Guests: Stults Family; JR, Delaney & Aiden McDonald; Dale, Terry & Calvin Snider; Nick Escobar
The teriyaki ribs were a temporary departure from the plan, as in, this recipe did not come from the Ribs, Ribs, Ribs book. Rather, they were an amalgamation of a Tyler Florence Teriyaki Ribs recipe found online, but done in the Smokey Joe instead of an oven and basted with a bottle of gluten-free teriyaki vs. Tyler's homemade version.
Why in my right mind would I allow for such dramatic deviation after this long held tradition you wonder? It has, after all, been four posts in about a month, with dozens of committed readers, less if you count blood relatives.
The teriyaki ribs were a special request by my son Riain for his ninth birthday party. Most of the names on the guest list were actually his party invitees, who not only enjoyed fabulous teri-ribs, but also "Back to the Future" at our backyard cinema, followed by backyard campout.
Now for the ribs.
They were covered with a rub made of Chinese 5 spice, salt and pepper. (Thanks Tyler). They were placed on the smoker around 1pm and were done at 6:30. For the last hour the ribs received a regular basting of the gluten free teriyaki sauce, with an extra one at the very end. After the teriyaki ribs came off the smoker, they received a sprinkling of sesame seeds, diced cilantro and green onions. The last step took these ribs from good to great.
We served the ribs with chunks of fresh pineapple and a delicious reisling from Sterling Vineyards. The kids didn't partake in the vino.
All in all, the ribs were a success with both the kids and grown ups. They were tender and juicy, and the sesame, cilantro and green onions added fun flavor dimensions. The boys especially liked them, saying "best ever" and wishing the ribs were that good every time. They are not into spicy and some of the previous recipes had a touch of spice to them. As for Riain, he likes teriyaki anything.
Side notes: JR did not say they went well with his 12 pack of Coors Light. He cut himself off after about a 6 pack due to extremely early morning wake up call next day. My wife made a spectacular homemade ice cream cake for the birthday boy, complete with crushed Oreo crust. I missed my quality time in the backyard last weekend due to necessary business travel to Guadalajara. Hopefully my GI tract returns to normal by next weekend and we can get back to the book. Frickin Mexico...I was worried about being robbed or beheaded, when I really should have been more concerned with melted ice or fresh veggies.
