Ribs n' Fixings

Growing up in the south, I have come to appreciate good Southern cooking. I'll admit, why people enjoy collard greens so much still eludes me, but for the most part, I'm a fan.  So when I was presented with a rack of ribs, and was told to make dinner, I decided to go for the gusto and make a nice Southern-style meal.

From my extensive culinary training by The Neeleys and the Food Network Channel, I knew that good ribs started with a good rub. So, I set off to make a rub that would make you slap yo' mama.

This one had a little bit of everything in it: chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, paprika, cumin, salt, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper (I had to control myself with that one....some members of my family don't appreciate as much 'kick' as I do )





I then proceeded to rub the rack of ribs with this mix until I had pretty much all of it covered. And my friends, don't be shy with this, rub a dub the meat like there's no tomorrow. It makes a difference ;)

Now comes the part where I deviated a little bit. Usually, you're supposed to grill these babies, but, seeing that it's like 100 degrees outside, I decided to do myself a favor and cook them another way. I placed the ribs on a large baking sheet, and cooked it in the oven at 250 degrees for 2-4 hours (depending on how big your rib rack is). I actually like this technique better..the ribs almost fall off the bone, and the rub really soaks into the meat. Not to mention, once it's in the oven, you can really forget about it and do other things.

 

I served these with some delicious sides, one of my favorites being the grilled corn. I'd never done that before, but I mixed some leftover rub with some butter, slathered the corn with it, and grilled it until it looked done. Ahh...the corn came so sweet and savory...too good.

All in all, this dinner came out pretty good. I wouldn't call it a total success, as I didn't actually slap my mama, but it came close nonetheless ;)

Happy Cooking!

-G