take a look at the plethora of dedicated cookbooks, competitive showdowns on the food network, and the number of local smokehouse establishments in your area and you realize modern man has worked hard to emulate that perfect carnivoristic moment of gnawing tasty meat from bone through countless recipes and techniques for roasting those perfect, fall-off-the-bone barbequed ribs.
i love ribs like any other carnivore and yes, i'm the guy at the table next to you dipping the once-twice-cleaned bones in whatever bbq sauce is left on my plate only to suck it dry thrice. i've had many a good succulent rib as chewy, stuck-in-your-teeth ribs in my day and know the difference between the good and bad. the chef in me long ago decided to try my hand at the perfect rack of ribs but lacking a smoker and giant bbq in the backyard, i've only recently succeeded in finding techniques appropriate to the average kitchen in creating something closer to perfection.
while my first inclination is to keep my secrets to myself, i've decided i should share my developing recipe with you all. if you have any tips to improve my slightly less than perfect ribs, please post and we'll share in the millions we'll make when we sell the recipe to trader joe's.
i start my recipe with a dry rub vs. wet marinade. i know others use everything from soy sauce to beer and wine, but there's merit in the power of ground spices seasoning meat that is so successful in other cuisines like indian food. so here's my mix as it is now:
1 t salt
1 t fresh ground black pepper
1 t ground coriander
1 t cumin
1 t paprika
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t cinnamon
mix this well and you have enough to season one rack of ribs.
the ribs are thoroughly rubbed with the spice mix and this sits in the fridge for a while to let the spices permeate the meat.
meanwhile, i start up the bbq sauce which requires extracting fresh pulp from a tamarind pod.
for those that have never encountered this before, you first crack and discard the shell (which is similar to a peanut shell) and place the solid pulp into a small saucepan with just enough water to cover. simmering the pulp for 10-15 min will allow you to scrape the softened pulp from the stringy, root-like structure and its seeds (which you both discard) and then disintegrate into the water creating a sweet and sour starter for the sauce.
i then add ketchup, unsweetened mango pulp, dark brown sugar, worcestshire, cayenne, and honey to the pot and simmer for 20-30 min to really develop the flavor and consistency.
the ribs themselves are popped into a 350* pre-heated oven, tightly covered with foil, and baked undisturbed until super tender for a couple of hours. i then fire up my propane grill, brush the ribs generously with the bbq sauce, and grill on both sides with several coats of sauce.
doing so develops a beautiful, crusty caramelization on the ribs.
to accompany this grrrrrrrreat meal, i whipped up some fluffy mashed red potatoes and christien sauteed some great mixed dark greens for those vitamins and omnivores in us.
the ribs are tender, juicy, and the meat slides right off the bone as you bite into it. the bbq sauce is tangy, tropical and spicy, with just the right amount of sweetness.
and to celebrate a fantastic meal, we broke open a bottle of montes alpha cab i recently scored, perfect to wash down bold bbq flavors leaving no trace of tongue-sticking tannins behind.
traditionalists may say ribs should be slow-cooked in a smoker or over fiery charcoal for hours. i'm sorry. i don't have that much time. a dual-step process in which you bake the ribs to tenderness in the oven, then fire up with sauce on an easy-to-use propane grill saves time and effort and mimics event the best tender and succulent but crackly flavorful and caramelized recipes out there.
anyone know someone in the trader joe's buying department?
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