You Don't Have to be a Texan or Have a Smokehouse to Make Great Barbecue Ribs!

My forever Chicago friend who used to be my Philadelphia friend who originally came from the Philippines and once was a resident of Los Angeles, Ronaldo Sy, has on several occasions asked my advise on how to approach the cooking of certain foods or how to deconstruct certain dishes he has a clue what's it all about but couldn't finally pinpoint the final kick that makes the dish tick. I am appreciative of Ron's trust of my culinary abilities or gustatory senses. On my part I am sure there are still quite a constellation of aromas, mixed with the five (or six) tastes that make the flavor universe that I haven't even experienced. In fact, a case in point, just the other day, Mike and I were out shopping in the Korean store when we ran through this can of soy marinated silkworm grubs on sale for two dollars (normally it sells for 3.99). I was very sure that the flavor of that would be something different but no, I had no desire of finding it out.  But then, hey, I love balut (boiled 21 day old duck embryo) as I am sure a lot of my Caucasian audiences would not dream of trying.

Making tender, juicy and flavorful ribs is
a possibility in your home oven.

But Ron asked me several weeks ago and it is way overdue, to present my way of doing slab of pork ribs.  Because I grew up with my mom and dad tending a pig farm which raised us five brats to full maturity and sent us to school becoming the professionals we all became, I also grew up utilizing almost all the pig parts making them into edible final products that we are all familiar with. So, from sausages to adobo, skin chicharron to chicharron bulaklak, humba to braised pork kidneys and uteri (yes, Virginia, you eat them  too...) I've made them all.

Ron - my friend who shares my delight
in culinary adventures.

But don’t you worry - this essay is not about that.  We'll be familiar this time.  How to make the perfect oven baked ribs. Ron asked me for my advise on this dish because it is perfect for the summer and everyone enjoys a rib recipe that is finger lickin' good.  To achieve this, there has to be the perfect combination of the right meat with all its fat and subcutaneous tissue and not to mention - cartilage! - the proper spicing and lastly cooking including sauce caramelization.

To begin, let's discuss the meat. Ribs is perfect to make the dish because of several qualities the first being the ribs itself - bone.  Bones provide marrow and with marrow comes blood supply and with more blood supply comes flavor.  Thus the dictum that the meat that is nearest the bony structure is the most flavorful of meats.  Why do you suppose bone-in ribeye is the best cut?  One may argue about the tenderloin as the most prized cut of meat for its tenderness but face it, as tougher the ribeye may be, it has the perfect balance of fattiness, flavor and bite. Unfortunately, slab ribs may have flavor but because of the fascial subcutaneous tissue it is also tough but this is where the slow and tenderizing cooking process comes in.

See the fat?  See all that bone?  What about the meat?
Yes, ribs make the perfect flavor trifecta.

And how does one achieve that?  Slow cooking and with a relatively low temperature, of course. But in slow cooking there is a risk slow dehydration and unfortunately, dryness.  Look. What we want is a slab of tender, juicy ribs and not jerky right?

So, here comes the common kitchen aid - aluminum foil.  Foil is a great way to achieve even heat that slowly penetrates all sides of the meat via convection from the oven surroundings then conduction via the foil the touches the surfaces of the ribs.  It seals in the meat juices as the heat slowly tenderizes it leaving it moist.  Unlike some methods of tenderizing meat by boiling then roasting it in the oven which extracts the meat's flavor prior to the final cooking process leaving it tasteless, using aluminum foil to seal in the goodness of meat will ensure that not one iota of the meat's intrinsic flavor will be lost.

Aluminum foil saves the day!

Oven Barbecued St. Louis Pork Ribs

• 1 whole thick slab pork ribs
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Paprika to taste
• 1 bottle favorite Barbecue Sauce
• 1 Sheet Aluminum foil enough to contain and seal the slab of pork ribs
• Optional: smoking wood plank (e.g. apple, cedar, hickory, cherry etc.)

Procedure

1. Make a sheet of aluminum foil that is large enough to completely contain and seal the pork ribs in preparation for baking.  Most aluminum sheets are not large enough to do this, so get two sheets, fold at the longest edge twice to completely hold them together creating a seal.  This would ensure to preserve the juices and flavor of the meat during cooking.
2. Getting the slab of meat, drain of all juices preferably by patting it dry using paper towels.  Laying the slab on the aluminum foil, sprinkle salt and pepper evenly.  Next, sprinkle generously paprika until all surfaces are covered.  Some people do not like a strong paprika flavor so this could be lessened.  But paprika usually not only intensifies the barbeque flavor but also adds color as the slow cooking of the ribs continues within the foil packet.
3. After applying the rub, seal the aluminum foil packet completely and bake in a slow oven of 300 to 350 degrees F for about two and a half to three hours.
4. As long as there are juices within the packet as it releases them during cooking the meat, it is okay to prolong the cooking and in fact, would achieve an even more tender ribs.  Just reseal the foil and return the ribs in the oven.
5. Once the initial tenderizing process is done, open the packet and pour generously and speading evenly, your favorite bottle of barbrque sauce.
6. Raise the temperature to about 400F or broil and bake for about five minutes, longer if desired, to dry the meat and caramelize the sauce.  Remove from the heat and let rest for about ten minutes to settle the meat and sauces and serve.  The resulting ribs would be fork tender and guaranteed to fall off the bone!