Chi Wulff’s Friday Feast 15 July: Red Chile Ribs

I know, I know – this is the third week in a row that we’ve offered up a rib recipe for the Friday Feast.

We won’t lie to deflect criticism or complaint.

We like ribs.

This is another one of our go-to rib recipes that we’ve taken to preparing in tandem with other fav ribs whenever they’re are on the menu.

That’s in fact how we discovered these beauties. Back from what we called the great rib wars years ago.

A couple we hung out with years ago were most recently from Memphis, home to some of the most finger-licking, rib-tickling que in the world. He was from just south of Atlanta, a southern boy to the core (in a good way), and she was a gorgeous woman who hailed from Santa Fe.

They both loved great ribs; they had a home version of a competition smoker, cooked over real wood (peach, oak and mesquite) and served up some of the best eats we’d seen in a long, long time. She is probably more responsible that any one else in teaching us about the goodness that is southwestern cooking.

As it turns out he learned the ins and out of the world of que from helping run a family owned que joint back home. He had fallen from grace and become a neurosurgeon, but we at least knew that despite his poor life choices he came from a good family of hard working, honest folks.

They were fly fishers, almost always smiling, ready to travel at the drop of a hat (no kids) and generous to a fault.

There was a minor culinary hitch in their paradise though.

He couldn’t stand red chile and she couldn’t abide the sweet, tomato based que sauces that grace many a Memphis table. Hence the term the great rib wars.

I can’t recall all the details of how the truce was eventually established, but they came up with this outstanding Red Chile Rib recipe and smoked it up right along side their award winning peach glazed baby backs (there’s that Georgia thing again) every time ribs hit the plate.

If you’re a red chile fan like we are, you’re salivating right now thinking about a red chile slathered rack of ribs on your plate this weekend.

8 dried red chiles (assorted), wiped clean and soaked until soft in 4 cups hot water
1/2 sweet onion, rough chop
3 gloves fresh garlic
1 and 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
2 tsp mexican oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

3 lbs baby backs, washed, patted dry, membranes peeled

Make the red chile puree. Place the softened chiles and 2 cups of soaking liquid into your trusty food processor and puree. Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, mexican oregano, cumin and salt; puree until smooth. Add another cup and 1/2 of the soaking liquid and combine.

Marinate the ribs. Salt and pepper both sides of the ribs. Put the ribs on a rimmed baking sheet and pour the puree over them; wiggle them around to make sure all sides are coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Smoke ‘em up. Charge the smoker or grill (we use oak and mesquite for these) and get set for a roughly 4 hour cook at 225-250. When you place the ribs in the smoker, shake off the red chile sauce and use as a mop (you may need to thin it a bit – beer or water works fine) for the first few hours.

[Alternatively you could back in the oven, low and slow at 250 or so, for 4ish hours, though it’s just not the same...]

Serve. Roll up you sleeves and don’t use white tablecloths – the red chile sauce stains are deadly. We usually make up a batch of a southwestern styled potato salad and have a cooler of a south of the border beer handy.

The praise ‘Hot Damn’ will take on a whole new meaning murmured when eating these ribs.

Enjoy.

Tags: Friday Feast

Tagged as: Friday Feast