There are a couple of things that I've learnt in life:
Step 1 - Never look in a magnifying mirror unless you want to make a good day turn bad.
Step 2 - Meat tastes better on the bone.
I'm sure I know more but the sight of my reflection in a magnifying mirror has scared the bejeezus out of me ;)
There are certain times when eating with your hands is de rigeur and this is one of them. I recall the first time I ate crab with my hands. I was horrified at the idea of getting sauce all over my fingers. I looked around the table and saw everyone else munching away with their hands coated in this glorious chilli sauce and here I was looking aghast at the concept. I soon realised that eating with your hands meant that you got more of the good stuff. My father however is still persistent andrefused to eat it with his hands. Everyone else in the family simply rolls their eyes at him.
This recipe would have to hold the record for the recipe I've wanted to cook for the longest time. I saw it years and years ago on Oprah and usually when I really want to cook something, I just cook it straight away or at least within a few weeks. This baby has been sitting here in my folder for several years. Not for any fear of cooking ribs mind you but just because I completely forgot about it. Then I purchased myself some gorgeous baby back ribs and I thought back to that rib recipe thatOprah had raved about. She said that the meat was slow cooked for so long that the meat just fell off the bone and it's supposed to be her favourite rib recipe of all time.
I prepped the ribs which required two days refrigeration with the spice rub. I wasn't able to get the Spike seasoning here and I didn't want to use MSG which the original recipe suggested so I used a Le Spice BBQ Dry Rub mixture instead and added a teaspoon of salt. I then sat the ribs on a bed of sliced capsicum and onions. I asked Mr NQN to help out by putting them in the oven before he left for work at 8am so that they would finish a 4pm just when the last waves of sunlight were hitting mykitchen. It doesn't take a genius to realise that having the oven for eight hours on during a chilly day is a pretty fabulous move and keeps you toasty as well as wafting delicious aromas for the entire time. They were soft and just as she describe d they fell off the bone. I prefer my ribs a bit saucier so I served them with a BBQ sauce. And I don't know where they got the suggestion of five racks of ribs feeding eight people. I prefer to do my own Maths and I think one rack per person would doquite nicely ;)
So tell me Dear Reader, what have you learnt in life? ;)
Quincy Jones 8 Hour Thriller Ribs
Adapted from his recipe on Oprah.com
2 teaspoons Spike seasoning (I didn't have access to this so I used 3 teaspoons of Le Spice BBQ Dry Rub mixture)
2 yellow bell peppers , thinly sliced (I used all red capsic*ms for this)
1/2 cup white wine
BBQ sauce to serve (I used the Beerenberg Cooper's Ale sauce)
Wild rocket or salad to serve
Directions:
Step 1 - In a cup, combine the seasoning mix, salt and black pepper. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp. seasoning mixture on each side of the rib racks. In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, jalapeño peppers and remaining seasoning mixture. Rub the garlic mixture on the top and bottom of the ribs. Line a large roasting pan (17 x 11 1/2 inches) with enough foil to wrap all the ribs. Spread a layer of onions and bell peppers on top of the foil. Place 2 rib racks, side by side, on the vegetables. Continue to layerthe onions and peppers and the ribs. Tightly wrap the marinated ribs in the foil and refrigerate for 2 days.
Step 2 - Remove the pan from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add the white wine and rewrap tightly. Preheat the oven to 400F/200C.
Step 3 - Before placing the ribs in the oven, reduce the temperature to 300F/150C. Bake the foil-wrapped ribs for 6 to 8 hours. Remove the ribs. Spoon off the fat from the liquid in the pan and discard, reserving the pan juices. Cut each rack into three sections and serve with the vegetables and pan juices, plus sides of rice and chopped tomato-and-cucumber salad.
Recommended ingredients: Spike seasoning is a special blend of 38 herbs, vegetables and exotic spices, combined with a bit of salt. It can be found in most major grocery stores with spices or salt. Ac'cent seasoning is also called M.S.G. (Monosodium Glutamate). It is not a favored seasoning or enhancer in the United States as many people are allergic to it. It is an optional seasoning and can very easily be left out of recipes.
Put the ribs in a covered container and refrigerate them for 2-24 hours. Allow at least 2 hours for the marinade to absorb into the meat, or up to 24 hours for the most flavor. Keep the ribs moist by adding more marinade about every 3 hours. Always marinate meat in the fridge and do not reuse leftover marinade.
Use scissors to cut open the plastic pouch and remove the slab of ribs from pouch. Place ribs bone side down on the foil lined baking sheet. Heat for about 10–12 minutes until sauce and meat begin to brown. Remove from oven and cool enough to handle before slicing into portions and serving.
Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey Boneless Pork Ribs are a time-honored tradition, start with the Jack Daniel's spice rub, smoke for hours with hardwoods and on to the thick slicing. Then combined with light and mellow Tennessee Honey BBQ sauce. Made with Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey Liqueur and real honey.
Essentially, the vinegar solution "cleanses" the meat and makes the flavors shine through without any "gamey" flavor. According to Elizabeth, you don't need a charcoal grill to achieve deliciously-barbequed ribs.
No matter which cut of pre-cooked ribs you buy, once you get the grill to medium high heat, you'll only need 7-10 minutes of cooking directly over the fire to get the internal temperature of the ribs to 165° and have the BBQ sauce begin to bubble and sear.
Cover the ribs loosely with another sheet of aluminum foil. This will help prevent excessive moisture loss, keeping the meat tender and juicy. Slide the baking sheet or dish into the preheated oven and let the ribs cook for 15-20 minutes. This is enough time to heat them thoroughly without overcooking.
Johnny Trigg uses well-marbled ribs, trimmed to 3.5 inches with excess meat and membrane removed. He uses Rib Tickler Rub and black pepper. Firstly, let the ribs rest for 45 minutes before putting on the smoker.
Any cut of meat that is expensive is expensive for exactly one reason: scarcity. On a pig, there are 2 racks of spareribs. No more, no less. Since there are enough diners that value spare ribs to keep them expensive, remain expensive.
Good Tennessee ribs get a dry rub of spices and are then slow smoked over a wood fire. Back in the 1950s in Memphis, Charlie Vergos combined his father's Greek spices with some New Orleans style cajun seasoning and turned scrap-meat into something altogether magical.
Perhaps a more well-known name for these ribs is “spareribs.” Compared to baby back ribs, this cut has more meat between the bones. They also have more fat between the ribs, which makes them a flavorful choice.
The light connective tissue in ribs begins to break down around 195 degrees F. Anything under that temperature and your ribs will be chewy, stringy, and tough. At 195 degrees F, that tissue starts to gelatinize and turn into tasty, melty deliciousness.
St Louis ribs are flatter and straighter, whereas the baby back ribs are curved and shorter. Because the St Louis ribs are flatter and easier to brown and get just right on the grill, they can cook more evenly, which is excellent. They also have a more succulent and fattier characteristic.
You soak the ribs in vinegar for a couple of hours, drain and dry with a paper towel, and then marinate with a rub (brown sugar and some spices). The vinegar adds flavor and the acidity tenderizes the meat.
Soaking will remove some of the salt as well as some of the salty taste. It will not reverse the effect the solution has on the meat's texture and moisture level. This is not altogether bad. You will end up with a cooked product that is tasty, but, with a texture somewhere between untreated ribs and ham.
Ribs, for instance, are delicious when cooked properly but can easily become dry and tough when overcooked. The solution is to season them overnight, so the meat absorbs all of the seasoning's flavor before it's cooked.
Marinate the ribs: Remove the silver-skin from the underside of the ribs. Cut each rack of ribs in half. Place the ribs into the bowl with marinade, coating them. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Introduction: My name is Allyn Kozey, I am a outstanding, colorful, adventurous, encouraging, zealous, tender, helpful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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