Is there anything more quintessential Canadian than stealing away to the cottage during the summer months? On a warm July day I headed with a group of journalists on a road trip to Honey Harbour to check out the new eco-friendly cottages in the region. Situated on a gorgeous stretch of beach on a rocky jut of land on Georgian Bay, the views were absolutely spectacular. However, the day was made even better by a tantalizing meal prepared by BBQ guru Ted Reader.

The Cottages at Honey Harbour, located just off Highway 400 on the south side of Muskoka

Let me tell you, it was a sight to behold as Ted parked his Napoleon BBQ grills and smoking rig in the lake and promptly fired up the smoke!

Cooking barefoot in the water, he was an animated host as he prepared a gourmet luncheon and discussed the highlights of cottage barbequing. While everyone took notes and sipped cool glasses of Pinot Grigio, Ted talked about the joys of smoking and grilling foods.

BBQ guru Ted Reader, barefoot and grilling!

He even shared a few secrets about how he prepared the following sumptuous courses for our dining pleasure:

Plank Grilled Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs with Apricot Stuffing & Crazy Canuck Maple Dunk sauce, served with Fire-Roasted Sweet Peppers & Onions. 

This course was served on a bed of kettle-cooked potato chips, the vegetables had a light grilling and then were seasoned with pineapple rum and balsamic sauce.

8-Hour Smoked St. Louis Ribs with BBQ Icing & Crispy Crunchy Crust, served with Creamy Coleslaw, Spicy Pickles & Pulled Pork Baked Beans.

The ribs glace is made with brown and white icing sugar with bacon fat and apple butter added. The crispy crunchy crust texture is created with coconut, crispy fried onions and panko crumbs which is then smoked to give it the brown texture. The Pulled Pork is smoked for 16 hours and then mixed with harmony corn and served with fire-roasted 6-pepper chili sauce relish, which Ted makes each fall. The spicy pickles are homemade with Ted adding his own 6-pepper fire roasted chili sauce.

Bourbon Barrel Grill Smoked Beef Tenderloin with Blueberry Bourbon BBQ Compote Served with Plank Grilled PEI Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar Mashed Potatoes & Grilled Asparagus

The beef tenderloin is rubbed with a 4-pepper rub and glazed with honey mustard, herb and roasted garlic mixture. The asparagus is seasoned with fire-roasted shallots and homemade spicy chipotle vinaigrette. Smoked cheddar cheese is mixed with day-old mashed potatoes and then cooked on a plank in the smoker with each delectable piece looking like a cheddar scone.

Needles to say we relished this delicious luncheon and some even went back for seconds. Once the lunch dishes were cleared we were treated to a fascinating talk by local naturalist, Robin Tapley, about the growth of the Georgian Bay area, and the importance of the preservation of wetlands, flora and fauna of the area. Overall, an A+ day and we left with Ted Reader sauces to try our hands at BBQ-ing at home.

Here's the recipe for Ted's award winning St. Louis Ribs:

St. Louis Ribs with Apple BBQ Icing

Recipe by Chef Ted Reader
Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large roasting pan
• 1 baking rack
• Aluminum foil
• 2 racks of St. Louis style ribs, about 2-1/4 lb/1 kg each
• 1/2 cup melted bacon fat
• 1/2 cup Ted's World Famous BBQ Bone Dust™ BBQ Seasoning
• 1 onions, chopped
• 3 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 cups Apple juice
• 1/2 cup store-bought-available vanilla icing
• 1/3 cup apple butter
• 1/4 cup Ted's World Famous BBQ Apple Brown Betty Grilling Sauce1/ cup crispy fried onions (available in Asian grocery stores and specialty food markets)
• 1/2 cup crushed peanuts
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Work a sharp knife under the membrane on the backside of the ribs. Once you have a piece large enough, use a paper towel to get a good grip. Gently pull the membrane away from the ribs. Trim away any large pieces of fat.
2. Brush ribs on both sides with melted bacon fat.
3. Season ribs on both sides liberally with Bone Dust™ BBQ Seasoning, about 1/4 cup per rib rack.
4. In a large roasting pan, place the chopped onions, jalapeno and garlic. Pour in the apple juice. Place rib rack over onion mixture. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
5. Preheat oven or grill to 325°F/165°C.
6. Braise in the oven or grill for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until you can wiggle a bone cleanly from the meat. Remove from oven or grill, remove foil and allow ribs to cool long enough to be handled.In a bowl, combine the vanilla icing, apple butter and Apple Brown Betty Grilling Sauce and stir until well mixed. Set aside.
7. In another bowl, combine crispy fried onions, peanuts and Panko breadcrumbs. Mix gently and set aside.
8. Preheat grill to medium, approximately 350-450ºF.
9. Grill ribs top side down for 3-4 minutes until lightly charred. Flip over.
10. Spread apple BBQ icing evenly over the surface of the ribs. Be generous!
11. Sprinkle with crispy onion/peanut crust mixture.
12. Close grill lid, reduce heat to low and allow ribs to grill bake for 5-8 minutes until the topping is golden brown and crisp.
13. Remove from grill. Cut between every third rib and serve immediately.
14. Serve with Bush's Baked Beans and your favourite coleslaw recipe.

Parmjit Parmar is a foodie-at-large, and a Toronto-based publicist at Montana Ridge. She travels every opportunity she gets.

Related:

• The 10th Annual Scarborough Rotary Ribfest
• Get BBQ recipes from the Summer Guide on foodnetwork.ca
• Videos: Summer BBQs and Entertaining tips