Vermont part infinity- the rib dinner!

There's nothing quite like being in a lake house, surrounded by mountain air, pine trees, friends, and family to work up an appetite. Despite the fact that most of our days were filled with lounging, swimming, and hanging out, we'd managed to become ravenous in between our snack breaks and pauses for a fresh beer. Our last night was our pinnacle of culinary experience during our week in Vermont, with a bounty of freshly slaughtered and prepared ribs from Dakin Farm! Marylou again wowed us with her ability to clog our arteries with just using our eyes, which got REALLY bad once we actually started stuffing our faces!


Slow cooking is key, with constant re-application of the BBQ sauce of your choice. We, of course, went with a local Dakin Farm sauce, which provided a succulence unmatched by even the great masters. We used a charcoal grill, but I'd recommend a nice applewood wood chip smoke to provide a nice smoky flavor that gets absorbed beautifully in every square inch. Don't settle for tough ribs that require tearing from the bone- these should be dripping off the bone with moistness rivaling... well, something moist.


This is the famous tomato pie- decadence beyond belief. Even thinking about it makes my gut sag and my mouth drool. This Marylou Special is famous in small circles for its ability to transform even the most athletic and fit of people into obese monsters clamoring for more. Best with fresh Hanover tomatoes, take a pie crust (no need to get homemade with this, store bought will do) and line the inside with thick slices of tomato, alternating with cheese (monterey jack or a sharp white cheese of your choice) and basil. Coat the top with a generous amount of FRESHLY grated Parmesean and (are you ready for it?) frost the top with mayonnaise like you would a cake.

I promise, even if you hate tomatoes, even if you hate mayo, even if you are gagging and thinking this is the worst dish ever conceived, YOU ARE WRONG. Plain and simple. The mayonnaise provides the ooey gooeyest crisp pie top that you've ever had melt in your mouth. I truly believe this dish was handed down by God himself to say, "Thanks guys. Have fun!"


As if we needed more pure fat. Marylou thought it would be a good idea to add her famous German potato salad, a glorious dish filled with potatoes, cheese, butter, bacon, and god-knows-what-else. Simply marvelous. I can feel my belly swelling just looking at this.


VA from VA was lovely enough to chop up some fresh tomatoes and mozzarella with herbs to make fresh bruschetta to whet our insatiable appetites.




Confession time- I'm not the world's biggest fan of corn. I know this is a gigantic American staple, and I'm hard-pressed to find ANYTHING without some corn of some type in it, but just plain ol' corn of the cob just doesn't make me die with pleasure. Personally, I think it's kind of a waste to eat something that your body doesn't process, but that's neither here nor there. Regardless, if you are going to eat corn on the cob, this is the only way to do it. You can save this until last because after this the coals will pretty much be smothered and it takes a little while. Soak the corn in the husks in clean water for about 15-30 minutes. Remove the grill top and place the ears directly into the coals. Let them soak up all that nice heat for about 20-30 minutes (completely dependent on how hot the coals are, how done you want them to be, how many, etc. When you think they're done, take 'em off!) Once you let them cool for a couple of minutes, unwrap the husk and peel the silk off to enjoy the best damn ear of corn you'll ever have. You don't need butter or salt, just pure corny goodness.


This is what the final result should look like. All those scorch marks = major tastiness.


Finally, the feast! Woe is me, there wasn't enough room for the corn on my plate so I had to go back for seconds- rough life!