Swiss Cheezhead Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 (edited) As I'm sure is the case with most of you here with a rib recipe, everyone I know -- without exception -- tells me my ribs are the best they've ever had. I think they're delicious, of course, but I'm still looking to improve them. Here's how I do them now: I start by making an assload of sauce from psuedo-scratch with tomato sauce & paste, molasses, corn syrup, vinegar, brown sugar, brown mustard, etc. The main difference between my mop and standard fare is that I use a LOT of minced jalapeno, poblano (pasilla) and anaheim peppers, and I add Newcastle toward the end. I then take about 12 ounces of the sauce and pour it into my slow-cooker. I add about 16 ounces of water and stir it all up. Then, I add one onion, thinly sliced, to the mixture, and liberally shake some Lawry's on top. Next, I cut the ribs individually and start loading them into the slow-cooker. (Sidenote: I just got a new seven-quart slow-cooker for Father's Day, and I was able to fit FOUR racks of ribs in it yesterday. It was glorious.) After all the ribs are loaded up, I cook them on "high" (about 210 -215 degrees) for about 90 minutes, then I turn them down to low (about 200) for another 4.5 hours. Right before they finish, I start getting the grill nice and hot. I've been using hickory-charcoal recently, and I like it a lot. When they're done in the slow-cooker, I (carefully) take them out of the cooker and let them chill/dry for about 20 minutes -- I just added that step recently, and it helps keep the ribs on the bone for the rest of the process. Then, I grill them all. Obviously, it's kinda painstaking, since they're cut individually. I basically put the large pot of sauce next to the grill, and I lightly dip each rib into it right before putting them over the fire. I follow that up with rubber-brushing to make sure all sides are lightly coated. The ribs get about 5 minutes of HOT grilling, then I turn them all over and give them another 3 minutes on the other side. They come out smoky, extremely tender and just a little crispy and carmelized on the outside. Absolutely all the fat is gone, which I think is a big reason people go nuts over them. Plus, my sauce gets rave reviews for its sweet, but slow-burning flavor. So far, with that recipe, my babybacks have always been a HUGE hit at gatherings. They're legendary throughout my and my wife's families. The one step I really think I might add to the process is a spice rub, followed by a few minutes of searing under the broiler. Thoughts? Tips? Thanks. Edited June 22, 2008 by Swiss Cheezhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 fantastic 1st post in here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Willing to share the recipe for the sauce? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 thats my kind of cookin....alot of crock and alittle grill.......GIDDY UP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss Cheezhead Posted June 23, 2008 Author Share Posted June 23, 2008 Willing to share the recipe for the sauce? Sure, bro. That's what this forum is for, I guess. I don't have time to copy it all down right now, but I'll post it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss Cheezhead Posted June 23, 2008 Author Share Posted June 23, 2008 (edited) First, I apologize in advance that this recipe is so "rough." I've been making it for years, but never wrote down any measurements/amounts until recently (my mom actually did it for me as I cooked) -- I used to just implement the constant taste-testing method until it was done. In either case, I'm glad I have SOMETHING written down now, but it's still not 100% perfect. Toward the end, you'll still have to use your own taste buds to add anything necessary to make it perfect. Start by opening a can of your favorite dark beer (I like Newcastle, but Guinness would work fine). Pour about 1/4 of the bottle into a large pot, then reward your belly with an equal measure. Then, add the following ingredients, with the burner on medium heat: 1 15-oz can of tomato sauce 2 6-oz cans of tomato paste 15 oz molasses (I like the "robust" varieties) 1/3 cup dark corn syrup (light will work in a pinch) 3/4 cup vinegar 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 tbsp spicy brown mustard 2 tbsp butter 1 tbsp honey 2 tsp ground cayenne pepper The following fresh-produce ingredients need to be chopped FINE: : 1 large jalapeno (or two small ones) 5 cloves of garlic 1 large Poblano pepper (some places call them "Pasilla" peppers) 1 large onion (I prefer white; yellow works fine) First, cut the stems off the peppers and de-seed them. With a standard butcher knife and cutting board, the chopping will take you a good 20 minutes to do it right. That's why I just throw it all into my big food processor** and spin 'em until they're almost pureed, but not quite. The goal is to get all the flavor out of the fresh items while avoiding the presence of large chunks in the sauce. Once the consistency is right, throw the mixture in the pot with the rest of the (warming) ingredients, and bring it all to a boil. Let it boil for about 60 seconds, then turn it all the way down to low heat. After it cools down, the hard part starts -- you're going to have to start taste-testing. If it tastes a little too tomato-ey, you probably need more molasses and more vinegar. If it tastes a little too sweet, start by adding tomato sauce and add vinegar if necessary. If it's sweet enough but just too spicy for you (or your guests), try adding some ketchup and butter. Another possible issue is the sauce being too thin. If that happens, mix 1/3 cup corn starch with about 5 oz cold water and keep it handy (for those who haven't used this method, it's hard to mix together at first, but just keep stirring and it'll mix eventually). Add a little at a time and the sauce will thicken up. If you need more than that to make really thick sauce, use more of the same corn-starch/water mixture. It really won't affect the flavor. Whatever you do, don't add corn starch without first mixing it with cool water. That should make approximately 60 oz of my homemade sauce. Enjoy! **If you do a lot of chopping, but don't want to buy/use a food processor, I highly recommend putting an an Alaskan Ulu knife on your Christmas/birthday/Father's Day gift list. Edited June 23, 2008 by Swiss Cheezhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 **If you do a lot of chopping, but don't want to buy/use a food processor, I highly recommend putting an an Alaskan Ulu knife on your Christmas/birthday/Father's Day gift list. Damn, my parents went up to Alaska a few years ago and brought me back the Oosik Ulu . You're the first person that I've ever seen mention one of these knives. Great knife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Your sauce looks good and I will give it a try. I'm sure your ribs are good but anytime I bring ribs near my slow cooker, even in jest, I am rewarded with a bolt of Green lightning eminating from my Egg. I don't know how to get around this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Your sauce looks good and I will give it a try. +1. Thanks Swiss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss Cheezhead Posted June 24, 2008 Author Share Posted June 24, 2008 Your sauce looks good and I will give it a try. I'm sure your ribs are good but anytime I bring ribs near my slow cooker, even in jest, I am rewarded with a bolt of Green lightning eminating from my Egg. I don't know how to get around this. I understand, dude. I'm a big-time griller at heart. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of a better method to completely rid the ribs of all the fat the way the slow-cooker does. I'm not saying a comparable egg method doesn't exist, but I just haven't "graduated" to more complex indirect grilling or smoking yet. Plus, I'm hesitant to screw with a process that produces such an immensely satisfying result. If you use the right charcoal/wood and you've got it hot enough, your grill should be PROUD of its vital role in this recipe. In fact the one time my grill gave me sh*t about it, I smacked it with a shovel and threw a chuck-eye fake tenderloin on it for an hour as a punishment. Ever since then, it's been great. It just sits there smiling and waiting patiently for the slow-cooker to do its job. Sometimes, you have to remind your grill that the chef knows best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss Cheezhead Posted June 24, 2008 Author Share Posted June 24, 2008 Almost forgot -- a few more tips for those interested... 1. For this or any other homemade BBQ sauce, I've found that prickly pear is an outstanding flavor addition. So far, I've only used the fresh stuff (kinda a pain in the ass to deal with but worth it); here in AZ, I can find 'em at the grocery stores. If you can't find them in the produce section, though, I'm sure prickly pear jelly would be delicious, as well. 2. Another optional addition to the sauce is the juice from the slow-cooker itself (after it's all fully cooked, of course). Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Just depends on how the sauce has shaped up that day. 3. If you're in a hurry or you don't feel like wasting homemade sauce in the slow-cooker, I highly recommend Cattleman's Smokehouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theprofessor Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 I would like to grill some ribs for a small 4th of July party weth 8-10 guests. I don't have a smoker. I just have your standard Weber Charcoal Grill. Can someone give me some suggestions on the best way to barbeque ribs? What type of ribs work best? I'm going to make the Cheezeheads sauce but I need the specifics on making the ribs taste great and be as tender as possible without using a slow cooker. Should I par boil first? Any advice would be appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 I would like to grill some ribs for a small 4th of July party weth 8-10 guests. I don't have a smoker. I just have your standard Weber Charcoal Grill. Can someone give me some suggestions on the best way to barbeque ribs? What type of ribs work best? I'm going to make the Cheezeheads sauce but I need the specifics on making the ribs taste great and be as tender as possible without using a slow cooker. Should I par boil first? Any advice would be appreciated! I followed this method of Chief Dick's and was very happy with the results. The entire thread is full of good advice. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlanta Cracker Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 I would like to grill some ribs for a small 4th of July party weth 8-10 guests. I don't have a smoker. I just have your standard Weber Charcoal Grill. Can someone give me some suggestions on the best way to barbeque ribs? What type of ribs work best? I'm going to make the Cheezeheads sauce but I need the specifics on making the ribs taste great and be as tender as possible without using a slow cooker. Should I par boil first? Any advice would be appreciated! A friend of mine cooks ribs on his Weber that usually turn out quite nice. The key is to still set it up indirect (ie don't fill with charcoal, etc.) but have the coals off to the side using something like this fuel holder and then follow directions as described in the thread Puddy mentions. Alternatively you could cook them in the oven and then finish them off on a standard grill setup with sauce added at this point for about 15 min per side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theprofessor Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Thanks everyone. Looking forward to the 4th!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Neutron Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I have fallen deeply in love with ribs over the last couple of months. :sigh: Butts and brisket are great, but I do ribs at least twice as often. I've got 18 full racks of baby backs all rubbed down and sitting in the fridge right now - 'Quing a bunch for both shifts at work for a 4th of July celebration lunch starting tonight. I've already got the sauces made, or I'd try this one - it'll have to wait for a whole week or so before I do more ribs. Thanks for the sauce recipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Before I consider not using the smoker for ribs, a question. Is a slow cooker and a crock pot the same thing? I use those disposable cake loaf/bread loaf pans with about 1/8-1/4 inch of water and oak/hickory/mesquite chuncks when using the indirect method on the grill and it seems to work pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddy Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Is a slow cooker and a crock pot the same thing? I think so. I've always used them interchangably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I think so. I've always used them interchangably. Cool. I can't stand the thought of f*cking up some ribs on step 1. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Damn, my parents went up to Alaska a few years ago and brought me back the Oosik Ulu . You're the first person that I've ever seen mention one of these knives. Great knife. I started to get excited when I thought that you could stick your hand through the hole in the center. Then I realized it was sized to fit in the palm of your hand. Too small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 I use those disposable cake loaf/bread loaf pans with about 1/8-1/4 inch of water and oak/hickory/mesquite chuncks when using the indirect method on the grill and it seems to work pretty well. Are you using gas or charcoal with this method? If you are using charcoal, just soak the wood in water overnight and throw them directly over the coals. If you are using gas, soak the wood chunks overnight and put in foil before you cook. Poke a couple small holes in the foil and lay the foil right over the burner element in the cooker. They smoke REAL nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss Cheezhead Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 Before I consider not using the smoker for ribs, a question. Is a slow cooker and a crock pot the same thing? Yep -- Crock Pot is just the Rival brand of slow-cooker. Good luck to everybody BBQing this weekend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss Cheezhead Posted July 7, 2008 Author Share Posted July 7, 2008 (edited) I'm curious...did anybody else try the ribs and/or sauce recipe over the weekend? I'm specifically wondering if anybody had the same sweetness issues that untateve experienced. Thoughts? Edited July 7, 2008 by Swiss Cheezhead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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