Food
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SECTION C Wednesday, July 10, 2013 Daily Chronicle
Features editor Inger Koch • ikoch@shawmedia.com
Bubba’s Bunch Barbecued Baby Back Ribs AP photo
BUBBA’S Get the secret BEST to making great
bone, you will have a very bony rack. Make sure you buy racks of ribs that weigh 2 to 3 pounds each. Most recipes will tell you to remove the membrane from the ribs (and I used to do it, too). But the more I cooked ribs, the more I liked leaving the membrane on the back. One reason is it holds the ribs together – especially important if there is any bone-shine – and it also is a good indicator of when the ribs are done. When the membrane pulls away from the back of the rack and looks like translucent parchment paper, you know the ribs are done. If you want, you can remove the membrane before you cut and serve the ribs. When you prep your ribs for the grill, squeeze a lemon over both sides of the ribs to “refresh” them. That little bit of acid creates a brightness, a “clean canvas” for your seasoning and helps the rub adhere to the meat. By ELIZABETH KARMEL Next, season liberally by holding your hand about a foot The Associated Press above the racks and sprinkling the dry rub over the ribs evenly, like you are “raining” rib rub over the racks. Do it no It has been years since I learned to make competition-wormore than 15 minutes before cooking. I like to use a rib grillthy barbecued baby back ribs. And I still consider myself ing rack because it positions the ribs so the hot air and smoke lucky to have learned from some of the best in the business. from the closed grill rotate equally around all of the racks of My first year at the barbecue competition Memphis in ribs and you can cook twice as many than if they lay flat on May, the head cook from a team called Bubba’s Bunch bethe grates. friended me and taught me to make ribs the same way barbeAs for the actual cooking, true barbecue demands indicue great John Willingham did. Willingham was the rect heat. This is what allows the meat to cook slowly, creator of the all-purpose barbecue rub known as melting the fat and connective tissue. Barbecue MIX IT UP W’ham Seasoning. And it is amazing stuff. also calls for smoke, so be sure to soak wood Following my rib tutorial, I made those ribs CHOOSE THE RIGHT chips in advance. You can look for two visual more times than I can count, and have taught clues when making ribs at home: the meat BARBECUE SAUCE AND them many times in my barbecue classes. I should pull away from the ends of the bones, COCKTAIL PAIRINGS named the recipe after the team who taught which should be dry and dark; and the ribs TO COMPLEMENT me, and they are perfect for a first-timer. Or if should bend easily without breaking if you genYOUR RIBS you are like me, it may become your go-to recipe tly fold them over. PAGE C2 for ribs. That covers what you should do. Here’s what All you need are a love of great barbecue and not to do. three ingredients – meaty baby back ribs, lemons and First, don’t parboil your ribs. It isn’t necessary, and it my W’ham-inspired rib rub. You can make these on a gas or will rob your ribs of flavor. Ribs should only take 2 to 3 hours charcoal grill or a smoker. to cook and they should be cooked from start to finish on your If you have never made ribs, you need to know a few outdoor grill. Second, if you are a barbecue sauce lover, only things. Buy a meaty rack with no “bone-shine.” This means put the sauce on the ribs during the final 10 to 15 minutes of you should inspect your ribs to see how close the butcher got cooking. Otherwise the sugar in the sauce will burn while the to the bone when they were cutting the ribs. If you can see a ribs are still undercooked. bit of the top of the bone on the rack when it is raw, there isn’t If you follow these tips and the recipe below, you will be enough meat on the ribs. amazed at how easy it is to make ribs in your backyard. All it When the ribs are cooked and the meat recedes from the takes is a little patience and a little love of the game.
barbecued baby back ribs right at home
Bubba’s Bunch Barbecued Baby Back Ribs Start to finish: 3 1/2 hours (30 minutes active) Servings: 8 Wood chips, for smoking For the rub: 2 tablespoons smoked paprika 2 tablespoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons McCormick’s Worcestershire Ground Black Pepper Blend (or other black pepper) 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper For the ribs: 4 racks baby back ribs, at least 2 pounds each 2 lemons, halved 1 cup prepared barbecue sauce (optional) Soak the wood chips in a bowl of water according to package directions. Meanwhile, to make the rub, in a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. If you prefer your dry rubs to have a finer texture, the ingredients can be combined in a spice grinder and ground until fine. Set aside. Any extra rub can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 months. Prepare the grill for indirect heat at medium-low. You are aiming to maintain a temperature of 300 to 325 degrees F. If using a charcoal grill, place the soaked wood chips directly on the hot charcoals. If using a gas grill, place the wood chips in a smoking box and set into the grill according to product directions. Squeeze and rub 1 lemon half over each rack of ribs. Sprinkle the ribs liberally with the spice rub, then let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Place the ribs, bone-side down, in the center of the cooking grate, or in a rib holder or rack. Grill, covered, for 2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is tender and has pulled back from the ends of the rib bones. Begin checking the ribs after 1 1/2 hours in case your grill is running hot. Leave the ribs unattended and without opening the grill cover for the first 30 minutes. If the ribs start to burn at the edges, stack them on top of one another in the very center of the grill and lower the heat slightly. Ten minutes before serving, brush the ribs with barbecue sauce, if using. Remove the ribs from the grill and place them on a clean platter. Let them rest for 10 minutes before cutting into individual portions.
Nutrition information per serving: 1,080 calories; 720 calories from fat (67 percent of total calories); 80 g fat (29 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 320 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 77 g protein; 1,690 mg sodium.