Fabulous Friday Food - Mmmmmm Ribs! (For Jenn)
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Have a seat. This is going to be a long one.
Before we get to the recipe, I have a bone to pick with you. You know who you are.
See, yesterday I made "Aunt Mary's No-Bake Blueberry Pie" and since I don't have the recipe written down anywhere (I got it off of Facebook from my friend, Jennifer), I went to the best source I knew--right here! I looked at the recipe . . . and then I blinked and looked again. And then I realized that I had made a HORRIBLE mistake!! Instead of telling you to use a cup of water, I wrote down a cup of flour!
I was mortified. Mortified, I tell you!
I quickly went in and changed the post, so the recipe reads correctly now, but seriously, if you've made that recipe (and I know that at least a couple of you have because you told me) and figured out my mistake (it doesn't take a personal chef to realize that a cup of flour is somewhat different than a cup of water), WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!?!
I count on all of you to keep me on my toes. To be my eyes and ears. To hold me accountable for incorrectly written recipes!
I implore you . . . next time you read one of my recipes and it just doesn't seem right to you, PLEASE let me know. Send me a quick email (it's on my profile) and just say, "Hey, Shelly, I think your recipe is going to stink. You might want to check it out." or something like that.
O.K., on to one more sidetrack-y thing and then I'll get to this week's recipe.
I'm tired of giving and never getting. I know there are great cooks out there just hoarding all of my best recipes for yourself, but now it's time to share and share alike. So next week I'm going to put up a McLinky (or whatever that thing is called) for all of you to share some of your best recipes.
I'm giving you a week to think about it, so think hard and get a Fabulous Friday Food post ready for next Friday. I hope you'll join in and share some of your favorites. If it goes well, maybe we'll do a theme week every now and then.
And honestly? If it doesn't go well, maybe I'll take my recipes and keep them all to myself. *Hrumph* I didn't plan to keep this thing going past the summer anyway, but I've gotten such great feedback from many of you that I guess we'll keep cooking for a while.
My family thanks you.
Now, on to this week's recipe which I've subtitled "For Jenn" because my sister called this week and was like, "Hey, could you give me your rib recipe sometime?!" and I was all, "Hey, you're in luck! You'll get it on Friday!" So, Jenn, this one's for you.
And everyone else who's reading.
I have to thank Maggie for this one, too, because she's the one who found the recipe in Real Simple magazine earlier this summer and tore it out and asked me to make these. After you make them, you'll thank Maggie too.
Here we go.
First, go buy some ribs. I don't really care what kind you buy--I think these are baby backs--but I'm pretty sure this will work with just about any kind of ribs. Some people are persnickety about their ribs. I'm not. (To be honest, I think the Real Simple people want you to use spareribs, but I'm a rebel like that.)
Next, you make a rub. You'll be amazed by all the ingredients in this rub, but don't leave any out, especially the coffee. Yes, that's right, I said coffee. Along with some chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.
Did I mention that these are spicy ribs?
Now, the next step is extremely important: cover your baking sheet with foil. Heavy duty foil, if you've got it. This will save you lots of headaches in the end and will make clean-up so much faster. And I'm all about the fast clean-up.
Place the ribs on the foil-lined pan.
Then rub them all over with all that spicy goodness. Mmmmmm.
**Edited to add: Make sure you cover them tightly with foil.
Bake these in a 275 degree oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the meat is tender and pulls away from the bone easily.
They will look something like this:
Now comes the good part. The sauce. Oh my, the sauce! That sauce has become an obsession in this house. In fact, Kate would like me to put this sauce into jars and sell it, it's that good. Spicy, yes, but sweet.
Let's just say that my college girl was really bummed that she missed out on the sauce last week. She likes to take pretzels and just dip them in this sauce, it's that good.
Anyway, while the ribs are baking, you can do this. Throw together some ketchup, apple cider vinegar, molasses, tomato paste, brown sugar, cayenne, and black pepper. Simmer it good.
You know, you might as well just go ahead and double that sauce recipe because you'll definitely need it.
O.K., last step. Once the ribs are tender, take them out of the oven and place them on the grill. The Grillmaster, B, has found that only grilling them with the bone-side down eliminates some of the meat sticking to the grill. So do that. Bone-side down for about 5 minutes, slathering the ribs with that delicious sauce all the while.
I wish I had a photo to share with you of the finished product, but, alas, we were so excited to eat these babies that I forgot to take a picture. I guess you'll just have to make them for yourself. You can take a picture of your final product and send it to me.
So there you go. Ribs that are so delicious, you'll never want to order them in a restaurant again because whatever you get in a restaurant will be a disappointment. Trust me, they will, because that happened to me recently at a place in Chicago that is well-known for their delicious ribs. I ordered some, and after dinner I felt like coming home and making these because mine are so much better.
I'll never order ribs in a restaurant again.
Mmmmmm Ribs! (For Jenn) (From Real Simple)
1 T. chili powder
1 T. ground coffee
1 t. ground cumin
4 T. brown sugar
3/4 t. cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and black pepper
6 pounds ribs (2 racks), trimmed of excess fat
3/4 C. ketchup
1/3 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 C. molasses
2 T. tomato paste
1. Heat oven to 275 degrees.
2. Make the rub. In a small bowl combine the chili powder, coffee, cumin, 2 Tablespoons of the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the cayenne, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
3. Place the ribs on a foil-lined baking sheet with a rim. Rub the ribs with the spice mixture andn tightly cover the baking sheet with foil. Bake until tender and the meat easily pulls away from the bone, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
4. Make the sauce. In a saucepan, combine the ketchup, vinegar, molasses, tomato paste, the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer 1/2 cucp of the sauce into a small bowl for serving.
**Insert editorial remark here: Who are they kidding? One-half cup of sauce? That's barely enough for one person around here! Double the sauce recipe.
5. Heat grill to medium-high. Grill the ribs, basting with the remaining sauce about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with the reserved sauce.
Now go. Buy some ribs and make these THIS WEEKEND. You'll thank me. I know you will.
Before we get to the recipe, I have a bone to pick with you. You know who you are.
See, yesterday I made "Aunt Mary's No-Bake Blueberry Pie" and since I don't have the recipe written down anywhere (I got it off of Facebook from my friend, Jennifer), I went to the best source I knew--right here! I looked at the recipe . . . and then I blinked and looked again. And then I realized that I had made a HORRIBLE mistake!! Instead of telling you to use a cup of water, I wrote down a cup of flour!
I was mortified. Mortified, I tell you!
I quickly went in and changed the post, so the recipe reads correctly now, but seriously, if you've made that recipe (and I know that at least a couple of you have because you told me) and figured out my mistake (it doesn't take a personal chef to realize that a cup of flour is somewhat different than a cup of water), WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!?!
I count on all of you to keep me on my toes. To be my eyes and ears. To hold me accountable for incorrectly written recipes!
I implore you . . . next time you read one of my recipes and it just doesn't seem right to you, PLEASE let me know. Send me a quick email (it's on my profile) and just say, "Hey, Shelly, I think your recipe is going to stink. You might want to check it out." or something like that.
O.K., on to one more sidetrack-y thing and then I'll get to this week's recipe.
I'm tired of giving and never getting. I know there are great cooks out there just hoarding all of my best recipes for yourself, but now it's time to share and share alike. So next week I'm going to put up a McLinky (or whatever that thing is called) for all of you to share some of your best recipes.
I'm giving you a week to think about it, so think hard and get a Fabulous Friday Food post ready for next Friday. I hope you'll join in and share some of your favorites. If it goes well, maybe we'll do a theme week every now and then.
And honestly? If it doesn't go well, maybe I'll take my recipes and keep them all to myself. *Hrumph* I didn't plan to keep this thing going past the summer anyway, but I've gotten such great feedback from many of you that I guess we'll keep cooking for a while.
My family thanks you.
Now, on to this week's recipe which I've subtitled "For Jenn" because my sister called this week and was like, "Hey, could you give me your rib recipe sometime?!" and I was all, "Hey, you're in luck! You'll get it on Friday!" So, Jenn, this one's for you.
And everyone else who's reading.
I have to thank Maggie for this one, too, because she's the one who found the recipe in Real Simple magazine earlier this summer and tore it out and asked me to make these. After you make them, you'll thank Maggie too.
Here we go.
First, go buy some ribs. I don't really care what kind you buy--I think these are baby backs--but I'm pretty sure this will work with just about any kind of ribs. Some people are persnickety about their ribs. I'm not. (To be honest, I think the Real Simple people want you to use spareribs, but I'm a rebel like that.)
Next, you make a rub. You'll be amazed by all the ingredients in this rub, but don't leave any out, especially the coffee. Yes, that's right, I said coffee. Along with some chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.
Did I mention that these are spicy ribs?
Now, the next step is extremely important: cover your baking sheet with foil. Heavy duty foil, if you've got it. This will save you lots of headaches in the end and will make clean-up so much faster. And I'm all about the fast clean-up.
Place the ribs on the foil-lined pan.
Then rub them all over with all that spicy goodness. Mmmmmm.
**Edited to add: Make sure you cover them tightly with foil.
Bake these in a 275 degree oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the meat is tender and pulls away from the bone easily.
They will look something like this:
Now comes the good part. The sauce. Oh my, the sauce! That sauce has become an obsession in this house. In fact, Kate would like me to put this sauce into jars and sell it, it's that good. Spicy, yes, but sweet.
Let's just say that my college girl was really bummed that she missed out on the sauce last week. She likes to take pretzels and just dip them in this sauce, it's that good.
Anyway, while the ribs are baking, you can do this. Throw together some ketchup, apple cider vinegar, molasses, tomato paste, brown sugar, cayenne, and black pepper. Simmer it good.
You know, you might as well just go ahead and double that sauce recipe because you'll definitely need it.
O.K., last step. Once the ribs are tender, take them out of the oven and place them on the grill. The Grillmaster, B, has found that only grilling them with the bone-side down eliminates some of the meat sticking to the grill. So do that. Bone-side down for about 5 minutes, slathering the ribs with that delicious sauce all the while.
I wish I had a photo to share with you of the finished product, but, alas, we were so excited to eat these babies that I forgot to take a picture. I guess you'll just have to make them for yourself. You can take a picture of your final product and send it to me.
So there you go. Ribs that are so delicious, you'll never want to order them in a restaurant again because whatever you get in a restaurant will be a disappointment. Trust me, they will, because that happened to me recently at a place in Chicago that is well-known for their delicious ribs. I ordered some, and after dinner I felt like coming home and making these because mine are so much better.
I'll never order ribs in a restaurant again.
Mmmmmm Ribs! (For Jenn) (From Real Simple)
1 T. chili powder
1 T. ground coffee
1 t. ground cumin
4 T. brown sugar
3/4 t. cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and black pepper
6 pounds ribs (2 racks), trimmed of excess fat
3/4 C. ketchup
1/3 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 C. molasses
2 T. tomato paste
1. Heat oven to 275 degrees.
2. Make the rub. In a small bowl combine the chili powder, coffee, cumin, 2 Tablespoons of the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the cayenne, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
3. Place the ribs on a foil-lined baking sheet with a rim. Rub the ribs with the spice mixture andn tightly cover the baking sheet with foil. Bake until tender and the meat easily pulls away from the bone, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
4. Make the sauce. In a saucepan, combine the ketchup, vinegar, molasses, tomato paste, the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer 1/2 cucp of the sauce into a small bowl for serving.
**Insert editorial remark here: Who are they kidding? One-half cup of sauce? That's barely enough for one person around here! Double the sauce recipe.
5. Heat grill to medium-high. Grill the ribs, basting with the remaining sauce about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with the reserved sauce.
Now go. Buy some ribs and make these THIS WEEKEND. You'll thank me. I know you will.
