{"id":2023,"date":"2009-06-30T10:50:46","date_gmt":"2009-06-30T14:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kalofagas.ca\/?p=2023"},"modified":"2020-06-29T10:18:44","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T14:18:44","slug":"hickory-ribs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kalofagas.ca\/2009\/06\/30\/hickory-ribs\/","title":{"rendered":"Hickory Pork Ribs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2030\" title=\"IMG_4839\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4839.JPG?resize=480%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"IMG_4839\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4839.JPG?w=480&amp;ssl=1 480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4839.JPG?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/>One of the<a href=\"https:\/\/kalofagas.ca\/2007\/06\/22\/baby-got-back-ribs\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> first blog posts I wrote<\/a> was on the subject of ribs. Us Canadians love ribs, we love to grill and in fact you&#8217;ll find some of my posts where I grill in the middle of winter!<\/p>\n<p>I recently <a href=\"https:\/\/kalofagas.ca\/2009\/06\/28\/foodbuzz-24-24-24-a-canada-day-celebration\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">had friends over for a BBQ <\/a>and although it was mostly a Greek feast, I included some Canadian faves in the mix.<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2032\" title=\"IMG_6258-1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_6258-11.JPG?resize=480%2C361&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"IMG_6258-1\" width=\"480\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_6258-11.JPG?w=480&amp;ssl=1 480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_6258-11.JPG?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Be it friends, family or readers of my blog &#8211; these ribs are tried &amp; true&#8230;they have never failed me in being delicious, fall-off-the-bone tender and easy to prepare.<\/p>\n<p>Canada Day is coming up tomorrow and I thought it timely to post this fantastic and easy recipe for ribs. As a side, you can also try your hand at the <a href=\"https:\/\/kalofagas.ca\/2007\/06\/04\/bbq-scalloped-potatoes\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Montreal Steak Spice potatoes.<\/a>..another favourite for the backyard party.<\/p>\n<p>First off&#8230;I am in no way going to argue with the fact that BBQ anything (over wood or charcoal) can be beat &#8211; it can&#8217;t! The gas grill, the oven and other amenities for cooking are luxuries and time-savers.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s my approach to ribs, be it baby-back or spare ribs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I never EVER boil my ribs;<\/li>\n<li>This method works in the oven, on the BBQ\/gas grill or a combo of both oven and grill;<\/li>\n<li>Always take the time to remove the silver-skin on the underside of the ribs;<\/li>\n<li>Apply the dry rub of your choice the evening before cooking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I&#8217;ve found the whole boiling of ribs to be unnecessary&#8230;somehow I think flavour is being lost. Cover\/tent the ribs with foil and you&#8217;ll find the meat to render down to &#8220;fall off the bone&#8221;.<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2028\" title=\"IMG_4834\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4834.JPG?resize=480%2C425&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"IMG_4834\" width=\"480\" height=\"425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4834.JPG?w=480&amp;ssl=1 480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4834.JPG?resize=300%2C265&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>An important aspect to tasty and tender ribs is to remove the silver-skin on the underside of the ribs. I simply use a boning (flexible knife) and scrape the end of the underside of the ribs to loosen some of the skin &#8211; just enough to grab with my fingers and then I just pull it off and discard.<\/p>\n<p>This is important so that the rub adheres to the underside and when you&#8217;re eating the ribs, you&#8217;re not trying to gnaw into something rubbery. Remove it.<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2029\" title=\"IMG_4835\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4835.JPG?resize=480%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"IMG_4835\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4835.JPG?w=480&amp;ssl=1 480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4835.JPG?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As for a dry rub&#8230;it&#8217;s really up to your personal tastes. I find the best and tastiest results are when I apply a dry rub the night before I cook my ribs. The flavours really penetrate the meat and I even see a smoke ring (from the spices) even though I sometimes just use the oven.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"ingredients\">\n<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2026\" title=\"IMG_4011\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4011.JPG?resize=480%2C356&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"IMG_4011\" width=\"480\" height=\"356\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4011.JPG?w=480&amp;ssl=1 480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4011.JPG?resize=300%2C222&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/div>\n<div>Finally, back to the ribs. You can cook your ribs from start to finish either in your oven, on the grill (gas or charcoal) or a combination of both. Sometimes, if I have a busy day of prep and there&#8217;s no room on the grill for ribs to be on all day (or the lid is going to be opened &amp; closed), I simply pre-cook the ribs in the oven on a baking tray with a rack, cover them with foil and cook for about 70-90 minutes, 375F oven.<\/div>\n<div>Later in the day, you can simply throw your ribs on the grill (indirect heat) and warm through and apply your favourite BBQ sauce at the end. Speaking of BBQ sauce, a regular BBQ sauce works fine as a base (I use Diana&#8217;s brand). I simply mix the sauce with some garlic powder, splash of vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce and some Chipotle sauce for heat and smoky flavours.<\/div>\n<div>You can also add some liquid smoke into the mix but I resist as my dry rub (the most important factor for flavour) contains hickory salt. The night before I am to cook my ribs, I sprinkle hickory (smoked) salt, garlic powder, black pepper, sweet paprika and dried thyme on both sides of the ribs.<\/div>\n<div>I lay them on the rack and baking tray, cover with foil and place in the fridge overnight until they are ready for cooking. Here&#8217;s a simple ratio for my dry rub for ribs:<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2025\" title=\"IMG_3994-1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_3994-1.JPG?resize=480%2C357&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"IMG_3994-1\" width=\"480\" height=\"357\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_3994-1.JPG?w=480&amp;ssl=1 480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_3994-1.JPG?resize=300%2C223&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/div>\n<div><strong>Hickory Pork Ribs<\/strong><\/div>\n<div>(serves 6)<\/div>\n<div><em>2 racks of back ribs<\/em><\/div>\n<div><em>2 Tbsp. hickory salt<\/em><\/div>\n<div><em>2 Tbsp. garlic powder<\/em><\/div>\n<div><em>2 Tbsp. onion powder<\/em><\/div>\n<div><em>1\/4 cup brown sugar<\/em><\/div>\n<div><em>1 tsp. black pepper<\/em><\/div>\n<div><em>2 Tbsp. sweet paprika<\/em><\/div>\n<div><em>1 tsp. dry thyme<\/em><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><em>Barbecue sauce<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>2 cups BBQ sauce<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>1 Tbsp. garlic powder<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>1\/4 cup brown sugar (or honey)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>1\/4 cup Worcestershire sauce<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>1\/4 cup balsamic vinegar<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>hot sauce to taste<\/em><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Mix the above ingredients in a bow. F<span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">lip the ribs to the bone side and using a knife, gently insert the knife between the silver skin and bone. When you have enough skin to hold on to, pull off the ribs and discard (this step will allow the rub to stick to the bottom as it does with the top).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Now generously sprinkle the top &amp; bottom side of the ribs. The meat should be covered by the rub mixture. Wrap each rack of rubs tightly with foil and place in the fridge (ideally overnight).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">To cook your ribs, you can pre-heat your oven to 350F or pre-heat your gas or charcoal grill to about the same internal temperature.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Add all your BBQ Sauce ingredients into a medium pot, stir over a medium heat. Taste, adjust ingredients to your personal tastes.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">The ribs cook in the oven (covered with foil) for about 1 hr. and 45 minutes and then the foil comes off and the ribs are cooked for another 15 minutes, just enough time to give them that deep brown colour. (<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">If using your gas or charcoal grill, cook the ribs over indirect heat for about 90 minutes and you should get that same &#8220;fall off the bone&#8221; end result).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">Finally, brush on the BBQ Sauce and you can place back in the oven for sauce to firm up or brush on sauce and serve.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><strong>Please note:<\/strong> <em>it&#8217;s best you put a pan underneath the grill to catch any drippings. Pork ribs will render a lot of fat.<\/em><\/div>\n<div><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2031\" title=\"IMG_4847\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4847.JPG?resize=480%2C365&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"IMG_4847\" width=\"480\" height=\"365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4847.JPG?w=480&amp;ssl=1 480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_4847.JPG?resize=300%2C228&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the first blog posts I wrote was on the subject of ribs. Us Canadians love ribs, we love to grill and in fact you&#8217;ll find some of my posts where I grill in the middle of winter! I recently had friends over for a BBQ and although it was mostly a Greek feast, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":2032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[127,7,187,105,38,64,6,17,159,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american","category-bbq","category-canada-day","category-canadiana","category-condiments","category-meat","category-pork","category-potato","category-recipes","category-sauce"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/IMG_6258-11.JPG?fit=480%2C361&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2023\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kalofagas.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}