Hazed Ribs are cooked in beer for texture and flavor.
Rack ’em up!
Get set for a rib-roaring picnic season
Even in tropical climes, where beach weather is year-round, Memorial Day marks the beginning of picnic season, grilling season -- summer eating in general. What with the days turning steamy and the school year winding down, it's no wonder thoughts turn to outdoor dining.
And when it comes to that, what could be better than a juicy, sloppy, tray of ribs, served with dipping sauce and lots of napkins?
But from the beginning, cooking ribs can be intimidating. The slabs of pork are never cheap, and no cook wants to turn a costly cut of meat into a rack of shoe leather on the bone. Picture instead ribs that are tender, juicy, permeated with that tantalizing combination of spice and smoke that makes diners close their eyes and sigh.
You can cook ribs like these.
The secret is moisture. Today's pork is lean, and cooks have to be careful to keep bony cuts like ribs from drying out when they cook. Once dried out, no amount of sauce will make that meat succulent again. Thus, keeping the ribs moist during the major portion of the cooking time is important.
The ultra-patient barbecue cook can deliver great ribs entirely by grilling, but this can take three or four hours of constant basting and watching over the heat to make sure that the meat doesn't dry out before it's fall-off-the-bone tender.
It's much easier to pre-cook almost any type of ribs and finish them on a grill to achieve a nice, crispy crust. The oven is the usual choice for this pre-cooking, but food columnist Julie Kay of the Advocate in Baton Rouge, La., says she cooks ribs of all cuts and sizes in a slow cooker to tenderize the meat. Kay dry-seasons the meat and cooks it on Low for 7 to 8 hours.
She drains the fat away, returns the ribs to the slow cooker, pours in a smoky-flavored barbecue sauce and finishes with an additional 30 minutes of slow-cooking.
Slow-cooked ribs are juicy and tender, but they lack the crispy crust rib aficionados find desirable.
Another popular method is to simmer ribs in seasoned water for an hour before putting them on the grill. Again, this method produces a tender, juicy rib and the final grilling does develop nice a crust. But the water-cooking diminishes the ribs' meaty flavor.
Cook's Illustrated magazine recommends soaking ribs in brine, a mixture of salt and sugar, for 1 hour before drying them and grilling over indirect, low heat for about four hours.
The magazine's test kitchen often uses a brine preparation on meats and annually does a story on how to brine a turkey for roasting. This method may work really well, but it seems awfully labor-intensive.
If you are beginning to think that rib cooking is complicated, it is.
But the October 2003 issue of Chile Pepper magazine presents simpler approach: a rib recipe developed at the Abita Brew Pub in Abita Springs, La. It still takes time, but not such constant watchfulness.
The ribs are seasoned, immersed in beer, covered and cooked in an oven at 350 degrees, for a couple of hours. When done, crisp the ribs in the oven or on a grill, if desired.
The beer bath keeps the ribs moist while baking. But what saves them from having a steamed, washed-out flavor is the pre-seasoning with crab-boil seasoning, which may reproduce the brined effect Cook's Illustrated extols.
These ribs get their name, Hazed Ribs, from the Abita Purple Haze Beer used. The beer is raspberry-flavored, but you can substitute any hearty-flavored beer of your choice.
Combine ribs, peppercorns, crab boil, salt and black pepper in a glass baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.Hazed Ribs
Abita Brew Pub, Abita Springs, La.3 racks pork baby back ribs
1/4 cup whole black peppercorns
3 ounces dried crab-boil seasoning (1 small box)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Beer to cover ribs
Barbecue sauce of choice, if desiredPreheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil and transfer ribs and all the seasonings to the pan. Pour enough beer over ribs to cover. Cover pan with foil, but it is not necessary that the pan be tightly sealed. Bake ribs 2 to 3 hours, or until fork-tender.
Remove ribs to a clean, foil-covered baking pan. Spoon on barbecue sauce, if desired, and return to oven for 20 to 30 minutes to crisp the crust.
If a smokier flavor is desired, finish ribs on a medium-hot grill. Brush with barbecue sauce, if desired. Serves 6.
This method allows for complete cooking on the grill, but keeps the ribs tender by sealing them in foil for a good part of the cooking time. They'll be done in an hour, as opposed to many hours. Remove them from their foil wrapping for direct grilling to develop a crust.
This approach is good for a barbecue picnic, as the ribs can be pre-packed in their foil packets and handled neatly at the picnic site.
These ribs can also be prepared in an oven.
Preheat grill to medium or oven to 450 degrees.Baby Back Barbecue Ribs
Reynolds Wrap3 pounds pork baby back ribs
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1-1/2 teaspoons pepper
1/2 cup water
1-1/2 cups barbecue sauceDivide ribs in half, and center each half in a single layer on a sheet of heavy-duty foil.
Combine brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper and rub over ribs, turning to coat evenly.
Bring up foil sides of each foil packet. Double-fold top and one end to partly seal. Through open end, add 1/4 cup water. Double-fold remaining end, leaving room for heat circulation.
Grill 45 to 60 minutes on covered grill, or bake 45 to 60 minutes on a cookie sheet in oven. Remove foil; place ribs on grill or broiler pan.
Brush ribs with barbecue sauce and continue grilling -- or broiling 4 to 5 inches from broiler -- 10 to 15 minutes, brushing with sauce and turning every 5 minutes. Serves 6.
Some cooks prefer the flavor of pork spareribs. Both these recipes are made in the oven.
The first recipe uses foil-sealed pans to keep in the moisture. The second uses direct roasting, but cautions that you can cover the ribs if they appear to be drying out. Be on guard for that eventuality.
Combine all rub ingredients in mixing bowl. Rub generously over ribs and place ribs in refrigerator overnight.Game-Day Ribs
"Commissioner of Tailgating" by Joe Cahn4 full racks pork spareribs
>>Rub:
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons white pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons granulated onion (or powdered)
1-1/2 tablespoons granulated garlic (or powdered)
2 tablespoons brown sugarPreheat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking pans with foil.
Place ribs in pans and tightly cover with more foil. Cook 2-1/2 hours, or until you can poke your finger through the meat.
Cool, then cut ribs into individual portions. Serves 8.
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Line shallow roasting pans with heavy-duty foil.Oven-Roasted Ribs'
"Farm Table to Family Table: Recipes from America's Pork Producers6 pounds pork spareribs
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 teaspoon saltStir liquid smoke into mustard.
Combine brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, pepper and salt in small bowl.
Brush meatier side of each slab of ribs with liquid smoke-mustard mixture. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over mustard.
Place ribs in foil-lined pans. Roast 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours, or until fork-tender. If ribs are becoming dry, cover with foil for the last 30 to 45 minutes.
Transfer ribs to serving platter. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8.
Nutritional information unavailable.
(The free "Farm to Table" recipes can be ordered by sending a self-addressed mailing label to "Farm Table to Family Table Recipe Booklet," National Pork Board, P.O. Box 9114, Des Moines, Iowa, 50306.
Rib-wise
Baby back ribs: Also called baby loin back ribs, these are usually sold in a "rack" of eight to 14. They are generally the most meaty and tender.
Spareribs: Cut from the belly of the hog, they have the least meat and are less tender, but can be the most flavorful. A shorter cut taken from the sparerib is called a St. Louis rib (pictured here).
Country-style ribs: Cut from the sirloin or rib end of the loin, they are sold sliced for easy grilling.
Click for online
calendars and events.
