Deviled Country-Style Pork Ribs

Rib Date: September 21, 2014

Ribsters: Wiss family, Stults family

We celebrated our good friend Barry Wiss' anniversary of his 29th birthday with a little dinner party at the house, featuring the final entry into Rex's Rib Review, at least as we now know it. 

They say (whomever "they" be) "Always leave 'em wanting more."  I can't say the Deviled Country-Style Ribs did that.  At least not for me.

The Deviled Country-Style Ribs most closely resembled an old school diner-style breaded, fried pork chop.  Simple comfort food.

The recipe comes from Iowa, which makes sense.  It was a contribution to Steven Raichlen's, "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs" book by his assistant, Nancy Loseke, a native Iowan. Loseke's grandmother, born on an Iowa farm and raised there since 1898, used to make breaded pork chops for Sunday supper, and it was those Sunday suppers that inspired this recipe.

The ribs are brined for 6 hours in a salt, brown sugar, water solution.  They get dried then smothered in a wet rub (shallots, garlic, tarragon, white wine, mustard, pepper) then covered in bread crumbs ( gluten free for us). 

I set up my Weber grill in the three zone arrangement-- coals on the outsides, drip pan in the center-- and cooked the ribs over the indirect portion for about 45 minutes.  My wife, the sexy sous chef, did all the hard work-- the prep-- I did the cooking, which was in the dark by then.  That's kinda hard.  Right?

Grilling in the dark

We've all known guests that come over empty handed.  Kim and Barry Wiss, joined by her Mamma, Gramma Pat, are opposite of that.  They bring too much stuff!  This time it included a bottle of Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc, a bottle of Champagne, a mountain of shrimp Pat just brought in with her that day from New Orleans.  And they brought nachos from C Casa in the Oxbow.  A little OTT.

We served the Deviled Country-Style ribs with some mashed taters and white gravy.  Excellent decision it turned out!  And some nice wine Kim brought home from work. She works at Antica Napa Valley winery, which makes good wine, especially their Sangiovese.

Comments from the Ribsters

Finished ribs

My wife Gillian agreed they tasted like a breaded pork chop, a comment with which Kim agreed, adding that they tasted better smothered in gravy.  Doesn't everything?  Barry, upon hearing that, got seconds and successfully employed the smother technique.  He concurred.  Better with gravy. 

Gramma Pat wasn't a fan.  "Too thick," she said.  She basically said if you want a breaded pork chop, have a breaded pork chop.  Don't try to turn a rib into one.  Hard to argue with her logic.

As for me?  Again, an interesting recipe that was fun to try, but I won't be repeating anytime soon. 

Well, that wraps up this little three year project.  I'll post a separate concluding message sometime soon.  I'm debating between just calling it quits all together or morphing this into something else, as some have suggested.  If you have a suggestion or comment, make it on the blog or feel free to tweet me at @RexStults or email it to RexStults@sbcglobal.net.

Honey Mead Ribs

Connor, Gillian, Joe, Becky, Ed, Susan, Michelle & Ben

Rib Date: August 21, 2014

Ribsters: The Napa Valley Vintners "Relations Team" and significant others: Becky Peterson (and Ed), Susan Duke (and Joe), Connor Best (and Ben), Michelle Novi, and me (plus sexy sous chef).

For this rib event, Gillian and I hosted the Relations Team at the Napa Valley Vintners (http://napavintners.com/). The NVV, for whom I've had the pleasure working for the last nine years, is the non-profit trade association for the Napa Valley wine industry. I co-lead the Relations Team within the association. The Relations Team oversees all of the NVV's advocacy efforts, including Napa name protection, environmental leadership, wine quality education and partnerships, member relations efforts including educational workshops, community relations and last but not least, ensuring that the many millions of dollars raised at our Auction Napa Valley event each June are responsibly distributed to non-profits here in Napa Valley. We stay fairly busy...

We've all heard the phrase "Happy wife, happy life," which I not only believe in, but was recently proven to be true according to some Yahoo news headline I saw last week. (So it must be right?).

That reminds me of a story my insightful and colorful grandfather told me more than 20 years ago, one Sunday when I phoned him to see what he was up to. He said that he and my grandmother had spent the day at church, got some soup and went shopping. I remarked that it sounded like a pretty crummy way to spend a Sunday, but he corrected me and said it was GREAT! "Whaddya mean," I pressed, surmising there were other ways he'd rather spend a Sunday. "Your grandmother had a great day, which means I had a great day. It's all about domestic tranquility."

Seeing as many of us spend as much time at work than we do at home, I believe you should strive to extrapolate the "domestic tranquility" philosophy to the workplace. Call it "professional tranquility." And while many of our jobs are anything but tranquil, I know mine isn't!, it adds significantly to your quality of life if you enjoy the people you work with. I'm fortunate in that I enjoy my close colleagues on the Relations Team, as well as all my co-workers at NVV. It was nice to spend a fun, delicious evening "off campus" with the spouses and significant others.

Now that I've set the stage, waxing philosophically, it's time to discuss the ribs...

Due to the title of the ribs, specifically the inclusion of the word "mead," I anticipated a sweet, honey flavored sticky rib that would be interesting, perhaps surprisingly good, if not bizarre. But lemongrass plays a big role in the wet rub, which my wife had started preparing by the time I got home that afternoon, so, when I walked into the house, it smelled like a killer Vietnamese restaurant. To me, lemongrass = Vietnamese. Yum.

Turns out the wet rub was half Viking, half Vietnamese. Essentially honey, mead, which is a wine made from honey, and lemongrass. Country style ribs sit in honey mead sauce, then get grilled over direct heat. Pretty simple.

Honey Mead Ribs, grilled corn & beans

Reviews
Michelle led off with a comment with which I agreed, saying "I wish the sauce was thicker and sweeter."

Joe also commented on the sauce, calling it "subtle." I thought it may have been too subtle.

His wife Susan, meanwhile, had the best comment saying, "I'm afraid to speak as I might say something stupid like I did last time." I don't remember exactly what she said last time, as it was two years ago, but I do recall it being a bit off the wall.

Ben said "the beans complimented the dish perfectly." (My wife doctored the beans up and they were pretty damn yummy.)

Speaking of my wife, Gill said she thought the ribs were "a little bland." She's right.

We had a fun and interesting assortment of wines with dinner, as everyone brought a bottle, but in disguise (the wine, not the guest). We had reds and whites from all over the world and it was fun, with this fairly knowledgable wine crowd, to guess variety, origin and even vintage.

Bottom line: The company was better than the ribs. Honey Mead Ribs won't be making a return to my grill anytime soon.

Next: Last but not least, it's Deviled-Style Country Pork Ribs!

Country-Style Ribs with Oregano and Mint

Grilled ribs with Greek-style roasted potatoes
 and summer veggie ratatouille

Rib Date: August 16, 2014

Ribsters: Andy and Jeanne Szmidt, Chef Kim Wiss, Stults family and Eric Jorgensen as The Beaver

Country-Style Ribs with Oregano and Mint are Peloponnesian-influenced. Peloponnesian is a fancy word for Greek. I guess. Remember, our fearless leader Steven Raichlen is more than a plain ol' backyard grill master. He's got a French Lit degree from Reed College. Thus, big words.

BTW: Do you know how they separate the men from the boys in Greece? Crow bar!

Now, back to the ribs.

Must say, I'm seriously digging these country-style ribs, which is a new discovery for me due entirely to Raichlen's "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs" book and our recipe-by-recipe adventure. And, for the second time in a row, comparisons to a t-Bone were made. This time by a chef no less.

The recipe was simple, fast, and fan-fricking-tastic. Country-style ribs get covered up with salt, pepper, minced garlic, oregano and mint (both chopped finely). They get grilled for a few minutes per side over direct heat (charcoal of course) and basted after the flip with a sauce primarily same as the "rub" above, but with vinegar and olive oil. Almost like an awesome home made Italian salad dressing.

Voila! Killer country-style ribs.

These were among my faves in the book. But let's hear what the other ribsters had to say...

"Sneaky spice at first bite. Delicious and tender. Hardly seems grilled," -Andy.

"Really good, but can't put my finger on exactly why," - Eric.

"I liked these better than the Chilean country-style ribs," - Sexy Sous Chef.

A most excellent side benefit to cooking these ribs were the mojitos enjoyed whilst prepping and cooking them, because summer. And, of course, mint. Can't let mint go to waste right???

Nearing the finish line of these 3-year journey. Next: Honey Mead Country-Style Ribs.

Country-Style Ribs with Chilean Pepper Sauce

Rib Date: July 26, 2014

Ribsters: Scott and Krista Craig, Martin family (Barry, Nate, Tammy and Sarah), Stults family

This was my maiden voyage with grilling country-style ribs. Steven Raichlen perfectly described the country-style rib as "a rib that believes it's a pork chop." It's tender and well-marbled (aka it's got a lotta tasty fat in it.)

The meat is simply grilled over direct heat for. Few minutes per side, rotating half way through for the cross hatches that make the meat look good. It's topped with pebre, a tangy tomato, onion and pepper sauce from Chile that's similar to a pico de gallo. As far as rib recipes go, it doesn't get much simpler, not to mention quicker, than this one.

Some of the attending ribsters thought it tasted like a T-bone steak. 

Ribs, seasoned prior to grilling

"If it was a blind tasting, I would have guessed steak," noted Barry Martin, blind tastings being a popular thing here in Napa, but normally featuring wine rather than grilled meat.

Scott Craig piled onto the "is it beef or pork?" theme. "The cow's death was worthwhile. Oops. I mean the pig," he remarked.

Sarah Martin said simply they were "super delicious," while my sexy sous chef wife thought they were "very fatty."

I thought the spice and acidity of the pebre balanced out the fatty, chewy cut of meat and rather enjoyed experimenting with country-style ribs. However, being a bit of a wine snob, Country-style Ribs with Chilean Pepper Sauce weren't exactly wine friendly due to the sauce, and therefore weren't my favorites. I plan to try them again with a different sauce on top, or perhaps none at all. We ate the ribs with a nice Chilean Syrah (Matetic Vineyards) as well as a nice Cuvaison Syrah bought earlier in the day on a Carneros wine tasting adventure.

Ready to eat! Ribs served with Mexican corn and beans

It was a fun night, welcoming Scottie and Krista back into town for the weekend, Nate and Tammy back into town as residents and saying sayonara to Sarah as she heads off to Edinburgh to study for a masters degree there (ain't no good BBQ there Sarah! But loads of good Whisky...)

More country-style ribs on deck. Country-Style Ribs with Oregano and Mint!

Man Made Meals by the Man Himself

I received a very nice Father's Day gift from Gill and the kids this year- Steven Raichlen's new book, "Man Made Meals - The Essential Cookbook for Guys."  That in itself would've been a cool gift, but the cherry on top was that I got to pick up my Dad's Day present at at a book signing event at Peju Winery, and get it signed by Steven.  Excellent!
 

Last Saturday was the day.  My wife was out of town, so I attended solo.  I was an early arriver, so I got my book and headed over to meet Steven and get my gift personalized.  It was great that there wasn't yet a line, which allowed me the opportunity to chat with him briefly. 

Steven was a nice guy.  Pleasant.  Humble.  More so than I anticipated I guess, given that he penned more than 10 award-winning cooking-related books, plus one fictional novel, hosted television programs, etc. etc.  I debated on whether or not to tell him about this here blog project.  Given we weren't rushed, and he seemed cool, I told him.

He seemed legitimately interested.  In fact, he asked me to email him the link.  My initial thought was, "Oh that's nice."  But that quickly switched to, "Oh crap, what if I said something unflattering along the way?"  I mean, I've been writing this blog for three years, done what seems like an infinite amount of rib recipes, most of which have been real tasty, but some, not so much.

He asked me which of the recipes I've enjoyed the most.  I mentioned that the Asians and Southerners seemed to have it pretty well dialed in, but the ones I enjoy cooking the most were the recipes that called for rotisserie cooking over an open fire- like the Huli Huli Ribs, because there's something to cooking over live fire that makes you feel like a man. 

Steven smiled, wagged his finger at me and said, "I like that."
 

You can get "Man Made Meals," as well as Raichlen's other books, online at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Steven-Raichlen/e/B001H6PZU6

 

BB's Rib Tips

 Rib Date: June 14, 2014

Ribsters: Pomeranian family, Szmidt family, Stults family and Eric Jorgensen as the Beaver
  

BB's Rib Tips was a new porky frontier for me.  I'd never cooked this cut of meat before.  In fact, I'm not sure I've eaten this cut of meat before. 

Rib tips weren't easy to come by here in the Napa Valley.  We found them at the American Canyon WalMart, a place I've avoided going into.  Ever.

What's a rib tip?  They are the "cartilaginous ends of the spareribs," according to Steven Raichlen, from whose book, "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs" all these recipes stem.

BB's rib tips come from a famous KC BBQ joint called BB's Lawnside BarB-Q.  Raichlen claims BB's has all three "B's" necessary for Kansas City good livin': Beer, Blues and BBQ.  Dig it.

Raichlen asserts that rib tips are "the true test of a pit master's mettle."  I think I passed, but maybe with a "C" grade.

Aside from the funky cut of meat, it's a fairly standard process.  Rib rub (but with meat tenderizer since this is a tough piece of pork). 

Low and slow on the smoker for several hours.  The highlight to me was the accompanying Spicy Apple BBQ Sauce.  The owner of BB's Lawnside BarB-Q suggested listening to Muddy Waters while cooking.  Brilliant!  I did that.  And a Coors Light.  I did that too.  A few times.
  

Stacy Pomeranian thought the rib tips were more tender than anticipated (I managed expectations...) and loved the sweet spicy BBQ sauce.  Her hubby Chris, a CIA-trained chef, dug the sauce too.  Actually most of the comments reflected the meat was better than anticipated and the sauce was killer and woulda been better on normal smoked baby backs.

All in all: interesting effort.  Worth trying, but probably not more than once.

Nearing the finish line of this multi-year adventure.  Next up: Country Style Ribs with Chilean Pepper Sauce.

Milk & Honey Spareribs

Rib Date: May 25, 2014

Ribsters: Szmidt family, Wiss family, Aiden McDonald, Stults family and Eric Jorgensen as the Beaver.

I wonder who was the first butcher to call this cut of meat "spareribs"?  He probably didn't consult the pig I'm guessing.

I made these ribs a couple weeks ago and think I'm still full despite only having a couple ribs.  They were that rich.  Yes, it turns out if you slow cook ribs in a soup of heavy cream and honey they turn out pretty rich.  Like Bill Gates rich.  Good.  But rich.  Did I mention these ribs were rich?

They actually originate in Piedmont, Italy, way up north.  So it makes sense that a thick, dense dish would come from there.  I'm imagining they'd pair nicely with one of the area's famous wines- Barolo.  I wanted the eat these with some Italian reds, but fell back on whatever folks brought over, which was OK, but not Italian reds...

The recipe actually comes from a famous Italian chef, Cesare Giaccone, who apparently has a tiny gem of a restaurant called Da Cesare.  It's located in a tiny hamlet, but it guess is destination dining.  I've never been to Italy (It's on the bucket list) but if I get near Albaretto della Torres I will eat at Da Cesare.  Yes, I will.

Here is how these ribs are basically cooked: Salt and pepper seasoning; Sear over direct heat, put in a pan over indirect heat where they simmer in heavy cream and honey until cooked all the way.  That's it.

Chef Kim Wiss, who's been to a few rib events here, thought they were the "best yet."  She said the whole dinner, which also had a mushroom risotto, was "cohesive."  I agree with the last part.

"Porky goodness" was how Andy Szmidt described these ribs.  His wife Jeanne dug the texture.

Eric Jorgensen said they were sweet and creamy.  (Insert your own joke here.)

The kids gave Milk and Honey ribs thumbs up too.

I liked the meatiness of these ribs with the occasional hints of honey.  Good stuff.

Next: BB's Rib Tips.  Rib tips will be an experiment for me, as we proceed through Steven Raichlen's book, "Ribs, Ribs, Ribs."