Did you ever notice how many different ways there are to cook barbecue ribs? After doing a little research in my cookbook library, I was amazed at the number of techniques, marinades, mops, sops, bastes, brines you can use to prepare the perfect rib. Once again it shows me, there is no ONE perfect way to cook anything. It really depends on what you like and your personal tastes.

I picked up a package of ribs at Costco to split with my friend Barbecue Bob. Bob is a real grilling aficionado. In fact, it is because of him that I purchased my Weber Charcoal Grill and I love every minute of it.

Now Barbecue Bob likes to slow cook his ribs but like the rest of us, when in a hurry, he will take a shortcut or two. This barbecue baby back ribs recipe came from his wife Bert, (that’s right Robert and Roberta) who let’s just say doesn’t enjoy spending too much time in the kitchen, but has mastered a quick and easy way to make barbecued ribs without a grill.

Now for all you barbecue purists out there, stop reading. You will be horrified, dismayed, upset, and maybe even angry at how Barbecue Bob’s wife, Bert, prepares her ribs. The bottom line is they taste fine and are ready in 70 minutes without any real fuss.

So the other day, Bert was dropping off the kids from camp and I wanted to give her Barbecue Bob’s half of the ribs. I asked her about her technique for preparing barbecued baby backed ribs and she said, “Let me just show you!”

So instead of giving her Barbecue Bob’s half of the ribs, I said let’s just cook them all up and have you over for dinner. So that’s what we did and here is her recipe. By the way, she was given this recipe from her local butcher, Rose.

Bert’s BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients

• Baby Back Ribs – our Costco package contained 3 slabs of ribs
• Salt & Pepper
• Paprika – we didn’t measure out the amounts and it really depends on how many slabs and how spicy you like it but you need enough to cover both sides. All I can say is Bert didn’t hold back when applying.
• 1 bottle of dark beer – We used a bottle of Holy Grail Ale my wife picked up for a Monty Python dinner and movie night.

Prep

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Rinse the ribs and pat dry with some paper towels.

How to make at home

Place the ribs in a large ovenproof casserole dish or roasting pan. I used my 16 x 12 Calphalon Roasting pan and the ribs fit fine.

Season well with salt, pepper and the paprika. Be sure to add the seasoning to both sides and have the meaty side up.

Pour the bottle of beef over the ribs and cover with aluminum foil. You want a tight seal so be sure to wrap the sides snuggly. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.

Finishing

Here’s where Barbecue Bob and his wife Bert differ in styles. Bert will remove the ribs, add a little of Barbecue Bob’s homemade barbecue sauce and finish in the oven for 5 minutes.

Barbecue Bob, being a grilling aficionado, likes to finish the ribs on a hot grill for 5 to 7 minutes also using his homemade barbecue sauce. You may think this is a lot of work to start a fire just for a few minutes of finishing but we can’t forget the kids who don’t like baby back ribs.

Firing up the grill is perfect for grilling those hotdogs and hamburgers that both our kids enjoy so much. It’s also great for grilling some vegetables to serve with Bert’s Barbecue Baby Back Ribs.

So there you have it. If you are looking for a quick way to cook baby back ribs, this works fine but I will be writing about how to cook them a using a different technique soon.

Related Topics:

More Meat Recipes

Braised Country Style Ribs

Barbecue Pacu Fish Ribs

Ok, I’m 3 for 3 when it comes to recipes from the new cookbook, Marinades, Rubs, Brines, Cures & Glazes. I hope Jim doesn’t mind me posting another of his recipes but this one I used on some tuna turned out great. I highly recommend you check out his cookbook but don’t take my word for it.

I was thumbing through the July issue of Bon Appetit and what do I find on page 32? A great review of Jim’s new cookbook. Here’s what they say,

“We love the dogged focus, the obsession with flavor, and the sheer exhaustive nature of this barbecue book. Marinades, Rubs Brines, Cures & Glazes: 400 Recipes for Poultry, Meat, Seafood, and Vegetables by barbecue wonk Jim Tarantino delves deep into the science and practice of imbuing as much flavor as humanly possible into grilled food. And we’re not talking regional American ‘cue alone. He hits the Caribbean, North Africa, Asia, and every other corner of the globe in the recipes. This guy’s deep – mops, sops, gastriques, sugar substitutes, and flavor amplifiers with a thoroughness and enthusiasm rarely seen in a barbecue book.”

Buying and Grilling “Previously Frozen” Tuna

Normally, I wouldn’t do anything to fresh, never frozen tuna but sear the outside of it and serve it up with maybe a little wasabi & soy based sauce but this was different. I was checking out a brand new supermarket in the area and they had some “previously frozen” tuna on sale for around $8.95 per pound. It looked good and they were selling it off a big chunk of fish, not as individual tuna steaks.

(more…)

Now that I have this new Weber charcoal grill and the weather has been so nice, I am trying to learn how to cook all my favorite meats all over again. For years I only used a gas grill because I couldn’t be bothered with getting my hands dirty from real charcoal, starting a fire, waiting for the coals to get hot, deal with smoke in the eyes, etc, etc, etc.

What a mistake! There is no comparison. Sure I still heat up some dogs for the girls on the gas grill or when I’m in a hurry throw on some chicken breasts but charcoal seems so much superior in control and flavor.  More on this another time but let me tell you about the delicious skirt steaks I grilled up last night.

My cooking buddy Robert brought me two skirt steaks for my birthday from the Ardmore Farmer’s Market that he visits every Saturday morning. I stuck them in the garage fridge and forgot all about them until yesterday morning. When I was looking for something to serve the kids, I came across them and realized I needed to cook them that day.

I immediately reached for my newest, favorite cookbook, Marinades, Rubs, Brines, Cures & Glazes written by my friend Jim Tarantino for a marinade recipe. I am new to this type of grilling so I picked one of his easiest marinade recipes for beef that turned out to be incredible.

What made it so incredible? Besides helping the meat stay tender and preventing me from overcooking it, the meat was unbelievably flavorful, all I had to do was cut and serve. No seasonings or sauces, just cut and serve. Both my young daughters raved so it wasn’t overly spicy and my 8 year old had both seconds and thirds.

The marinade from Jim’s book was easy enough. I had all the ingredients in house but had to use some dried herbs in place of some fresh ones called for in his recipe. Didn’t really matter in the end but I’m sure fresh herbs would have given the marinade even more flavor.

What is Skirt Steak? (sometimes called Hanger Steak)

You may not be familiar with skirt steak but years ago if you could even find it at the market, it was very inexpensive. Today, because it is often the beef you find in fajitas, it has become more popular and harder to find and the price has gone way up. Not nearly as expensive as filet mignon but for a tough little strip of meat, it’s not such a bargain anymore but it is tasty.

The skirt steak is the long, flat piece of beef cut from the underside of a cow. It is actually the diaphragm muscle and tends to be tough. But cooked right and sliced properly, it can be juicy and flavorful because it is streaked with fat.

Marinade

I used Jim’s Basic Red Wine Marinade For Beef but you really want to check out his other 399 recipes in his Marinades, Rubs, Brines, Cures & Glazes. The book is a great explanation of how all this stuff works.

I used this marinade on two skirt steaks but it would be great on New York strip steaks, sirloin, tri tips, beef kabobs or even venison.

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1-teaspoon coarse-grain salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs ( I used ½ tablespoon of dried rosemary and thyme each)
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1-teaspoon sugar
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Prep the Ingredients:

Chop up the garlic, parsley and fresh herbs and you are ready to go.

How to Make at Home:

Combine all the ingredients EXCEPT THE OIL in a blender or food processor and process until blended. The reason I list the olive oil last is because it is the last ingredient to go in. We want to drizzle in the oil a little at a time to emulsify it. Don’t make the mistake I often make by not reading the instructions carefully and add everything at one time.

You can make this marinade up to a week before you are going to use it by storing it in a clean, airtight container. I use glass jars from my youngest daughters favorite jarred peaches.

How Long to Marinate?

I made the marinade in the late morning and cooked the steaks about 8 hours later. Jim says 8 to 12 hours is the best amount of time for skirt steak and I would agree with him.

Grilling – I’m not going to go into the fine details of grilling meat in this blog but remember skirt steak is thin and doesn’t take long to cook. Depending on your grill, it should take 3 to 4 minutes per side for rare, longer for medium.

Other methods of Cooking - You could also broil, sauté, pan-fry, pan-roast or even braise skirt steak but grilling is my favorite cooking method.

When serving, it is critical you cut the meat across the grain. I served this with my oldest daughter’s favorite, rice pilaf and frozen peas. They both ate everything.

Related Topics:

Other Meat Recipes

Barbecue and Grilling Recipes