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TAILGATING
WITH CHEF TED READER
HOT AND STICKY BBQ, Passionately Delicious Recipes for the Grill
Alpha Books, $21.95 US/$32.99 Canadian
Last
week, I got an email from Pat, who likes cooking with beer - Pat is
a fan of the Illinois State University Redbirds and Chicago Bears,
and "wants to find some new recipes for tailgating, or new cookbooks."
Here the answer to his "Q"
HOT
AND STICKY BBQ, written by Canadian "king of the Q" chef
Ted Reader, offers more than 300 recipes for just $22 US (less on
Amazon.com...). And his recipes are road-tested, well suited to the
challenges of tailgate cuisine.
Not
many stadiums still permit cooking with live coals or open fire, so
the slow and low method of barbecue is tough to execute. A propane
grill is often all that is allowed within the tailgating lot, which
doesn't let the chef do much more than re-heat and finish browning
some precooked ribs or chicken.
That
said, chef Reader has dozens of recipes that would be great on a tailgate
menu. A Roadside Shrimp Boil has plenty of spice, Firecracker Coleslaw
has both crunch and punch from peppers, and the following recipe,
for Jalapeno Garlic Beer-Braised Ribs, was demonstrated on TV in Chicago.
Ribs are bathed in beer and baked for several hours. At this point,
the tailgate chef could just assemble the sauce and chill the ribs
and transport them until ready to heat and glaze with BBQ sauce at
the stadium. So convenient!
That's
because Reader has been cooking on the road for decades, grilling
salmon at the base of Whistler Mountain for ski camps in British Columbia,
barbecuing Canadian back bacon in Ontario's Muskokas lakes "Cottage
Country" and working as a chef at the SkyDome in Toronto, as
well as special events in Jamaica and tropical resorts. He understands
the need to make recipes that can be partially prepped in advance,
packed and finished on site.
Reader
loves beer so much he even devised the "Beer-ometer": "Throughout
the book, I calculate grilling time with the Beer-ometer, and it equates
grill time with the amount of time needed to drink a beer - about
10 to 15 minutes for 1 beer. SO, a recipe that takes 30 to 45 minutes
to cook has a "3" rating on the Beer-ometer." (Just
be sure that a designated driver packs up the grill and takes you
and your Beer-ometer home after the game.)
Beer
is a favorite ingredient of chef Reader, though he doesn't often mention
particular beer styles. Instead of saying "stout" he'll
mention "Guinness" - but branding is often the way to go
in a professional kitchen. He's also a big fan of brining meat in
beer, such as the Beer-Brined Pork Loine with Grilled Pineapple Sauce.
But for that luscious recipe, you'll have to buy the book!
Jalapeño
Beer Braised Back Ribs
Serves 4 to 6
©Chef
Ted Reader, "Hot and Sticky BBQ"
Ingredients:
1
large yellow onion, sliced
4 jalapeño peppers, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 (1 ½ lbs.) racks baby back ribs
2 TB Bone Dust BBQ Spice (see below)
3 limes, sliced
2 bottles amber lager beer
2 cups gourmet BBQ sauce
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, combine onion, jalapeño peppers,
and garlic. Spread mixture in a roasting pan. Using a sharp knife,
score the membrane on the backside of the ribs in a diamond pattern.
Rub with Bone Dust BBQ Spice, pressing seasoning into meat. Lay ribs
meat side down on top of onion mixture. Lay three or four lime slices
on the back of each rib. Pour in beer. Cover tightly with lid or foil.
Braise ribs for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until tender. Let cool slightly.
Remove ribs from pan and set aside. Pour onion-beer mixture into a
large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce liquid by half, stirring
occasionally. Add BBQ sauce. Return to boil, then remove from heat.
In a blender or food processor, purée sauce until smooth. Meanwhile,
preheat grill to medium-high. Grill ribs for 6 to 8 minutes per side,
basting with sauce. Cut between every third rib and serve.
Bone
Dust BBQ Spice
(makes about 2 ½ cups)
½ cup paprika
¼ cup chili powder
3 TB salt
2 TB ground coriander
2 TB garlic powder
2 TB sugar
2 TB curry powder
2 TB hot dry mustard
1 TB black pepper
1 TB dried basil
1 TB dried thyme
1 TB ground cumin
1 TB cayenne pepper
Mix
paprika, chili powder, salt, coriander, garlic powder, sugar, curry
powder, dry mustard, black pepper, basil, thyme, cumin, any cayenne.
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place away from heat
and light.
For
more recipes and learn about chef Ted Reader, visit www.kingoftheq.com.
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