Gonzo's Magic Ribs

Okay, here's the final secret to "Gonzo's Series" of ribs. Learn this trick and you'll be the envy of all your friends! Can I let you in on a secret? If you don't have a grill, they're really darn good just in the oven under the broiler! While I firmly believe that on the grill over mesquite chunk wood is best, you can still make darn good ribs in your kitchen.

Ingredients:
  • 1 or more slab(s) pork ribs (I prefer St. Louis cut, but baby backs are good to!)
  • Gonzo's magic rub
  • Gonzo's magic sauce
Directions:
On the underside of the ribs will be a thin, tight, white "membrane" that I like to remove. You can keep it on if you want, but it doesn't bring any flavor and makes the ribs just a little more chewy to eat. I remove it myself by grabbing it with a paper towel (for grip) and just pulling it off. It's easy to do, but you can ask your butcher to do it for you (which is a good idea if you've never seen it done so you can learn how).

Place the ribs on top a large piece of alumninum foil, that itself is set on a baking dish large enough to hold the ribs. Generously spread Gonzo's Magic Rub all over the ribs on all sides, and rub it into the meat(*). Close the ribs in the alumninum foil and place them flat in the refrigerator for about four hours.

After the ribs have been absorbing the goodness of the rub, remove and take them to a grill of about 450 degrees(**). Remove from the aluminum foil and place the ribs on a alumninm foil tray to capture all the yummy drippings (for the Gonzo's Magic Sauce recipe). Cook for about 20 minutes covered under the grill, checking every 5 minutes to make sure the grill is not too hot and burning the meat. Move the meat on the grill as needed to promote even cooking.

After 20 minutes, remove the ribs from the foil tray with drippings and place them directly on the grill. Continue to cook the ribs until they have an internal temperature of about 160 degrees.

After the ribs are to temperature, remove from the grill and place on the serving platter (I use a really big wooden cutting board for presentation). Drizzle the ribs with Gonzo's Magic Sauce and let the ribs rest for about 3-5 minutes before cutting them.



footnotes

(*) Some folks argue about this one and say that you don't rub it into the meat. I say, then why is it called a "rub" ???

(**) Other folks would say this is too hot and we should cook the ribs "low and slow" to get the best ribs. Well, I love "low and slow" but sometimes I just don't want to wait that long for ribs. This is a method of faster cooking that, while it takes a good long sit in the refrigerator, does not take nearly as long active time to cook. That's why these are "magic" ribs!

Comments