Fred Flintstone's Brontosaurus Ribs

      

      Barb has always LOVED the BIG BEEF RIBS at Black's BBQ in Lockhart;  thus make it so #1.  Black's ribs are also featured as the main picture at the top or my blog.  This takes a special rib; not just any package of beef ribs in the supermarket.  The rib of choice is the Plate Short Ribs, sometimes called plate ribs.  They can also be identified by North American Meat Processors as NAMP 123.  In Texas you may even see them as Dinosaur Ribs.  These are the biggest, meatiest beef ribs, usually sold in 3-4 bone portions.  A single rib can tip the scales at 2 1/2 pounds and will easily serve 2 people.  This rib comes from the plate primal behind the forequarters and near the belly of the steer.  They are not cheap either, coming in at $9.96/lb and $52.25 for our little over 5 pound rack of 4 ribs.  I smoked half of this rack and Barb vacuum sealed and froze the other two for later.  

Removing the membrane, simple procedure once you find the edge

Rubbed out with Cooper's Old Time Original

      I ordered these fresh from my local butcher so as not to worry about having to initially freeze them for later use.  I removed the cap and membrane from the ribs and froze half for later.  Then I rubbed them out with Coopers Old Time Original Rub (something new) and put them in a turkey bag and refrigerate for a couple days.   The day of use I took them from the bag to bring to room temperature.  

Into the pit

      Put a load of split oak into the pit and get the temp settled to 275-300 degrees.  Place the ribs in meat side up and close the lid.  After 2 hours of good smoke spritz with a mix of 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup cider vinegar.  Do this every hour or two. 

2 hours, a bit of color and meat beginning to recede from bone 

      Cook until instant read thermometer reads 155-160 degrees.  Be careful not to touch the bone with the probe.  When this temperature is achieved, wrap the ribs in uncoated pink butcher paper and return to pit.   Do not wrap in foil as it will soften the bark.  I really like a crunchy bark.  When internal temp reaches 190-205 degrees, remove and place on table to rest for 1 hour. 

Finished product 5 hours smoking over oak, wrapped, and resting for an hour

       Remove from wrap and slice ribs into individual portions, remember these things are HUGE.  Serve with choice of tater salad, cole slaw, corn on cob, beans, etc.  I prepared some Cold Bacon Pea Salad for this meal.  YABBA DABBA DO!  The verdict from Barb? SHE ABSOLUTELY LOVED THEM.   I have to agree.  Of course this is not Black's BBQ, but for my first attempt we were incredibly satisfied.  Cooper's Original Old Time Seasoning is THE BOMB.  We each still had leftovers.    Roux nearly drowned in her own slobber as well as almost ending up in a food coma just thinking about these bones.   

Finis' plated with Cold Broccoli Bacon Salad and good, cold Texas Bock

"What a load of bunk.  My father ate red meat every day of his life and lived to the ripe old age of 38"

Fred Flintstone

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San Juan Taqueria Leakey, TX

 

      This came as a bit of a surprise to us.  We knew this 'taco stand' was here, but as 'newbies' had not heard anything about it.  We had eaten at Pearl's Food Truck and Leakey BBQ across the street, but only recently decided to have lunch here.  I picked up lunch for my wife and I, taking it back to our place.  In fact I have picked up lunch tacos for my wife and I several times.  This is a small stand, but complete with shaded tables to 'dine in' or you can take out.  The owner arrives at 5 a.m. each morning to begin prep of all the homemade tortillas, meats, etc.  I'm not talking street tacos either......these are full size handfuls of deliciousness.  

      The menu is posted outside and I have to admit is quite diverse.  I had to take a picture for future use.  They not only offer 19 different styles of tacos, but Tortas, Flotas, Fajitas, and Carne Asada.  They also offer a burger and club sandwich if you like.  They have no web presence, but their menu can be found on Yelp.  They are rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.  The menu lacks nothing.  www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-san-juan-leakey2

      The business hours are 7 a.m. till 2 p.m. (closed Monday) serving both the breakfast and lunch crowd, but don't be fooled.  This place is often busy.  Previously I had the Barbacoa Taco and a Potato Chorizo Taco, both delicious.  Their Barbacoa (Mexican BBQ) far surpasses what anything I have tried in the past.  They were closed for 2 weeks in December due to COVID, but returned to full form.

      So this time we dined for an early lunch before heading off to Uvalde for some shopping.  Barb ordered a couple of the egg/cheese tacos while I decided on the Tortas and Burrito Supreme.   Each order comes with the house green sauce.  This is, of course, homemade and delicious.  Yes, there is a bit of spice, but not overwhelming.  I loved it.  I'm a green sauce type of guy.  One taco will do the trick, but hunger often demands two.  

Egg n Cheese Taco

Burrito Supreme w/Green Sauce

San Juan Tortas

      I am a bit embarrassed to have passed this place by at first figuring it was just another taco stand, but once eating their food I am seriously in love with the local Tex Mex cuisine.  All the tortillas and shells are flour soft shells.  I wish they offered hard corn shells as well.   But, the servings are very hearty and you WILL NOT go away hungry.  We pigged out here for $21.  There is no comparison anywhere else in my memory outside of a visit to Baja California a few years ago.  A taco is not just a taco everywhere.  Most of America does not really enjoy good Mexican cuisine.  This is NOT TACO BELL.  It is food with heart and soul.  This was a very tough call and it is after all just a taco stand, but on a scale of 1 to 5 stars we gave this one a.........

"Tacos are like what the voices of a hundred angels singing Bob Dylan while sitting on rainbows and playing banjos would taste like if that sound were edible" 

Isabel Quintero

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"She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam".....recommended by Henry VIII and Herman's Hermits

      If you haven't attended a Medieval Fair throughout our country to experience all the events, competitions, and culture it is indeed an experience all it's own.  Perhaps the biggest culinary highlight is the Smoked Turkey Leg, so popular during these times that you can't even imagine a picture of King Henry VIII without one in his hand.  It has never been proven that he is immortalized in a portrait as such, but it is his claim to fame.  

      With our wood pit now rolling hot we fire it up about once a week, sometimes more.  It performed so very well in our first brisket of the year.  We picked some giant turkey legs a while back as we always wanted to try them.  This is our next adventure. First of all pick a package of fresh turkey legs at your local store.  Depending on area you may need to order these.  

Fresh is always better if you can get them

Then comes the brine:   

2 cups hot water

8 cups of cold water

1/4 cup sea salt

1 Tbsp. meat tenderizer

1/4 cup brown sugar

4 bay leaves

1 Tbsp. black peppercorns   

      In a large pot bring the hot water 'almost' to a boil.  Add sea salt, brown sugar, and meat tenderizer and whisk to dissolve.  Once dissolved mix in the remainder of the ingredients.  Remove from heat and let cool 30 minutes, then immerse turkey legs in brine and refrigerate for 12-16 hours.  

Brined 16 hours

        Fire up wood pit smoker and stabilize to 275 degrees.   Remove turkey legs from brine, rinse, and pat dry.  For the rub I used Kansas City Sweet n Smokey rub.  Featured in our October 17th blog chapter it is wonderful on pork and poultry.  Rub the turkey legs with the seasonings and place in smoker.  Cook until deepest sections of leg meat (careful not to touch the bone) is 165 degrees, about 2 1/2 hours.  I always use an instant read thermometer to determine the temp. 

A little KC Sweet n Smokey Rub

176 degrees, about 2 1/2 hours, time to get them out

      When desired temp is reached remove turkey legs from smoker, wrap, and set aside to rest for just a bit.  This is an informal, fun meal so serve with whatever you like such as corn o' cob, beans, green beans, rice, roasted potatoes or even a finger food plate.   Whatever floats your 'historical boat'.  Remember this is a HANDS ON meal.  

The Judge votes HELL YES!  

"Few seem to be able to eat a turkey leg at Disneyland without splattering tsunami scale grease, so grab plenty of napkins, or wear a bib, tablecloth, or scuba suit"  

Leslie Le Mon

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Expanding Culinary Skills Into the Local Culture...

  

      Of course I have prepared several different types of Mexican food as well as dined at some not so good all the way up to those that were absolutely authentically delicious in San Felipe, Baja, MX.  I have never been one to try anything just once, especially if I loved it.  Leakey, TX has several very good eateries in this category.   This is NOT Taco Bell, La Seniorita, or Casa la Whatever.  This is one thing I wanted to try on my own 

      A sope, also known as picadita is a traditional Mexican dish originating in the central and southern parts of Mexico, where it was sometimes known as pellizcadas.  It is an antojito, which at first sight looks like an unusually thick tortilla with vegetables and meat toppings.   You can serve them warm or allow them to cool.  They are often filled with refried beans, ground beef or turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, cheese, etc.  Whatever you can put in a taco you can pile on top of your sope.  

      For my virgin experience I decided to use some recently prepared beef brisket along with beans, hatch chiles, onions, and cheese.  First of all you have to make the sopes.  This requires masa harina or Mexican corn flour.  Easy for me to get here, but you may have to visit your local Mexican Grocery. 

One of the more popular brands 

       In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups masa harina and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add only 1 cup of the warm water and combine as much as you can using a spoon or spatula. Dump the mixture onto a work surface and add the remaining water (approx. 1/2 cup) a few tablespoons at a time, kneading the dough until it comes together into a cohesive ball.  This part was especially difficult for me to obtain.  I only made it work by adding more masa flour and NOT water.  When finished, set aside and cover with a damp towel until you need it.  In the meantime prepare the refried beans to your liking.  

      Pull off a 3 oz. chunk of masa dough and use your hands to roll it into a ball. (3 oz. is somewhere between a golfball and a racquetball)  Surround the dough ball in plastic (or a Ziploc bag) and use a flat-bottomed baking dish to flatten it to 1/4" thickness.  

Working masa into balls about 3" diameter

Work the masa into thick patties about 6" diameter

      Pre-heat a dry skillet to medium heat. Cook each side of the Sope until light brown spots are forming on the underside, approximately 2 minutes per side.  Once both sides are cooked, set aside to cool for a minute or so, then use your fingers to pinch up the edges to form an outer ridge. This will prevent the toppings from slipping off the Sopes.  If you want to finish off the Sopes with a shallow fry, heat up a thin layer of oil in a skillet -- just 1-2 tablespoons will do the job.  I recommend this.  Use a thermometer to get the oil up to 360F, about a medium setting on my stove. Add the cooked Sope and shallow fry in the hot oil for 1-2 minutes or until the bottom side is brown and crispy.  You can put the beans on top while it's cooking to partially heat them up, but this is optional.

My finished sopas (not pretty)

Toppings

      Fill the sopes with your choice of ingredients; for these mine included refried beans, garlic, chives, chopped brisket, and topped with cheese.  Finish with some cilantro and a squeeze of lime.  Serve while warm or rewarm if necessary.  Top with condiments to your liking.  I LOVE Melinda's Green Sauce.  Admittedly my homemade sopas sucked, but I have nothing to lose, but to try again.  The meal itself was quite tasty and the possibilities of toppings are endless.  

 

Bon apetite'

"Thicker can be better, but the toppings are everything....as long as Mommy and Daddy give us some"

Roux & Bones Hilts

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