Sunday, August 17, 2008

Griff's American Grilled Ribs

Here is a recipe I created after doing a lot of research. I wanted to produce ribs which were tender, with a great dry rub and a tangy barbeque sauce. I wanted layer upon layer of flavor. I wanted an outdoor barbeque flavor, but something I could do in the oven and just finish on the grill. I put it to the test, and it passed with flying colors! This recipe will require a bit more work than many of my recipes, because there are three separate things going on: the dry rub, the braising liquid and the barbeque sauce. But you won't need a fancy smoker--just your oven and a grill (preferably a charcoal grill). And you can even skip the grill part if you want and just finish them in the oven. I think you'll be pleased with the fruit of your labor!

Ingredients:

3 slabs (or about 8.5 lb.) pork back (or baby back) ribs
5 tbsp. Griff's American Dry Rub (see below)
1 (12 oz.) bottle beer
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
6 tbsp. brown sugar
1 batch Griff's American Lemon BBQ Sauce (see below)

Instructions:

Place each slab of ribs on its own sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil (shiny side down). Make sure there is enough foil in each sheet to completely wrap around each slab. Sprinkle each slab on both sides with Griff's American Dry Rub (about 1 tbsp. per slab). Rub into the meat and wrap the foil over top of meat and fold the end pieces of foil over the top of each slab. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour.

In a medium bowl, mix the beer, the soy sauce, the brown sugar and the mixed garlic together well. This will be the braising liquid. Cover and refrigerate until using. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Put the braising liquid into a microwaveable dish and heat in microwave oven on high for one minute. Take one of the slabs out of the refrigerator and place (while still wrapped in foil) on yet another large piece of foil (large enough to completely wrap around the slab). Make sure the foil that covers the slab is crimped tight on the top, and open up an end. Pour 1/3 of your braising liquid in the end, and holding that end up a bit, gently rock and turn the slab so that the braising liquid swishes all around it. (I learned that trick from Alton Brown!) Fold the end back up over the top of the slab. Fold the second sheet of foil up over the slab like you did with the first to assure that there will be no leaks. Repeat the procedure with the other slabs. Place the slabs directly on oven rack and braise for 3 hours.

Now you can prepare Griff's American Lemon BBQ Sauce according to the instructions below. If you're using a charcoal grill to finish (and I hope you are), get the fire going about a half hour before the three hours of braising is finished. Remove the ribs from the oven and let stand a few minutes. Then with gloves to protect your hands from heat, remove the slabs from the foil and place on hot grill. Sprinkle the top of each slab with about 1 tsp. of Griff's American Dry Rub. With a basting brush, paint on a generous amount of the lemon bbq sauce. Grill for only a few minutes until the surface of the ribs get a bit crispy and the edges darken. Flip and repeat the dry rub, bbq sauce and grilling procedure. Remove from grill, put on platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil and allow to stand at room temperature about 10 minutes before eating. Serves from four to six.

Griff's American Dry Rub

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. Lawry's® seasoned pepper (or black pepper)
1 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp. thyme leaves
1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Mix these ingredients together in a small bowl. Save in an empty spice container and rub and/or sprinkle on anything you grill!

Griff's American Lemon BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce

Instructions:

Mix these ingredients together in a small saucepan and slowly bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens a bit. Remove from heat and let stand.