Jerk Pork Loin Back Rib Tips in Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce

This is a recipe I developed to balance the fiery taste of jerk pork with the sweetness of an American Style BBQ Sauce. The seasonings I used are spicy but not significantly so when used in the proportions in the recipe. It is a very simple recipe, and not one that requires a lot of preparation or ingredients. My supermarket sells the pork loin back rib tips, in strips, at a very reasonable price. These tips are what is cut from a rack of back ribs to give it a nice, straight edge. They look like oriental style cut ribs that are sold in strips in Asian supermarkets but the back rib tips are much meatier. The supermarket tends to put out a couple of packages each day so I tend to check every time I'm there to build up my stock. The "jerk" seasoning provide the background flavors while the Jack Daniels BBQ sauce gives the necessary sweetness and glaze to the ribs.

Ingredients
3 lbs Pork Loin Back Rib Tips
1 heaping teaspoon of Grace Hot Jerk Seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoons of Grace Caribbean Meat Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon Pickapeppa Sauce
1 Tablespoon Worcester Sauce
1 Tablespoon Sriracha Pepper Sauce
1 bottle Jack Daniels Hickory Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce
Method
1. Cut the rib tip strips into 2-3 inch lengths. Put in a ziploc plastic bag.
2. Add all the seasonings with the exception of the BBQ sauce. That is added later. Mix to coat all the pieces in the bag with the seasonings. Marinate in fridge overnight.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer the ribs to an appropriate size baking dish (I use a 9X13 inch baking dish). Bake the ribs for anywhere between 30-45 minutes until they are nicely browned. Remove from oven and add the bottle of BBQ sauce to the ribs.
4. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and return to oven for another 30 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, take off the foil and place the ribs under the broiler for about 5-10 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and thick, and the ribs develop a slight char. Have a lot of paper towels handy as these are very moist and coated with the sauce.

Honey Persimmon Quince Tea Bread

This is a spin-off on my Plantain Cranberry Bread but it is a difficult recipe, and very labor intensive. Don't try it unless you have a lot of time, a lot of help or both! The result, however, is outstanding so it's well worth all the effort I put into it.....and no, I did not have any help! The flavor is not strong as the fruits used do not themselves have strong flavors. I wanted to find a way to use Quinces since this is their season, and the usual method of poaching is too sweet for me (not that I don't do that and have it with plain yogurt, and granola). The spices have been adjusted to compliment the combination of quince and persimmon, and I have substituted honey in place of molasses to result in a more pleasing, lighter color for the bread. I also used a Meyer Lemon

as it's like a cross between an orange (the flavor that goes best with Quince) and a lemon. This delicately flavored, and not very dense bread goes well with a fragrant tea!

Asian pear, Quince,and Persimmons

Ingredients

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup bread flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice Powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1 tsp grated fresh ginger root

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup yogurt

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

½ cup oil

1 Asian Pear or Apple( the skin is quite tough so I just cut it in quarters, cored it, then grated only the inside of the fruit. The peel stays intact while you are doing this and can be discarded). Drain the accumulated liquid before adding it to the rest of the mixture.

2 tablespoons honey

3/4 cup grated Quince (The quince can be peeled easily using a regular vegetable peeler. Cut the fruit in half with a large, sharp chef's knife. Be sure your cutting board is secure; the fruit is very tough and spongy and will be hard to cut.)

3/4 cup shredded Persimmon (Peel the persimmon, then grate it)

½ cup chopped dried cranberries

Juice and zest of one Meyer lemon
Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a loaf pan, and line the bottom with parchment paper, Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, 5 spice powder, coriander.

3.In another bowl, mix together well, the shredded persimmon, grated apple, ginger root, Meyer lemon juice and zest, chopped cranberries, grated quince, and yogurt.

4.In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, dark brown sugar, oil, and honey.

5. Add the Quince and persimmon mixture to the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, and mix together until just combined. Do not over mix.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the edges are golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then allow it to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Chewy or Crunchy Oatmeal Granola Treacle Breakfast Bars

 Update: 11/29/15. I decided to give this a new title, as well as revise the directions. My reason for doing this is that the bars can either be "chewy" or "crunchy" depending on a simple tweak to the ingredient list, and the baking method. 
These started off as chewy, oatmeal seed bars that are different to my breakfast cookies. I wanted to make a bar that was not too hard but also not very soft. These fit the bill! I did not put the chopped, dried cranberries in these but will do so next time. It's important to make sure that the mixture is really compacted tightly in the baking tin. I used the method of covering the mixture with plastic wrap and using a rolling pin to to the compacting. It worked well. Press the mixture in the pan using your fingers first, then use the rolling pin to really pack it tightly. I used puffed millet to give add some crunch to the bars but any of the puffed cereals can be used. I like the Arrowhead Mills range. If you want to make the bars crisp, replace 1/2 cup of the Scottish Oatmeal with Durum Atta flour, and extend the time of the second bake by 1 hour at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. The bars also have to be placed on a rack for this second bake. 
Ingredients

3 cups Scottish oatmeal

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Lyles Golden Syrup

2 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp baking soda

2-3 Tbsp Molasses

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup puffed Millet

1/2 cup Flax meal (or 1/4 cup wheat germ+1/4 cup flax meal)

1/4 cup Finely Chopped Pumpkin seeds

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup chopped, dried cranberries (optional)
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, water, vanilla, chopped cranberries, golden syrup, butter, coconut oil, salt, and molasses. Heat the mixture slowly, stirring until all combined and the mixture is bubbling.
2.Toss together the oatmeal, puffed millet, wheat germ, baking soda, flax meal, cinnamon, sesame and pumpkin seeds. Pour in the sugar mixture, water and baking soda, stirring as you pour. Mix until everything is well coated with the liquid mixture.
3.Press firmly into a shallow baking pan lined with parchment paper. The mixture fits perfectly in a 9x11x1 inch pan. Make sure the paper overhangs the sides of the baking pan (photo). Use your fingers to press the mixture first, then cover with plastic wrap or wax paper and use a rolling pin as seen in the photo

4. Bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and score into squares with a sharp knife (do not cut all the way through).

Then decrease the temperature to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven,  cut along score lines to form squares but leave to cool in pan.  Lift parchment paper out of the pan and fully cut square pieces with a sharp knife. To make the crunchy variation, modify the oatmeal mixture as explained at the beginning, after the first bake break the bars along the score lines and place on a rack in a baking tin. Lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake for about 1 hour to dry the bars out completely. Remove from oven when the bars are a dark brown color, cool on the rack and keep in an airtight container.