Americas Best Ribs

Tips and Recipes for Easy, Lip-Smacking, Pull-Off-the-Bone, Pass-the-Sauce, Championship-Quality BBQ

by Ardie A. DavisPhB, Chef Paul KirkCWC, PhB, BSAS

Price: $19.99
ISBN-13: 9781449414139
ISBN-10: 1449414133
Format: Paperback
Size: 8 X 10 in.
Page Count: 160 pages

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May 12, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Ardie Davis will sign books
Main Street Market
123 Main St.
Buffalo Lake, MN 55314

May 26, 1;00 p.m.
I Love a Mystery
6114 Johnson Drive
Mission, KS 66202
913-432-2583
www.iloveamystery.com

June 2, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Ardie Davis will sign books
Cedar Roe Library
5120 Cedar St.
Roeland Park, KS 66205

June 14 and 15. 12:30 p.m.
Ardie Davis will sign books
The Next Page
409 Main St.
Frisco, CO 80443

Now everyone can make championship-caliber ribs at home—whether pork, beef, lamb, or even buffalo. From the authors of America’s Best BBQ comes America’s Best Ribs (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $19.99, May 1, 2012), the ultimate guide to a mouthwatering meal.

Everyone loves finger-licking-good ribs, the core part of the championship circuit and one of America’s most beloved foods. In addition to the 100 lip-smacking recipes for rock-your-world ribs and delicious sides and desserts to complement them, America’s Best Ribs includes tips for competitive barbecuing, juicy stories and teachings from back- yards and competitions, and tons of full-color photographs that showcase America’s barbecue scene at its best.

This ultimate guide not only includes basics for beginners, but also features tips for building your own award-winning rubs, sauces, marinades, and brines. It’s a must-have for professional and amateur barbecuers, as well as an appetizing read for people who may not tend to the pit but still appreciate a high-quality rib.

Serves 12

This recipe honors the abundance of America’s sweet and field corn that comes from the heartland. There’s something about the heartland terroir that makes corn and other fresh produce absolutely delicious! Although field corn is grown primarily for livestock feed, ethanol, or adult beverages, when it is grilled we’ve enjoyed field corn as much as sweet. This recipe delivers a combination of sweetness, spice, and smoke that your guests will devour with as much gusto as the ribs.

12 ears corn on the cob, with husks
1/4 cup barbecue rub
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
12 thin slices lean bacon

Remove and discard any dry outer corn husks. Pull the husks down, but don’t remove them. Hold the corn under cold running water while removing the corn silk.

Heat a grill to medium to medium-high.

Pat the corn dry with paper towels and sprinkle it with the rub and pepper. Wrap the corn in bacon and pull the husks over it. Wrap each ear in a 12-inch square of aluminum foil. Grill for about 15 minutes over direct heat, turning frequently.

Remove the corn from the grill and leave it in the foil for 20 minutes before serving.

The traditional rib sandwich features at least four sparerib bones atop a slice of white bread, with sauce on the ribs or to the side and another slice of white bread to the side. Eating a rib sandwich is much the same as eating ribs the way you always do. You pick them up, pull the bone apart if it isn’t already sliced, and eat a rib at a time. The added bonus of a rib sandwich is bread to sop up sauce and grease—although many rib joints today serve ribs with bread on the side or multiple bread slices atop the slab anyway.

Of course, when most people think of a rib sandwich, they picture McDonald’s popular version of a rib sandwich, the McRib. It is boneless cooked pork meat shaped like a portion of loin slab, served in a hoagie roll with barbecue sauce, pickles, and onion. Paul likes them. Ardie would rather eat the Angus Burger. When Ardie administers the Judges’ Oath at barbecue contests, he begins with, “If you can taste the difference between a McRib sandwich and real barbecue, please stand, raise your right hand, and repeat after me, “I do solemnly swear…”

Serves 8

Artists at fairs have a label for browsers who say, “I’ll be back,” as they leave the booth. “Be-Backs” seldom return. These ribs are a work of art. The sweet, smoky, meaty, rich flavor will compel most of your guests to be back for more!

8 (6-inch-long) beef short ribs

SAUCE
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup cola
2 tablespoons clover or other mild-flavored honey
2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
1 teaspoon granulated garlic

RUB
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne

Heat a cooker to 230° to 250°F. Remove the ribs from the refrigerator and outline them with a sharp, pointed paring knife.

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. If the sauce is too thick to brush on the ribs, add water to thin, as desired. Set aside.

Combine all the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl and blend well. Season the ribs all over with the rub.

Oil the grate and place the ribs on it bone side down over indirect heat. Cover and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Turn and cook for 45 minutes more, then turn and cook for another 45 minutes, or until the ribs reach 185°F on a meat thermometer, glazing the ribs with the sauce every 10 minutes during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Transfer the ribs to a cutting board and let them rest, covered loosely with aluminum foil, for 10 to 15 minutes. While the ribs are resting, boil the remaining sauce for 1 to 2 minutes. Cut the ribs into individual pieces and serve with the sauce.

Chef Paul Kirk, PhB, a charter member of the KCBS and member of the board of directors, operates the Baron’s School of Pitmasters. The author of six barbeque cookbooks, he has won more than 475 cooking and barbequing awards, among them seven world championships, including the prestigious American Royal Open, the world’s largest barbeque contest.