The Perfect Rib: A Tribute to My Father's Legacy

As I stand in front of the smoker, surrounded by the savory aroma of slow-cooked meat, I am reminded of my father's passion for barbecue. He was known as the "meat guy" in our family, and his love for ribs was unmatched. Today, I'm making these Berkshire pork St. Louis ribs in his honor, hoping to capture a fraction of his expertise and dedication to this craft.

I begin by examining the meat, admiring its size and tenderness. The St. Louis cut is unique in that the brisket is removed, leaving the tips exposed. This makes them not only larger but also more meaty, with a juicier texture than other cuts. I carefully select my Berkshire pork ribs, eager to put my own spin on this classic recipe.

To create the perfect rub, I combine a blend of ingredients in a bowl. Brown sugar, granulated garlic, and kosher salt form the foundation, while smoked paprika adds depth and black pepper provides a subtle kick. A pinch of parsley enhances the flavor, and I add these ingredients to my mixing bowl. The total amount is 1/4 cup, split evenly between each component. This blend will be generously sprinkled onto the ribs, ensuring a consistent coating.

I take a moment to appreciate the art of the rub, savoring the aromas that waft from the mixture. To avoid overloading the ribs with too much seasoning, I sprinkle it liberally, gently patting it into the meat with my fingers. A light touch is essential here, as I want to create a harmonious balance between flavor and texture. Next, I carefully flip the ribs over, paying particular attention to the edges where they meet the bone.

As I work, I notice the membrane that covers the back of each rib. This thin layer can be removed, and I find myself thinking about why my father always left it intact. According to him, this practice helps retain moisture within the meat, allowing it to develop a crispy exterior while staying juicy on the inside. I carefully pinch the membrane at one end, gently pulling it away from the bone. This small act of attention is crucial in achieving that perfect balance.

The memories come flooding back as I work with the ribs. Growing up, my brother and I would often play a game where we'd tear through an entire slab of ribs, devouring every last bit of meat on the bones. One particularly memorable incident occurred when we came home covered in sauce and meat residue. Our parents were not amused, but the experience left an indelible mark on our young palates.

As I continue to work my magic on the ribs, I'm reminded of my father's unwavering dedication to this craft. His love for barbecue was more than just a hobby; it was a way of life. He spent countless hours perfecting his recipes and techniques, always seeking ways to improve and innovate. I can only hope that by replicating his methods, I'll be able to capture some of that same passion and enthusiasm.

With the ribs now seasoned and ready for cooking, I take a moment to appreciate the anticipation building within me. The wait is almost over, and soon I'll be enjoying the fruits of my labor. As I place the smoker in operation, the tantalizing aroma of slow-cooked meat wafts through the air, teasing my senses and tempting my taste buds. It's going to be a long wait, but one that will ultimately be well worth it.

The final result is yet to come, but for now, I'll simply savor this moment, surrounded by the sights, smells, and tastes of my father's legacy.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en-My father was the meat guy.So I'm actually makingthese ribs today in his honor.♪♪I'm Kenny Gilbert.I'm gonna show youhow to make the perfect rib.These are Berkshire porkSt. Louis ribs.What makes them St. Louisis that the brisketis actually cut offand the tips are cut off.So these are nice and meaty,they're big,they're gonna be juicy.The rub.Brown sugar,granulated garlic --this has, actually,a little bit of parsley in it --kosher salt,smoked paprika,and then black pepper.Just basically 1/4 cupof equal parts of all this.Add them all into one bowl.We're gonna give ita little -- little mix.If you do a lot of barbecue,you can leave this,put in another container.You can makeas much as you want.We're just gonna take the ruband generously sprinkleon the ribs.Doesn't have to be too heavy.After I kind of sprinkle it,I like that kind of pat it in,and then I'mma turn them overand I'mma do the other side.I want to get the edgesof the ribs, right at the bone.So as you can see, I'mkind of -- as I'm sprinkling,I'm kind of catching itwith my hand.The membrane is right here.You can literallyjust pull this off.I leave it on.I like to think that basicallythat keeps the moisturein the ribs on the back bone.It's one of those thingsthat I actually like to eat.When it's cooked properly,it gets nice and crispy.I'm a big fan of making surethese bones are totally clean.Me and my brotherused to kind of play,as most kids would doback in the day.One day, me and my brother,we came in the house...and we literally,we tore through some ribs.I think we bothwent through a slaband we didn't eatall the meat off of the bones.And we ended up kind of justlike, took a couple bites,and went, \"Oh, we're done\" --eat up another one.Like, we were almost havinga rib eating contest.We threw them in the trash.We went out and played.We came back,and my dad had those ribsout of the trash,back on a plate.He said, \"I justslaved over this smoker,this grill for hours,and you guys had the nerveto take a couple bitesout of these ribsand then throw 'em in the trash?You're gonna sit hereuntil all these ribs are clean.\"So every timeI think about ribs,I'm like, \"I gotta make surethese bones are clean.\"So, I'mma just go aheadand finish seasoningthese bad boys on up.As you can see,this amount of rubis perfect for two slabs.We have the oven set at 350.When you smoke, okay,the goal is to create oven-likeconditions in your smoker.If you decide to try this recipein your smoker and grill,do your best to try and keep thesmoker around 300 degrees or so.We're just gonna put the ribsright on this half sheet pan.I've lined the half sheet panwith foiland I've sprayed it witha little bit of pan spray.And I put the ribsthe bone side down.Let these ribs cook for aboutan hour, hour and 15 minutes.We want to bring the ribsto 195 degrees.At 195 degrees and fully rested,the ribs are gonna beactually perfect.I'm not putting anythingon my ribs.I usually roast 'em or smoke 'emand let 'em just ride.Right now, we're gonna go aheadand make our poaching liquid.We haveapple cider vinegar here.We're adding our peach nectar.Brown sugar.Just give ita little pinch of salt.Crushed red pepper flakes.Give this a little stir.I did thiswhen I was on \"Top Chef.\"This is the fastest wayto dice an onionand get the most --most out of it.I just slice it straight down,and I want this to bekind of a small dice.And then you come back aroundand you follow the contourof the onionall the way around.♪♪Just gonna slice the peachesinto wedges,and then I'm just gonna throwthe peaches into the bowl.♪♪We have the onions and the peachand now they're pickling.I'm just gonna let thiskind of sit just like this.I'll put a little plastic wrapover it and put it to the side.I have a grain mustard here,kind of likea spicy brown mustard.I have ketchup.I have brown sugar.I have cinnamon.I have some Worcestershire,a little bit of saltthat we're gonna add.Some canned peachesand chipotle in adobo sauce,so this is gonna havea nice spice to it.I have some more peach nectar,and then apple cider vinegar.♪���Let it simmerfor a minute or two,and we're gonna put itinto the blenderand we're gonna puree it up,and then that's it.I can just to go right in.And I'm just gonna let it puree.♪♪I'm gonna let this come toa boil and I'll let it simmerfor a few minutes,and then it'll be ready.This sauce, I feel, hasa good viscosity to it.My dad's sauceswere never crazy thick.You have some saucesout there that,that are the Kansas City stylethat are really, really thick.Um, we don't like that.This sauce is beautiful.So, the ribs have been in hereabout an hour and 15 minutes.I'm just gonna probe 'em.And right now, actually,they jumped up a little bit.Right now,they're at 179 degrees,which is getting close.The bone is startingto pull from the meat.That show that it's gettingclose to being perfect.So we're gonnapull these ribs out.♪♪And wrap it with...♪♪Gonna put these backin the oven.♪♪We'll set the timerfor an hour and 15 minutes.We wrapped the ribsonce they wereabout 165, 175 degrees.And then once we wrapped them,they've been in the ovenfinishing up.♪♪Look at those bad boys.All the detailsfor a good rib --you know, a lot of timesyou want to be able to have itwhere it doesn't totallypull off the bone,but it still,when you pull the meat,it comes off gentlywith a little tug.I'm gonna show youhow to glaze it.I'm just gonna pour thisover the ribsand just kind of doa light coating down each rib.Glaze it really nice.That sauce is gonnarun right off.♪♪And we're gonna close it up.We're gonna let that go for...a couple minutes.I have my shelfon the second rack.Oh, yeah.There you go.I like to take a little bitmore of the spice...♪♪...the rub, and kind of get itwhere it coats.Kind of sprinkle, you know,and that way,you're getting that otherlittle layer of seasoning.Just gonna go aheadand stack the ribs.♪♪I like to hit itwith some scallion.Want to just hita little more --boom, boom, boom!There you have it --those St. Louis ribswith this nice little,you know, homemade rub,barbecue sauce,cutting with some pickles.So, now we haveour finished ribs,baked in the oven.We made a homemade spice rub.We have pickled peaches.We have our spicychipotle peach barbecue sauce.I'm gonna go aheadand take a bite'cause I've been waiting to eatthese bad boys all day.This is the perfect biteright here.One of the tests you can look atis when you pulland it just starts to come off.That's what you want,right there.♪♪Mmm.♪♪Yes, the spice and the sweetnessfrom the peachesand the chipotle.It's amazing.Please try this recipe out.-Would your dad approve?-You know what?Right now, he's beenguiding my hand the whole time.I put the hat on,been thinking about him,and he made surethese came out money.♪♪This one particularpicture I loveis of my dad and my grandmother,who, you know, both have passed.And these are two big influencesin my culinary life.♪♪Mmm.♪♪Yes, the spice and the sweetnessfrom the peachesand the chipotle.It's amazing.I mean, you can't beat that.Please try this recipe out.-Would your dad approve?-You know what?Right now, he's beenguiding my hand the whole time.I put the hat on,been thinking about him,and he made surethese came out money.\n"