Deviled Country-Style Pork Ribs

Rib Date: September 21, 2014

Ribsters: Wiss family, Stults family

We celebrated our good friend Barry Wiss' anniversary of his 29th birthday with a little dinner party at the house, featuring the final entry into Rex's Rib Review, at least as we now know it. 

They say (whomever "they" be) "Always leave 'em wanting more."  I can't say the Deviled Country-Style Ribs did that.  At least not for me.

The Deviled Country-Style Ribs most closely resembled an old school diner-style breaded, fried pork chop.  Simple comfort food.

The recipe comes from Iowa, which makes sense.  It was a contribution to Steven Raichlen's, "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs" book by his assistant, Nancy Loseke, a native Iowan. Loseke's grandmother, born on an Iowa farm and raised there since 1898, used to make breaded pork chops for Sunday supper, and it was those Sunday suppers that inspired this recipe.

The ribs are brined for 6 hours in a salt, brown sugar, water solution.  They get dried then smothered in a wet rub (shallots, garlic, tarragon, white wine, mustard, pepper) then covered in bread crumbs ( gluten free for us). 

I set up my Weber grill in the three zone arrangement-- coals on the outsides, drip pan in the center-- and cooked the ribs over the indirect portion for about 45 minutes.  My wife, the sexy sous chef, did all the hard work-- the prep-- I did the cooking, which was in the dark by then.  That's kinda hard.  Right?

Grilling in the dark

We've all known guests that come over empty handed.  Kim and Barry Wiss, joined by her Mamma, Gramma Pat, are opposite of that.  They bring too much stuff!  This time it included a bottle of Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc, a bottle of Champagne, a mountain of shrimp Pat just brought in with her that day from New Orleans.  And they brought nachos from C Casa in the Oxbow.  A little OTT.

We served the Deviled Country-Style ribs with some mashed taters and white gravy.  Excellent decision it turned out!  And some nice wine Kim brought home from work. She works at Antica Napa Valley winery, which makes good wine, especially their Sangiovese.

Comments from the Ribsters

Finished ribs

My wife Gillian agreed they tasted like a breaded pork chop, a comment with which Kim agreed, adding that they tasted better smothered in gravy.  Doesn't everything?  Barry, upon hearing that, got seconds and successfully employed the smother technique.  He concurred.  Better with gravy. 

Gramma Pat wasn't a fan.  "Too thick," she said.  She basically said if you want a breaded pork chop, have a breaded pork chop.  Don't try to turn a rib into one.  Hard to argue with her logic.

As for me?  Again, an interesting recipe that was fun to try, but I won't be repeating anytime soon. 

Well, that wraps up this little three year project.  I'll post a separate concluding message sometime soon.  I'm debating between just calling it quits all together or morphing this into something else, as some have suggested.  If you have a suggestion or comment, make it on the blog or feel free to tweet me at @RexStults or email it to RexStults@sbcglobal.net.

Honey Mead Ribs

Connor, Gillian, Joe, Becky, Ed, Susan, Michelle & Ben

Rib Date: August 21, 2014

Ribsters: The Napa Valley Vintners "Relations Team" and significant others: Becky Peterson (and Ed), Susan Duke (and Joe), Connor Best (and Ben), Michelle Novi, and me (plus sexy sous chef).

For this rib event, Gillian and I hosted the Relations Team at the Napa Valley Vintners (http://napavintners.com/). The NVV, for whom I've had the pleasure working for the last nine years, is the non-profit trade association for the Napa Valley wine industry. I co-lead the Relations Team within the association. The Relations Team oversees all of the NVV's advocacy efforts, including Napa name protection, environmental leadership, wine quality education and partnerships, member relations efforts including educational workshops, community relations and last but not least, ensuring that the many millions of dollars raised at our Auction Napa Valley event each June are responsibly distributed to non-profits here in Napa Valley. We stay fairly busy...

We've all heard the phrase "Happy wife, happy life," which I not only believe in, but was recently proven to be true according to some Yahoo news headline I saw last week. (So it must be right?).

That reminds me of a story my insightful and colorful grandfather told me more than 20 years ago, one Sunday when I phoned him to see what he was up to. He said that he and my grandmother had spent the day at church, got some soup and went shopping. I remarked that it sounded like a pretty crummy way to spend a Sunday, but he corrected me and said it was GREAT! "Whaddya mean," I pressed, surmising there were other ways he'd rather spend a Sunday. "Your grandmother had a great day, which means I had a great day. It's all about domestic tranquility."

Seeing as many of us spend as much time at work than we do at home, I believe you should strive to extrapolate the "domestic tranquility" philosophy to the workplace. Call it "professional tranquility." And while many of our jobs are anything but tranquil, I know mine isn't!, it adds significantly to your quality of life if you enjoy the people you work with. I'm fortunate in that I enjoy my close colleagues on the Relations Team, as well as all my co-workers at NVV. It was nice to spend a fun, delicious evening "off campus" with the spouses and significant others.

Now that I've set the stage, waxing philosophically, it's time to discuss the ribs...

Due to the title of the ribs, specifically the inclusion of the word "mead," I anticipated a sweet, honey flavored sticky rib that would be interesting, perhaps surprisingly good, if not bizarre. But lemongrass plays a big role in the wet rub, which my wife had started preparing by the time I got home that afternoon, so, when I walked into the house, it smelled like a killer Vietnamese restaurant. To me, lemongrass = Vietnamese. Yum.

Turns out the wet rub was half Viking, half Vietnamese. Essentially honey, mead, which is a wine made from honey, and lemongrass. Country style ribs sit in honey mead sauce, then get grilled over direct heat. Pretty simple.

Honey Mead Ribs, grilled corn & beans

Reviews
Michelle led off with a comment with which I agreed, saying "I wish the sauce was thicker and sweeter."

Joe also commented on the sauce, calling it "subtle." I thought it may have been too subtle.

His wife Susan, meanwhile, had the best comment saying, "I'm afraid to speak as I might say something stupid like I did last time." I don't remember exactly what she said last time, as it was two years ago, but I do recall it being a bit off the wall.

Ben said "the beans complimented the dish perfectly." (My wife doctored the beans up and they were pretty damn yummy.)

Speaking of my wife, Gill said she thought the ribs were "a little bland." She's right.

We had a fun and interesting assortment of wines with dinner, as everyone brought a bottle, but in disguise (the wine, not the guest). We had reds and whites from all over the world and it was fun, with this fairly knowledgable wine crowd, to guess variety, origin and even vintage.

Bottom line: The company was better than the ribs. Honey Mead Ribs won't be making a return to my grill anytime soon.

Next: Last but not least, it's Deviled-Style Country Pork Ribs!

Country-Style Ribs with Oregano and Mint

Grilled ribs with Greek-style roasted potatoes
 and summer veggie ratatouille

Rib Date: August 16, 2014

Ribsters: Andy and Jeanne Szmidt, Chef Kim Wiss, Stults family and Eric Jorgensen as The Beaver

Country-Style Ribs with Oregano and Mint are Peloponnesian-influenced. Peloponnesian is a fancy word for Greek. I guess. Remember, our fearless leader Steven Raichlen is more than a plain ol' backyard grill master. He's got a French Lit degree from Reed College. Thus, big words.

BTW: Do you know how they separate the men from the boys in Greece? Crow bar!

Now, back to the ribs.

Must say, I'm seriously digging these country-style ribs, which is a new discovery for me due entirely to Raichlen's "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs" book and our recipe-by-recipe adventure. And, for the second time in a row, comparisons to a t-Bone were made. This time by a chef no less.

The recipe was simple, fast, and fan-fricking-tastic. Country-style ribs get covered up with salt, pepper, minced garlic, oregano and mint (both chopped finely). They get grilled for a few minutes per side over direct heat (charcoal of course) and basted after the flip with a sauce primarily same as the "rub" above, but with vinegar and olive oil. Almost like an awesome home made Italian salad dressing.

Voila! Killer country-style ribs.

These were among my faves in the book. But let's hear what the other ribsters had to say...

"Sneaky spice at first bite. Delicious and tender. Hardly seems grilled," -Andy.

"Really good, but can't put my finger on exactly why," - Eric.

"I liked these better than the Chilean country-style ribs," - Sexy Sous Chef.

A most excellent side benefit to cooking these ribs were the mojitos enjoyed whilst prepping and cooking them, because summer. And, of course, mint. Can't let mint go to waste right???

Nearing the finish line of these 3-year journey. Next: Honey Mead Country-Style Ribs.

Country-Style Ribs with Chilean Pepper Sauce

Rib Date: July 26, 2014

Ribsters: Scott and Krista Craig, Martin family (Barry, Nate, Tammy and Sarah), Stults family

This was my maiden voyage with grilling country-style ribs. Steven Raichlen perfectly described the country-style rib as "a rib that believes it's a pork chop." It's tender and well-marbled (aka it's got a lotta tasty fat in it.)

The meat is simply grilled over direct heat for. Few minutes per side, rotating half way through for the cross hatches that make the meat look good. It's topped with pebre, a tangy tomato, onion and pepper sauce from Chile that's similar to a pico de gallo. As far as rib recipes go, it doesn't get much simpler, not to mention quicker, than this one.

Some of the attending ribsters thought it tasted like a T-bone steak. 

Ribs, seasoned prior to grilling

"If it was a blind tasting, I would have guessed steak," noted Barry Martin, blind tastings being a popular thing here in Napa, but normally featuring wine rather than grilled meat.

Scott Craig piled onto the "is it beef or pork?" theme. "The cow's death was worthwhile. Oops. I mean the pig," he remarked.

Sarah Martin said simply they were "super delicious," while my sexy sous chef wife thought they were "very fatty."

I thought the spice and acidity of the pebre balanced out the fatty, chewy cut of meat and rather enjoyed experimenting with country-style ribs. However, being a bit of a wine snob, Country-style Ribs with Chilean Pepper Sauce weren't exactly wine friendly due to the sauce, and therefore weren't my favorites. I plan to try them again with a different sauce on top, or perhaps none at all. We ate the ribs with a nice Chilean Syrah (Matetic Vineyards) as well as a nice Cuvaison Syrah bought earlier in the day on a Carneros wine tasting adventure.

Ready to eat! Ribs served with Mexican corn and beans

It was a fun night, welcoming Scottie and Krista back into town for the weekend, Nate and Tammy back into town as residents and saying sayonara to Sarah as she heads off to Edinburgh to study for a masters degree there (ain't no good BBQ there Sarah! But loads of good Whisky...)

More country-style ribs on deck. Country-Style Ribs with Oregano and Mint!

Man Made Meals by the Man Himself

I received a very nice Father's Day gift from Gill and the kids this year- Steven Raichlen's new book, "Man Made Meals - The Essential Cookbook for Guys."  That in itself would've been a cool gift, but the cherry on top was that I got to pick up my Dad's Day present at at a book signing event at Peju Winery, and get it signed by Steven.  Excellent!
 

Last Saturday was the day.  My wife was out of town, so I attended solo.  I was an early arriver, so I got my book and headed over to meet Steven and get my gift personalized.  It was great that there wasn't yet a line, which allowed me the opportunity to chat with him briefly. 

Steven was a nice guy.  Pleasant.  Humble.  More so than I anticipated I guess, given that he penned more than 10 award-winning cooking-related books, plus one fictional novel, hosted television programs, etc. etc.  I debated on whether or not to tell him about this here blog project.  Given we weren't rushed, and he seemed cool, I told him.

He seemed legitimately interested.  In fact, he asked me to email him the link.  My initial thought was, "Oh that's nice."  But that quickly switched to, "Oh crap, what if I said something unflattering along the way?"  I mean, I've been writing this blog for three years, done what seems like an infinite amount of rib recipes, most of which have been real tasty, but some, not so much.

He asked me which of the recipes I've enjoyed the most.  I mentioned that the Asians and Southerners seemed to have it pretty well dialed in, but the ones I enjoy cooking the most were the recipes that called for rotisserie cooking over an open fire- like the Huli Huli Ribs, because there's something to cooking over live fire that makes you feel like a man. 

Steven smiled, wagged his finger at me and said, "I like that."
 

You can get "Man Made Meals," as well as Raichlen's other books, online at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Steven-Raichlen/e/B001H6PZU6

 

BB's Rib Tips

 Rib Date: June 14, 2014

Ribsters: Pomeranian family, Szmidt family, Stults family and Eric Jorgensen as the Beaver
  

BB's Rib Tips was a new porky frontier for me.  I'd never cooked this cut of meat before.  In fact, I'm not sure I've eaten this cut of meat before. 

Rib tips weren't easy to come by here in the Napa Valley.  We found them at the American Canyon WalMart, a place I've avoided going into.  Ever.

What's a rib tip?  They are the "cartilaginous ends of the spareribs," according to Steven Raichlen, from whose book, "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs" all these recipes stem.

BB's rib tips come from a famous KC BBQ joint called BB's Lawnside BarB-Q.  Raichlen claims BB's has all three "B's" necessary for Kansas City good livin': Beer, Blues and BBQ.  Dig it.

Raichlen asserts that rib tips are "the true test of a pit master's mettle."  I think I passed, but maybe with a "C" grade.

Aside from the funky cut of meat, it's a fairly standard process.  Rib rub (but with meat tenderizer since this is a tough piece of pork). 

Low and slow on the smoker for several hours.  The highlight to me was the accompanying Spicy Apple BBQ Sauce.  The owner of BB's Lawnside BarB-Q suggested listening to Muddy Waters while cooking.  Brilliant!  I did that.  And a Coors Light.  I did that too.  A few times.
  

Stacy Pomeranian thought the rib tips were more tender than anticipated (I managed expectations...) and loved the sweet spicy BBQ sauce.  Her hubby Chris, a CIA-trained chef, dug the sauce too.  Actually most of the comments reflected the meat was better than anticipated and the sauce was killer and woulda been better on normal smoked baby backs.

All in all: interesting effort.  Worth trying, but probably not more than once.

Nearing the finish line of this multi-year adventure.  Next up: Country Style Ribs with Chilean Pepper Sauce.

Milk & Honey Spareribs

Rib Date: May 25, 2014

Ribsters: Szmidt family, Wiss family, Aiden McDonald, Stults family and Eric Jorgensen as the Beaver.

I wonder who was the first butcher to call this cut of meat "spareribs"?  He probably didn't consult the pig I'm guessing.

I made these ribs a couple weeks ago and think I'm still full despite only having a couple ribs.  They were that rich.  Yes, it turns out if you slow cook ribs in a soup of heavy cream and honey they turn out pretty rich.  Like Bill Gates rich.  Good.  But rich.  Did I mention these ribs were rich?

They actually originate in Piedmont, Italy, way up north.  So it makes sense that a thick, dense dish would come from there.  I'm imagining they'd pair nicely with one of the area's famous wines- Barolo.  I wanted the eat these with some Italian reds, but fell back on whatever folks brought over, which was OK, but not Italian reds...

The recipe actually comes from a famous Italian chef, Cesare Giaccone, who apparently has a tiny gem of a restaurant called Da Cesare.  It's located in a tiny hamlet, but it guess is destination dining.  I've never been to Italy (It's on the bucket list) but if I get near Albaretto della Torres I will eat at Da Cesare.  Yes, I will.

Here is how these ribs are basically cooked: Salt and pepper seasoning; Sear over direct heat, put in a pan over indirect heat where they simmer in heavy cream and honey until cooked all the way.  That's it.

Chef Kim Wiss, who's been to a few rib events here, thought they were the "best yet."  She said the whole dinner, which also had a mushroom risotto, was "cohesive."  I agree with the last part.

"Porky goodness" was how Andy Szmidt described these ribs.  His wife Jeanne dug the texture.

Eric Jorgensen said they were sweet and creamy.  (Insert your own joke here.)

The kids gave Milk and Honey ribs thumbs up too.

I liked the meatiness of these ribs with the occasional hints of honey.  Good stuff.

Next: BB's Rib Tips.  Rib tips will be an experiment for me, as we proceed through Steven Raichlen's book, "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs."

Chamorro Ribs

Chamorro Ribs (Guamanian Vinegar Soy Ribs)
Rib Date: May 25, 2014

Ribsters: Knauer family, McDonald family, Perry family, Snider family, Stults family and Eric Jorgensen as the Beaver.

Chamorro Ribs

 

Further validating that most great ribs are Asian or Southern inspired, I introduce to you Chamorro Ribs, originating in Guam and drawing inspiration from the Philippines.



I've actually been to both Guam and the Philippines. Both places are cool and the food, especially Filipino, is excellent.

The Chamorro Ribs, from Steven Raichlen's book, "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs," were pretty freakin' delicious and a big hit with the attending ribsters- a large crowd indeed. A few, my wife included, proclaimed them best in the book. I'd say they are in the conversation for sure.

The ribs spent Hafa Adai (sorry- couldn't resist) marinating in a sauce consisting mainly of soy sauce and vinegar. Buncha other stuff too. Then the ribs were grilled over direct heat for a few minutes per side, before going indirect heat, but no smoke, for several more hours. They were basted a few times with leftover marinade and then a similar Asian inspired sauce (called Finadene Sauce) was drizzled over them at the end.

The closest comparison I can think of is teriyaki, but not exactly.




Eric says "Num Num, me like ribs!"

Tender and juicy were commonly used characteristics to describe the ribs, which were excellent on this hot spring evening with some crisp rose' wines. And, of course, sticky rice.

Shelly Knauer thought they were sorta Polynesian, while JR McDonald similarly said they definitely had Asian influence.

My wife Gill said they had tons of flavor.

For a kids' perspective Calvin Snider, who normally doesn't say much, ate two mountains of ribs and gave them a 10 out of 10. Such praise.

They were killer. Way to go Guam.

Next, a return to Italy with Milk 'n' Honey ribs.

Beppe's Ribs

Rib Date: April 11, 2014

Ribsters: Joe Burns, David Crum, Francis Davin, Gregory family, Stults family and Eric Jorgensen as the Beaver

 

If I owned an Italian restaurant, Beppe's Ribs would be on the menu.  You don't normally associate ribs with Italian cuisine, but these ribs, are a staple of the menu at Beppe restaurant in New York City.  

I read the recipe in Steven Raichlen's "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs" book and had fairly low expectations.  They just sounded weird.  Ribs cooked in tomato sauce?  Wacky.  

Wacky perhaps, but delicious definitely.

The ribs are sliced into small racks of three ribs, then seasoned with olive oil, garlic, black pepper,  red pepper flakes, rosemary and sage.  They are then grilled on a standard Webber kettle grill over indirect heat for an hour.  

While that action is going down, a homemade tomato sauce is prepared.  Basically canned whole tomatoes and your standard Italian supplements: EVO, garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, white wine, but with some hot sauce to crank it up a notch.  

That all comes together nicely about the time the ribs have cooked for an hour.  The ribs get placed in a tin container and are smothered in the tomato sauce.  The concoction returns to the grill for another hour of cooking over indirect heat.  

That's it.  Simple,  fairly quick (for ribs) and absolutely yummy.

We served the ribs with medley of roasted new potatoes and veggies, which were good, but they would've been even better with risotto or polenta.  We also, in true Italian/Napan fashion, had copious amounts of mostly good wine with Beppe's ribs, where David Crum set the standard with some good stuff from Washington (L'Ecole No. 41 Cab Franc- tasty).

I found Beppe's Ribs to have a nice texture and layers of great flavor.  The chunky tomato sauce delicious and a tad spicy.  Simply excellent.

Some other comments from the crowd:

My sexy sous chef/wife also like Beppe's ribs, saying a bigger pan next time would allow for more even sauce distribution.  Joe concurred, saying the more sauce the better.  Laura Gregory was also a fan, appreciating the "tanginess" of the tomato sauce.

Her hubby Ryan, meanwhile, said he'd only had 10 ribs which was an insufficient amount to develop an opinion.  Must. Keep.  Eating.

Eric thought he tasted smoke, but there wasn't any.  The wine may have kicked in for Eric.  He also appreciated the spice that sneaks up on you at the finish.

Francis said, "Like my wife, they were nice and juicy."  Hmmm...

David Crum said "No comment" then told us how wonderful it is to be vegan and how he will outlive us carnivores while we are going to hell after our short-lived lives.  Cheers!

Conclusion:  However you say "delicious" in Italian is the best one word conclusion for Beppe's ribs.  They'll make a return to our dinner table, that's for sure.

Next: A visit to Guam (a place I've actually visited) with Chamorro Ribs.

Jamaican Jerk Spareribs

Rib Date: March 15, 2014

 
Ribsters Attending: Stults family, McDonald family, Hunter family, Snider family and Francis Davin

We celebrated the end of another fun and successful youth basketball season by smoking Jamaican Jerk Spareribs.  The basketball season was more irie than the ribs.

The Jamaican Jerk Spareribs come from... you guessed it: Jamaica!

My lovely sous chef/wife Gillian prepped the ribs while I was at our son's Little League baseball game.  There are 14 ingredients in the jerk seasoning, my favorite of which is rum (Bacardi 151 is what we used.)  Those 14 ingredients (too many to list- buy the book) get blended up and slathered over the ribs and they marinated for about six hours.  The ribs went on my Weber Smokey Mountain cooker at 2:30 and spent four hours smoking, mostly using oak.  Take them off, chop 'em up, and eat 'em.  Pretty simple, especially for me, since I was at the baseball game until it was time for the smokin'.

Given the Jamaican theme- we had some Red Stripe beer on hand, served the ribs with red beans and rice, and of course, enjoyed some good reggae music throughout the evening.  (Little known fact about the author: I was a reggae DJ on college radio at WSU.)

My favorite part of the meal had nothing to do with the ribs.  Eric Hunter, appropriately named, brought over some duck that he had shot out of the sky.  Some of the breast pieces went on the smoker with the ribs, while his duck sausage saw some grill action.  They were both off the hook and went really well with the nice bottle of cab they brought to me as a gift for coaching.  Duck and cab.  Yum.

The Jamaican Jerk Spareribs, from Steven Raichlen's book, "Ribs Ribs Ribs," were unanimously voted OK.

Since the party was to celebrate the end of the basketball season, I will turn to player comments first:

Jack Hunter approved of the ribs, which he said he would eat again.  "They have a lot of flavor and I like how they fall off the bone."

Calvin Snider, meanwhile, wasn't as enthusiastic.  "They don't have any flavor."

Calvin's mom Terry seemed to like them.  "They were earthy, smoky and fell off the bone."

Her husband Dale shrugged and said they were good, but definitely not his favorite.

Tasha McDonald liked that they weren't saucy, while her husband JR switched his comments away from Coors Light.  "The smokiness paired great with the nice St. Supery cabernet sauvignon that Francis brought."

Speaking of Francis, he thought the ribs were pretty good, but rather bland.

April Hunter said they were not juicy enough and her husband Eric concurred, noting that he only had to use one napkin.

My wife Gillian, the sous chef, said they would have been better with a rub and a good sauce.

For me?  I'd give them a six out of ten.  Not bad.  Not good.  Comments above summed it nicely.

Again, the lesson from the book repeats itself: If it ain't from the south or Asia, it ain't all that great.

That theory will be tested again on the next recipe: the Italian-inspired Beppe's Ribs from NYC.

Porkosaurus Memphis in May Championship Ribs

Rib Date: December 28, 2013

Ribsters:  My father-in-law Douglas Shearer (visiting from Scotland), my Aunt Shirley Martin (visiting from Maine) and the Stults family.


We adjourned the standard pork ribs section of Steve Raichlen's book, "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs," with the "Porkosaurus Memphis in May Championship Ribs."  With a name like that, they must be good, right?  Eh.  They were alright.

The Porkosaurus ribs feature a three step cooking process.  After getting rubbed up, the ribs get smoked for two hours (I used cherry wood).  Step two is to baste the ribs liberally with pineapple juice and apple juice, wrap in foil and return to smoker for another hour.  The final step is to baste yet again with a BBQ sauce that's a hybrid of homemade and store-bought.  Then return to final hour on smoker.

Ribs after smoking, before being basted in juice

A lot of steps and four hours of cooking produced some decent, but not delicious, ribs. 

We served them with some delicious beans, corn muffins and nice bottle of South African wine my friend Andre Morganthal had given us (Secateurs Red Blend.)

The meat texture was fine; not fall off the bone, but not tough n chewy.  For me the disappointment was the hybrid BBQ sauce, the secret ingredient of which was balsamic vinegar, something that I'm not a huge fan of.

Final step - baste in BBQ sauce

Whereas I thought the ribs were OK and not particularly helped by the sauce, my wife Gill agreed the ribs were so/so but "The sauce made them."  She agreed with me that "the overall flavor wasn't reflective of the time and work that went into them."

Another thumbs up for the balsamic BBQ sauce came from my son Riain, who said, "I liked the vinegar in the sauce."

Aunt Shirl concurred.  "More sauce equals better ribs."

Daughter Eilidh, pushed for a comment, said she'd give them four out of five stars.  Since they weren't FOB (fall-off-the-bone) she withheld her fifth star.

My father-in-law approved, saying "The meat was nicely done; quite tender."  He also gets an assist, adding both coal and wood while I went to watch Napa High's freshmen basketball team lose a game. 

As we move to the "Beyond Baby Backs" section of the book, my wife astutely summed it up: "We're getting towards the end of the book and now we're overly critical."

Next: Jamaican Jerk Spareribs.  Yeah mon!

Princess Ribs

Rib Date: November 22, 2013

Ribsters: Ryan and Laura Gregory, Barry Martin, Sean Wickersham and Julie Ross, Stults family and Eric Jorgensen as the Beaver.

I salute you Steven Raichlen, lord of the ribs and author of the bible thereto, "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs," for the last two ribs recipes have been nothing short of spectacular.

Following the "Bad to the Bone" ribs were the superbly delicious "Princess Ribs."

"Princess Ribs" are the brainchild of Kansas City's Dianna Royal, a.k.a "Princess," who must be of rib royalty in this porky Mecca, as she's often sporting a tiara. The Princess has garnered dozens of trophies and medals with her "Princess Ribs" recipe.

The recipe begins with a unique and flavorful rub featuring some sweetness and salt, chile powder, cumin, cinnamon and allspice, among other ingredients. A little sweet, spicy, salty but interesting layers of flavor with the cumin and cinnamon. Off to a good start.

The ribs received a good 2 1/2 hours of smoking on my Weber Bullet. The recipe calls for cherry wood, but I didn't have that handy so used an alternate hardwood.

While the ribs were smoking away, my sous chef/wife was creating the "Sweet and Seriously Hot BBQ Sauce" as the recipe stipulates. It's a from scratch BBQ sauce that's thick, rich, sweet on front, then sneaky spicy on the back. The spice comes from cayenne pepper, to taste. Ours wasn't too hot (because she made it; not me-- probably better that way.) This sauce was so good I found myself standing at the stove enjoying it by the spoonful, straight.

Ribs - before and after basting with the S&SH BBQ sauce

After the initial smokin', the ribs came off, got a good basting of "Sweet and (almost) Seriously Hot BBQ Sauce" then were wrapped tightly in foil and returned to the Bullet for another hour. Then...magic.

Beaujolais Nouveau is a fresh, light, dry, fruity red wine released on the third Thursday of each year-- the first wine of the current vintage-- meaning just a few short months ago it was a gamay grape on a vine in France. Turns out, Beaujolais Nouveau goes great with Princess Ribs. And if one bottle goes great, then six bottles must be even greater!

In addition to the wine and ribs, we had some doctored up baked beans, Laura Gregory's killer coleslaw (maybe best I've had- fresh and fragrant) and some oven baked fries. Delicious dinner.

"These are the best ribs I've had here," said aforementioned Coleslaw Queen Laura.

"There's a sweet fire in my mouth," stated Barry Martin, who also proclaimed they "Tasted like a Disney princess" and the flavors were "vagi-soft."  Hmmm...

The best backhand was from Julie Ross. "These were so good, they made me forget the last ribs," she said. (Couldn't agree more. The last time Sean and Julie were ribsters was when we did Grilled True Babyback Ribs, which were awful.). Julie added that the Princess Ribs "Didn't make her mouth Thor."(Inside joke; had to be there )

Eric Jorgensen said the ribs gave him a "wow-gasm."  Ding.

In sum- these Princess Ribs were indeed rib royalty- a recipe to repeat. Or, as said by Sean Wickersham, the "Princess Ribs are fit for a king."

Next: Porkosaurus Memphis in May Championship Ribs.

Bad to the Bone Ribs with Razor Bone Sauce

Rib Date: October 26, 2013

Ribsters: Knauer family, McDonald family, Perry family, Stults family
Is this another Steven Raichlen ribs recipe or the title of one of those late night Skinamax movies?

That silly question was soundly answered by the attending ribsters, several of who proclaimed the Bad to the Bone Ribs "best ribs ever."
Unsure if I concur, but they deserve at least to be in the conversation.

You can see why the Bad to the Bone Ribs rock. They are the competition ribs for an Arkansas-based husband and wife team that has won 27 regional championships. The main secret is a three-step cooking process, beginning with several hours of low and slow cooking on the smoker...with plenty of wood smoke. (I used Oak.).

After hours on the smoker.  Before basting in apple juice, butter, sugar & honey 

After step one the ribs are tender and smokey. They then get basted with a combo of apple juice, butter, brown sugar and honey. Smothered in that combo of sweet goodness, the ribs, wrapped in foil, return to the smoker for another 45 minutes.

The last step requires sparking up the Weber grill. The ribs get coated in a sticky sweet BBQ sauce-- the Razor Bone Sauce-- before being finished for a few minutes per side over direct heat, allowing the BBQ sauce to caramelize.

Finished product!

Voila. Razor Bone badness! Smoky. Sweet. Tender. Nothing fancy. Old school.

Rookie ribster Shelly Knauer came strong, comparing the Bad to the Bone Ribs to Rutherford Grill's and saying she dug the fall-off-the-bone tenderness. Her husband Nathan said they "happen to go great with beer." (Don't all ribs?)

Paul Perry said they were the "best BBQ meal of the year" and were tasty with the nice Pinot Noir he supplied, while his wife Corrinne thought they were "pretty fabulous" and had nice "layers of flavors."

Speaking on behalf of the roughly 27 children present, Aiden McDonald said, "OMG they're so good.". Pressed for more, he said the three words to describe the Razor Bone ribs were "delicious, sweet and delicate."

My wife/sous chef Gillian said they were her favorite so far on the porky journey.

Next up: Princess Ribs.

Sauerkraut-Braised Ribs with Smoked Beer Barbecue Sauce

Rib Date: October 12, 2013

Ribsters: Crispy and Stacey Pomeranian, Kim and Barry Wiss and the Stults family.

 
Since we are progressing through Steven Raichlen's "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs" book one recipe at a time, in succession, it was purely coincidental that we'd be doing the very Oktoberfest-friendly Sauerkraut-braised ribs with smoked beer barbecue sauce in October.

Coincidence aside, the best thing about this ribs was the amazing assortment of wine we enjoyed with them.  We started in theme with a Madrigal Gewürztraminer, but switched over to reds with a Walt Anderson Valley Pinot Noir and killer Napa cabs from Krupp Bros., Ladera, Nickel and Nickel and Patel. 

Onto the ribs.

Of all the ribs recipes done on this journey, this was definitely a unique preparation in that the ribs were braised in tin foil. 

It started, after the usual preparation, with laying the ribs in foil and slathering both sides with sauerkraut.  Then they were cooked slow and low for three hours on my Weber bullet.  I probably could have gotten away with a half hour less, but the ribs were fall off the bone tender at that point.

My sous chef/wife prepped the smoked beer barbecue sauce, which is your typical homemade barbecue sauce with some beer and liquid smoke in it.

The ribs get basted in the barbecue sauce and grilled over direct heat for a few minutes per side.  Voila!  Sauerkraut-braised ribs with smoked beer barbecue sauce.

Ribster comments

Chef Kim said they were "finger lickin' good," and added that they were perfect ribs for Oktoberfest.

Mr. and Mrs. Pomeranian both appreciated the fall-off-the bone tenderness. 

The ribs got approval from both my kids.  Riain said he liked how tender they were and he liked to homemade barbecue sauce as well.

My sous chef/wife summarized these ribs perfectly, saying "I liked the fact they were fall off the bone, but other than that they were kind of bland."

I concur.

Next up: Bad to the Bone Ribs with Razor Bone Sauce.

Brazilian Coconut Rotisserie Ribs with Piri Piri Relish

Rib Date: April 20, 2013

Ribsters: Kim & Barry Wiss, Eric Jorgensen, my mother-in-law Maureen visiting from Scotland and Stults family.


Brazilians seem to get a few things better than most: Giant statues of religious figures, flesh eating fish, waxing, and cooking meat.  I've never been to Brazil, but would like to visit.  That's a pretty good list, but for the man eating fish.  I did have pet piranhas in college.  Watching those things devour an ugly bubbly eyed goldfish was a fun Friday in Pullman.

These ribs marinate in a sauce consisting of puréed peppers, onions, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, lime juice, coconut milk and cilantro.  Yummy mixture.  Build a fire.  Thread the marinated ribs on a spit and watch them rotate for an hour and a half while enjoying an adult beverage.  Baste and top with slightly spicy yet very favorable Piri Piri relish and you have a tasty dinner. 

I was battling a very strong wind that had the flames dancing like it was Carnival, but I persevered.

The Brazilian Coconut Rotiserrie Ribs were enjoyed with a fragrant rice and good local wine.

Ribster comments:

"First bite was rib perfection; amazing texture.". Me

"Goes great with rice.". Son Riain, who may be part Asian.

"Best low oxalate ribs ever.". chef Kim Wiss. "Delicious, tender, cool over the open fire, where the juices rotated evenly over the meat."

"Zesty; not overpowering," Eric Jorgensen.

"They were lovely.".  Maureen.

Bottom line:  Really good ribs, but the Huli Huli ribs on the rotisserie were better, quicker and easier.  So much so that we've already repeated that recipe a couple times.

Next up: Sauerkraut-Braised Ribs with Smoked Beer BBQ Sauce. 

(All recipes from Steven Raichlen's book "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs.")

Huli Huli Ribs

Rib Date: March 2013

Ribsters: Stults family and Eric Jorgensen

Disclaimer: I grew up in Hawaii.  I see the words "huli huli" I my mouth begins to salivate.

"Huli" means turn.  So, it doesn't take a genius to figure out huli huli means turn turn.  Or, rotisserie.

About a year ago I got an Australian Spit Roaster as a gift from the family.  The "Auspit" is a battery operated rotisserie that you can pretty much use anywhere.  Make a fire.  Pound the Auspit into the ground.  Put on meat.  Switch on Auspit.  Drink beer while meats turns.  Eat meat.  Life is good.  A bacon-wrapped pork loin on the Auspit is food porn.

The Huli Huli ribs fall into the food porn category as well. 

The ribs get covered in a rub comprised of salt, pepper, garlic and ginger.  Thread 'em on rotisserie, let 'em spin over flames and occasionally baste 'em with a teriyaki glaze and about an hour and half later you have food magic.  Simple but amazing.

We ate the Huli Huli ribs with rice, of course, and had a nice bottle of Pinot Noir because light red wines go great with teriyaki.  Duh.

Ribster comments:

"I LOVED 'em." My daughter Eilidh

"I loved the sugary soy sweetness and how the sauce caramelized over the flames." Wife Gillian.

"I liked them.  They weren't spicy and the sauce was good on the rice." Son Riain, aka Mr. Teriyaki.

"Really good ribs.  I liked them.  They were tastier than Kuipo with far less fat.". Eric Jorgensen making a funny yet gross comparison to his chubby former Hawaiian girlfriend.


Mahalo for the ono ribs recipe Steven Raichlen.  These ribs will return to my rotisserie often.

Grilled "True" Baby Back Ribs with St. Barts Seasoning

And we're back.  Miss me?  Didn't think so.  I didn't miss you either, my dozen followers.

I have actually grilled, smoked, and rotisseried ribs since my last post a half year ago.  (A half year?  I'm a little behind).  Some highlights therein include a forthcoming Huli Huli Ribs recipe done over open fire (awesome), McGiver ribs done with inferior equipment on a butt cold day for my brother-in-law's birthday in Scotland this summer (rocked 'em) and breaking in my Mom and step-father's new Weber with baby backs in West Virginia, following a red-eye no less.  So yes, I've been busy in general (hence a six month absence) and been rib-busy as well.

Picking up where we left off...

One of the many things that keeps me busy is coaching my kids basketball teams the first half of each year.  After a game this past winter, I'm guessing late February, we had the coach and kids from the opposing team over for ribs.

Grilled "True" Baby Back Ribs with St. Barts Seasoning

Rib Date: February 2013

Ribsters: Stults family, Frommelt family, Wickersham family and Francis Davin

Even though Sean Wickersham's undefeated basketball team beat us that day, we invited him and Julie and his good guard daughter Devon over for dinner.  We're cool like that.  We were joined by my assistant coach extraordinaire Paul Frommelt and his brood, as well as Francis Davin, who's helped me coach both our sons' and daughters' teams for many years.  Good peeps all.

Unfortunately those fine folks got bad ribs.

Most of the recipes in Steven Raichlen's book, "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs" have been winners.  But, like my basketball team that day, "Grilled True Baby Back Ribs" were losers.

These Caribbean-inspired ribs were kinda tough and chewy.  They are grilled like the name implies.  Before hitting the grill, they marinade for a few hours in a mixture of tomatoes, Ginger and garlic, with added spices.  Then grill over direct heat for about 40 minutes, flipped halfway, and, voila! you have tough, chewy ribs.

We served these icky ribs with red beans and rice to keep the Caribbean theme going.  We drank wine because that's how we roll here in Napa. 

Comments from the ribsters:

"The rice and beans were nice." - Sean Wickersham

"Not exactly fall-off-the-bone tender." my wife Gill.

Then, after more wine, "I must be getting buzzed.  I like these; Simple flavors.- more Sean W.

"I liked everything about them, except the ribs." - Leslie Frommelt.

"I've had better; these could be worse.  Rustic." - me.

That about sums it up. 

Cousin Dave's Chocolate Chipotle Ribs

Rib Date: Saturday, November 17, 2012 (yes 3 months ago)
Ribsters: Frommelt Family, Pomeranian Family, Perry Family, Gregory Family, Stults Family, including father-in-law Douglas visiting from Scotland, and Jerry Mathers as the Beaver

Even though I haven't updated the blog in nearly five months, it doesn't mean I haven't been cooking and eating ribs.  Err...yes it does.  Except for this one time-- the Saturday before Thanksgiving-- when we did Cousin Dave's Chocolate Chipotle Ribs.

These ribs were pretty damn good-- think mole' flavor-- kind of a Mexican chile smokiness with a sneaky chocolatey sweetness sweeping up at the end.  Nothing overpowering.  Just layers of subtle deliciousness.

Apparently the recipe comes from rib guru Steven Raichlen's cousin Dave, who is a university professor by day and grilling enthusiast by night.  Cuz lives in Texas, hence the Tex- Mex characteristics of this rib recipe.

For as tasty as they were, these ribs were not that tough to make.  Essentially the ribs get slathered in a homemade chipotle paste for about half a day, go on the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker for a few hours, get a dusting of grated chocolate and last but not least, get devoured.

Evidently, the comments and quotes extracted that night came after copious amounts of red wine.  That could be Paul Frommelt's fault.  I think he brought over a case of wine and doubt he took any of it home. 

Even though he himself is a Texan, Crispy Pommeranian said the ribs were on the spicy side.  "These ribs are hotter than a whorehouse on nickel night.".

A wannabe vegetarian, Leslie Frommelt gave the ribs a test drive and proclaimed, "I love these ribs.  Except for the meat."

Her daughter Henley, a star point guard on our girls' basketball team, said the ribs were "spicy, but not super, super spicy."

Her teammate, my daughter Eilidh, agreed.  "The ribs are perfect for people who like spice, but also perfect for those who don't.  They're balanced."

My wife Gill also liked the ribs.  "The grated chocolate over the top was delicious."

Last but certainly not least was my father-in-law Douglas.  Being from Scotland, good food may not be ingrained in his DNA, but good whisky is!  He complimented the ribs (even had seconds) then led the team on a single malt whisky tasting to conclude the evening.

Cousin Dave's Chocolate Chipotle Ribs recipe can be found on page 110 of Raichlen's book, "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs."

Peanut Butter Ribs

Rib Date: September 1, 2012
Ribsters: JR and Aiden McDonald, Kim and Barry Wiss, Stults family

My friend Jim Smith, owner of the Wine Country Inn in St. Helena, Napa Valley, makes killer peanut butter and jelly ribs. These Peanut Butter Ribs were entirely dissimilar, but still good.

The Peanut Butter Ribs were Southeast Asian-inspired (think satay from your neighborhood Thai joint...)

The ribs spent the day relaxing in a bath of homemade peanut butter, coconut milk, chicken stock, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, garlic, etc. All your typical tasty Asian ingredients. TIP: Shake up your extra coconut milk with some pineapple juice and rum for a refreshing cocktail while you watch the smoke bellow from the smoker.

The ribs went on the Weber Smokey Mountain smoker around 2:45 pm, and, other than feeding more charcoal as required, required little else for 4 hours and 15 minutes. They did take longer than most others. Not sure if the thick coating of peanut butter spicy goo insulated the ribs from the heat, or if the lack of wood smoke somehow affected the cooking duration. Whatever. You can't be in a hurry when you are smoking ribs. And, it allowed for more homemade pina coladas and catching up with good friends.

We rode the Asian theme, as Chef Kim made a tasty Vietnamese rice noodle salad and JR did spinach sautéd with spicy sausage. Simple but delicious.

While the ribs themselves were pretty good, the meal as a whole was excellent! All the flavors tied together nicely and everyone went back for round two.

Some comments from the attending ribsters:

Chef Kim said they were delicious, but her recommended tweak would be to thin the peanut butter sauce out a tad. She's right.

Her hubby Barry also liked the ribs, but thought the peanut butter sauce would benefit from a touch more spice. He's right too.

A collective suggestion was to add some Asian chili oil, like they have on the table at most Chinese restaurants, which would thin it out will kicking it up a notch. Bam!

My wife Gill liked how they fell off the bone and how the caramelized peanut butter sauce gave it that Asian twist.

JR liked them, adding that they went well with his 12 pack of Coors Light. (We enjoyed a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from Provenance Vineyard in Napa Valley- a great wine!)

For a kids' perspective, my 11 year old daughter Eilidh said they were merely "OK.". She didn't dig the peanut sauce, which was pretty much the entire recipe, so, that explains her less than positive review.

We spent dessert (Model Bakery almond cookies and a bottle of Dow's LBV port- remember, real port comes from Portugal!) game planning our booth at the Browns Valley Elementary School Chili Cookoff. Vote for team Holy Mole'!!!