the ribs...
So, I actually got to cook stuff that I enjoy cooking yesterday. And using a technique that I enjoy using as well.
Occasionally we do ribs here. At the hotel in Texas, we did ribs all the time...spare ribs, but here we do babyback ribs. For the outlets, the chef in charge just braises(boils to death) his ribs and then they sauce them with mango bbq sauce. I, however do them a little differently...well a lot different actually.
First, you must clean the ribs...and by this I mean remove the membrane from the back side of the ribs...otherwise these are going to be very hard to eat...and the meat wont 'fall off the bone'.
Now you rub them with your favorite spice rub. On both sides. I like to use a mix of paprika, garlic powder, ancho powder, onion powder, brown sugar, kosher salt, white pepper, powdered ginger, cinnamon, celery salt, etc, etc...
After rubbing your ribs, then you can A) smoke them lightly...or B)move on to the next step.
Why do you smoke them? Why dont you just cook them in the smoker etc..etc. Well, because too much smoke is a bad thing, and the following technique puts a lot of flavor onto very very tender ribs.
So, after rubbing and/or smoking...place the ribs on a sheet tray one layer only...about 6 babyback racks, or 4 spare rib racks to a tray. And then banquet wrap the heck out of them with plastic wrap, so that no air/moisture can get in/out.
And now...
Steam them in a nice steamer for 2-3 hours.
WTF?!?!? You say...steam?
Well yes. If you go back and look at cooking techniques...you have moist, dry, and combination. So in order to have nice bbq ribs...you need to have long, slow cooking in a moist environment...braising is how some people do it...some use the smoker, others boil the heck out of them...I steam. Steam can be used in any application where water was a normal cooking method. The temperature stays pretty constant (212-230)...gentle, and you get what you need.
So the steamer cooks the ribs nice and slow, in enough moisture to keep them tasty, and causes the wrapped plastic to expand like a balloon. The collagen on the ribs is breaking down and mixing with the rib rub and natural tasty goodness form the ribs, and NOT GETTING WASHED AWAY OR DILUTED BY LARGE AMOUNTS OF LIQUID.
So, after enough time has passed, you can open the steamer and check the ribs by pushing on the flesh (DO NOT OPEN THE PLASTIC)...it should be fairly yielding, but you shouldn't be able to poke your finger all the way through...
Remove the ribs and place them in the chill. DO NOT REMOVE THE PLASTIC!
But but the temperature danger zone....
Anyway...by leaving the plastic on, the change in pressure and temperature will cause the plastic to vacuum seal the ribs on the tray. And force the lovely flavors trapped inside back into the ribs.
After chilling overnight, you can now open them up and you will have ribs + really nice gelatinous 'stock' on the pan.
You can now do whatever you want with them...grill them, bake them, etc...
Occasionally we do ribs here. At the hotel in Texas, we did ribs all the time...spare ribs, but here we do babyback ribs. For the outlets, the chef in charge just braises(boils to death) his ribs and then they sauce them with mango bbq sauce. I, however do them a little differently...well a lot different actually.
First, you must clean the ribs...and by this I mean remove the membrane from the back side of the ribs...otherwise these are going to be very hard to eat...and the meat wont 'fall off the bone'.
Now you rub them with your favorite spice rub. On both sides. I like to use a mix of paprika, garlic powder, ancho powder, onion powder, brown sugar, kosher salt, white pepper, powdered ginger, cinnamon, celery salt, etc, etc...
After rubbing your ribs, then you can A) smoke them lightly...or B)move on to the next step.
Why do you smoke them? Why dont you just cook them in the smoker etc..etc. Well, because too much smoke is a bad thing, and the following technique puts a lot of flavor onto very very tender ribs.
So, after rubbing and/or smoking...place the ribs on a sheet tray one layer only...about 6 babyback racks, or 4 spare rib racks to a tray. And then banquet wrap the heck out of them with plastic wrap, so that no air/moisture can get in/out.
And now...
Steam them in a nice steamer for 2-3 hours.
WTF?!?!? You say...steam?
Well yes. If you go back and look at cooking techniques...you have moist, dry, and combination. So in order to have nice bbq ribs...you need to have long, slow cooking in a moist environment...braising is how some people do it...some use the smoker, others boil the heck out of them...I steam. Steam can be used in any application where water was a normal cooking method. The temperature stays pretty constant (212-230)...gentle, and you get what you need.
So the steamer cooks the ribs nice and slow, in enough moisture to keep them tasty, and causes the wrapped plastic to expand like a balloon. The collagen on the ribs is breaking down and mixing with the rib rub and natural tasty goodness form the ribs, and NOT GETTING WASHED AWAY OR DILUTED BY LARGE AMOUNTS OF LIQUID.
So, after enough time has passed, you can open the steamer and check the ribs by pushing on the flesh (DO NOT OPEN THE PLASTIC)...it should be fairly yielding, but you shouldn't be able to poke your finger all the way through...
Remove the ribs and place them in the chill. DO NOT REMOVE THE PLASTIC!
But but the temperature danger zone....
Anyway...by leaving the plastic on, the change in pressure and temperature will cause the plastic to vacuum seal the ribs on the tray. And force the lovely flavors trapped inside back into the ribs.
After chilling overnight, you can now open them up and you will have ribs + really nice gelatinous 'stock' on the pan.
You can now do whatever you want with them...grill them, bake them, etc...
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