Author: Mike Cammareri

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The day before: Before you even think of taking the ribs out of the fridge, make the dry rub. (thank me later) After making the rub, remove the ribs from their packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Trim ribs of excess flap meat and pull off the silver skin membrane on the bone side. Brush both sides of ribs with mustard – Most Dijon’s have sugar added, make sure to choose one that does not, or use yellow mustard. Apply dry rub liberally on both sides, cover in plastic wrap, then foil. Chill in fridge overnight. This is an important step, don’t skip it. If you have time, go ahead and make the BBQ sauce the day before as well.

A big thank you to Mary Cressler at Vindulge.com, from whom I got this recipe, making my own little tweaks of course. If you want to see the original, I totally understand. I am still very much a novice blogger, and never think to take pictures of the process until it is too late. I do take pictures of the final product, but that really isn’t very helpful to some. Mary did take pictures, so if you need that, click the link, it will open in a new tab.

After doing a bunch of reading, I was confused as to which method was better, meat side up, or meat side down; there was compelling reasons for both, so I experimented and did one of each. Other than the ‘meat side down’ rack having grill marks, I couldn’t tell a difference. So, the decision is yours.

Cook Time, about 6 hours
Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients summary:

This is everything you will need for this recipe, some will be divided

2 racks spare ribs, St. Louis cut
4 tablespoons dijon mustard (Make sure to choose a sugar free one, or use yellow mustard)
5 tablespoons butter (divided, or 4 TBSP butter, and 1 TBSP avocado oil)
3 cups + 6-8 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (divided)
2 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
2 tablespoons coarse ground pepper
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely diced
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika (divided)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon oregano
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (divided)
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce (no sugar added)
2 cloves garlic, diced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 tablespoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce ((GASP, it has sugar and molasses in it, use it anyway))
Optional, but recommended: 2 TBSP brown sugar Swerve

Ingredients:

the Ribs

  • 2 racks spare ribs, St. Louis cut
  • 4 tablespoons dijon mustard (Make sure to choose a sugar free one, or use yellow mustard)
  • 2/3 cup sugar free dry rub
  • 4 tablespoons butter (2 per rack)
  • 6 – 8 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (3 – 4 per rack)

SPRITz

  • 2 cups apple cider vinegar, placed into a food safe spray bottle

Dry Rub

  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons coarse ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

BBQ SAUce

  • 1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon butter (or avocado oil)
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce (no sugar added)
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon  paprika
  • 1/2 tablespoon dry mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce ((GASP, it has sugar and molasses in it, use it anyway))
  • Optional, but recommended: 2 TBSP brown sugar Swerve

Instructions:

For the Sugar Free Dry Rub

  • Combine all dry rub ingredients in a bowl and mix well. 

For the BBQ Sauce

  • In a large pot set to medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter or avocado oil and add the onions. Stir occasionally until the onions are soft (golden/starting to caramelize), and sweet to the taste (at least 20 minutes). * you may need to adjust the heat and turn it down if they are browning too fast.
  • Next add the garlic and stir together for 1 minute.  (burned garlic is very bitter, take care to not let the garlic burn)
  • Add the apple cider vinegar, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and mix. Add dry seasonings, Worcestershire, and brown sugar swerve if using. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Using a hand immersion blender, or countertop blender, blend your sauce until smooth and there are no chunks. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. If its too thick add water or more apple cider vinegar.

For the ribs

  • In case you missed it in the intro, this is an important step, don’t skip it. Before you even think of taking the ribs out of the fridge, make the dry rub. (thank me later) After making the rub, remove the ribs from their packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Trim ribs of excess flap meat and pull off the silver skin membrane on the bone side. Brush both sides of ribs with mustard – Most Dijon’s have sugar added, make sure to choose one that does not, or use yellow mustard. Apply dry rub liberally on both sides, cover in plastic wrap, then foil. Chill in fridge overnight.
  • Preheat smoker to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). We have a Traeger, so I used an oak, pecan, and mesquite blend. Depends on your preference. I love that smoker for many reasons, mainly because it maintains a constant temp.
  • Add the ribs to the smoker, close the lid, set a timer for 90 minutes, and if you didn’t have time before, go make the bbq sauce now.
  • After that 90 minute timer goes off, set it for another 90, and begin spritizing, roughly every 20 minutes (that’s three hours total). This keeps the ribs moist. After that you should see the bones protruding about ¼ inch, that’s the sign that it’s time to wrap. You should long be done with the sauce by now.
  • Place foil on a sheet pan, grab first rack of ribs and place on the foil. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, cut up into smaller pieces to evenly disperse, brush on a thin layer of sauce and sprinkle with 3-4 TBSP apple cider vinegar. Wrap tightly, then do it all over again with the second rack of ribs.
  • Place back on smoker for about two hours, checking after an hour to see if you’ve reached the texture that you want. Take care when opening, as steam will escape. We like ours falling off the bone, but realize that some people don’t, so check.
  • Unwrap, and discard foil, but leave ribs on the grill. Brush with sauce, how much is up to you. If you like a less messy rib, add a little. If you like it it dripping and gooey, add a lot. about 30 more minutes.
  • Remove both racks of ribs from grill, slice and enjoy.

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2 bags Cauliflower rice or bits,
–It goes by different names sometimes,
*see note below on making your own cauli-rice

2 Tbsp grass fed butter (NOT MARGARINE)
2 oz (1⁄4 c) cream cheese
2-4 Tbsp grated parmesan (taste preference, I use 4)

2 tablespoon fresh chives, reserving some for garnish (optional)
1 clove garlic, pressed (optional)
1/2 tsp Fine sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Unsalted butter, for serving.

Directions:

Place bag of cauliflower in microwave and cook according to package directions. When first bag is done, take out to cool and nuke second bag. Take care, because the bag will be very hot and may contain steam. Let cauliflower cool until it is easily handled, cut one corner, squeeze out as much water as possible. do the same for the second bag.

After removing the water from both bags place the butter, cream cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, and parmesan in food processor and pulse a few times until combined. Microwave both bags for about a minute, just to reheat. Add cauliflower bits and puree until very smooth. Use a spatula to get mixture from sides. Add chives and pulse just to combine. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and garnish with pats of butter and chopped chives.

Store extras in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in microwave or a saucepan over medium heat for a few minutes or until warmed through.

*Buying it pre-riced is the easy way, the less easy way is to use a food processor. Buy a head of cauliflower, remove just the end of the stem, and cut it into pieces small enough to fit through the neck of the processor (use the grating blade). Before cauliflower rice was ‘a thing’ and it wasn’t readily available pre-riced I used the food processor method, I would buy 4 or 5 heads and rice them all; cauliflower freezes beautifully. A hand chopper can also be used, or a knife and cutting board, if you have the extra time and energy. The goal is to end up with bits that are only slightly larger than a grain of rice.

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The scale is a lying liar that lies, so I don’t put much stock in this metric, but it is nice to look back and see the progression. In the last year I have tried to remember to weigh daily, so there would be more data points. I don’t remember why, exactly, I wanted more data points, but I’m sure I had a very very good reason. Whatever the reason, it’s been a fun project.

Beginning to present: Jan 21, 2016 thru Dec 17, 2019.
Jan 21, 2016 thru Dec 31,2018 with notes.
Jan 1, 2019 thru Dec 17, 2019 with notes.

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Want to learn how to make cauliflower rice? This low-carb dish is simple to prepare, taking only minutes, and is very versatile. We love it with Cincinnati Chili, Easy Chicken Korma, or as an easy side dish.

Cauliflower rice is simply cauliflower chopped into small bits (riced). There are a few different ways to get the cauliflower into small bits, just in case you were wondering. There are two ways it can be prepared: sautéd or microwaved; we’ll get to that in a bit. I cheat and buy it at Costco, already riced and frozen. Don’t have a membership? Not a problem, it is also most likely available in you local grocers frozen foods section, just make sure the only ingredient is cauliflower, as there are flavored options to choose from that may have ingredients that a low-carb lifestyler doesn’t want. Many also carry it fresh in the produce section, bagged and ready to go.

Buying it pre-riced is the easy way, the less easy way is to use a food processor. Buy a head of cauliflower, remove just the end of the stem, and cut it into pieces small enough to fit through the neck of the processor (use the grating blade). Before cauliflower rice was ‘a thing’ and it wasn’t readily available pre-riced I used the food processor method, I would buy 4 or 5 heads and rice them all; cauliflower freezes beautifully. A hand chopper can also be used, or a knife and cutting board, if you have the extra time and energy. The goal is to end up with bits that are only slightly larger than a grain of rice.

Whichever way you go about it, once it’s riced, it’s now ready to be frozen for later use, or cooked. As I mentioned, there are a couple of ways to prepare it. My favorite way is to sauté it, but you can also microwave it.

Sauté method:
This recipe is the yields: 4- 1⁄2 cup servings, but can easily be scaled.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups riced cauliflower
2 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee, avocado oil, bacon drippings, or unsalted butter if not dairy-sensitive.
Fine sea salt
Pepper (optional)

If using frozen, it should be thawed first. It doesn’t need to sit in the fridge overnight though, you can just put the bag on the counter for an hour or so, or microwave it for 3-4 minutes. If it’s fresh, you’re good to go.

In a non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. I would go with one of the oils mentioned due to their high smoke point and neutral flavor profile. Check the healthy fats page for other options. When hot, add the riced cauliflower and cook for 5-6 minutes, turning occasionally, until the cauliflower is softened. I do mine a little longer because I like it to brown a little, but that’s my preference. Season with salt to taste, and pepper if desired. That’s it, pretty simple.

Microwave method:

If you followed my lead and cheated by purchasing frozen, but want to go the easier route and microwave, follow the directions on the bag. It is usually something like, microwave this side down for 4 -5 minutes and let sit for one minute, then carefully remove from microwave as contents will be hot.

If it’s fresh cauliflower that you’ve riced yourself, place it in a glass covered microwaveable dish and microwave on high about five minutes, season to taste. If it’s fresh pre-riced cauliflower that you purchased in a bag, check on the bag, typically you can microwave it right in the bag. I do recommend the sauté method though, but there’s no shame in simplicity.

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This deliciously cheesy dish is loaded with so much flavor and creamy goodness, you won’t miss the carbs.

Ingredients:

8 oz heavy cream
5 oz Shredded sharp cheddar, divided
4 oz shredded fontina, divided
2 oz cream cheese
1 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch or two for roasting cauliflower
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 large head cauliflower
1/4 – 1/2 cup bacon bits for topping
3 tablespoons real butter, divided (accept no less)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450F.

Rub cauliflower with 2 tablespoons butter***, sprinkle with A pinch or two of salt, wrap with aluminum foil, place on baking sheet and roast until tender, but not mushy, about 30-45 minutes. Make sure to use real butter. Meanwhile,

Prepare an 8×8 with butter or avocado oil spray.

In a small pot, combine heavy cream, 4 oz of cheddar, 4 oz fontina, cream cheese, salt, pepper, and paprika. Heat on medium, stirring well, until smooth. Remove from heat.

When cauliflower is done, reduce oven to 375F, remove cauliflower from foil, cut into small pieces, and add to cheese mixture. Toss to coat. *

Pour into prepared baking dish, top with bacon bits**, remaining fontina and cheddar, and bake for 25 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Variations:
*Stir bacon bits in when tossing.
**Top with sliced green onion after baking.
***Brush cauliflower with bacon drippings instead of butter.

Serving size 1/2 cup, recipe yields 6 servings.

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This is one of my all time favorite recipes. I doubled it so it makes a lot, it freezes beautifully.

Ingredients:

  • 2 quart water
  • 4 lbs ground beef
  • 8 cloves minced garlic
  • 4 medium white onions, diced
  • 4 8oz cans of tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper
  • 2 large bay leaf
  • 8 tablespoons Chile powder
  • 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
  • 4 TBSP white vinegar
  • 1 TBSP salt
  • 2 TSP cinnamon
  • 2 TSP ground cumin
  • 10 whole cloves and 10 whole allspice (put them in a spice bag or tea ball)

DIRECTIONS:

  • Mix ground beef and water in a 4 quart pan and stir till beef is fine pieces, turn heat to medium and boil for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mise en place, measure out all other ingredients, chop the onions, mince the garlic, open the cans.
  • Once the meat has boiled, DO NOT DRAIN!!! Turn the heat to low, stir in remaining ingredients and let simmer uncovered for three hours.
  • Serve over cauliflower rice with your choice of toppings, I like chopped raw onions and grated extra sharp cheddar. If you want a little more crunch, top with the moon cheese or whisps of your choice.

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This is a one pot recipe, you will need one that is a 4-5 Quarts

Ingredients:

1 batch Alfredo Sauce
4 Strips of thick cut bacon cut into pieces
4 Skin on bone in chicken thighs
2 Skin on, bone in chicken breasts
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 pound Andouille Sausage, or the sausage of your choice
16oz Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch kale, stemmed and torn into pieces
2 quarts (64oz) chicken stock
1 tsp sea salt, plus more to season chicken
Fresh course ground black pepper, to season chicken
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf

Method:

Salt and pepper chicken, cover, and allow to sit in fridge while you Mise en Place (cut bacon into pieces, chop the celery, dice the onion, tear the kale, slice the sausage, mushrooms, etc.)

Set pot on cook top that’s set to Medium-low heat add bacon and let slowly render, once rendered and crispy remove bacon and set aside. This will be your garnish, so keep it separate.

Set heat to Medium. Place chicken thighs skin side down in bacon fat and fry until golden, I start checking around five minutes. You’re mainly looking to render the chicken fat. Once it’s rendered remove the thighs, they wont be cooked fully. Don’t worry they will simmer in the pot shortly.

Repeat the process with the chicken breasts, skin side down, until golden brown. Remove.
-At this point if you think there is too much fat in the pot feel free to remove some, I leave it.

Add the onion and soften (don’t brown), then add sausage, celery, onion, and mushrooms. Sautè until celery and mushrooms are softened. Add red pepper flakes and sautè for a minute or so, you want to wake it, not burn it. Using a slotted spoon, remove

Add about a half-cup of the stock and deglaze the pot, add the rest of the stock and bring to a boil. reduce heat to simmer, add chicken breasts, thighs, the bay leaf and simmer covered for about 45 minutes, until the meat pulls easily off the bone.

Turn heat to low, remove chicken and let cool until you can safely remove the meat. Meanwhile, add sausage/mushroom/celery/onion mixture back to the pot, reserving the bacon for garnish. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, remove, chop, and return it to the pot.

-At this point it’s a good idea to locate and remove that bay leaf.

Add kale and cover for about ten minutes, this will allow it to wilt and soften. Remove cover and stir. The last step is to add in the alfredo sauce and stir well.

Ladle into bowls garnish with the bacon you set aside. If you’re anything like me, you cooked an extra piece to munch on whilst you cooked .

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INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola (or blue of your choice)
2 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar
Pinch of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 medium green cabbage, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
1/2 small red cabbage, cored, quartered and thinly sliced
4 strips crispy bacon, chopped

Directions:

To a large bowl add mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sour cream, salt, pepper, bacon and gorgonzola to a bowl and gently combine. Add cabbage and stir to coat. Can be served immediately, but is much better if it is allowed to chill overnight.

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This was a favorite of mine growing up, of course my dear lil’ mama made it with a regular pie crust, mayo, and milk. She was impressed when I made her the my Keto-fied version, said it tasted exactly like she remembered. That is high praise from my mother.

ingredients:

1 recipe Fat head dough crust, without the Italian seasoning.
12 oz tuna, packed in water, drained
1 c grated Swiss
1/2 cup green onion, whites and greens
3 eggs
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup heavy cream thinned with 1/4 cup water
pinch of salt

instructions/picture instructions

(click on ‘picture instructions’ to jump down to those)

Preheat oven to 375 ℉

Prepare a 9 inch pie plate by spraying it with avocado oil.

Crust:

Prepare one recipe of Fat head dough crust, and roll thin between two pieces of parchment paper. You will want to end up with a piece of dough that it somewhat circular in shape, enough to fit the pie plate, and uniform in thickness. Thiner areas cook more quickly than thicker ones, and you don’t want any burned or raw spots in your crust. A good way to tell if you’ve made the circle big enough is to place the pie plate in the center, and if there are about three inches of overhang in all directions, you are good to go.

Remove top piece of parchment. Grasp the edge of the bottom piece of parchment paper and gently fold in half, then peel from dough and grasping side of parchment, fold into fourths. Gently remove from parchment entirely and transfer dough to pie plate, just like grandma used to do. Place the point of crust in the center of plate and gently unfold.

With one hand grasp edge of dough and gently lift, while pressing into the bottom of pan with the other, being careful to not make holes in the dough. Do this one section at a time, so that the crust touches all surfaces of the pie plate. Trim any excess, but leave enough for the edge that everyone loves. Crimp the edge. Using a fork, poke about two hundred holes into the bottom of the crust to allow air to escape while pre-baking, or use pie weights. Bake for 8 minutes, set aside.

filling and assembly

While crust is cooling a bit, make the filling. You will need two bowls, a medium and a large.
Drain water from tuna and transfer to the medium bowl bowl. Fluff tuna with a fork, add swiss cheese and green onion and combine thoroughly. In the large bowl add mayo, cream, water, eggs, and salt. Whisk vigorously until smooth. Add tuna mixture to the egg mixture in the large bowl and combine well.

Now that crust has cooled a bit, pour filling into crust. Cover the edge of crust with aluminum foil or a pie crust shield, if you happen to have one, because it will burn if left uncovered. and place into preheated oven.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

Any leftovers can easily be reheated in a 375 ℉ oven, but completely cover with aluminum foil before doing so.

instructions, with pictures:

Preheat oven to 375℉.

Make one recipe of Fat head dough crust, place on parchment paper.

Roll thin between two pieces of parchment paper, you will want to achieve a circular shape. This is a wonderful tool, a rolling pin with guides, any rolling pin will do.

You will want to end up with a piece of dough that it somewhat circular in shape, enough to fit the pie plate. A good way to tell is to place the pie plate in the center, and if there are about three inches of overhang in all directions, you are good to go.

Try to get it a uniform thickness, thiner areas cook more quickly than thicker ones, and you don’t want any burned, or raw spots in your crust.

Remove top piece of parchment. Grasp the edge of the bottom piece of parchment paper and gently fold in half, then peel from dough and grasping side of parchment, fold into fourths. Gently remove from parchment entirely and transfer dough to pie plate, just like grandma used to do. Place the point of crust in the center of plate and gently unfold.

Gently unfold.

With one hand grasp edge of dough and gently lift, while pressing into the bottom of pan with the other, being careful to not make holes in the dough.

Do this one section at a time, so that the crust touches all surfaces of the pie plate. Trim any excess, but leave enough for the edge that everyone loves.

Remove excess, but leave enough to make a nice edge. Crimp the edge, or do whatever decorative design you like. Using a fork, poke about two hundred holes into the bottom of the crust to allow air to escape while pre-baking, or use pie weights. Bake for 8 minutes, set aside.

While crust is cooling a bit, make the filling. You will need two bowls, a medium and a large.
Drain water from tuna and transfer to the medium bowl bowl. Fluff tuna with a fork

Add swiss cheese and green onion and combine thoroughly.

In the large bowl add mayo, cream, water, eggs, and salt. Whisk vigorously until smooth.

Add tuna mixture to the egg mixture in the large bowl and combine well.

Now that crust has cooled a bit, pour filling into crust. Cover the edge of crust with aluminum foil or a pie crust shield, if you happen to have one, because it will burn if left uncovered.

If you do have a pie guard, chances are you are a much better baker than me, and got a laugh reading these directions.

Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.