Ribs...For your pleasure.
You just don't decide to cook ribs. "Hey man, there's a cook out this afternoon, I think I'll make ribs." If you care about food, which I'm assuming you do, this would never be a sentence you would think much less say aloud. Like all things good, cooking ribs is a process that takes time and organization. It's not hard by any means, but to do it right, one must plan ahead. Oh, by the way, I'm talking pork here people. A few summers ago I talked with a bunch of folks and tried a bunch of recipes in order to come up with a method I found to be great without too much hassle. I'm going to try and be as concise as possible, because I can ramble all day about cooking ribs. This is the basic formula that works best for me and my set up. The key factors are, Rub, Rest, Slowcook, & Finish.
I'll start with the most important part, the meat. "Babyback" ribs are the standard, because they're nice and lean and trimmed of all fat. "St. Louis" ribs, untrimmed babyback, are my preference because they're a little fattier and as we all know FAT=FLAVOR. Regardless of which cut you choose, the procedure is still the same. It's best to start the day before you want to eat the ribs, but if your are in a pinch, you can pull it off with about an 8 hour heads up. Once you have your ribs, there's a membrane on the underside that needs to come off. Many people skip this step and then wonder why their ribs suck and don't "fall off the bone." Put the slab on your cutting board so that the underside is facing up (they'll be able rock back and forth.). Start at the smaller end and work the membrane loose with a small knife then peel it off with your hands. With a little practice, you should be able to peel back this membrane in one piece. If it doesn't come off in one piece, don't stress yourself out about it, get as much off as you can.
Now for the "Rub". A rub is basically a dry mixture of spices that is, you guessed it, rubbed on the meat before cooking. It's usually a blend of salt, pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and so on. You can make your own, or use one of the many great ones on the market. I use one from a local BBQ place that I think is especially good. Rub this stuff liberally on the meat, both sides, then double wrap the slab in foil nice and tight. For the "Rest", I like to then refrigerate the slab overnight so the rub has a chance to really get in the meat, but if you just have a few hours, the results are still pretty good.
Once the slab has rested, pull it out of the frig, don't unwrap, and let it come to room temperature on the counter. It's never good to put cold food on the grill or in the oven, let it get to room temp first. Next up is where the magic happens, the "Slowcook". I like to use both my oven and my grill for this. As I've said before, I'm all about the Weber kettle. It works really well as both a grill and a smoker, but using the oven too really frees up my time without compromising on flavor.
My buddy Jon in Kentucky made me a believer in using the oven for ribs. He's a damn good grillmaster, and like me, is not one to hang outside for too long in sweltering heat if he doesn't have to. The oven's beauty is that it keeps constant heat unlike a grill/smoker that you have to continually add charcoal and wood chips. Plus, the oven is inside meaning I don't have to sweat my ass off outside in the Tennessee sun feeding a damn smoker for hours on end. Jon's formula is to set the oven to 235 degrees and bake for 5 hours. After they come out of the oven, unwrap, and rest them for a half hour or so. He'll then "Finish" them on the grill. Here's where I change it up a bit. I go 4 hours at 235, then smoke them on the grill for another hour, not letting the heat get above 240ish. I like the smokiness the extra time on the grill give the meat. I then pull them off, unwrap, rest for a few. Now I stoke up my fire in the grill to medium (350ish) for the "Finish".
As you have probably noticed, we've been cooking for 5+ hours and I have said nothing about sauce. That's because sauce comes at the END of this process, last few minutes, that's if you decide to use it. In Memphis, they think the rub is enough. Personally, I'm a flag-waving fan of eastern North Carolina vinegar based sauce on BBQ, but on ribs I've been know to air on the side of the sweet, ketchup-based stuff. Call me crazy eastern NC purists, that's just how I roll.
Once your grill is up to temp and the ribs have rested, twist one of the bones. It should simply pull away clean from the meat. (My mouth is beginning to water while I type this.) I then cut the slab in half so it's easier to maneuver around the grill. Now's when you sauce that baby up. "Finishing" on the grill is simply done to burn some sauce onto the meat and get a little blackened crust and grill marks. 5 to 10 minutes is all you'll need depending on your heat. Watch the ribs close to make sure you don't overcook them. Now pull them off, rest them a bit more, and chow down! You won't be disappointed.
So if you're up for ribs this weekend, get your ass to the store when you're done reading this. You gotta plan ahead if it's gonna work out right. I think I'll be doing the same. This boy's hungry!
Finger-lickin', finger-lickin' good y'all!
Penn
I'll start with the most important part, the meat. "Babyback" ribs are the standard, because they're nice and lean and trimmed of all fat. "St. Louis" ribs, untrimmed babyback, are my preference because they're a little fattier and as we all know FAT=FLAVOR. Regardless of which cut you choose, the procedure is still the same. It's best to start the day before you want to eat the ribs, but if your are in a pinch, you can pull it off with about an 8 hour heads up. Once you have your ribs, there's a membrane on the underside that needs to come off. Many people skip this step and then wonder why their ribs suck and don't "fall off the bone." Put the slab on your cutting board so that the underside is facing up (they'll be able rock back and forth.). Start at the smaller end and work the membrane loose with a small knife then peel it off with your hands. With a little practice, you should be able to peel back this membrane in one piece. If it doesn't come off in one piece, don't stress yourself out about it, get as much off as you can.
Now for the "Rub". A rub is basically a dry mixture of spices that is, you guessed it, rubbed on the meat before cooking. It's usually a blend of salt, pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and so on. You can make your own, or use one of the many great ones on the market. I use one from a local BBQ place that I think is especially good. Rub this stuff liberally on the meat, both sides, then double wrap the slab in foil nice and tight. For the "Rest", I like to then refrigerate the slab overnight so the rub has a chance to really get in the meat, but if you just have a few hours, the results are still pretty good.
Once the slab has rested, pull it out of the frig, don't unwrap, and let it come to room temperature on the counter. It's never good to put cold food on the grill or in the oven, let it get to room temp first. Next up is where the magic happens, the "Slowcook". I like to use both my oven and my grill for this. As I've said before, I'm all about the Weber kettle. It works really well as both a grill and a smoker, but using the oven too really frees up my time without compromising on flavor.
My buddy Jon in Kentucky made me a believer in using the oven for ribs. He's a damn good grillmaster, and like me, is not one to hang outside for too long in sweltering heat if he doesn't have to. The oven's beauty is that it keeps constant heat unlike a grill/smoker that you have to continually add charcoal and wood chips. Plus, the oven is inside meaning I don't have to sweat my ass off outside in the Tennessee sun feeding a damn smoker for hours on end. Jon's formula is to set the oven to 235 degrees and bake for 5 hours. After they come out of the oven, unwrap, and rest them for a half hour or so. He'll then "Finish" them on the grill. Here's where I change it up a bit. I go 4 hours at 235, then smoke them on the grill for another hour, not letting the heat get above 240ish. I like the smokiness the extra time on the grill give the meat. I then pull them off, unwrap, rest for a few. Now I stoke up my fire in the grill to medium (350ish) for the "Finish".
As you have probably noticed, we've been cooking for 5+ hours and I have said nothing about sauce. That's because sauce comes at the END of this process, last few minutes, that's if you decide to use it. In Memphis, they think the rub is enough. Personally, I'm a flag-waving fan of eastern North Carolina vinegar based sauce on BBQ, but on ribs I've been know to air on the side of the sweet, ketchup-based stuff. Call me crazy eastern NC purists, that's just how I roll.
Once your grill is up to temp and the ribs have rested, twist one of the bones. It should simply pull away clean from the meat. (My mouth is beginning to water while I type this.) I then cut the slab in half so it's easier to maneuver around the grill. Now's when you sauce that baby up. "Finishing" on the grill is simply done to burn some sauce onto the meat and get a little blackened crust and grill marks. 5 to 10 minutes is all you'll need depending on your heat. Watch the ribs close to make sure you don't overcook them. Now pull them off, rest them a bit more, and chow down! You won't be disappointed.
So if you're up for ribs this weekend, get your ass to the store when you're done reading this. You gotta plan ahead if it's gonna work out right. I think I'll be doing the same. This boy's hungry!
Finger-lickin', finger-lickin' good y'all!
Penn
Crazy.
ReplyDelete(I'm going to try this) :)
too true... ribs on the fly is a malaprop
ReplyDelete