In the early 1990s, my family put on a big reunion. It was fun to meet cousins for the first time, to see what my grandfather's generation produced, and to just have a good time with nice people. I decided I wanted to contribute to our gathering by producing a family cookbook. A few months in advance I sent out a request for recipes and any stories behind them that anyone wanted to share. I got a good response!
After sorting and typing them up, I added some cute graphics, an introduction, and a contributors list which documented the relationships we all had to my grandfather's generation. I could afford to print up and have bound enough copies to share without asking anyone for payment. I liked that part. People took them and seemed to enjoy having them.
One recipe was given by my mom, MS, about her dad (my grandfather), BP.
I loved the comment about the "BBQ/incinerator"! I enjoyed the graphics of the dark pig and the light pig, thinking that the dark one was the incinerated one. : )
I decided to try it, but use my propane gas grill instead of a homemade, backyard BBQ pit.
Here is the recipe for easier reading:
BBQ Ribs
2 1/2 to 3 lb pkg. spare ribs
1 tsp. celery seed
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt or 1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. paprika
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| Just add meat! |
Mix seasoning thoroughly and rub into both sides of the ribs. Let stand a minimum of 15 minutes. Cook over hot coals for 45 minutes to an hour.
My Notes
I had a 2 1/2 pound package of spare ribs. I chose to use regular salt and chile flakes instead of powder.
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| Unmixed |
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| Well mixed |
After I mixed the seasoning, I rubbed it on both sides and on the edges. The ribs then sat at room temperature for 30 minutes. During this time I noticed that the juices were drawn from the meat, dissolving the sugar and salt and creating puddles on the upper surface of the ribs.
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| Not long after the rub was rubbed in. |
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| After 30 minutes of resting. |
I heated my grill for 10 minutes, reaching between 350 and 400 degrees F. I placed the ribs on the grill rack, using indirect heat, and set the timer for 22 minutes so I could see if they needed turning.
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| Beee-you-ti-ful! |
When the timer went off, I discovered that at some point - I know not when - the grill had run out of propane gas. Grrrrr. The meat did not look like it had cooked much. I had no extra propane on hand, so I put the meat on a pan and put it in the oven at 350 degrees.
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| Baking is like indirect heat, right? |
After 20 minutes, it looked good and it smelled good. The internal temperature was 170 degrees. I figured it was cooked enough.
I did broil it for a few minutes on each side to brown it well, being careful not to burn the sugar.
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| Grilled, baked, and broiled. |
The Verdict
I cut the individual ribs from the slab, making sure there was meat on each bone. Then I served about half of them with some good cole slaw (KFC style!) and sourdough bread.
What I noticed is that the rub had turned into a sauce, which I did not expect. (I had wondered why the recipe said, "Mother made the sauce". Now I know!) It made the meat moist and slightly glazed.
The meat was cooked just right, and was tender and flavorful. I loved the rub/sauce and how it was slightly sweet as well as a little bit spicy. I was originally worried about the amount of celery seed because I am not a big fan of that on barbeques, but it was just fine.
I thought including chili powder was a daring thing to do for a family in the midwest during the 1930s and 1940s -- my general impression of that time and place is that spices were not commonly used other than, for example, garlic salt as an alternative to salt and pepper. I could be quite wrong!
Daring or not, this is a good recipe. I would do it again, either baking/broiling or grilling. Or both, if I run out of propane again.
Success!
The second half of the ribs were also excellent the next day.
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