BBQ Ribs

Try not to drool on your computer over these Espresso-Rubbed BBQ Ribs with Mustard-Vinegar Basting Sauce - from Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life page 151. BBQ Ribs are tough to beat normally, but this rub and sauce made them truely unbeatable. The dry rub was made with ground espresso beans, ancho chili powder, paprika, dark brown sugar, dry mustard, ground cumin, dried oregano, ginger, cayenne, Kosher salt and ground black pepper. I brushed the ribs with olive oil first then spread on the rub - using the back of a spoon to really work it in. I set the grill on low heat and placed the ribs on foil to provide indirect heat. I closed the grill hood and walked away - for about a hour. The key to great ribs is to go "low and slow." Low heat for a long time. During that first hour I made the sauce: grilled onion, garlic, red wine vinegar, sugar, Dijon mustard, coriander seeds and Worcestershire sauce. Those ingredients went into the small sauce pan one at a time over the grill. After the first hour, I started brushing on the sauce about every 15 minutes. The ribs were on the grill a total of 2 hours and 15 minutes. The photo was taken, with the sauce still in the pan, at about 2 hours in. While I was slaving over the ribs (actually I had my feet up with a drink in hand), Dorothy pulled out a Bobby Flay recipe for coleslaw from Grill It!  The hot spicy ribs and the cool coleslaw were a perfect match! I can't make ribs all that often, just because of the time it takes, but when you can plan the time, these are well worth the wait!

Play ball! Major League Baseball started yesterday, with most of the opening day games today. I always pull for the Atlanta Braves and have for decades. I actually used to listen to the games on WSM radio when Hank Aaron was playing. I don't admit that much because it is starting to sound a little like saying "I walked to school, three miles in the snow, uphill both ways!" But I listened on the radio and kept a score card long before Aaron (the only true homerun king) hit #715. Then TBS put all the Braves games on cable TV and they because "Americas Team" in the 1980s since they (and the Cubs) were the only teams seen every night coast to coast. Then came the great pitchers - Glavin, Avery, Smoltz and later Maddox. Its a shame they only won one title with that crew. Now they are not on TV all the time and they are on different networks, so they are harder to follow. I will still keep an eye on them and hopefully catch a game or two in ATL this summer. 

Congratulations to the Nashville Predators for making the NHL playoffs! Today it hit 80 degrees for the first time! Drop the puck, play ball and light the grill - its officially spring! Paul