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My mother loved pork ribs, or, as she called them, spare ribs, and, like so many of her loves, she passed that along to me. In the winter, when outdoor cooking seemed as far away as a distant summer, she would cook the ribs in the oven, seasoned with salt, pepper, oil and lemon, and they were wonderful and crusty and tender.
But in the summer, whether it was in the shadow of the fir trees in our California backyard, or alongside the dusty cedars of our Wimberley home, she would slowly melt them just off the low coals of a lazy fire, then brush them with a wonderfully sweet/sour sauce that lingered on your tongue long after the ribs had been reduced to smooth sticks and tossed in the waste basket. Actually, I’m not sure who did the cooking of the ribs in the summertime. I just know that my mother stirred the sauce. Mainly, I remember the sauce. Lately, I’ve had a hankering for ribs. I’m not sure why, and I have to say that on really good barbecue, I don’t think you need a sauce. It masks the flavor of the meat. But ribs are different. They stand up to the sauce. They ask for the sauce. |
Anyone who attempts this recipe probably already knows how to cook ribs. For that matter, most rib cooks already have their own favorite sauce recipe, but it doesn’t hurt to try a new one.
These days, Jimmy and I cook our ribs on Black Despair, a big, black, heavy smoker that I love as much as you can love an inanimate object that has never let you down. Unfortunately for the rest of you, there is only one Black Despair, and it lives at my house. So cook your ribs over indirect heat created by a low fire. We like pecan wood, but I know every barbecue chef has a preference, and I don’t argue with preferences. I know barbecue is a macho sport. Then, brush this on the ribs when you get near the end of your four to five hours of cooking over that low heat. |
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Sweet-Sour Ribs 1 medium onion, diced and sautéed in 2 Tbsp. of butter Add: 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 4 Tbsp. lemon juice 1 cup catsup ½ cup chopped parsley ½ Tbsp. Dijon mustard ½ cup water 3 Tbsp. Worcestshire Sauce dashes of Tabasco to taste Simmer for 30 minutes. Baste ribs towards end of cooking time, so the sauce does not burn on the ribs. Finally, take the ribs off your smoker. Let them cool down long enough that you can pick them up. Remember the napkins. Then dig in. There’s no way around it—summer is here. Enjoy! |
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