Sugar and SPICE & Everything Nice

Yup, that's what little girls are made of, but this also reminds me of Knox Spice rubs.

I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of The Chopping Block's vendors over the years. Bryan Knox, founder of Knox Spice Rubs, has become a good friend of mine. I love how passionate he is about cooking and his products. He's a small business owner and all of his products are made in the USA, which is very important for me as a consumer.

One of my favorite items to cook with is his Cracked Pepper Dry Rub. It is SO good I've given my plain ol' pepper grinder the heave ho and use this in its place everyday and on everything.

Knox has a great variety of rubs to make anything from chicken (try the yummy Chicken Rub or the Jerk Spice Rub) to pork, beef and even veggies extra tasty! They have some great gift items that include wood chips for your grill. In fact, probably the best ribs I've ever made on my grill are from a recipie on Knox's website. Try it this summer and let me know what you think.

Moppin Sauce

1 Cup tomato paste
1 cup Chicken Stock
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 medium onion, chopped small
2 garlic cloves crushed and chopped
1 Tablespoon yellow Mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Knox's BBQ dry rub

Heat ingredients in a saucepan until warm and well blended.

Smoked pork ribs are absolutely fantastic! In a smoker heated to 225 degrees F., rub the ribs generously with Knox Chipotle Spice blend and place in smoker meat side up. Smoke for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours (sometimes longer) mopping with the sauce as directed above. Wrap the ribs in foil for the last hour. This will retain the moisture in the ribs and make them more succulent. Allow to rest in the foil for 15 minutes or so. Pork ribs will fall off the bone and be moist and tasty if attention and care if given while smoking.

My mouth is watering already.

Want to know more about Knox? Check out Bryan's fun video.