Don’t be intimidated, there is nothing like homemade ribs
A back, spare and St. Louis rib barbecue showdown
The best ribs are tender but have a little “chew” left.
IT’S
OFFICIALLY barbecue rib season, and I couldn’t be more excited. I have made them three times in the past week and I am planning on making them for a party this weekend.
I might be a little rib obsessed — it is an occupational hazard of barbecuing for a living. But I don’t know many people who can turn down a bone or two or three. My rib-awakening happened at the world’s largest barbecue contest — Memphis in May. All it took was that first bite of a grillsmoked rib for me to realize that real barbecued ribs very rarely come out of a restaurant kitchen. They are usually much better made and enjoyed in your own backyard.
There is nothing like homemade ribs. And, once you get over the intimidation factor, you realize that they don’t take nearly as long to cook as barbecue myth has it, and they are also very easy to prepare.
The most popular ribs to cook are back ribs, but spareribs and St-Louis style ribs are becoming more and
more popular. This week, I cooked a slab of back ribs, a slab of spare ribs, and a slab of St. Louis to see which ones I liked better. Not surprisingly, they were all good. I rediscovered that it’s important to look at the ribs in the store and choose them based on the way they look more than the cut. They should be plump, heavy for their size and have some visible fat. The fat will render out during the cooking time, leaving flavour and help create a nice crust on the ribs. These days pork can be so lean that you don’t see a lot of fat, even on the ribs.
Once you decide on which rib to buy, there are a few things to remember when purchasing your meat. No. 1: Make sure that each slab weighs close to two pounds each, and that the ribs have a nice layer of meat covering the bone. Slabs of ribs that are factory-cut often have “bone shine” or areas of the rack where the blade hit the bone and cut off all the meat exposing the bone.
Plan on purchasing half a rack per person, more if you are serving big eaters. I always round up one rack, for example, if I am serving seven or eight people, I buy five racks of ribs. After taking the time to make the ribs, you don’t want to run out.
The final thing you need to know is that the best way to test for doneness is to make sure the meat has receded from the end of the bones and you can bend the rack without breaking it into pieces. And remember that the only way the meat will fall off the bones is if you parboil them first (just say no!) or if you overcook them. The best ribs are tender but have a little “chew” left.
Backyard Ribs 101
Makes 6 to 8 servings
This recipe is my version of the recipe that made me fall in love with backyard ribs. The Memphis in May barbecue team took me under their wings and shared their secret — slathering the ribs in fresh lemon juice before seasoning them.
4 racks pork ribs, about 2-3 pounds per slab
2 lemons, cut in half
1⁄4 cup Classic Barbecue Rub (see below) or favourite spice rub Soaked wood chips, if desired Favourite barbecue sauce
Start to finish: four hours. Grilling method: indirect/medium-low heat
Build charcoal fire or preheat gas grill. Remove silver skin from back of ribs, if desired. I prefer to leave it on the ribs.
Set up the grill for indirect heat and if using wood chips, place soaked chips directly on charcoal, or in smoking box of gas grill. Rub the cut lemons over front and back of ribs squeezing to release as much juice as possible. Discard any lemon seeds. Set aside for five minutes. Sprinkle ribs liberally with spice rub and let sit, covered, for 15 minutes.
Place ribs (bone side down) in the centre of the cooking grate or in a rib holder/rack, making sure they are not over a direct flame. Grill covered (at about 300 F, if your grill has a thermometer) for two to three hours, depending on how big your racks are.
Two-pound racks will take about two hours and three-pound racks will take closer to three hours. The meat will be tender, and you can see that it has pulled back (receded) from the ends of the rib bones. Leave ribs untended for the first 30 minutes — this means no peeking; especially important if using wood chips. If the ribs start to burn on the edges, stack them on top of one another in the very centre of the grill and lower your fire/heat slightly.
Twenty minutes before serving, unstack ribs, if necessary, and brush with barbecue sauce. Remove ribs from grill and let rest 10 minutes before cutting into individual or twoto three-rib portions.
Warm remaining sauce in a saucepan and serve on the side, if desired.
Backyard Rib Rub
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
3 tablespoons white granulated sugar
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp freshly ground Worcestershire black pepper 1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper
In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients; mix well. For a smoother rub, process the ingredients in a spice grinder until well combined and all the pieces are uniform (the rub will be become a very fine powder and tan in colour. It can be stored in an airtight container for up to six months).
Per serving: 221 calories (115 calories, or 52 per cent from fat); 13 grams fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 72 milligrams cholesterol; 627 mg sodium; 5 g carbohydrate; 0 g fibre; 3 g sugar; 22 g protein.