We both love barbecued ribs but I don’t make them often.
They’re a bit like sweet corn here: rarely seen and when they are seen, rarely look like something I want to buy.
In the last year or two that has been changing, slowly.
Well, at least for the ribs. Corn is still pig food. Although I saw a few ears, still in the husk, at Grand Frais last week. Usually when I see sweet corn it’s two shrink-wrapped 4-inch pieces of very big ears…. looking more like field corn than sweet corn.
I digress….. Back to the ribs.
Ribs have been appearing fairly regularly during July and August for the last few summers. For here that means I see them 3 or 4 times in total during the summer…. And then only 2 or 3 packs.
Needless to say, I grab them. That’s what freezers are for, after all.
Barbecued Ribs
Total time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
- 24oz (720gr) pork ribs, cut into 4 – 5 rib pieces
- Rub:
- 1 tbs paprika
- 1 tbs brown sugar
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cup (12oz (360ml) tomato sauce
- 3 tbs molasses
- 3 tbs cider vinegar
- 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp dry mustard
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
Instructions:
- Mix all ingredients for rub and rub on ribs. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Put wood chips in warm water to soak for 30 minutes.
- Charcoal grill: Put some charcoal in the barbecue, off to one side and light it. You’ll likely need to add coals – but if you use a charcoal grill regularly you know how to handle it…..
- Gas grill: Only light one side of the grill. Wrap the soaked wood chips loosely in foil. Poke a few holes in the foil and place on the grill.
- Cook the ribs over indirect heat with the grill cover closed and vented or propped open an inch or so for 1 1/2 hours.
- Baste with sauce 2 – 3 times during the last 20 minutes of cooking.
- Sauce:
- Heat all ingredients in a small saucepan, whisking to combine.
- Bring to a simmer, whisking combine all ingredients.
It’s still hot.
The farmers are all working hard to get the wheat harvested. The big field at the back of our house was done last week, in the afternoon. The farmer started on the field on the side of our house, where our bedroom is, yesterday afternoon.
He made a few passes, then stopped for the evening.
Unfortunately for us, he came back about 11:30 last night.
It was cool enough that the doors were open and the girls got to go out and have a proper bark at the harvester.
As usual, we went to bed around midnight. Mon mari said that the farmer usually quits at midnight, and, true to form we heard him going past shortly after.
Well we thought we did….
After several minutes of this huge machine sounding like it was on a treadmill on our lawn we realized that he was just cutting the bit closest to our house.
Then we heard the beeping signaling he was turning around, which took him about five minutes…. Beeping the entire time.
He wasn’t stopping at midnight.
He was going to finish the harvest. It’s cooler to work at night.
The house was hot, so all of our windows were open.
Because all of the windows were open the dogs could hear everything as well as we could.
Because the house is closed up all day and it’s too hot for them to be outdoors, the dogs spend the days inside sleeping instead of outside barking at everything that moves, as usual…..
Which means they’re not tired at night.
Which means that for the next hour and a half we had a symphony of harvester, beeps, barking dogs and the occasional tractor hauling wagon-loads of wheat.
Might I just say….
I’m still tired.
The dogs, on the other hand slept all day (after being up most of the night) and are ready for another night of fun.
Maybe there’ll be fireworks…..
Awww, I’m so sorry! I know how that is, being kept up all night. We’re up at 4:30 in the morning so in bed by 9:30 and this past two weeks around 10:15, just when we’ve finally nodded off, the neighbors have started their apparently every-night-fireworks party leading up to the 4th. By the time we can get back to sleep, it really is after midnight. Three hours of sleep per night isn’t very conducive to getting anything done during the day.
I love ribs. I wish I could find them as meaty as the bar-b-que guys use. Ours here are way more bone than meat so I don’t buy them often.
Nothing worse than being kept up all night…never mind the heat! Love your bbq pork rib recipe…this is a must try next time I get pork ribs. We are still in major heat too. Even tho I close up the house like you do…by 4:00 pm it is killer hot. Thank heavens for our nightly dip…it is the only thing that saves me! By the way, for the gas BBQ I am assuming the indirect heat should be on high?
Ina’s comment gave me an idea for you – a swimming pool! You have enough space, the dogs would love it, and you could skinnydip while the harvest is going on!
nightsmusic – 4:30? We still have 2 more hours of dark at that time…. and 2 more hours of daylight at 9:00…. I like later…. but i like sleep, too .
Ina, no we do it on medium – that’s why they’re on so long…. Yes, the house is starting to get miserable by 5.
Zoomie, we’ve thought about a pool – but nothing here is ever as easy as it should be. However, we may think about it some more…..
Oh, trust me. We still have at least 2 more hours of dark as well, but my DH starts work at 6am so we’re up early. I must admit though, in the winter, I really feel like a mole because I drive to work in the dark and home in the dark. Ugh.
nightsmusic, I remember that well – for many years.
Well. This is just horrible! So many aspects of it.
But, for next summer, can’t you fix the lack of sweet corn by planting some yourself? Because your ribs look like they’re made for corn on the cob!
Elizabeth, I normally do plant it I just skipped it this year. Never again…..