BoomerGirl Diary

With Independence Day just around the corner, the thought of barbecued ribs is sparking my appetite. Hearty, succulent pork ribs, smoked and basted with barbecue sauce, are a uniquely American tradition. I'll admit, I'm no barbecue expert, but I've found a method of cooking ribs that gets expert results without much fuss. The goal is to get moist, tender ribs from the grill to the grin with as little effort as possible.

The secret, for those of us who want to take the easy way out, is to pre-bake the ribs "low and slow" in the oven before finishing them on the grill. This allows the rib fat to melt slowly, self-basting the ribs over a long period of time. Three hours in a 300 degree oven preps the ribs for a quick grill-smoke finish.

To accompany the ribs, make a spicy and colorful grilled corn and pepper salad with a chile-lime dressing and dazzle your friends on this day of celebration. Happy July 4th!

Lazy day ribs

2 slabs pork loin back ribs or baby back ribs

Dry Rub:

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground clove

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground

2 teaspoons toasted cumin seeds, coarsely crushed

2 cups mesquite, sugar maple or hickory smoking chips

barbecue sauce

Remove the membrane from the backside of each slab of ribs (optional).

Dry Rub: To toast the cumin seeds, place the seeds in a small skillet heat over medium heat. Stir or shake the pan frequently until the seeds are lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the seeds from the pan and cool. Crush them with a mortar & pestle or in a spice grinder. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the rub. Rub about half the mixture into both sides of each slab of ribs.

Pour 1 to 1½ cups of water into a large baking dish. Place a baking rack in the baking dish. The rack should be high enough so that the ribs will not come in contact with the water. Place the ribs on the rack, meaty side up. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake the ribs in a 300 degree oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours. When done, the ribs should be very tender and the fat completely melted.

Smoking chips: Soak the smoking chips in water for 15 minutes and drain well. To finish the ribs on a gas grill, add the chips to the smoker box as the grill is heating up. If using a charcoal grill, sprinkle the chips directly on the hot coals. When the chips begin to smoke, brush the meaty side of the ribs lightly with barbecue sauce and place them on the grill over indirect low heat. Cover the grill. Smoke the ribs and heat them throughout, about 10 minutes. Serves 6.

Option: For Southwest-Style BBQ Ribs follow the directions for Lazy Day Ribs (above recipe) and prepare the Southwest Dry Rub and Chipotle Barbecue Sauce as directed below. Use mesquite smoking chips.

Southwest dry rub:

1 tablespoon toasted cumin seed*, coarsely crushed

1 tablespoon smoky Spanish paprika

2 teaspoons mild chili powder

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

¼ teaspoon ground clove

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Chipotle barbecue sauce:

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 ½ cups onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 cups tomato sauce

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons molasses

¼ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons smoky Spanish paprika

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup adobo sauce from a 7.5-ounce can chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce

Dry Rub: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the rub. Rub about half the mixture into both sides of each slab of ribs. Proceed as directed above.

To make Chipotle Barbecue Sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until tender and golden, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the tomato sauce, vinegar, molasses, sugar, paprika, salt and pepper. Strain the adobo sauce from the can of chipotle peppers. Measure ¼ cup of the adobo sauce and add it to the mixture. If a hotter barbecue sauce is desired, add 1 or 2 chopped chipotle peppers. (Reserve the remaining peppers and sauce for another use.) Simmer the barbecue sauce over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Off heat, purée the mixture in the saucepan using an immersion blender. A food processor or blender may also be used, but cool the sauce completely and purée in small batches. (Caution: Hot liquid can expand while being puréed in a blender causing the blender lid to pop off or contents to leak out of the container.) Makes approximately 2 1/2 cups of sauce.

Grilled corn and pepper salad with chile-lime dressing

4 ears sweet corn, shucked

¼ cup olive oil, divided

1 large onion, sweet variety

1 large red pepper, seeded and chopped

1 or 2 green chilies (Anaheim or New Mexico), seeded and chopped

1 14.5-ounce can hominy, drained

Chile-lime dressing:

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon toasted cumin seed*, coarsely crushed

1 teaspoon chili powder blend

¼ teaspoon chipotle chile powder (optional)

¼ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Place the sweet corn in a large pan of boiling water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender-crisp. Drain well. Brush with olive oil and set aside. Chop the onion into 1-inch dice, place in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Seed the red pepper and green chilies and chop them into 1-inch dice. Place the peppers in separate bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

To grill, place the ears of corn on a gas grill over high heat, or over hot charcoals. Turn often to char lightly on all sides. Cool to warm and slice the kernels off the cob using a sharp knife. Place the kernels in a large bowl. Heat a grill basket over high heat on a gas grill, or over hot charcoals. Place the chopped onion in the grill basket and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning often. Add the chopped peppers and cook until tender-crisp, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the hominy during the last minute or so of cooking. Transfer the vegetables from the grill basket to the bowl containing the corn kernels.

Chile-Lime Dressing: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the dressing, whisking to blend. Pour the dressing over the grilled vegetables and toss gently to coat. Add the chopped cilantro and toss again. Serve warm or chilled. Serves 8 to 10.