Ribs
July 04, 2008 Filed in: Personal
Eventually, if one is
not opposed to a carnivorous lifestyle, a southern
gentleman is invariably exposed to one of life's
treasures. Ribs. Mmm. What better delicacy can be
enjoyed on Independence Day?
I prefer pork baby back ribs. Some folks like beef ribs with a bunch of BBQ sauce. Some find meat repulsive. Some find it's eating morally offensive. To each his own.
I've been slowly perfecting my own rib recipe. It's a fusion of a Memphis style rib preparation and eastern North Carolina mustard based ribs. Today is the final test of what I think will be my best batch yet.
The thing I've liked about Memphis style ribs is the dry rub. No one is quick to give away their ratios, but most of these rubs consist of 50% sweet paprika, 15% brown sugar, and the rest is an oleo of salts, peppers, dry mustards, and powders. The real secret is in that remaining 35% window. I tried a rub that was 50% paprika and 50% brown sugar and the result was decent...the ribs tasted as if they were coated in candy, but it wasn't the pizazz I was looking for.
My rub for today's recipe consists of the sweet paprika, brown sugar, and equal parts kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, hot oriental mustard, celery salt, cumin, and cayenne. We'll see how it works out, but I have a feeling this will be a great batch.
The rub is only half for me. I used to be opposed to the mustard based BBQ sauce native to eastern North Carolina. Something about it didn't seem right to me. In April, Mark and I played a wedding reception in Columbia, SC that was catered by a mustard based BBQ restaurant. Something about that particular experience flipped a switch in me. I found my self liking the mustard sauce better.
On my last rib excursion, I tried a sophisticated mustard sauce...spicy french mustard, honey, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. It was fair. I'm thinking the real secret to good mustard sauce is keeping it simple: basic, plain-Jane mustard, white vinegar, etc... For whatever reason, this seems to taste better.
And so, the second part of my rib recipe consists of (optionally) pouring the mustard sauce over the ribs just before they are served. Enthusiasts of both dry rubs and mustard sauce would probably find this offensive. Well, it works for me.
On Independence Day, July 4, 1776, King George III wrote in his journal "Nothing Important Happened Today." Well, in addition to the American rebellion against the English Empire, the date is often celebrated by many a back-yard cookout. At one of those cook-outs, one man and his family shall enjoy a nice plate of ribs. That is, if the grill doesn't run out of gas.
Be safe! Be well! Enjoy the holiday.
I prefer pork baby back ribs. Some folks like beef ribs with a bunch of BBQ sauce. Some find meat repulsive. Some find it's eating morally offensive. To each his own.
I've been slowly perfecting my own rib recipe. It's a fusion of a Memphis style rib preparation and eastern North Carolina mustard based ribs. Today is the final test of what I think will be my best batch yet.
The thing I've liked about Memphis style ribs is the dry rub. No one is quick to give away their ratios, but most of these rubs consist of 50% sweet paprika, 15% brown sugar, and the rest is an oleo of salts, peppers, dry mustards, and powders. The real secret is in that remaining 35% window. I tried a rub that was 50% paprika and 50% brown sugar and the result was decent...the ribs tasted as if they were coated in candy, but it wasn't the pizazz I was looking for.
My rub for today's recipe consists of the sweet paprika, brown sugar, and equal parts kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, hot oriental mustard, celery salt, cumin, and cayenne. We'll see how it works out, but I have a feeling this will be a great batch.
The rub is only half for me. I used to be opposed to the mustard based BBQ sauce native to eastern North Carolina. Something about it didn't seem right to me. In April, Mark and I played a wedding reception in Columbia, SC that was catered by a mustard based BBQ restaurant. Something about that particular experience flipped a switch in me. I found my self liking the mustard sauce better.
On my last rib excursion, I tried a sophisticated mustard sauce...spicy french mustard, honey, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. It was fair. I'm thinking the real secret to good mustard sauce is keeping it simple: basic, plain-Jane mustard, white vinegar, etc... For whatever reason, this seems to taste better.
And so, the second part of my rib recipe consists of (optionally) pouring the mustard sauce over the ribs just before they are served. Enthusiasts of both dry rubs and mustard sauce would probably find this offensive. Well, it works for me.
On Independence Day, July 4, 1776, King George III wrote in his journal "Nothing Important Happened Today." Well, in addition to the American rebellion against the English Empire, the date is often celebrated by many a back-yard cookout. At one of those cook-outs, one man and his family shall enjoy a nice plate of ribs. That is, if the grill doesn't run out of gas.
Be safe! Be well! Enjoy the holiday.