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.