From My Impossibly Tiny Kitchen: Stovetop Smoked Ribs

Living in an apartment, it's not easy to enjoy grilling and smoking.  It's basically impossible.  But every once in a while, I think about the stovetop smoker I've got in the cabinet, and I wonder what all I could accomplish with a little research.  So when I got a rack of ribs on sale, I decided now was the time.  Luckily, I'm not the first person to consider this alternative, and the ribs actually turned out much better (and smokier) than I thought.  This is definitely going to be a recurring item.

Stovetop Smoked Ribs
Adapted from From My Impossibly Tiny Kitchen blog

1 rack baby back ribs
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon roasted garlic powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoon wood chips (i used hickory)

Combine the salt, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, Chinese five spice, black pepper, and cayenne in a small bowl. Remove the membrane from the back of the ribs, then season the ribs with the rub, front and backside.

Pour wood chips in a pile in the center of the bottom of a stovetop smoker, then fit with the drip tray, lined with aluminum foil, and the rack, sprayed with cooking spray.  Slide on the cover of the smoker until only open by two inches.  Heat on medium until the first wisp of smoke escapes, then close the lid and start the timer for 45 minutes.

Five minutes before the smoking time is up, preheat the oven to 275°F.  Place the ribs in a baking dish and wrap with foil.  Bake 1½ hours, until tender.  Slather with barbecue sauce, if desired, and crisp up the top of the ribs by broiling for about 10 minutes.

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Klobasnek (Sausage Rolls)

My local doughnut shop makes what they call kolaches, but I have been reminded by some people of Czech ancestry that anything with a sausage in it is most certainly NOT a kolache.  Regardless of nomenclature, these little sausage rolls are pretty darn delicious, and they make an excellent and easy breakfast.  I decided to make some of my own, because how hard could it be?  If you have a breadmaker: not very difficult at all.

Note: I made this dough in my Zojirushi breadmaker, which I highly recommend.  It makes quick work of the mixing and rising, so these come together super quickly.

Klobasnek (Sausage Rolls)

¾ cup half-and-half
1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon yeast
2¼ cups bread flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus additional for forming
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks, divided use
2⅓ tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional for greasing bowl
1 package Eckrich Smok-y Cheddar breakfast sausages
Everything bagel topping

Warm the half-and-half to 105°F to 115°F, and stir in the sugar until dissolved.  Sprinkle the yeast over the top; stir briefly and set aside.

Combine both flours with the salt.  Set aside.

When milk mixture starts to foam, pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer; add the flour mixture, egg, one egg yolk, and butter, and mix until just combined.  Replace the beater with the dough hook.  Knead at low speed for three to five minutes.

Turn out the dough into a bowl greased with butter. Turn the dough slightly to ensure the butter gets on all of the dough surfaces. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place free of drafts until doubled, about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Punch the dough down and divide into ten equal pieces.  On a lightly floured board,  roll out each piece into a rectangle, about 3 inches long by 2 inches wide, enough to wrap around a sausage.  Wrap each sausage with a piece of dough, pinching the ends together at the bottom.  Place rolls on a baking sheet, very slightly separated.

In a small bowl, beat remaining egg yolk until thin.  Brush the top of each roll with egg yolk, then sprinkle with bagel topping.

Bake the rolls for 15 minutes, or until the tops are browned, and the rolls are puffed up.

Makes 10 servings