Ribs, Ribs and More Ribs Cont.

The next day is finally here and anticipation is in the air. I am always excited to get started cooking ribs. I think ribs should be one of the basic food groups right along side of seafood, beef and beer.

Take the ribs out of the refrigerator about an hour before you are going to start cooking them. This will help them to cook better if you start them at room temperature. If I used a marinade I dump it down the sink. Some people will use it as a braising liquid but I always start over. If a rub was used then there is nothing to do but get the ribs out.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Now it is time to prepare the ribs for cooking. There are several ways to cook ribs. One way is to par boil them but if I ever hear anyone doing this I will personally come over and kick you in the ass. Years ago I used to do this and someone should have kick me in the ass because I think all this does is boil the flavor out of the ribs. Another way is to cook them on the smoker, my favorite, but for now we are talking about an easy way to cook ribs and that ain't necessarily it. The easiest and most fool proof way to cook ribs is braising. A low and slow braising.

I have tried different ways to braise ribs, in my cast iron dutch oven and in casserole dishes but the best way I have come across so far is tin foil. Yep tin foil. I buy the large rolls of tin foil (the good stuff not the cheap stuff) and wrap the ribs up in it. I start by laying out a large piece of foil (large enough to make at least one complete wrap around the ribs. Start by folding in one end and then fold over both sides and try to make it as leak proof as possible. Keep one of the ends open. Now I flip the ribs over and do this again trying to get the foil as leak proof as possible. Remember to keep one end open for now.

The next step is choosing the braising liquid you will be using. If I have used a marinade I will normally use a similar braising liquid. For instance if I used root beer and balsamic vinegar I would use the same combination for the braising liquid. If I used a rub then I would use whatever I feel like using. I have used wine, beer, bourbon, root beer, apple juice, apple cider and orange juice. There are many others out there to numerous to mention. You can also use just water.

Here is one from my buddy Alton Brown.
1 cup white wine
2 tbsp of white wine vinegar
2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp of honey
2 cloves garlic chopped
Microwave on high for one minute

Take whatever braising liquid you have chosen and dump it into the end you left open on the tin foil. Once the liquid is in the package seal up the end and lay flat in a casserole dish.

Slip the ribs into the preheated oven and set the timer for 2 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes. I am assuming you are cooking 1 slab of ribs, if you are doing more than one slab it will take a little more time. I am not sure how much more time since all I have cooked in the last year is one slab at a time. Now just sit back and wait.

Once the timer goes off take the ribs out of the oven and let them cool off for a few minutes. Open up one end of the tin foil and discard the braising liquid. Now my buddy Alton dumps the braising liquid into a pan and cooks it down on the stove and uses this as his glaze for the ribs. I tried this and wasn't to impressed. I thought it tasted to much like pork fat. After all the fat melts off the ribs during cooking and ends up in the braising liquid.

Be careful with the ribs because they will probably be falling apart. If you have cooked them perfectly they will just hold together when you pick them up. It will depend on the oven what the perfect time is. After you have cooked ribs once you will have a lot better idea for the next time.

Place the ribs meat side down on a broiling rack. Brush on your favorite glaze or bbq sauce. If you want recommendations on bbq sauce my preference is Billy Bones Original (this can be a little spicy so you may want the Billy Bones Mild) or Sweet Baby Rays. If you made the root beer glaze brush it on at this time. Turn the broiler on and slide the ribs under the broiler. Be careful because the sugar in the bbq sauce will burn fast. Normally this only takes a minute on each side. When the first side is done flip over apply more bbq sauce or glaze and back under the broiler for another minute.

Pull the ribs out and let sit on a cutting board for 3 to 5 minutes. Let the meat rest after all it has been a long journey. Once the ribs have rested slice into one or two bone servings. You can apply a little more bbq sauce if you want before you serve them or let your guest apply it themselves at the table or don't do it at all. If you used the root beer glaze I would skip this step. The ribs are plenty sweet already.

Get out the napkins and serve with cole slaw, potato salad, or macaroni salad and enjoy.

That's it, simple and yet tasty. Once you learn this you will have a hard time finding a restaurant that can make ribs as good as you can. Just remember it might take a time or two to get the oven temperature right and the cooking time right.

Also remember use ingredients you like and you can't go wrong.