MAKING MORE THAN MEALS,
#MAKINGMEALTIMES

Sometimes, it’s easy to forget how important it is to reconnect over a good meal. We encourage you to slow down and make room for more — more time with family, more togetherness and more memories that will last.

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Featured Pitmaster

Melissa Cookston

Mississippi native Melissa Cookston is a seven-time world barbecue champion and a celebrated chef with a deep passion for cooking and barbecue. She makes frequent appearances on national cooking shows and is currently starring in a show on Netflix titled “American Barbecue Showdown.” Melissa also owns the Memphis BBQ Company with restaurants in Mississippi and Georgia, and is the author of two cookbooks, “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room” and “Smokin’ Hot in the South.”

As our Prairie Fresh ambassador and a Barbecue Hall of Fame inductee, Melissa shares her amazing insights and recipe ideas for making delicious mealtimes at home.

View her recipes

OUR COMMITMENT TO
HELPING OTHERS

Since 2015, Prairie Fresh has been the official pork supplier to Operation BBQ Relief (OBR). OBR is a nonprofit organization first formed by competitive pitmasters to feed displaced families and first responders after a tornado ravaged Joplin, Missouri, in 2011. So far, we’ve donated pork to serve more than 2.5 million meals (over 875,000 pounds and counting).

Learn more

WATCH OTHER
MOUTH-WATERING VIDEOS

These days, we’re all spending more time at home. And in our kitchen. Being somewhat unfamiliar territory to many, Prairie Fresh has partnered with several chefs and pitmasters from around the country to bring you delicious pork recipes you can make at home.

View more recipes

FOSTERING CONNECTION

COOKING TOGETHER

If you’re spending more time with your loved ones, there is no better way to build bonds and memories than making a meal together. It’s an easy way to unplug and reconnect with each other. Cooking together is also the perfect way to teach kids skills like measuring, reading and following instructions while sharing time working toward a common goal — a good meal. And mealtime.

Other resources：
Family Meals And Fantasies Of Future Dinner Parties- NPR

VIRTUAL MEALS

Sometimes, phones at a dinner table make all the difference. In an era where nearly everyone has access to video chat capabilities, virtual dinners are a great way to spend time with the people you love the most. With the click of a button, we can be instantly connected – because being apart doesn’t mean you can’t eat together.

Other resources:
How cooking together (virtually) keeps my family connected- Today.com

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Talking is easy, but real conversation is an art. Sharing a meal is a great excuse to catch up and talk. It’s one of the rare times we can put aside our work and carve time from our busy schedules for what matters most. Here are some easy conversation starters to engage everyone at the table:

What was the best part of your day?
If you could have any superpower, which would you choose?
If you could pick your own name, what would it be?
If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
If you could be a famous person for a week, who would you be and why?
What do you want to be when you grow up and why?
If you could have dinner with anyone (past or present), who would it be and why?
If you could travel back in time, where would you go?
What is something you want to learn how to do and why?
If you could pick any age and stay that age, how old would you be?

Other resources:
The Importance of Eating Together – The Atlantic

Backyard Favorites:

Korean-Style Spareribs

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Prep time: 25 Minutes

Cook time: 4-4.5 hours

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 slabs – Prairie Fresh® St. Louis style spareribs

Marinade INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup – brown sugar
1/2 cup – honey
1/2 cup – water
2 tablespoons – sesame oil
1 cup – soy sauce
1 teaspoon – coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup -rice wine/sake
1/4 cup -unseasoned rice wine vinegar
2 medium -pears, peeled and cored
5 cloves -garlic
1/2 cup -chopped cilantro

Gochujang Barbecue Sauce INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon – canola oil
1/2 cup – finely diced yellow onion
2 cloves -garlic, minced
1/2 knob -ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 cup -cider vinegar
1/2 cup -ketchup
2 tablespoons -soy sauce
To taste -salt and pepper
1/3 cup -gochujang paste
1/2 cup -honey
1/4 cup -brown sugar

Marinade:

Place all the marinade ingredients, except cilantro, in a blender and puree. In a large nonreactive pan, pour about 1/4 of the marinade, then lay the two slabs of ribs meat-side down. With a sharp knife, lightly score the membrane on the ribs. Pour in remaining marinade, cover and refrigerate. Marinating overnight will be best, but marinate for at least 2 hours. Reserve marinade.

Marinade and sauce can be made a few days ahead. Store in refrigerator. In addition to being great on pork ribs, try them on pork chops as well.

Gochujang Barbecue Sauce:

In a sauce pan over medium heat, add oil and onions. Cook onions until they are nearly translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 more minutes, then add remaining ingredients. Whisk to incorporate and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.

Spareribs:

Prepare a smoker to run at 250 degrees with your choice of wood (I prefer apple). Place ribs on grill meat-side up and cook for 2 hours. While ribs are cooking, place marinade in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.

At the 2-hour mark, prepare 2 large sheets of heavy-duty foil. If you don’t have heavy duty, use 2 sheets for each rib. Place the ribs meat-side down on the foil, and pour approximately 3/4 of a cup of marinade on and around each rib. Carefully fold the foil to form and envelope the ribs, and return ribs to smoker.

Cook for another 1.5 to 2.5 hours, checking every 20 to 30 minutes. To determine doneness, gently put pressure on two bones in the opposite direction and check how much the bones can move. When you have reached a proper tenderness, remove the ribs from the foil and place meat-side up on the grill. Glaze with gochujang barbecue sauce and allow ribs to cook for 5 minutes to allow the glaze to “set.” Remove from grill, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with extra sauce on the side.

HELPING THOSE HIT HARDEST

WORKING TOGETHER

Prairie Fresh supports OBR in making mealtimes that help when people are facing the toughest times following natural disasters. In response to the pandemic, OBR rolled out relief efforts in Kansas City, Missouri; Philadelphia and beyond to support more people in need by serving more than 4 million meals.

OBR recently deployed to Lake Charles, Louisiana, providing hot barbecue meals to families and first responders following Hurricane Laura.

If you want to help these efforts, you can donate, volunteer or help in other ways. For more information, visit obr.org.

Prairie Fresh is also working in local communities, stocking food pantries, providing medical supplies to frontline health care workers and equipping schools with books, learning materials and supplies to support distance learning.

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Yes, please send me email messages from the Recipe Club.

MAKING MORE THAN MEALS, #MAKINGMEALTIMES

Featured Pitmaster

Melissa Cookston

OUR COMMITMENT TO HELPING OTHERS

WATCH OTHERMOUTH-WATERING VIDEOS

Follow #MAKINGMEALTIMES

FOSTERING CONNECTION

COOKING TOGETHER

VIRTUAL MEALS

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Backyard Favorites:

Korean-Style Spareribs

HELPING THOSE HIT HARDEST

WORKING TOGETHER

Watch Other Mouth-Watering Videos

Chef Matt Abdoo

Cooking withPitmaster Joe Pearce

Cooking withBrad and Brooke Orrison

FOLLOW #MAKINGMEALTIMES

MAKING MORE THAN MEALS,
#MAKINGMEALTIMES

OUR COMMITMENT TO
HELPING OTHERS

WATCH OTHER
MOUTH-WATERING VIDEOS

Follow
#MAKINGMEALTIMES

Watch Other
Mouth-Watering Videos

Cooking with
Pitmaster Joe Pearce

Cooking with
Brad and Brooke Orrison