Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons (26 page)

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Authors: Colleen Rush,Gary Wiviott

BOOK: Low & Slow: Master the Art of Barbecue in 5 Easy Lessons
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10 tablespoons hot Hungarian or “half sharp” paprika
6 tablespoons garlic powder
6 tablespoons kosher salt
5 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons chipotle powder
2 tablespoons ancho powder
1 tablespoon guajillo powder
Mix the ingredients in a medium bowl, using a whisk to thoroughly blend.
To apply, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons over each rack of ribs, or more to taste.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to two months.
INGREDIENT FINDER: PAPRIKA
 
Surely, you know my position on grocery store paprika at this point: Buy the best, or don’t even bother. For my rub, I strongly recommend going a step further, and seeking out hot or half-sharp Hungarian paprika, available at some gourmet and ethnic markets, as well as The Spice House or Penzey’s. This type of paprika, ground from a hotter variety of pepper than sweet paprika, gives the rub extra bite.
 
GARRY HOWARD’S 180 RIB SAUCE
 
A force in barbecue, talented pitmaster Garry Howard runs The Smoke Ring, a hub of hundreds of barbecue Web sites. He’s also a multiple grand champion on the barbecue competition circuit, although I try not to hold that against him. The “180” in the name refers to the perfect score in competition barbecue.
 
MAKES ABOUT 5 CUPS
 
1 large onion, chopped (about 1½ cups)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon mace
1 tablespoon paprika
1 (28-ounce) can tomato purée
1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes
1½ cups ketchup
1 cup cider vinegar
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
¾ cup prepared yellow mustard
⅓ cup honey
⅓ cup molasses
1 cup orange juice
½ cup turbinado sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar
Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until golden brown and soft. Add all dry spices and stir for about 30 seconds. Add all the remaining ingredients. Simmer on very low heat for 4 hours. The long cooking time is needed to remove the acidity from the tomatoes.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
SMOKING SZECHUAN
PEPPER RUB
 
Szechuan pepper is not an actual peppercorn. It is the dried outer pod of a small berry that grows on an evergreen tree in Asia. Although it’s not spicy-hot like a habañero pepper, Szechuan pepper has a tongue-numbing effect that enhances the flavor of other herbs and spices it accompanies—in this case, cayenne pepper and black pepper.
 
MAKES ABOUT ½ CUP
 
3 tablespoons ground Szechuan pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
 
Mix the ingredients in a medium bowl, using a whisk to thoroughly blend.
To apply, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons over each rack of ribs, or more to taste.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to two months.
THAI CURRY
SLATHER
 
I’d like to say I work hard to make this killer Thai green curry paste—that I use a mortar and pestle to grind exotic ingredients like coriander root, kaffir limes, galangal (an unusual, earthy herb common in Thai cuisine), and the fresh “bird’s eye” green Thai chiles that give the paste its trademark color. The truth? The only energy you’ll expend on this slather is twisting a can opener. I guarantee anyone who tastes your well-cooked spare ribs schmeared with this paste 1) will love it and 2) will never guess what the subtle, spicy flavor is. A 1 to 1 curry paste to mustard ratio creates a great flavor for the ribs, but if you like more kick, reduce the amount of mustard in the mix.
 
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
 
1 (4-ounce) can Thai green curry paste
¼ to ½ cup prepared yellow mustard
 
Stir the curry paste and mustard together in a medium bowl. Follow the instructions for Lesson #4, using the mustard-curry paste in lieu of the mustard and rub steps.
Use ⅓ cup of slather per rack of ribs.
INGREDIENT FINDER:
THAI CURRY PASTE
 
Any brand of Thai green curry paste will get the job done, but I typically use Maesri—and not just because I like the picture of the Thai Betty Crocker on the can. The lingering, spicy heat is nice, but not overpowering. Thai curry paste is becoming more common in large grocery stores, including Wegmans. Specialty gourmet stores like Whole Foods and Central Market carry at least one brand, and you can also buy cans online at—I kid you not—
Amazon.com
.
 
CHINESE SPARERIBS
MARINADE
 
If you’re on the fence about experimenting with ethnic flavors in barbecue, this marinade will be your gateway drug. One taste and you’ll start stockpiling five-spice powder, hoisin sauce, ginger, and other classic Chinese ingredients. Remember to remove the thin membrane on the ribs (page 137) so that the meat drinks up as much marinade as possible.
WSM AND OFFSET
 
MAKES 2½ CUPS
 
 
1 cup hoisin sauce
¾ cup soy sauce
½ cup dry sherry
10 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
⅓ cup sugar
1 (4-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
KETTLE
 
MAKES 1¼ CUPS
 
 
½ cup hoisin sauce
⅓ cup soy sauce
¼ cup dry sherry
5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2½ tablespoons sugar
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
½ teaspoon five-spice powder
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl or food processor. Whisk or blend until the sugar is dissolved.
Pour the marinade in a shallow glass baking dish big enough to accommodate the racks of ribs. Lay the racks, meat-side down, in the marinade. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and allow the racks to marinate 6 to 8 hours in the refrigerator, flipping the racks three or four times to marinate both sides. Follow the cook instructions for Lesson #4.
HOISIN
BARBECUE SAUCE
 
This is the sauce to whip up when you don’t have time to soak the ribs in one of the Asian marinades, or if you want a sauce to go on ribs hit with the Smoking Szechuan Pepper Rub (page 161) or the Five-Spice Rub (page 97). You can slather it on in the final minutes of the cook, or serve it as a side sauce to drizzle on the ribs to taste. One warning: the sauce may taste salty and unbalanced on its own, but it improves greatly once painted on spare ribs. The sauce is excellent on duck, too.
 
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
 
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
2 tablespoons finely minced onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
⅓ cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup dry sherry
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon chile-garlic sauce
 
Heat the canola and sesame oil in a small saucepan and then cook the onion and garlic over medium-low heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Serve warm. If you find the pieces of minced onion and garlic unappealing, smooth out the sauce with an immersion blender.
Store in an airtight container for up to two days.
INGREDIENT FINDER:
CHILE-GARLIC SAUCE
 
If this chunky, chile-red sauce is unfamiliar to you, slow down the next time you’re cruising the grocery aisle with soy sauce and chow mein noodles. Chile-garlic sauce is sold in plastic or glass jars, and the one with the green plastic screw-top—by the same manufacturer as the Sriracha with the rooster on the bottle—is fairly common. You can also substitute Sriracha, a Thai-style hot sauce made with chiles, vinegar, and garlic, or
sambal oelek,
a pure chile sauce.
 
BOURBON-CUE SAUCE
 
It is possible to make barbecue without having a slosh of bourbon, but four out of five pitmasters do not recommend it. For sipping, I like Old Rip Van Winkle, but don’t use the good stuff in this sauce. Old Crow or Evan Williams will do just fine.
 
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS
 
2 cups ketchup
⅓ cup mild molasses
⅓ cup bourbon
¼ cup prepared brown mustard
2 tablespoons Louisiana-style or Mexican-style hot
sauce, such as Texas Pete, Louisiana, or Búfalo
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
 
Combine all of the ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
CITRUS GLAZE AND SAUCE
 
Oil and vinegar. Laurel and Hardy. Perfect examples of how opposites attract and cause good things to happen, much like rich, fatty spare ribs and this zesty, spicy sauce. Applied in the last few minutes of the cook, it works as a glaze and gives the ribs a glossy finish, striking the perfect balance between sweet and tart. I find pineapple juice sweet enough on its own, so I cut out the brown sugar if I use it in place of OJ.
 
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS
 
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon Toasted Mexican Pepper Blend
(page 18)
1 fresh jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 cup orange juice or pineapple juice
4 limes, juiced (about ½ cup juice)
½ lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons juice)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon kosher salt
 
Heat the oil in a small saucepan and cook the onion, pepper blend, and jalapeño over medium-low heat until the onion and jalapeño are tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring the sauce to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Store in an airtight container for up to two days.
COFFEE AND A SMOKE SAUCE
 
Good coffee, like fine wine, has complex undertones—nutty aromas, caramel flavors, spice, chocolate notes, and more, depending on the bean—and it’s a natural match for smoky barbecue. In a tomato-based sauce, coffee adds a dark richness to the flavor. It’s not quite bitter, but it has a slight edge.
 
MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS
 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons toasted and freshly ground ancho
powder (see Toasted Herbs and Spices, page 18)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground fennel seed
1 teaspoon paprika
¾ cup ketchup
cup dark brown sugar
½ cups brewed dark roast coffee
½ cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
 
In a large saucepan, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. When foam subsides, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the ancho powder, cumin, coriander, fennel, and paprika and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the ketchup and brown sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir in the coffee, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 20 to 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender or transfer sauce to a blender and process until smooth.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
NOSTALGIA IN A BOTTLE
 
Despite rather strong opinions about making sauces (and marinades and rubs) from scratch, I am not ashamed to say I like Original Open Pit Barbecue Sauce. It’s the only bottled sauce that crosses the threshold of my home, partly because I genuinely like the tangy vinegar zip, but also for sentimental reasons. It’s the sauce I grew up on. My father would boil some type of animal flesh, drown it in Open Pit, and then burn the living daylights out of it on the grill. It wasn’t just caramelized. It was call-the-fire-department blackened. Years later, I learned that Michael Morowitz, a Chicago friend and food enthusiast’s grandfather, was one of the three men who created the sauce for their food service company after World War II. Culinary kismet.

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