Ok, so here's how it went. The ribs were a no-brainer as they had braised in their own juices in the slow cooker, after my dry rub was liberally applied, of course. I simply fired up the grill with a solid bed of charcoal, and placed tag-alder rounds on top to protect the meat and create smoke. They came out as expected, juicy, tender, and smokey. The bark on one side was perfect. Got rave review from the guests.
The pork loin was baked in the oven. Here's what I did to it, and was pleasantly surprised by how good they came out with so little effort on my part. I cut the roast into seven equal slices, each about 2 inches thick. I made a pocket in each slice, and filled with canned apple pie filling. I placed the filled cutlets onto an oiled baking pan, and drizzled with a little cooking oil. Then, I salted the tops, sprinkled on a dash of granulated garlic, and a very light dusting of cloves. I baked them in a 425' oven for 35 minutes. They were tender, succulent, and everyone loved the apple in the pocket. The delicate flavor of the cloves mixed perfectly with the apple, the garlic, and the salt and pepper. I was really pleased with the flavor profile.
To round out the meal, I made a 3 bean salad, sans oil, and nuked 6 ears of corn, still in the husks, in the microwave, 3 at a time, until steaming hot. Made a quick bbq sauce with brown sugar, pork rib pan juices, garlic and onion powder, a splash of Lee & Perins Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup. My guests asked where did I find such a great sauce. This stuff is ridiculously easy, folks. Our guests brought an ice-cold macaroni sandwich that wasn't too creamy, and added a savory component that balanced out the sweet. I'm stuffed, my wife is stuffed, my 4 guests are stuffed, they offered to do the dishes, and I let them, and I sent them home with the leftovers, most of them anyways.
I can't believe I pulled this all off in 90 minutes. I mean, I've been known to take an hour to make a PBJ.
I served up 2 racks of smokey ribs, a full pork tenderloin, stuffed, salad, corn on the cob. I have to say that I feel pretty good about tonight's efforts. I also have to say that I'm glad I don't have to do it again tomorrow night.
I think I'm ready for bed.
Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North