Fellas,
I aint tried all of this, but I have done a lot of it. This comes fer a fella named Matt who iz partial ta leverguns. I figgered I would add this ta the fine rub Chuck posted. Az Matt sez, ya kin start with jest salt 'n black pepper.
Matt lives in Bamalama. Dreamland started in Tuscaloosa. It wuz Bear Bryant's favorite barbecue cafe. John "Big Daddy" Bishop run it. Hiz family still runs it, plus one in Atlanta 'n mebbe other spots. I watched az Paula Dean's two boys saw how they cook 'em at Dreamland. [IIRC, ya kin order Dreamland ribs......here
http://www.dreamlandbbq.com/ ]
Smithfield ribs (special order) 'n good wood. They dont put nuthin' on the ribs til jest before they are ready ta come off. That iz close ta Matt's thinkin'.
Take this 'n add 'er take away whatever ya like....'er dont like. :wink:
regards
bearridge
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Barbecue does not include foil or crockpots and bbq sauce is to be served at the table. Good barbecue ribs simply do not require and are not improved by sauce. As for rubs, I’ll give you a recipe to get you started but salt and pepper work fine and you should find a mixture you like with salt and pepper as the main ingredients and the rest as flavorings. BBQ is really a technique. Some define it as poor cuts of meat that, when subjected to the proper combination of time and smoke, become sublime. That works for me. As for fuel, a small hot fire is better than a large smoldering one. The smoke should be wispy and blue, not billowing clouds and if you see dark smoke, you are choking it or you are cooking with green (un-aged) wood. In order of preference one should use hardwood logs, hardwood chunks, lump, and lastly briquettes and chips.
1 rack pork spare ribs, 3 ½ pounds or less.
1 cup Barbecue Rub
Yellow Mustard (optional) [or Sesame Oil]
Barbecue Sauce (served on the side or brushed on last 10 minutes on cooker)
Barbecue rub:
½ cup Kosher Salt
½ cup fresh ground black pepper
¼ cup brown sugar (optional)
½ cup good Paprika
1/3 cup onion/garlic powder
1/3 cup good chili powder or favorite ground chile powder
1 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 Tablespoon roasted/ground each of cumin and coriander seeds
1 Tablespoon Coleman's dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne
Barbucue Sauce:
1/4 cup Hunts Ketchup
1/4 cup Apple Juice
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Cattleman's Gold mustard based sauce
1/4 cup Karo dark syrup
1/8 white onion finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
For rub just put all ingredients into a shaker and mix well.
For sauce combine all sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Let it cool and serve. Sauce is best made day before, allowed to cool in the fridge overnight and then served warm the next day.
Method of cooking:
Let the ribs come to room temperature and start the fire. Rinse and dry rack. Trim flap and small end if desired. With the end of a spoon, lift off part of the membrane, grab with a paper towel and pull off as much as you can. Slather the ribs with some mustard. Don't fret about the flavor, it's just the mortar to hold the rub. I use a big spice jar with the perforated lid as a shaker to apply the rub. If you forego the mustard, just spoon on the rub and lightly press it into the meat. Both sides in either case. When the temperature is stabilized in the pit, about 225* F, place ribs bone side up and cook approximately five hours. If you use a kettle: Bank the coals to one half with a single layer on the other half. Put the ribs on the hot side and cook for about ½ hour turning often then put the ribs on the cool side, place the lid so the vents are over the ribs and cook about an hour. You may have to add more coals to the hot side. For fuel, lump is OK, as are chunks. A chimney starter can be used to pre-burn the coals for adding during a session. Once meat has pulled 1-1.5" up from the bone its done. Or to test for doneness, grab one end and try to fold the ribs in half, if they fold easily let rest for a few minutes and enjoy.
