Memorial Day Cookin'

Last weekend I embarked on a couple of experiments in the kitchen in addition to a good old stand-by. First, on the baking front I made soft pretzels for the first time, using a recipe from Peter Reinhart's latest book, Artisan Breads Every Day. The pretzel dough is mixed and kneaded the night before and then cold ferments in the fridge. Shaping them was pretty easy, actually, though I did not get a consistent thickness across the 17-19 inches of dough after I rolled them out. They are dipped in a baking soda and water bath before baking, which I think did make for a distinctive flavor, I think, that I did not find off-putting, but was slightly on the odd side. The pretzels developed better the next day, but I think I will try mixing in some whole wheat flour next time (the recipe calls for bread flour only) to add a layer of flavor to the mix. The recipe also calls for an optional egg white mixed in with the water and baking soda to add shine, which I will also try next time. Overall, though, they were pretty good for home-made pretzels.

In addition to the pretzels, I also made a basic bread loaf with a similar recipe that is really easy and quite flavorful -- mix up all the ingredients (all four -- flour, salt, yeast, and water) the night before, cold ferment and then shape and retard the next day. Bung in the oven on a stone and 30-40 minutes later you have a great loaf of bread (see the picture for both the pretzels and the bread with a piece already sawn off!)

Finally, I made BBQ spare ribs for Memorial Day. I am normally a smoker of baby backs, but these spare ribs were from Groff's Content Farm and I decided I did not want to spend the 7 hours probably required to smoke them properly. So, I went with BBQ instead, which involves putting a restaurant pan with the charcoal in the center of my smoking chamber and arranging the ribs on either side to enjoy some indirect heat. It's actually a very easy way to make them, and takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to get done. The meat won't be falling off the bone; some chewing is required, but they were good none-the-less. I used a rub from Cook's Illustrated's grilling book, which I think had too much cumin in it for my taste, but the BBQ sauce was excellent, especially with chipotle chile powder in place of regular chile powder (I leave the cayenne pepper out because of family members who have a sensitivity to it).