After spending literally the entire weekend on the river, I am nursing an armpit sunburn with crime dramas, leftover hotdogs from yesterday's impromptu BBQ, and doing ALL the laundry. A few of my nearest and dearest took me on my maiden floating voyage on the Clark Fork yesterday, so I can now say that my summer just got a little more "Missoula" after completing this right of passage. For those unfamiliar with the sport of floating, you get yourself a giant inner tube (all the local gas stations start selling these at a premium around the last week of June), some box wine (or whatever floats your, ahem, tube...), slather yourself in sunscreen to the best of your ability, and take to the river in all your lazy, sundrenched glory. Like this:
Bonus points for velcro water sandals or a permanent sunglasses outline burned into your face. My lovely bunch of buddies strapped five tubes to the top of a Subaru sedan. We only had to stop twice to re-secure them. The second time we stopped, two elderly tourists from Florida demanded that we pose with our tube-laden vehicle because, "No one's going to believe this in Boca!"
All this weekend warrior-ing is making me somewhat of a home-body during the week. Last week, I decided to smoke up some more salmon for next week's appetizers while my parents are here. While I was waiting for my fish to be wrapped up, I found a gloriously inexpensive rack of baby back ribs. This was a new adventure for me, as generally, BBQ saucy things are not my favorite. Matt usually demands Famous Dave's for his birthday. I steal one of his ribs, then order the catfish for myself. I spent the next couple of hours bouncing between the indoor kitchen, my salmon on the charcoal grill, and my ribs on the gas grill. Matt found the whole thing hilarious and photographed it for your viewing pleasure.
Most of the work in baby back ribs is in the prep work. Mostly prepping the sauce, and removing the membrane on the inside of the rib cage. To remove the membrane, flip the ribs over so the meaty side is on your cutting board. Make a small slit with a sharp knife in between two of the ribs. Time to get dirty! Using your fingers, separate the thin layer of membrane (looks like sausage casing) from what would be the inside of the chest wall. Make sure you get all of it; it will make the ribs much easier to cut, and chew once they are done.
For the sauce: I have a special spot in my heart for artisanal local beer. My seasonal favorite is Big Sky Brewery's Summer Honey. It was the only beer we had at our wedding, so it will always have a little soft spot in my heart, and my liver. Usually I only reserve it for drinking with a slice of lemon, but in this case, it definitely has a starring role in the sauce.
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 bottle of Summer Honey (or your favorite light summer ale)
1 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili flake
3 tablespoons (or to taste) sriracha
course ground black pepper to taste, plus a little kosher salt
Add all ingredients into a medium saucepan, adding the beer last. Set to simmer on medium high heat, whisking until all ingredients are combined, then occasionally until the sauce has darkened, and thickened considerably. Remove from heat, put in a bowl with a grill safe brush for glazing.
Simmering Sauce
Finished Sauce
Cut your rib rack into two smaller, equal racks. Place your ribs over medium heat, with the remaining burners on high. Glaze each side of the racks with BBQ sauce, 15 minutes per side, turning once. Keep the lid closed in between glazing and flipping. Reserve a little sauce for a final, salmonella free glazing right as they're finished.
Let stand for about five minutes to let them cool and to let the sauce set. Slice in between each rib. We ate them with zucchini from the garden grilled with olive oil, salt and pepper. Serves 2.
If you'd like, you can double the sauce recipe to make more ribs, or to put in a jar in the freezer for faster prep the next time. Just be sure to use a bigger sauce pan to contain the mess!
As always Butterballs, it's a pleasure cooking for you. I hope you are enjoying the middle, hottest days of summer, and that you are staying cool with the ones you love.
Love and best fishes!
Mwah!
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