A Backyard BBQ With Joe's St. Louis Cut Smoked Ribs
Last week, Joe and I brought a strand of lights home from Boston. My sister bought these lights for her wedding five years ago. They've made an appearances at nearly every family event since then. They seem to constantly be shipped around the country, however, I think this strand is going to stay in our backyard for the long-haul. I love how festive they look, and they make the backyard so much more useable at night. So, last Friday, we celebrated by having my Mom and the Shermans over for Joe's first smoke-out of the season.
Last summer, Joe experimented with different smoking methods, glazes, rubs, etc. For the time being, he's settled on the following process. Several days before the smoke, he buys St. Louis Cut Ribs and preps them by trimming the "flap" and removing the membrane. He then covers the ribs in rub and let's them sit in the refrigerator for at least a day. We use the rub from the Joy of Cooking as a base recipe but add rosemary and ginger:
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup paprika (sweet or hot)
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons ground red pepper
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup cracked black peppercorns
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground rosemary
On the day of the smoke, he starts a charcoal fire in the smoker attachment of our grill. Throughout the day, he adds wood chips to the fire for flavor. Last summer, we used a mix of apple, mesquite, and cherry wood. We had some mesquite leftover, so that's what we used this time. Joe likes apple wood the best, but I honestly can't tell the difference between any of them. Every half hour, Joe flips the ribs. If you're doing multiple racks of ribs, you also need to rotate them every half hour, so they get equal time nearer the heat source. After the first, hour, Joe pours some beer on the ribs as he flips them. It's become a tradition for us to use Pork Slap, but really any beer will work. The ribs should take about four hours, but that will vary depending on the consistency of your heat source. You should be aiming for a consistent temperature of 225° F inside the grill throughout the smoking process. For extra bark, add more rub with the beer during the last flip. After the ribs are done, we whip up a Bourbon, Brown Sugar, Mustard Glaze. I really love the crunchy texture the glaze gives, but if you prefer a dry rubbed rib, this makes a good dipping sauce as well. Pour the glaze over the ribs after they're off the grill and let sit for a few minutes before slicing them.
Sidenote: Joe loves amazingribs.com for all his BBQ/smoking research.
Meanwhile, I was making a few side dishes to round out the meal. I can't resist making scalloped potatoes when we have ribs, and in an ridiculous effort provide some nutritional balance I also made my current favorite salad.
Scalloped potatoes are super simple to make. After peeling and slicing the potatoes as thinly as possible, you layer the slices in a shingled pattern, heavily salt and pepper and grate a bit of parmesan on each layer. When you've used all your potatoes you pour milk in the pan until it hits the bottom of the top layer. Dot with butter. Bake at 350° F for an hour, periodically pressing a spatula to the top and pressing down.
The shaved brussels sprout salad is actually the rare salad that is best made ahead of time. You shave the brussels sprouts, either by thinly slicing them or with a mandolin. The dressing I make is an olive oil and red wine vinegar base, then I add a hefty squeeze of lemon, a bit of brown mustard, and salt and pepper. Dress the brussels sprouts and set aside. The longer they sit in the dressing the softer and less bitter they'll become. Last weekend, I added sliced apple, walnuts, and goat cheese right before serving.
We had a delightful meal under the new lights. I can't wait for many more BBQ dinners this summer!