Ribsters: Stults family + Eric
These ribs sound fun. What's not to like about a little Asian and south of the border fusion?
In fact, they weren't all that great. Fairly unremarkable. And definitely not worth weathering the rainstorm we had in Napa that day to pull it off. You can see my wet baseball cap (complete with flashlight attached for illumination) and soaked rain jacket. I think the big grin was reflective of just being happy to be inside (warm and dry) although the ribs did (and do in the photo) look mighty tasty.
Of all the ribs we've tried in Steven Raichlen's book, "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs," the Chino-Latino Ribs with Guava BBQ Sauce were the least impressive. According to the book, the recipe originates from Cuba, where some Chinese railroad workers were in the 19th century. Hence: Chino- Latino. The rib rub has Asian flavors (Chinese 5 spice). The cinnamon and cloves add that classic Caribbean touch. The you add tropical fruit in the sauce and you wonder, "why aren't these delicious?" Dunno. They weren't awful, but they weren't delicious either.
We had the ribs with a nice Monticello Napa Valley Pinot Noir that Eric brought. The wine was better than the ribs.
Maybe we'll have better luck today, as the next set of ribs in Raichlen's bible are about to take their place on the Weber Smokey Joe: Ribs with Cherry Beer BBQ Sauce!
Happy Memorial Day.
