0 comment Thursday, May 22, 2014 | admin
Above is a pic of a whole bunch of Country-Style Ribs that have just got off the barbie and are all squished together like sardines in a can.
Lets get right to it, not to mess up your day but Country-Style are not really ribs, but they're kind of real close to where the actual ribs are on a hog. They even look like the real thing!
Baby Backs are the real ribs, and probably more popular, especially in BBQ joints, maybe because of the presentation thing. The preparation of both types is the same except with Baby Backs you will have to remove the membrane which is not all that big of a deal.
If you are thinking about Country-Style Pork Ribs look for them on sale. Often you can get a good price on them if you shop carefully. Try to get a minimum four pound package of ribs. This usually consists of five huge ribs.
Wash the ribs and pat dry. There are hundreds of "Dry Rubs" that you can use on ribs. You can make and use your own, but there are some excellent ones like Paul Prudhomme's "Pork and Veal Magic" or his "Barbecue Magic" that are extremely cost effective.
And, I don't think you could buy all the ingredients and make them any cheaper or better. Chef Paul does his homework!
Get yourself a marinating pan, something like a Tupperware Marinating container or a large, heavy plastic bag. I prefer the Tupperware because you can use it over and over. And, I like the fact it stores easily, and when not marinating it stores home-made cookies extremely well. Is the brain starting to rally? Any lights starting to turn on? Is the engine starting to fire on all cylinders?
Place the ribs in the container and sprinkle Dry Rub on all sides of the ribs and rub in thoroughly. Next apply plain old mustard. I mean plain old yellow mustard to all sides of the ribs. The wimps may want to use a small brush to apply the mustard so they don't get their gorgeous mitts all yucky.
Yellow mustard had some neat ingredients in it that makes it an excellent marinade like, for example: vinegar, turmeric, paprika. Apply more Dry Rub, but don't rub it in this time. Cover and place in the fridge over night.
Next Day: Get out of bed! Get your ribs out of the fridge! Let them sit out on the counter for a half hour. Meanwhile, get the oven or grill up to 325 degrees.
For the grill, you want to do your ribs on "indirect heat". You'll burn them if you don't. It's not like grilling a steak.
Yes, you can grill ribs over direct heat. But, when I cook them I am after moisture and tenderness and the only way I know how to accomplish that is through slow cooking.
I cook ribs two ways. On my Traeger Grill, I place the Country-Style Ribs in a shallow pan lined with aluminum foil. The Traeger naturally cooks on indirect heat and there is no problem with burning.
On my gas grill, also using a shallow pan, I light only one side of the grill and cook on the cool side with the hood down. But the best way is using a water pan with a grill on top of it to cook the ribs.
This is patterned after the ancient Chinese method of steaming and more recently the Water Smoker grill. This method of cooking is self-basting and adds moisture and taste to whatever you are cooking.
You can add things to the water and that is absorbed by the meat like onions and spices. You can substitute cola, root beer for the water...adds taste and puts a nice glaze on things. (See this post)
Put the hood down and leave it down for an hour. A low two zone fire on a charcoal grill should get the same results.
Whether it is an oven or the grill, the ribs should be done in about an hour or until they reach a temperature of 170 degrees.
Take them off the grill or oven and drain off the fluid. You can coat them with a quality barbecue sauce, but I like to coat them with "Fischer and Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce" and put them back onto the grill or oven for 15 minutes.
You can add smoke to Country-Style Pork Ribs for these last fifteen minutes also. On a gas grill, you will have to get a "smoker box".
Follow the directions on the package. Smoke the ribs for the remaining 15 minutes. With the charcoal grill, add chunks of fruit wood rather than chips.
The latest craze has been to boil the ribs first before you BBQ them. Best advice...don't do it! You'll screw them up!
Labels: Chef Paul Prudhommes Pork And Veal Magic, Country Style Pork Ribs, Fischer And Wieser Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce, Paul Prudhommes Barbecue Magic, Tupperware Season-Serve Marinating Container