Rib tips: Making BBQ at home is easy peasy
These days, in the wake of the current RV-buying revolution, it's much more challenging to score a popular campsite.
That's why Johnny got up at dawn one morning this week to get online and snag a spot at Yellowstone National Park as soon as it became available. (More about making reservations in this week's Going Mobile column.) Even groggy without a full cup of coffee, he managed to reserve a rare plug-in spot in one of the nation's most popular parks for mid-September. That's right. We're planning way ahead because that's what you've got to do.
To mark the occasion, I decided to make ribs. My friend Mary recently sent me some sassy barbecue sauces from the legendary pitmaster Ed Mitchell. Mitchell and partners recently launched an innovative and flat-out fantastic sugar-free lineup with a tangy South Carolina accent. Bravo and pass the napkins!
Because I lack access to a proper smoker, I took the "let's hack it" approach and slow-cooked a rack of beauties from Jack's Mountain Meats at 225 for four hours. Before going into the oven uncovered, those ribs were seasoned with a combo of the True Made Foods' Carolina Red made with tomatoes, vinegar and red pepper, plus a generous sprinkle of dry rub from my pal, Peg Leg Porker.
Y'all might recall I got a very special delivery of barbecue from Peg Leg's place in Nashville last spring when we were in Sedona. The rub was in that awesome collection of meat cooked low-and-slow and sent out to the world via Goldbelly. YUM!
To finish off my home-cooked version, I cranked the Foreman Grill up to high and added a little char. The results were a long way from the ribs I savored down South, but they were pretty decent. Especially alongside a mess of slaw and my Nana's baked beans.
Cheers to good food, dear friends from near and far and the adventures to come when we arrive at Yellowstone.
