Blackberry Chipotle Smoked Ribs

Blackberry Chipotle Ribs, originally uploaded by jekemp.

Nothing is better than cooking up some ribs on the smoker to celebrate the fourth. This year was no different but something big was stumbled upon while prepping a rack for the smoker.

Blackberries are currently in season and what better way than to celebrate their sweet summer flavor than to mop it onto slow cooked pork ribs?

Here's how to do it:

Start with a few racks of pork ribs. I personally prefer the St. Louis cut but baby back or whole slabs will work great as well. If you can get your hands on some ribs from Riverview Farms, that would be even better.

Select your dry rub:

We ended up going with a blend of dry Chipotle powder, Ancho Chili, Sea Salt, White Pepper, Cumin, and granulated Garlic. We then liberally coated the suface with the mixture and then added a puree of fresh blackberries over the top while smoking the meat on applewood at around 225° for about 4 hours. This created a tender, smoky rib that you simply cannot find at your local BBQ joint.

Cans of Ghee

Cans of Ghee, originally uploaded by jekemp.

If the one on the right is clarified butter from a cow, is the one on the left gazelle butter?

Don Pepino Spaghetti Sauce Can

Don Pepino Spaghetti Sauce, originally uploaded by jekemp.

More from my series of unusual cans of food. The Don Pepino's old-school ridged can seems to harken back to the the days of more classic designs. An illustration of a rotund chef on a bright yellow can holding the same can with what appears to be a a stylised multi color script that probably did not originally emerge from some 20 something's font collection on their Apple but instead was carefully drawn by hand and executed the old way. I believe that this interesting discovery on the grocer's shelves was fantastic. Its great to see a small brand that has stuck to tradition.

Cheese Tortellini Pizza with Garlic & Basil.

Vinny's Pizza-Rama, originally uploaded by jekemp.

Have been touring the old school pizza parlors in New Jersey and discovering some pretty interesting slices. This particular slice was found at Vinny's PizzaRama and proved to be a meal unto itself. Cheese filled Tortellini with garlic, basil, and Vodka sauce topped this slice.

Vinny's Pizza-Rama
1025 Hamburg Tpke
Wayne, NJ 07470
(973) 628-1510

Gruyere oven toasts

Gruyere oven toasts, originally uploaded by jekemp.

Image taken right before they entered the toaster oven.

A visit to Country Gardens Farm & Nursery

A baby calf, originally uploaded by jekemp.

Last week I took some time to visit Country Gardens Farm & Nursery outside of Newnan. It is a quaint little farm and nursery that sells among other things, Raw Milk!

This milk is straight from the farm. (Read-Grass fed cows) and of course, is labelled for pet consumption only. I picked up a $4.00 half gallon and brought it home for my two cats to sample. This milk was not what one would expect to see down at the local super market. First, there were two distinct layers within the container and the color was more of a cream than the more familiar stark white.

After watching the cats go to town on this treat, I went ahead and shook the carton and poured myself a tall cold glass. All I can say is that this milk is truly amazing. Did I get sick from drinking it? No.

I am not going to say that Raw milk is safe to drink. Unfortunately, we live in a time of great fear with regards to food borne illness. Bacteria can be harbored in the milk and cause a litany of problems from diarea to vomiting. The FDAstates that consuming raw milk is dangerous and I believe them to a point. If we did not live in the time of the factory farm, I doubt that that e coli, Salmonella, or listeria would nearly be as bad as they potentially are these days.

The FDA also claims that more than 800 people in the United States have gotten sick from drinking raw milk or eating cheese made from raw milk since 1998. That really is not that many people when one thinks of the millions of people that call the United States home.

Conical Fermentation Tanks

Conical Fermentation Tanks, originally uploaded by jekemp.

This is where all the great beer from Terrapin comes from.