Ways to Honor Your Soldier This Memorial Day ( & Smoked Curried Cajun Ribs Recipe)

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.  #USOCarePacks #CollectiveBias

While Memorial Day traditionally marks the beginning of summer for most in this country, for our family it means so much more. It’s not just a time for families and friends to come together for a barbecue and enjoy the first long weekend of the season, it’s also a time for my family to honor the man I admire most in this world, my husband Daniel.

You see, my husband Daniel has worn many hats in his life, including a son, student, musician, educator, husband, father to many, but most importantly, veteran and former Sergeant in the United States Army. So it goes without saying that as a family, we always take time each Memorial Day to reflect on how blessed we are to not only be able to get together with our loved ones on that beautiful spring day but that our soldier came home to be able to share in these glorious days of summer.

Did you know that Memorial Day originated from Decoration Day, a day when people honored soldiers who died in the Civil War by placing flowers on the graves of memorial park headstones but was later expanded to all the men and women who have died in military service after World War I? Making Memorial Day one of the longest-celebrated federal holidays in American history.

As a family, we chose to remember the significance of the day, as well as to honor my husband, veterans, active servicemen, women, and the fallen, in a myriad of ways. We do this first, by flying our American flag in front of our home. Did you know, according to flag etiquette, the flag should be raised at half-staff from sunrise until noon and then on full-staff for the rest of the day. Before noon, with the flag at half-staff, we remember those who died in wars; in the afternoon we praise the living veterans and those who continue fighting for liberty and justice for all.

We also honor our soldiers by thanking any and all veterans we know for their service while visiting our local WWI Doughboy Memorial and attending our local Memorial Day parade. We also make a point of keeping our military history alive by asking my husband to recount his days of service and by observing the National Moment of Remembrance, where we pause for one minute at 3:00 p.m. (local time) each Memorial Day, to remember and reflect on the sacrifices made by many to ensure American freedoms.

May is also Military Appreciation Month. So another way we appreciate our soldier’s military service is by giving back to military service projects. One of our favorite military charities is that of the United Service Organizations Inc., the USO, a nonprofit organization that provides programs, services, and live entertainment to United States service members and their families. The USO strengthens America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home, and country, throughout their service to the nation.

Currently at Sam’s Club, during the patriotic 6 weeks of summer, Coca-Cola™ & Sam’s Club are working to connect club members with USO charities. Families like my own can help honor our soldiers by purchasing specialty USO-labeled Coca-Cola Classic cans 35 packs, new Mini Can Coca-Cola Classic 30 packs, and Diet Coke 35 packs.

When you purchase these packages you help to send military care packages overseas, and Coca-Cola is hoping to donate 3000-5000 USO packages overseas this season. When I saw these USO Coca-Cola and Diet Coke 35-packs in-club at Sam’s I made sure to pick them both up! I knew these awesome USO 35-count packs would be a perfect way of honoring my soldier this Memorial Day, by giving him his favorite summertime meal, smoked baby back ribs, and Coca-Cola!

My husband is nothing if not a connoisseur of all things smoked and grilled. So today I’d love to continue to honor my soldier’s love of the flame by sharing his famous Smoked Curried Cajun Ribs recipe. These ribs are always a crowd-pleaser!

Here’s how to make Daniel’s Smoked Curried Cajun Ribs:

Start with a clean slate:

My husband always starts each smoking session by thoroughly cleaning his electric smoker by pressure washing the inside of the main barrel the night before cooking and allowing it to air dry overnight.

Marination is key:

The night before cooking he also makes sure to prep his ribs. He does this by first removing any excess membranes from the underside of each slab of ribs. He then marinates his ribs in a simple blend of fresh garlic, ginger, spices, and one 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola. He then adds the ribs to a glass bowl, drenches the ribs in the marinade, covers the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerates the ribs overnight.

Prep for success:

The next morning, an hour before he intends to start smoking, my husband starts the day by assembling the smoker and setting the external thermostat to 200 degrees Fahrenheit; you’re looking for a low and slow cooking process. For added flavor, Daniel uses Coca-Cola-soaked hickory chips (that have been soaked for up to one hour) in his internal smoking boxes. Filling each box completely before placing each box inside the smoker’s furthest bottom compartment. The Coca-Cola gives the chips a deeper, sweeter flavor.

Remember, while smoking ribs be sure to replenish your wood chips hourly while smoking to ensure even heat and consistent smoke. Then while the smoker is coming to temperature and the chips are soaking, he finishes prepping his ribs inside.

A quick tip: adding an additional 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola to the internal smoking infusion bowl, as well as the remaining rib marinade, will help to keep even moisture in your ribs while smoking.

Give it a rub:

My husband is a Memphis-style rib man, so he likes to add a rub mixture to his ribs before smoking. So after removing the ribs from the fridge, and allowing them to come to temperature on the counter for ten minutes, he pulls the ribs from their marinade bath, patting down each slab to remove excess moisture with a paper towel, and then rubs each slab with Cajun mustard.

He finishes seasoning the ribs by coating each side of his slabs with his DIY curry rub blend; the mustard acts as both a moisture barrier and helps the curry rub stick to the ribs. He then lets the ribs rest on a cutting board for ten minutes. He then adds the ribs to the smoker and smokes them for six hours.

Make the most of your downtime:

While the ribs are a low and slow cooking process, they do require an hourly inspection. So while the ribs are smoking my husband loves to sit on our patio playing with the kiddo and pets, or one of his favorite hobbies, juggling; he’s pretty adept at most forms of juggling including balls, rings, and clubs. It’s a great way to pass a lazy summer afternoon away while grilling out and smoking food for friends and family.

Check your ribs hourly:

Here you can see the overall progress of the ribs smoking at thirty-minute segments for a total of six-hours-you’ll know your ribs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 203 degrees Fahrenheit and have a visible smoke ring around the entire perimeter of each rib slab.

7) Enjoy your smoky success:

When your ribs are finished, remove them from your smoker and let them rest an additional ten minutes on a cutting board before cutting into each slab.

To finish this dish, I added sides of curried carrot and snap pea salad, fresh lemon wedges, lemon pepper couscous, and of course, an ice-cold can of Coca-Cola!

These ribs are amazing, and affordable, and make the perfect pairing with the USO Coca-Cola 35-count packs which can be found in-club from Sam’s Club. Even better, this recipe can be made ahead of time, refrigerated, and reheated in an oven or toaster oven at 350 degrees Ferenheight for 10 minutes, served immediately. 

I encourage you all to check out the USO Coca-Cola 35-count packs next time you are in-club or consider donating online to the USO to help join Coca-Cola in donating care packages to military soldiers overseas, and if you’d like to make Daniel’s famous Smoked Curried Cajun Ribs, as a way of honoring your own soldier at home this upcoming Memorial Day weekend, well I’d like to think I can speak for Daniel in saying that would be pretty awesome too!

Now, friends, I have to ask, how will you be honoring servicemen in your own life? I’d love to hear about it below!

Here’s to the brave, and may they always keep marching along,