Ribs, cuts & more

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 Hours for the country style.

Directions

From : Joe Ferenchik, Wed 14 Dec 94 10:54, Area: COOKING Here's some rib info for you.

Available cuts......

Pork Back Ribs: Cut from the blade and center section of the pork loin, these contain rib bones and the finger meat between the ribs.

One pound for one hungry person.

Spareribs: These come from the side of the hog. A full slab should have about 13 ribs. Although they have the least meat they are considered by most to have the most flavor. As above one pound for one hungry person.

Country style: Absolutely the meatiest cut, it comes from the rib end of the loin. For these figure about one half pound per hungry appetite.

Boneless: Pork loin or boneless chop cut into strips.

How your ribs taste has everything to do with the way that they are cooked. For the tastiest ribs cook them slooooow.

Grilled: My favorite, I cook wrapped in foil with a rub and about the last half hour I remove the foil get a flame going to slightly char the meat. After this slight charring to add that grilled look and flavor I put on the sauce, turning twice and re-applying the sauce with each turn. I also close ALL the vent's to assure that the sauce bakes on properly and doesn't burn. Cooking time varies with the cut from about 1¼ hours for spareribs to 2 hours for the country style.

Oven roasted: Roast uncovered for about 1 hour for the spareribs to about

Smoked: To get that smoked flavor use hickory or a favorite smoking wood of yours, following the cooking recommendations of your particular smoker. You can also impart that smoked flavor by cheating and simmering for about 1 hour for the country style in a combination of liquid smoke and water. Use 1 part liquid smoke to 10 parts water.

Then refrigerate or freeze the ribs until ready to cook. Finish off with your desired method of cooking.

You can also par boil the ribs slightly and the meat most assuredly will fall from the bone when they're finished.

Rubs: The application of dry herbs and spices before cooking.

Favorites are lemon, dill mustard, and pepper. My absolute favorite is a blend of spices that goes by the trade name of "WITT'S" for prime rib and roast beef.

Marinades: Always include an acidic ingredient such as vinegar or citrus juice. Add oil and spices for that extra flavor and refrigerate overnite. Never marinate in a sugar or tomato based sauce as this will most assuredly buy during the cooking process. Marinate for no more than 24 hours and turn at the 12 hour mark. Try marinating in orange juice, it's rather expensive since any leftover juice must be discarded after basting but the taste is just glorious.

Remember to put your sauce on at the end of the cooking process to avoid charring.

Here are some tips for better ribs.

1.)Cook slowly, the slower the better for those tender juicy results.

2.)Be slow to sauce.......Your choice of sauce should NEVER be applied before that last half hour mark.

3.)Never marinate in a tomato or sugar based sauce.

4.)Don't marinate for more than 24 hours. If it isn't ready by then it's never gonna' be ready.

5.)Try some dry rubs. I always put on a rub for my ribs no matter where they're gonna' be cooked. 6.)Experiment with different things. The fast food joint is only up the street. Remember my famous saying..... "The only difference between a good cook and a bad cook is that a good cook has had many more bad meals." We all have to learn by doing so get creative and try the impossible. It may be unpalatable or it may be a culinary delight. Try peppermint ice cream with Hershey's syrup and cover all with fresh sliced strawberries. It may sound terrible but what a flavor explosion!

The next post will have some different sauces to apply to the ribs when they're "just about there". Do what I did and develop your own signature sauce that says "You" made these ribs. At the big family gatherings there is absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind when confronted with dishes of ribs to choose from as to the ones that "Joe" made. Most can tell just from the smell. Personally I use the same sauce for my ribs EVERY time. It's a concoction I "threw" together and it turned out to be a "hit". It's the only secret that I've kept from my wife. We've been together 19 years and she still doesn't know all that's in it. Ok Ok I'll tell ya one of my "secret" ingredients......cinnamon.

7.)Know your cuts and learn to appreciate the subtle differences of them all.

8.)Ribs are a simple dish and meant to be savored with your fingers.

Keep your side dishes simple. Favorites include cole slaw, bbq'd beans, potato salad, jello salad, corn bread, homemade biscuits, and any grilled veggies.

9.)Get sloppy, it's no fun if you're not wearing some of the sauce.

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