Rib Dinner

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Here was the deal. I’d get ribs–enough for everyone, meaning one rack per person (an investment). That’s all I had to deal with shopping-wise. In this house you don’t even want to cook ribs unless you’re SURE they’ll be enough.

The rest of the meal was filled in from what was in the fridge: cabbage, green and red, random veg (celery, cucumber, tomato)-I always keep cornmeal in the freezer (cornbread) and the avocado was pure luck. We had several and they happened to be ripe. We are still in experiment mode with the big green egg grill and decided to cook at 225 for 2 hours. These ribs are St. Louis style-bigger and meatier than the baby backs but still more refined than regular pork ribs. They were really delicous but could have even used more time on the egg. The rub is crucial–the balance of seasonings. And, if you do it right you do not even need BBQ sauce although I still serve it. I like the Dinosaur BBQ sauce, but–of all the mass commercial brands–Bulls Eye seems to rank here. And, one other thing I learned in Texas this year. Take a white onion, slice it and soak in cold water. THe water pulls out the strong flavor yet crisps it up. So, when you take a bite of the hot spicy meat and then a nibble on the cold crispy (mild) onion–you have a taste combo that you will end up craving! We had enough of everything including food–the vibe all around, a good one.