Almost every July 4 we fire up the grill. That's not the only time I do it - but it's the time that I fire it up and smoke ribs for the better part of the day.
I love grilled chicken, fish, pork, steak, burgers, hot dogs, shrimp, you name it. If I can grill it, I do grill it.
That said, most of the time when I'm grilling something it's a relatively quick endeavor. Fire up the grill, season the cut of meat, put it on, turn it, take it off.
The food is very good and the act of eating with family is a way to lower stress (more on that later).
Grilling ribs is different. The grill sits around 250 degrees for hours. I soak wood chips and get a good smoke going. The preparation takes a while (removing membrane, mixing up the rub, rubbing the ribs). The cooking takes a good long while. And the ending (Vermont Pig Candy) takes a while to get right (but it's so worth it).
I'm not going to turn this into one of those page down and page down recipe deals that drive me nuts. I'm just going to conclude the stress management part of this post by saying that spending time outside working on the ribs, smelling the sweet smoke, and (sometimes) even getting a quick nap in is, in and of itself, a stress lowering activity.
And now, my recipe:
The rub1 cup Brown Sugar, packed.
2 tsp of allspice.
1 tsp cayenne pepper – can also use extra cumin
2 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp Cumin can also be used.
1 ½ tsp coffee:
The chips:
I use hickory. I soak them ahead of time (an hour or so) then put the chips on the grill and fire it up before pulling the membrane and putting the rub on the meat. I have a smoking box for the chips, but it's not necessary - you can also wrap them in foil and poke some holes in the foil. I find myself refreshing the chips multiple times during the process.
The cooking:
I smoke the ribs for around four (more if I have the time) hours before moving to the Texas Crutch. NOTE: Most people will tell you there isn't much benefit to doing the Texas Crutch for recreational grillers. I agree with that, except that the crutch is critical for the final step (Vermont Pig Candy).
There are all sorts of ways to do the Texas Crutch but it comes down to this: Wrap the ribs tightly in foil. Add some apple juice. Cook on the grill for 30 minutes (more or less).
Afterwards, very carefully put the ribs back on the grill, and take the juice from the foil. Put that juice (a mix of rub spices and apple juice) in a pan on the stove and reduce it down to about 1/3 cup (it starts at about one cup). Then add 1/4 cup maple syrup and boil it until it foams. Then baste the ribs with it. I repeat this for about 30 minutes, every five minutes or so.
I keep good notes from one year to the next. This still isn't an exact science.
I also use the links above for guidance as I cook the ribs.
Our oldest son has a July 4 birthday. He always requests grilled ribs for dinner. I'm always happy to say yes!
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