Beef Ribs.  For me, the very mention of this wonderful finger food immediately conjures up memories of the massive wood fired pits I became accustomed to in Texas.  Those BBQ places that actually had ribs on the menu were few and far between, but they were invariably my favorite places to eat.  Brisket is great, but for me ribs are far more succulent and I was there for the grease-covered jaw gloriousness of the affair.

Sure, you can be completely civil and eat ribs with a knife and a fork, but where’s the fun in that?  Part of the experience with bone-in foods is the sheer joy of foregoing the flatware and getting down and dirty with your meal.  It’s just fun!  The kids love it too, and there’s always room for a few chuckles and good-natured ribbing (pardon the pun) about messy faces and lack of manners.

While I usually smoke or grill my ribs, this particular version was made in the oven with a balsamic dressing.  The flavors are amazing, the meat it fall-off-the-bone tender, juicy and absolutely sumptuous.  I don’t think I could have done better in my smoker, and the flavor that the balsamic vinaigrette adds to the beef is both subtle and stunning at the same time. This is a definite keeper.

Are you a fan of the K.C. Style, sauce covered ribs or, spicier Louisiana style?  If you’re like me, sauce just covers the flavor, but we’ve all got different tastes. What are yours?

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Please welcome my lovely wife TSGT Jessica Russell who writes today’s guest post from Turkey.  Welcome, honey.  We’re glad to have you.

I want to thank my husband for letting me hijack his blog for a moment or two.

In my decade + years in the military I’ve found that good food brings a group together like nothing else in the world. If an army marches on its stomach then the Air Force soars on theirs. :) No jokes, please.

W. Drell was the wonderful guy who eased my way into the unique world that is Turkey. The country changes like the weather in Texas, and trust me, that’s often. People who were here five years ago barely recognize the area or the way we do business. In such a unique climate, having a group of people you enjoy working with makes all the difference. I’ll be sad to see Drell go, but he’s off to be with lovely wife in Germany. It’s a small world and even smaller career-field, I’m sure we’ll run into each other again. So from me and my husband…Thank you for all your help.

B. Gray and his lovely wife, C. let us take over their kitchen to make these delicious jalapeno poppers. Drell said he found the original recipe on Instructables and tweaked it to his liking. What follows are pictures and the recipe from the event.

The recipe was simple, easy, and makes a great quick meal idea for any game night. Since football season is in full swing, you know these little babies will be a hit (especially with toothpicks so you don’t have to get pepper on your fingers!). Note, the preparation involves direct contact with jalapeno peppers and the seeds, so make sure you’re careful to not rub your eyes. We had benadryll on standby just in case I had a reaction. ;)

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Let’s face it, sliders are fun.  you get all the flavor of a full-sized burger in an easily had held and extremely portable package that’s perfect for tailgating, game day parties or any other circumstance where you need to have a lot of food handy without the requirements of plates and flatware.  They’re also perfect for kids parties, since sometimes a full burger is too much for a little mouth to handle.  With sliders they can just go back for more if they’re still hungry.

This particular dish is a riff on two recipes.  The first was this recipe for Italian Turkey Sliders, written by the lovely and always charming Anne from short Order Mom.  The recipe made me want to jump in and make sliders and I’ve been trying to get around to it since I first saw her recipe.  The idea for the relish is my personal spin on a burger topping I saw Gordon Ramsay create on his BBC show Kitchen Nightmares.  His was for a beef burger, but I thought that the concept would make the perfect condiment for the turkey and I was not disappointed in the slightest.

Of course, fresh basil is out of season at the moment, but I’ve got a bunch of it in the freezer, thanks to this method from Kalyn’s Kitchen. Now I always have at least a semi-fresh supply of basil at my disposal, rather than having to run to the market and pay inflated prices for a few wilted leaves in a plastic package.   In this case, the garlic was by far the more inferior of the ingredients, but still totally serviceable noetheless. And if you’re not in posession of fresh or frozen basil, feel free to use dried basil, but only use half as much.  it will still be wonderful.

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Vegetarians avert your eyes.  Have your children leave the room, you don’t want them to see this.  For you it won’t be pretty.  However, for those of us who are dedicated omnivores (or in Dr. Biggles case, card carrying carnivores), it’s a dream on a bun, and I had to share it with the world at large.

Please excuse the fact that this really isn’t a recipe.  It’s more of a field assembly guide for the ultimate in meat based sandwiches. There will be no fluff, no cheese, no greens or sprouts.  Only bell peppers (or jalapeños, if you’re so inclined) are worthy of this carnivorous delight.

This sandwich was three days in the making. Was it worth it?  I think so.  Hopefully you will as well, but the only way you’ll ever know is if you try it for yourself.

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