But as good as restaurant barbecue can be, backyard barbecue can be the best. There’s something about the anticipation that builds as saliva-inducing sweet wood smoke mingles with the aromas of slow-roasting meat.
We turned to two Dayton-area barbecue restaurants that recently earned recognition from outside the Miami Valley for some tips on how to make your backyard barbecue memorable and tasty: Company 7 in Englewood, which was selected a few weeks ago by National Barbecue News as one of the publication’s “Best of the Best Barbecue Restaurants in America,” and Hickory River Smokehouse in Tipp City, which just won first-place awards at the Ohio State Fair for its pulled pork and ribs. And we offer up a comparatively quick recipe from some other folks who know a thing or two about barbecuing. Mary Grilliot, co-owner of Company 7, compiled these tips from the restaurant’s “pit bosses:”
Develop a flavorful rub, the spices and flavorings that are spread on the meat prior to cooking.
Slather the meat with yellow mustard prior to applying the rub, which helps the rub adhere and also tenderizes the meat.
Use a smoker or a charcoal grill for best results, and “if you have Liquid Smoke, throw it away if you want your meat to taste like it does at your favorite restaurant.”
Try to keep the smoker or grill at about 225 degrees — and be patient.
Find the sauce you like best — preferably not a supermarket brand filled with preservatives. “Most barbecue restaurants offer their sauces at very modest prices, so find one you like and purchase it.”
Dan Davis, owner of Hickory River Smokehouse, offered this advice specifically for grilling ribs at home:
Be conservative with seasonings — “Ribs have a great flavor by themselves. Too much seasonings will cover up the wonderful flavor of ribs.”
You can make perfect ribs with either a gas or charcoal grill — just keep the ribs on the opposite side of the coals or flame so they are cooking by indirect heat.
Cook low and slow at a temperature of 200 to 225 for 1½ to 3 hours, depending on the size of the ribs.
Take off the grill when a meat thermometer reaches 165, or use a pair of tongs to pick up the ribs from one end. If the slab is close to breaking in half, the ribs are done.
Wait until the ribs are completely cooked before giving them a light coating with your favorite sauce.
“Serve with your favorite cole slaw, potato salad, baked beans or corn on the cob — and enjoy!”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2258 or mfisher@DaytonDailyNews.com.
Foil-wrapped Baby Back Ribs
This recipe — from “Weber’s Time to Grill” (2011, by Jamie Purviance, $24.95), a cookbook published by the folks who make Weber grills — violates some of the rules set forth in the accompanying story and feels like cheating because it is such a time-saver compared to most “low-and-slow” recipes for ribs. But I’ve been pleased with the results every time I’ve tried it. You can substitute a prepared rub for this homemade one if you’d like: Try a local powdered rub such as Zink’s All-in-One Seasoning from the Zink Meat Market in Franklin or the Rib & Chicken Rub Barbecue Powder from Brucken Foods in Dayton, or the national-brand Grill Mates Applewood Rub or Grill Mates Pork Rub from McCormick. Finish it with your favorite barbecue sauce.
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
2 teaspoons dried thyme (note: you can substitute dried Italian herb blend)
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 racks baby back ribs, each 2 to 2½ pounds
1 cup hickory wood chips, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
1 cup prepared barbecue sauce
18-inch-wide heavy-duty aluminum foil
Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350 to 450 degrees). In a small bowl, mix the first five ingredients to make the rub. Remove the membrane from the back of each rack of ribs. Cut each rack crosswise in the middle to create two smaller racks.
Season each half rack evenly with the rub. Using eight 18-by-24-inch sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, double wrap each half rack in its own packet. Brush the cooking grates clean. Place the ribs on the grill over direct medium heat and cook for 1 hour, with the lid closed, occasionally turning the packets over for even cooking, making sure not to pierce the foil.
Remove the packets from the grill and let rest for about 10 minutes. Carefully open the foil packets, remove the ribs, and discard the rendered fat and foil. Drain and add the wood chips directly onto burning coals or to the smoker box of a gas grill, following manufacturer’s instructions. When the wood begins to smoke, return the ribs to the grill, bone side down. Grill over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until they are sizzling and lightly charred, 10 to 12 minutes, turning and basting once or twice with the sauce (toward the end of the cooking). Remove from the grill and let rest for about 5 minutes. Cut into individual ribs and serve warm with any remaining sauce. Serves four.
Source:
“
Weber’s Time to Grill
”
and
Weber.com
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