Franken-Tips!
I was trimming out a really large rack of spare ribs yesterday, and when I trimmed off the tip meat, I ended up taking too much flap and cut off up an extra rib. No loss, I thought, I'll just add all the meat to my rip tips bag in the freezer.
But as I was de-boning the tip, it occurred to me it was like filleting a fish. So i filleted off both sides, leaving them connected, and just removed the small ribs and cartilage. I wasn't thinking to take pictures of this part at the time, sorry! Then, as I was flipping the flap back and forth, kind of like the monkeys in the opening of 2001, A Space Odyssey, I was struck by a passing thought: why not STUFF this thing!
I opened up the tip and pounded the meat a bit to even it out. It didn't take much, mostly around the edges. Next, I made up some simple cornbread recipe. This had lots of minced onion and garlic in it, always goes well with pork. Use your favorite recipe. I
Here I am about halfway through the closing process. I am using kitchen twine, and a small pointy pair of hemostats to poke the holes, grab the string, and pull it back through. Anyone with a medical or veterinary background ought to recognize these.
discovered later in the stuffing process that it would have been easier to close it halfway up and then start stuffing the closed end, adding more stuffing as you continue closing it up. Oh well, next time. Don't stuff it really tight, or as the meat contracts you might pull a stitch! A light coat of Worcestershire sauce, sea salt and fresh ground pepper, and a trip into the smoker.
Since it wouldn't have long to pick up flavor, I smoked it with mesquite chunks for 1 hour at 250 degrees. The meat picked up a nice color, and it looks pretty darn tasty! Don't forget to remove the string before someone inadvertently eats it. Here she is below, sliced nice and even. Thank the Lord for a good sharp knife! The stuffing stayed nice and moist, and there is just the tiniest hint of a smoke ring from the short run in the smoker.
Finally it hits the plate. I served it with a spicy cilantro pesto, and pinto beans with Pico de Gallo cooked right in. This turned out pretty tasty, and goes well with the beans. No way anyone would believe that started as a lowly rib tip! Next franken-pork monstrosity coming soon!!
For some reason, I am limited to 4 pictures per post. If you want to see the others, check out the blog link in my signature. Of course, BBcode isn't working in signatures either yet, so you'll have to copy and paste the link.
I was trimming out a really large rack of spare ribs yesterday, and when I trimmed off the tip meat, I ended up taking too much flap and cut off up an extra rib. No loss, I thought, I'll just add all the meat to my rip tips bag in the freezer.
But as I was de-boning the tip, it occurred to me it was like filleting a fish. So i filleted off both sides, leaving them connected, and just removed the small ribs and cartilage. I wasn't thinking to take pictures of this part at the time, sorry! Then, as I was flipping the flap back and forth, kind of like the monkeys in the opening of 2001, A Space Odyssey, I was struck by a passing thought: why not STUFF this thing!
I opened up the tip and pounded the meat a bit to even it out. It didn't take much, mostly around the edges. Next, I made up some simple cornbread recipe. This had lots of minced onion and garlic in it, always goes well with pork. Use your favorite recipe. I
Here I am about halfway through the closing process. I am using kitchen twine, and a small pointy pair of hemostats to poke the holes, grab the string, and pull it back through. Anyone with a medical or veterinary background ought to recognize these.
discovered later in the stuffing process that it would have been easier to close it halfway up and then start stuffing the closed end, adding more stuffing as you continue closing it up. Oh well, next time. Don't stuff it really tight, or as the meat contracts you might pull a stitch! A light coat of Worcestershire sauce, sea salt and fresh ground pepper, and a trip into the smoker.
Since it wouldn't have long to pick up flavor, I smoked it with mesquite chunks for 1 hour at 250 degrees. The meat picked up a nice color, and it looks pretty darn tasty! Don't forget to remove the string before someone inadvertently eats it. Here she is below, sliced nice and even. Thank the Lord for a good sharp knife! The stuffing stayed nice and moist, and there is just the tiniest hint of a smoke ring from the short run in the smoker.
Finally it hits the plate. I served it with a spicy cilantro pesto, and pinto beans with Pico de Gallo cooked right in. This turned out pretty tasty, and goes well with the beans. No way anyone would believe that started as a lowly rib tip! Next franken-pork monstrosity coming soon!!
For some reason, I am limited to 4 pictures per post. If you want to see the others, check out the blog link in my signature. Of course, BBcode isn't working in signatures either yet, so you'll have to copy and paste the link.
