The word “barbecue” makes me salivate. When it’s done properly, I can’t think of anything I’d rather eat. Even some of the mediocre barbecue is worth eating. So, when we drive past a barbecue joint and the smell of wood smoke starts to permeate the car, I get cravings. Smoke and meat and rubs and sauce all combine to create something bigger than all the parts.
When we travel to areas known for their barbecue, we seek it out. I would eat it for every meal if my family didn’t insist on eating other things. Every now and then, when we travel south, I will reluctantly put the barbecue cravings on hold in lieu of fried chicken. Just one of the sacrifices I make to keep my family happy because I’m just that kind of mom.
By now you will have figured out that I was pretty excited when I saw a Barbecued Ribs recipe among my collection. It’s handwritten which means that it’s a secret family recipe, right? Something really special handed down from generation to generation. I studied the ingredients carefully. There weren’t a lot of ingredients in it that I recognized from other barbecue sauces I’d made, but maybe this was an unexpected hidden gem. Perhaps it was a diamond in the rough.
Now how do I put this? Have you ever seen an incomplete diamond? One that hasn’t been exposed to enough pressure for long enough? It’s a lump of coal, right? Coal is great, it’s useful, it’s functional, it gives people jobs. But it’s not a diamond. Not even one in the rough.
The ribs are good and porky. They have a great flavor and I would love this sauce on chicken or even on a pork chop. But when I think about ribs, I want something that is messy, tangy, maybe kind of spicy. I love mustard based sauce almost as much as I love something tomato based. I know that the rub makes more of a difference to the meat than the sauce, but I still love a good barbecue sauce. This sauce, while good, doesn’t meet my requirements for barbecue sauce. In fact, it resembles Spanferkel more than it does barbecue.
The other problem I have with the sauce is that it claims to make 2 cups, but then calls for 2 1/2 cups of water. therefore, this means that the sauce needs to be cooked down which I should’ve noticed. Also, salt and pepper your meat. Do not make this recipe and only use the teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper the sauce requires. You will not be happy. Worcestershire on its own isn’t salty enough to make up for not properly seasoning your meat before browning it.
They can’t all be winners and even the most perfect diamond has a flaw. These ribs are not worth pulling off the road for on family vacation, although it’s still better than that barbecue restaurant in Alabama where the waitress assured us that their soggy fried green tomatoes were great. They weren’t, but they were probably the best thing on the menu.
The Recipe:
Barbecued Ribs
Allow 3/4 pound per person. Brown on both sides.
Wrap in foil with sauce. Cook in oven or on charcoal 1 1/2 hours. Turning package every 15 minutes.
Sauce:
1/4 cup oil
A clove minced garlic
A big onion minced
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
2 TB vinegar
1 TB horseradish
1 TB fresh herbs
2 1/2 cups water
Saute onions and garlic until soft, add remaining ingredient and reduce until it measures 2 cups.
For more great pork recipes try Pork Chops Jimmy, Pork Chops and Rice, and Pork Meatballs.
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Remember that this is Grandma’s recipe, therefore, the sauce will be boiled on top of the stove until it is reduced to a thick mass, browning means frying at a high temp for at least 20 minutes per side and fresh herbs refers to parsley or dill. I’m guessing parsley.
Yeah, you just about ruined the whole experience for me. Needless to say, I didn’t brown the ribs for nearly that long.
Hmmm! I have found I love rubs over sauces for ribs. It seems like the ingredients could be a rub if the dry measurements were higher. Maybe the flavor would be better as a rub than a sauce. I could see this as a good sauce for chops or chicken though also. I will pin to experiment.
Let me know how it goes. It was perfectly fine, just not what I wanted in Barbecue.
Just the word “barbecue” makes me salivate. One of the best inventions ever.
See? I knew there were lots of reasons I liked you!