| Somewhere in west Texas or south Florida, folks are | | | | membrane on the bone side of the ribs. Some think |
| getting ready to fire up their charcoal grills and dig | | | | that by leaving the film on the bone, it seals in the |
| out their favorite recipes for their best barbeque | | | | flavor of the meat and spices. |
| sauce. Except for Hawaii and a handful of desert | | | | Others believe that by removing the membrane it |
| states, those are the only places that seem warm | | | | allows the smoke to penetrate throughout the meat |
| enough to enjoy a backyard barbecue. | | | | better. I use both methods, depending upon the |
| For anytime of the year, barbeque pork ribs please | | | | degree of laziness I'm feeling at the moment. |
| almost everyone. There is something about the | | | | To remove it, insert the handle of a fork or knife |
| aroma of seasoned ribs and charcoal smoke drifting | | | | between the film to give you an opening in which to |
| down the street of the neighborhood that warms | | | | insert your finger and pull the translucent film off the |
| the blood of any true southern man. | | | | meat. It's supposed to come off in one piece. |
| There is nothing really difficult about preparing and | | | | That's not how it usually works for me. When I start |
| cooking ribs on a barbecue smoker or grill. The hard | | | | to pull the membrane off the meat, it tears, so |
| part comes into play when you're trying to find that | | | | instead of having one piece of film on the ribs, I have |
| perfect piece of meat to throw over the coals, or in | | | | two. Then I have to remove each small individual |
| most cases, charcoal briquettes. | | | | piece that I've made. Occasionally I'll be able to |
| Good meat markets can give you choices in grades | | | | extract a large segment in one movement, but that's |
| of pork ribs, but in my area you get what is available. | | | | not normal for me. |
| You may have to search a little to find a rack of ribs | | | | Ribs can be seasoned before they are thrown onto a |
| that have more lean meat than fat, but it can be | | | | grill in a barbecue smoker or a barbecue grill by using |
| done. | | | | a rub of various spices which can easily be found on |
| For my money, I look for a nice pink, not red, spare | | | | the internet. I prefer using a basting sauce made of |
| rib. Baby back ribs are great, but I grew up when | | | | vinegar, water and a variety of peppers, which I can |
| money was tighter than it is now, so I lean toward | | | | apply occasionally as the ribs sizzle. When the meat |
| the large rack rather than the dainty little baby backs. | | | | falls off the bone, the ribs are ready to eat. |
| Spare ribs only take about 2 ½ hours to cook if | | | | Barbecuing is mental food for dreamers. That's why I |
| you are using a smoker grill if the weather is warm. If | | | | like to cook at night. I have visions of campfires and |
| it is cold, add at least another hour. With a charcoal | | | | hot coffee strong enough to float a horseshoe. I can |
| smoker, wait until the briquettes have turned white, | | | | smell the dust from the herd of cattle that are |
| then add the ribs, but first a little preparation is in | | | | bedded down for the night and I wonder how John |
| order. | | | | Wayne would grill ribs. |
| There are two schools of thought on removing the | | | | |