Texas-Style Baby Back Ribs

Note from Cheri: The following text and recipe is re-printed from Ribs by Christopher B. O'Hara with photographs by William Nash, published by The Lyons Press, 2000. The book is a connoisseur's guide to barbecuing and grilling and will teach you everything you need to know about great ribs. Click here for more information about this fabulous book as well as more sample rib recipes.

The first, most important step in making authentic Texas-style ribs is the mop. The mop (so called because it usually applied with the household apparatus of the same name) is basically a marinade, basting sauce, and dipping sauce in one. Real Texas barbecue masters are used to mopping several dozen chickens, slabs of ribs and briskets at a time so they need an actual string mop to handle the task. You can use one of those kitchen glassware scrubbers to get the miniaturized effect. Store extra sauce, refrigerated for future use. This Texas-style mop can also be used on poultry or other meat dishes, especially brisket.

3 large racks, baby back ribs, excess fat trimmed and membrane removed 1 bag medium-size mesquite chips (for outdoor grills) Marinade & Dipping Sauce 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 C unsalted butter 2 medium-sized white onions, finely chopped 6 medium-sized shallots, finely chopped 10 large cloves garlic, pressed 3 C puréed tomatoes 1 can (12 oz.) tomato paste 1 can (12 oz.) beer 12 oz. water 6 tablespoons vinegar 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce juice of 1 lemon 6 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons chili powder 2 tablespoons dried mustard powder 2 teaspoons cumin 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if desired) salt and pepper to taste Mop 1 can (12 oz.) beer 1 C reserved marinade

Yields 6 Servings Ribs and About 8 Cups Sauce Heat a large saute pan on a medium-high flame and add the olive oil. After the oil is heated sufficiently, add the butter. Sauté the onions, garlic and shallot until transparent. Add the rest of the liquid ingredients (puréed tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 can beer, water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice), and heat until simmering. Once simmering, add the dry spices, stirring in gradually. Let this mixture simmer for at least 30 minutes. When finished (taste it - you may want to sweeten it with more sugar or spice it up using more cayenne pepper), reserve 1 cup of the sauce for your mop, and at least 1 cup for dipping sauce. Place the ribs in a shallow baking pan and cover with remaining sauce. Try to fully submerge the ribs and place sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper directly atop the meat, so as to eliminate air. If the ribs are not totally covered, rotate them periodically. Marinate for a minimum of 12 hours. For the mop, mix 1 cup reserved marinade with 1 can beer in a bowl. Cook ribs by using the indirect method or a smoker (follow links for directions). The author recommends smoking these ribs with water soaked, medium sized mesquite chips. That smoky mesquite flavor is the signature of Texas-style barbecue.