork Steak (Crock Pot)
• Mexican Casserole
• Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
• Homemade Chicken Stew
• Homemade Beef Stew
• Homemade Cheeseburger Soup
• Sausage (polish), Yellow Potatoes, & Carrots in butter sauce (Crock Pot)
• Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni
• Fried Chicken
• Lasagna
• Oven Baked Cheddar Breaded Chicken
• Baked Chicken in Corn & Stuffing
• Homemade Macaroni & Cheese
• Pork Chops in Cream of Mushroom Soup (Crock Pot)
• Barbecued Baby Back Ribs (Crock Pot)
• Smoked Baby Back Ribs
• Homemade Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
• Turkey Turnovers
• HHS Pasta Day/Night (Spaghetti & Meat Sauce with Velveeta Cheese Sauce)
• Ham & Cheese Roll Ups
• Homemade Pizza
• Homemade Salisbury Steak
• Homemade Beef Stroganoff
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Rotisserie Chicken
• Chicken Piccata with Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Homemade Chicken Tenders with Jan’s Sauce
• Crock pot Ground Beef & Marinara Cheese Tortellini
• Hawaiian Grilled Chicken
• Homemade Meatballs
• Chuck Wagon Stew
• Creamy Chicken & Biscuits
• Homemade Cheeseburgers
• Hawaiian Baked Beans
• Cheesy Chicken & Noodle Casserole
• Grilled Brats
• Pigs in a Blanket
• Ham & Great Northern Beans with Corn Bread
• Homemade Biscuits & Gravy
• Deep Fried French Toast
• Homemade Omelets
• Maid Rites
• Open Faced Hot Beef Sandwiches
• Barbecued Grilled Chicken Thighs
• Oven Baked Chicken with Rotisserie Seasoning
• Pulled Pork (Smoked or Crock Pot)

Now that I rambled off topic a bit, back to my smoking…. I have always wanted to smoke my own ribs. I discovered that I absolutely loved ribs when I was 18. Believe it or not I had never had them before and I tried them at Ruby Tuesday’s. I was in love! I have made them in the crock pot ever since. I like them fall off the bone and they always came out great that way. The problem was I could never get that great smokey flavor. I tried liquid smoke and smoke seasoning, but it wasn’t the same. I do my pulled pork and other similar slow smoked things in the crock pot as well.

Last month when my wife’s sister and her husband visited I decided it was time for a smoker. I read up online and looked at the options. The gas are great, but temps are a lot harder to control and nobody likes overcooked meat. I nearly bought a little portable propane one since we like to camp, and may yet get one, but for now I opted for the Masterbuilt MES 130B. I got it on sale for $150 which was a great price for an introductory smoker I thought. Most start around $300. This one is digital and has a timer. The higher models have a remote and a probe, but I have my own probe thermometer so none of that really mattered to me. The one really nice feature is the chip loader on the right. You can add chips without actually opening the door and letting heat out.

So my ribs ended up to die for. I rubbed them with my own secret dry rub. Then let wrapped them and put them in the fridge overnight. Today I went and let my smoker preheat to 225 degrees. I placed each rack of ribs on a rack in the smoker with half mesquite and half hickory chips and smoked for 3 hours. Then I brought them in and wrapped them in foil adding a little apple juice to the the foil pouch and let them go another hour and a half.

These were literally the best ribs I have ever had. And that is saying something because I have had a lot of ribs in my day, but never with enough of this perfect smoke.

For those who have never had or even heard of a maid rite it is like a hamburger only it’s seasoned crumbled ground beef. They seem simple, but they aren’t. They are a complex delicious flavor. My wife and I were recently craving them and since moving out west we have discovered, that you can not only NOT find them, but most people have never even heard of them. I thought I would post a recipe for anyone wanting to try them at home. Like I said, they are a complex flavor, but they are very simple to make.

Another item you can get at these restaurants that I can barely find out here is a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich. I will cover those in another post.

Below is the recipe you can find all over the internet. Below it you will see how I modified it to make it better.

ORIGINAL MAID RITES

• 1 1/2 lb. hamburger
• 1 med. onion, minced
• 1 tbsp. prepared mustard
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp. salt or to taste

Simmer hamburger and onion. Do not brown. Add other ingredients and simmer. Serve on buns with catsup and mustard, if desired.

Firstly, I cook the hamburger in a skillet until it is mostly done, I try to leave no pink. Then, I transfer it to a crock pot to simmer for 2 or 3 hours. I add about 2 cups of water. In the last 30 min. I open the lid to allow the water to steam out. I also use onion flakes and about 3 table spoons of onion powder, ironically I think I get a better flavor this way. Instead of salt I use season salt and fresh cracked pepper is a must. I also add 2 teaspoons garlic powder or granulated. My mother-in-law uses beef bullion, but I have yet to try that one.

I strongly recommend you give it a try!