With this weekend (Memorial Day) being what many deem the official start of the summer season, for some reason we’ve traditionally thought of this as a rib weekend (along with the 4th).
Most of the rib recipes we’ve posted here on Chi Wulff have been geared for the smoker, cooking low and slow, often using both a rub and a mop along the way. That’s all well and good, and produces most often produces extraordinary results, but clearly that’s not the only rib game in town.
Over the past year I’ve met a guy (Ricky) who grew up in the metropolis (kidding) of Antioch, TN, though has lived now the greater part of his adult life in Texas. He happens to be insanely addicted to two things: chasing redfish on the fly and the competition bbq circuit.
He in fact is has been at Memphis in May the past few weeks (at the time of posting this piece last week) competing in several categories, and was kind enough to share one of his recipes with us for a Memphis-Styled Grilled Dry Rub Baby Back Rib. Besides featuring a great rub, these ribs don’t require the time and complexity of a smoker cook.
Those interested in the ‘que game know that dry rub ribs were the creation of Rendezvous founder Charlie Vergos back in the early 50s, and are served up in artisanal fashion all over Tennessee and other Southern bastions of all things pork.
Ricky’s added a subtle Tex-Mex slant to his rub (this isn’t his actual competition rub, but a damned close recipe he’s willing to share) with cumin, coriander, and a touch of smokey paprika. The foil technique, commonly used when nursing Texas-style brisket through its long cycle in the smoker, tenderizes these ribs like nothing else – though they do need a crisp-up over higher heat right at the end to caramelize that rub perfectly.
Ricky’s Texican-Memphis Rub
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp kosher salt
1/4 cup good sweet paprika
2 tbsp fresh ground black pepper, fine
1 tbsp + 1 tsp good chili powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp good ground cumin (or more)
1 tbsp granulated garlic
1 tbsp onion powder, scant
1 tsp dry mustard (Ricky insists on Colman’s)
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp allspice (ground)2 racks baby backs (pork loin), membranes pulled
Roughly four hours before you plan to grill your ribs, pull the membranes off, trim fat as needed, then rub both sides of the racks liberally with the rub. Slide back into the fridge and let the spices work their magic.
When ready, fire the grill and adjust to as close to 300 as you can get it. Throw the racks right on the grill (meat up) and give ‘em an hour, then turn and cook 30 minutes, then turn again (back to meat up) and let ‘em cook another 30.
Now pull the ribs, and wrap each rack in a double-thickness of foil, meaty side up, and seal tightly. Return to the grill. The goal here is to get those ribs just about fall apart tender – Ricky says he usually gives them 50 minutes and then opens the foil and checks, pending your fire/grill it might take a little longer. When tender, pull from the grill and remove from the foil.
Now finish ’em right. Stoke the fire / turn up the grill to around 400; dust the racks again with the rib rub, grill for 5, turn and sprinkle again, then grill for 5, then make one more turn and grill for 5.
NOW it’s time to plate ‘em up and go to it. You can even serve with a shaker of Ricky’s rub on the table.
Enjoy.
