Ribs are a really big deal in our house; this is mostly because of my husband John.  I think it’s because he’s a chef and a southern boy -- but maybe it's just because he's a boy.  Whatever the reason, he does make great ribs.  He’s also been working on perfecting them for the last 20 years. He has a reputation with our family and friends and they demand to have ribs on a regular bases as the weather heats up. On Sunday, the sun came out and since we haven't had many sunny weekedns lately, we needed to celebrate with a ribs!

                  Raw ribs

Just like at the restaurant, we start with pork that comes from a local grower, preferably one that feeds their pigs the good stuff.  We even have one grower we work with that has her pigs listen to country music and feeds them apples and acorns.  I don’t really enjoy country music but it does make for really yummy pork!  We always use spare ribs not baby back ribs -- baby back ribs are too expensive and they have a tendency to dry out during cooking. To prepare the ribs, the first thing we do is to remove the membrane off the back of the ribs.  The easiest way is to simply work your finger underneath and pull the membrane off.   If you skip this step, when you bite into the rib, it will have the texture of plastic wrap on the back.  (Sometimes the membrane has been removed before the ribs get to you, but most of the time it's there.) Keeping the meat really cold helps this process, and a towel is helpful too.

         Removing the membrane

Next John rubs his secret cure on the ribs and then he lays them out on a heavy-duty sheet pan.  The cure is a crucial step -- if you skip rubbing the cure on the ribs you will really notice the difference.  It changes both the flavor and the texture. Any time I rush the ribs and skip the cure everyone knows.

                  The Cure

Now comes the part where crazy barbeque people might go a little nuts:  John adds about 1/2 cup of water to the pan then covers the pans with foil.  He slowly bakes them in the oven for about 1 hour at 250 degrees. While the ribs are cooking he makes the sauce and starts the fire. 

             Sauce ingredients

With John, sauce is never simple.  His motto is: the more ingredients the better.  So his recipe has 14 ingredients, and every time he makes it, it tastes a bit different -- always good, but different. To make his sauce you’ll need every condiments known to man.  He starts with the typical things: onions, garlic, and tomatoes then he adds some unique ingredients such as sweet soy sauce and tamarind puree. Sweet soy can be a bit hard to find but we love it, it’s thicker than regular soy. It’s also sweet and not as salty as regular soy.  We use it in dressing and soups and once it’s in your pantry you will use it all the time.  Tamarind paste comes from a large brown pod and has a slightly acidic taste and is used in Asian and Middle Eastern cooking. If you are going to take the time to slowly cook the ribs you really should take the time to make a great sauce.

                  Finished sauce

When the ribs are finished in the oven, John moves them to the waiting barbeque. The fire is low -- use an oven thermometer to make sure your grill stays in the 250-300 degree range.  Slow and low is the key to great ribs. Then you start to baste. You should baste the ribs anytime you think about it or whenever you get another beer, whichever come first. The ribs will take about another 2 hours, depending on how consistent your heat is.

After about 2 hours, about 1/2 inch of the bone should be exposed.  This is a good indication that the ribs are ready, but normally we just try one to see how tender it is. When the ribs are super tender, slice the ribs and serve with lots of napkins (and I like extra sauce.)

John’s Secret Cure (big batch)
1/4 pound kosher salt
1/2 pound brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons allspice
1 1/2 tablespoons mace
2 teaspoons ground cloves

Combine in a food processor and process to blend.  Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

John’s 14 Ingredient Sauce
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28 oz can plum tomatoes
1/4 cup sweet soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 bay leaf
2 dried Mexican chili peppers
1 tablespoon dry ground cumin
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup tamarind puree
1 tablespoon dry mustard
salt and black pepper

Place the olive oil in a saucepan until hot.  Add the onion, celery, and garlic and sauté until tender about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sweet soy, vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaf, peppers, cumin, paprika, tamarind, and mustard and cook over medium heat about 30 minutes until thick.  Puree and season well with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.