Please! Truth be told, I've never cooked ribs before and I'd love any and all suggestions. I could pick 'em up tomorrow and let them marinate until Saturday...mmmmmmmmmm...rib meat falling off the bone.
With pork ribs, make sure you trim the extra fat off (just the fat on the outer edges; don't trim between the ribs). This will help keep grease from dripping on your charcoal. Then before you put your rub on the meat, coat it with a light coating of plain yellow mustard. This will help the rub stick to the meat, but after the long cooking period, the taste of the mustard will be gone. It's best to trim and season the ribs the day before. Just wrap them in plastic and stick them in the fridge.
When cooking the ribs, make sure that the ends are touching the grill, not the middle. You want as much of the meat itself off the grill as possible. Cook them long and slow. I get the best results if I cook them for about 4 hours at 230 degrees.
I agree about the overnight and the slow cooking and the temp and the time.
One addition. Wrap them in foil -- airtight -- with a couple tablespoons of cider or cider vinegar or white wine before you put them in the fridge. Leave them wrapped in the foil as you cook them. Then just before you serve them, take them out of the foil, hit them with another slather of undiluted sauce and brown them over the open flame.
It'll help tenderize the meat, "falling off the bone" style. Optional.
<<edited to add: If you use the foil method, check whether the membrane is still sticking to the "back" of the ribs, the no-meat side. If so, peel it off. It's a pain, but the membrane can get really tough like industrial plastic.>>
This message has been edited by HadjiWannabe on Apr 14, 2004 5:22 PM
Uh... if you want steamed ribs you can do that... but then you can boil them into mush, too.
If you want ribs that taste like Smoke BBQ Joint ribs then don't. The low and slow method will give you falling off the bone ribs and not screw up the flavor and texture with steam.
Ribs can be seasoned or you can just do like the good ol' boys and only use salt and pepper on the meat before cooking and leave the seasoning to the sauce.
The number one information location for making Southern BBQ is http://www.bbq-porch.org and read how the pros and semi-pros make their Q, sauce, sides, and desserts.
Mike Nebeker - Super Genuis Good Judgement comes from Experience and Experience comes from... Bad Judgement.
Okay, now that the RANK AMATEURS have had their say. . .
If you're after the Carson's experience, you want Baby Back Ribs. There will be little or no fat to trim. Cook 'em slow, cook 'em long. I usually start cooking mine about 10 in the a.m. on a low heat, and bring the temperature up slowly thru the day until it's around 450. Only a very short time at that heat and the meant will be falling off the bone. I also slather on the sauce about halfway thru, and let that get crispy. Most of it will probably run off, so don't use all your sauce! You want plenty for dipping. Pour a pool of it on the side of each serving plate. Optional if you want to heat it or not. I prefer the sauce room temperature, so there is a contrast with the ribs.
JB's method of adding sauce halfway through the cooking is a good idea if you're just going to do a simple salt and pepper rub, but if your rub is elaborate, you can lose the diversity of your spices if you put too much sauce on it. The mustard coating will help give it that "crustiness." Of course, if the Carson's sauce is as good as y'all say, then you don't need a fancy rub.
Oh, and I forgot to tell you that you should remove the membrane on the inside of each rack of ribs before you do your rub. It's a little tough getting started, but once you get your fingers under it, peeling it off isn't that hard. Use a screwdriver if you need to.
BTW, if there's anyone out there that likes it really spicy, here's a favorite rub of mine for "Cajun Style" ribs:
2 Tbs Hungarian paprika
(regular if you don't have it)
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme (dried)
1 tsp oregano (dried)
Ya calls me a Rank Amateur then talk about baby backs in an oven? Dem's fightin' woids pally!
Baby Back Ribs are lots of money for little food, spares cooked right will be just as tender and much more meaty. Effete style restaurants love baby backs because they can serve you a "rack" of 4-5 riblets and charge you 20 bucks. Stick to spares and have more bang (and flavor) for your buck.
Here's my favorite rib recipe (got it from Emeril Lagasse's show). Enjoy!
1 rack of pork spareribs (about 3 pounds)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil
4 limes, juiced
1/2cup tequila
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 medium jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the oil, lime juice, tequila, onions, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro. Whisk well. Season with salt and pepper. Place the ribs, meat side down, in a glass baking dish. Pour the marinade over the ribs, coating each side completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (at least 12 hours), turning every couple of hours. Remove from the refrigerator and bring the ribs to room temperature. Preheat the grill on low. Place the ribs, meat side down, and slow grill the ribs, turning and basting every 15 minutes. Cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the ribs are tender. Remove from the grill and slice into individual ribs
Sounds to me like you need someone to cook you up some quality spares, JB, because side by side spares whoop baby backs the same way a classic Marvel book beats out a current M***** book.
Man I'm hungry now... I'd even go for some baby backs if there were some in front of me.
Mike Nebeker - Super Genuis Good Judgement comes from Experience and Experience comes from... Bad Judgement.
I don't have a particular preference when it comes to the size of the ribs as long as they're cooked well, but while living in Texas I developed a taste for beef ribs as well. Have any of y'all tried those before?
The Masticating Mike N. (Login ArgentFox) Byrne Victim
Re: Guess What I Just Got Via FedEx...
April 15 2004, 2:15 AM
Beef Ribs are harder to find done right than pork. The beef ribs have more fat nestled in them and tend to be cooked faster, which doesn't rend all that fat out, so you can tell bad beef ribs by the amount of grease left on your chin while you eat them. (The good ribs will have had all that fat liquify and drip out into the pan.)
So I don't order Beef Ribs all the often because I can't think of a place where they turn out well, but when done by someone who knows how to cook them... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm baby!
Mike Nebeker - Super Genuis Good Judgement comes from Experience and Experience comes from... Bad Judgement.
The Marvelous Mike N. (Login ArgentFox) Byrne Victim
Re: Guess What I Just Got Via FedEx...
April 15 2004, 9:05 PM
Ovens are for practicing your recipes in during the times you are out of lump or wood and can't do it on the grill or in the smoker. No sense in wasting good wood on experimental rubs or marinades.
Mike Nebeker - Super Genuis Good Judgement comes from Experience and Experience comes from... Bad Judgement.
