RIBS

Ok, who does not love ribs? With black beans and rice and some greens on the side, you have the perfect meal. There are two schools of thought when it comes to cooking ribs. One is sticky with barbecue sauce and the other is dry with spice rubs. I enjoy both and think there are merits to cooking them either way.

Sticky ribs consist of sweet, acid, and heat. This triangle will guarantee success no matter what the ingredients are. The sweet can be fruit juice, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup or anything that can reduce to a thick consistency. The acid will break down the meat and tenderize it. You can use lemon juice, vinegar, even tomato paste. Once again you really cannot go wrong with what your preference is. Now heat, well here is where you develop the intensity. The layers of taste will start with sweet, progressing to tanginess of acid, then on the tail end comes the heat. The heat can be as subtle as a lingering warmth or as commanding as a four alarm attack. Here you can experiment with your dry rub mixes. I generally like garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder and paprika. The heat can be anywhere from red pepper flakes to habenero powder. The thickness of the sauce carries the heat and releases it while you eat.

By mixing up the combinations, you can find some really cool sauces. The hard part is reproducing them. If you are like me you probably cook on the fly and don't bother to write down what you are doing. I can approximate the taste and many times I find a new creation.

Cook down the sauce until it can coat the back of a spoon. Brush it onto the ribs and add more after each flip of the meat. If you have a meat smoker you probably already know to cook it on low heat for long periods of time. The longer you cook it the more tender it will be. Most of the time I do not have the time to cook it this way so I tend to grill it over medium to high heat and hope for the best. I have been told that you can boil the ribs before grilling, but that just sounds wrong to me. What I do is cut them into individual ribs and cook them this way. You will find out what works for you.



Dry ribs or Memphis style are ribs that are coated in what is called a dry rub. This is a combination of sugar, salt, spices, and heat. When the fat from the ribs is rendered it interacts with the dry rub and the seasonings get into the meat. Also when the fat drips onto the heat, it vaporizes and the smoke permeates the meat. The cooking method is usually in a smoker. the spice and the smoke make a great taste. The spices that I use in the barbeque sauce are very similar to those used here. The sugar caramelizes and traps the flavor inside. I like these because the ribs are drier and less messy, although being sticky isn't so bad either. If you are accustomed to the sticky ribs, these may be a bit of a surprise to you.