what's cookin for the game?

OK season opener. what are you all cooking for game time tonight?

i'm leaning towards hot sausage. hot wings. nacho's & cheese. oh and rolaids.

 

I might be too nervous to eat, but if my nerves calm down then maybe wingstop.

 

Spaghetti!

And I'll probably be coerced into turning the game off in favor of a Barney or Dora DVD by a cute little 2-year-old, but I should be able to catch kickoff. Not sure how much longer I can hold out beyond that!

 

no time like the present to get her watching the games. lol

tell her a story about the evil prince tom brady and the white knight ben which is really dora's dad. oh and the evil darth hoodie, that is trying to take over barney land.

 

I hate night games! I am usually in bed by nine but....there is no way I will be able to eat anything. I do have my bottle of Asti Spumante chilled and ready to go (I'm a cheap date )

 

Local restaurant is having a pizza wing special for the game tonight. Told the wife don't even bother cooking. Large pizza, 10 wings. $15.99. Beer is already in the fridge.

 

Whatever is on the menu at Planks in Jack London Square. If anyone in the SF Bay Area decides to stop by, shout out "TTF Rules the Roost" I'll wave you over and you can get a little rowdy with us

 

Italian sausage with peppers and onions.

 

I'm making 6 racks of ribs for my office. Steelers fans & cheater haters only!

 

I suck at making ribs. Whats the secret?

 

A good rub, rib racks to hold them vertically, and a slow smoky fire (I have gas and use a wood chip box).

If you get started now you should be able to get them ready by kickoff... only needs to cook for a couple hours or so in my experience.

 

Hmmmm, I'll have to try that!

 

Do you bake them first? I've tried a couple dozen different ways and they always come out tough as nails off the grill. Maybe I can convince my boss to leave now to get started. LOL.

 

Make sure you remove the membrane on the back of the ribs or they will be tough every time. After that cook or smoke(my method) slow and low.

 

Are you using gas or charcoal?

 

So what I do many will consider cheating, but the way they turn out I love them and am ok with that!

I let them sit for 24 hours in a sweet dry rub and hickory liquid smoke (don't always have a smoker available to me).
I then bake them for 4 hours at 300 degrees in pan with root beer. When I'm home I use Barq's, but down here I'm stuck with Mug.
Lastly, I smother them in a sweet, hickory BBQ sauce and grill them on both sides to get a nice caramelized layer on the outside. Typically about 6 minutes on the inside of the curve, and 4-5 minutes on the outside of the curve.

Some people will take the membrane off, but I leave it on. They get so tender, the one time I tried taking it off, they wouldn't stay together on the grill. In my book, they didn't turn out right if the fat/gristle doesn't melt in your mouth.

My preferred commercial sauces are Jack Daniels, original or honey-BBQ or Stubbs Sweet Heat.

I'll be trying my own rubs when I get home, but for now I'm just using Famous Dave's.

 

Typically gas but I do have a charcoal smoker. If I bake them then they fall apart. If I throw them straight on the grill, they are tough as nails. Need to find a happy medium.

 

Be gentle with them and use a big a$$ pair of tongs lol and leave the membrane on if you bake them.

 

Only light half your grill and put them on the other side

 

I've never tried to bake them (will keep them warm in the oven for a short time but COVER THEM WELL with foil or they will dry out). For the record, I sure as hell don't consider it cheating if it's tender and tastes good (I would only consider it cheating if you filmed someone else's technique to try to duplicate it )

Good tip on the membrane. I don't recall having issues with the ribs' integrity when smoking them.

The key to tenderness is, as TSH said, low and slow. While I don't have a smoker, i've gotten really impressive "smoke rings" using my gas weber and a wood-chip box.

Also... repeating myself here but use something like this when grilling:

 

This is very similar to how ribs are done in my household. Different ingredients (Cola instead of Root Beer) but same concept. We use the broiler (in place of the grill) and a slow cooker. Come out great every time, and very tender.

 

one way i do ribs is completely in the oven in a heavy tin. i do a grill version too, but this is the oven method.
poke a few holes in the meaty side and pour a little apple cider vinegar on them in the tin.
get a good rub covering them.
cover with heavy foil.
start them on 200 degrees for 2 hrs.
bump it up to 250 for 2 hrs.
bump them to 300 for 1 hr.
bump them to 325 for 1 hr.
don't uncover to look at them, i know you want to, but stop it.
take the foil off after that and baste lightly with some of the juice out of the bottom of the pan.
turn on the broiler and keep a close eye on them while broiling. maybe 10 minutes and they will crisp up some on the outside.
don't over do it or they will dry out.
they should fall off the bone.
if you want a little sweet baby rays on the side.
enjoy.