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Quick & EasyBy Beverly Barbour
Rub those ribsThe secret is in the seasoning. When you have a few hours to spare, or better still, overnight, rubbing meats with a flavorful, fragrant, spicy rub and allowing the flavor of the rub's ingredients to enter the meat by osmosis can more than double the flavor of the meat. There are probably as many flavor combinations for dry rubs as there are recipes for meatloaf, but here are a few to get you started. You can always branch off and try your own thing to pre-season the meat before you bring it to the heat. Preparing ribs for the fire: Be certain that the membrane on the under side of the ribs is either removed or scored so that the seasonings can penetrate and fully flavor the meat. Rub the seasoning mixture well into both sides of the slab. The longer it stands the more the flavor will penetrate. Cooking the ribs: Ollie Gates of the famous Kansas City restaurants called Gates Bar-B-Q recommends that ribs be placed on a clean grate over open fire with the skirt down (on the underside). When the ribs start to brown, turn the slab over and move the ribs to a low temperature area on the grilling grate, to assure even browning of both sides.
When ribs are ready to leave the grill: Chef Gates states that ribs are done when beautifully brown and lay "limply" over a cooking fork. He also says that he adds either hickory or oak wood to the grill during the cooking and that the flavor of smoke from the wood contributes additional flavor to the ribs. In the southwest, of course, they feel the same way about mesquite. It is all a matter of taste and what wood you have in your area.
How to use barbecue sauce: You can either buy or make your own barbecue sauce to slather onto the ribs just as they are finishing their sentence on the hot grill; pass leftover sauce later. Many people prefer the dry rubbed ribs with no additional saucing--fewer calories, too. When using sauce be careful to apply it late in the cooking period and only a very small amount at a time. Layer it by letting the sugar in the sauce caramelize before brushing on the next layer. Smoking rubbed ribs: Here are two ways for preparing dry rubbed (any recipe) smoked ribs. One method works fairly well even if you don't have a smoker. Either way the night before remove the membrane from the back side and rub spices on the meat before covering and refrigerating. With a Smoker: Remove ribs from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.. Sprinkle with more rub if they look like they have absorbed a lot of spices. Place ribs on the grill, cover and smoke for approximately 4 hours. Try to maintain 200 F. to 212 F. temperature. Without a Smoker: Place each rack on its own sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil a little more than twice as long as the rack. Turn up the edges of the foil to create a rim. Pour 1/2 cup of beer into each foil packet and seal tightly to keep the beer inside.. The beer doesn't take the place of smoke but it adds some flavor and great steam. Roast in preheated 250 F. oven for 1 1/2 hours. Unwrap and finish by grilling over coals for 30 minutes, turning a couple of times. Kansas City Seasoning Yes, you are reading correctly when you see 1 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup salt. 1 cup granulated sugar
Preheat grill to low heat (230 to 250 F). Combine the granulated sugar, salt, paprika, and cayenne and rub the seasoning mixture all over the ribs. Let the ribs stand at room temperature until the mixture starts to liquefy, about 15 minutes. Put the ribs on the grill, cover and slow cook until browned. Turn over and cook until the second side is browned and ribs are very tender, about 1 3/4 to 2 hours total time. Brown Sugar & Bourbon Ribs Here are recipes for both dry rub and basting sauce, from Ted Reader a Canadian TV grilling star. If you don't have the time, nor the ingredients, use a prepared sauce of your choice. There are gallons of them out there. Dry Rub 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Barbecue Sauce 1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar
Roasting or Grilling 1 large onion, sliced
Dry rub: Mix kosher salt, brown sugar, dry mustard, dried thyme, ginger and cinnamon in small bowl. Remove membrane and rub 1 tablespoon seasoning mix into each side of each rib rack. Place ribs in large pan, cover and chill at least 6 hours or up to one day. Barbecue sauce: Whisk brown sugar, apple butter, whiskey, apple cider vinegar, apple cider, and Dijon mustard together in a bowl to blend. Brush on a very small amount at a time to prevent burning. Let it caramelize before applying layer upon layer. Roasting: Preheat oven to 325 F. Scatter onion, cinnamon stick, ginger and apple cider in roasting pan. Arrange ribs in pan, meat side down. Cover with foil and roast until meat is tender and begins to pull away from the bones, about 2 hours. Uncover and cool 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Grilling: Grill ribs until heated through and slightly charred, about 5 minutes per side. Brush on all sides with basting sauce. Grill until sauce becomes a sticky glaze, about 3 minutes longer per side. Serve and pass remaining sauce. Recipe serves 4 people. Mexican Rub for Babyback Ribs & Beef Brisket Traditionally this cooking was done in a deep pit with a cover. Jacqueline Higuera McMahan shares this old family recipe handed down "like family silver." 2 tablespoons kosher salt
Combine ingredients in a glass jar and shake until well mixed. Store at room temperature. Makes 2 cups. Don't spare that rib--grill it!
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