50 States; 50 Meals: Tennessee

I don't know about anyone else but I have anxiously been waiting for this state.

What we had for dinner:

Memphis Ribs

I'm sure there are many rib enthusiasts that will say were prepared these ribs incorrectly but they were fall off the bone delicious.  We used Wegmans' Braised Barbecue recipe where the ribs are grilled and then braised in a beer and barbeque sauce liquid.  Yep, I said beer.  Have your attention now?

We had Memphis style baked beans and squash casserole, a popular Tennessee dish, on the side.

Braised Barbecue Ribs

Ingredients 

1 rack Wegmans Center Cut Pork Spareribs (about 3 lbs), halved
1 Tbsp Wegmans BBQ Seasoning Shak'r (I used McCormick Pork Rub)
1 bottle (19 oz) Wegmans Memphis-Style BBQ Sauce
1 bottle (12 oz) lager-style beer

Directions

Preheat grill on HIGH 10 min.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Clean grill with wire brush. Using soft cloth, coat grill grate lightly with vegetable oil.
Season both sides of ribs with BBQ seasoning. Sear on grill 3-4 min per side; do not cook through. Transfer ribs to braising pan.
Whisk BBQ sauce and beer together in bowl until well-blended; pour over ribs in pan. Cover pan; place in oven.
Bake 2 1/2-3 hours. Carefully remove lid; bake 10 additional min.

 

 

Squash Casserole
I got this recipe from my SIL

Ingredients
2 pounds zucchini or squash or a combination
1 small sweet onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
1 cup grated carrots
1 (8-oz.) package herb-seasoned stuffing  (Pepperidge Farm)
1/2 cup butter, melted
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Cut squash into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place in a Dutch oven. Add chopped onion, 2 tsp. salt, and water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook 5 minutes; drain well.
Stir grated carrots, cream of chicken soup and sour cream in a large bowl; fold in squash mixture. Stir together stuffing and 1/2 cup melted butter, and spoon half of stuffing mixture in bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Spoon squash mixture over stuffing mixture, and top with remaining stuffing mixture.
Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown, shielding with aluminum foil after 20 to 25 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Next State: Texas