Fork In The Road: Baby Back Ribs

Is it Barbecue, Bar-B-Que, or BBQ? According to where you’re from determines your preference (unless you are typing, and don’t want to type a lot of letters over and over – you’ll note I am going for “BBQ”). It seems that your preference for the type of BBQ you prefer comes from your youth, or at least it gives you a tug toward that being your overall preference of what you consider “good” BBQ.

Do you crave a sweet sauce, a tangy vinegar style or maybe no sauce at all, just a rub? BBQ techniques tend to have strong supporters and competitors on just about every point from the method of smoking/grilling to the way the meat is flavored with spices and/or sauces. There doesn’t seem to be a general “modus operandi” or a standard method to that is considered 100% unanimously by everyone, everywhere. Each claims to be the “King of BBQ” (adjust spelling by location please).

My first BBQ cookout outside the immediate family was with some bikers who taught me the importance of preparation. After getting to the park where the shindig was to convene and setting about the task of cooking, it was discovered that no one had bothered to bring any utensils, plates or anything with which to cook or eat – not a simple cooking utensil could be found with which to turn the meat! I won’t go into how we worked around the problem but I will say it did not include a trip to the store. While other cookouts have long since dimmed in my memory I still recall the taste and, of course, it still has me laughing still these many years later.

So, as this example points out and I cannot stress enough, there is great importance in the proper prep.

This article addresses BBQ ribs specifically. There are so many styles: Chicago, Kansas City, Carolinas, Memphis, Texas and on the list goes, each with its unique imprint on the end result. I can honestly say that there is something I love about each one of them and I choose not to pick a favorite. If pressed I would say a combination of Kansas City and Memphis with a heaping side of Texas is very pleasing to my taste buds. Each method has something unique about which I am passionate. Sweet and sticky, spicy and messy, fall off the bone and melt in your mouth with a hint of smoke are all at the top of my list.

Webster’s states that barbecue is “to roast or broil on a rack over hot coals or on a revolving spit before or over a source of heat” and also “to cook in a highly seasoned vinegar sauce”. I would add to that it is also “slowly smoking meats at a temperature range between 190° and 250° using an indirect heating method”. But then no one at Webster called and asked me for my definition. (By the way, Webster’s also defines it as “a social gathering especially in the open air at which barbecue is eaten”.)

Gather ‘round my friends and we will prepare the tastiest ribs in these here parts … wherever your...

We hope that you enjoyed reading this excerpt from "Baby Back Ribs". If you would like to read the entire article and more, you can order a back issue of Sep / Oct 2006 where this article was originally published.

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