Fajita seasoning is the secret (not anymore!) ingredient to these fall-off-the-bone ribs from the Barbeque Belt of the world - Austin, Texas! Cooked "low and slow", these tender pork spare ribs melt in your mouth! While it seems that there are as many opinions on how to cook ribs as there are people, this is sure to become your go-to recipe!
View Kerri's Tender Pork Spare Ribs Recipe >>>
Allrecipes' cook, Kerri, is a busy stay–at-home mom. She says her #1 job is taking care of her family! A big fan of Allrecipes, Kerri has been a member since 2005 but decided 3 years ago to really make an effort to change her cooking habits. She looked to Allrecipes' ingredient search for inspiration when having to cook from her pantry. She finds she is cooking more from scratch than she ever did before and getting more confident in her cooking skills every day!. Watching TV shows and "How to" videos has been instrumental in the development of her cooking skills and is thrilled to be able to participate in a "What's Cooking?" webisode.
Once a professional singer, Kerri is originally from California, when she moved to Texas at the age of 9. In her own words,
"I'm a stay at home mom who LOVES cooking for my family. We have 3 children, and making good homemade family meals is very important to me. I like experimenting with all different kinds of food and recipes to keep things interesting!"
Q: How long should I marinate the ribs?
A: Four hours is recommended. If you plan on marinating the ribs in a liquid or spice rub for more than 4 hours, choose a marinade with very little salt. The salt will begin to cure the ribs resulting in a flavor more like ham or bacon.
Q: Any tips on selecting ribs?
A: Select meat that is pink with white (not gray or yellow) fat. When purchasing ribs, only buy those that are natural and stay away from "enhanced" ribs. Enhanced ribs may contain preservatives and other unnatural ingredients that could affect their taste.
Q: Can I cook ribs in a slow cooker?
A: Spare ribs can be cooked in a slow cooker. Slow cookers allow the sauce or marinade to seep into the meat for a longer time, tenderizing the meat and giving it a full flavor. On low, cook the ribs for 8 hours. On high, cook the ribs for 4 hours. You may need to change the preparation steps for cooking spare ribs in a slow cooker.
"Spare rib anyone?" ~ Adam
Austin, Texas. The BBQ Belt. The ultimate in slow food. Ribs. Just thinking about ribs induces carnivores to salivate, face south, genuflect, and ruminate. That is what's cooking this week, my friends! Low and slow, tender pork spare ribs. Per the recipe, Allrecipe's cook, Kerri, was braising one large rack of pork spare ribs just as it's called for and purists prefer: No sauce, just her dry rub and juices slowly penetrating the meat rather than lounging on top. However, not knowing me from Adam (pun intended), she had me stop at Stubb's BBQ in Austin to pick up some of their famous sauce for a second rack, to just kick it up a notch. I would have to decide for myself if I was a purist (no sauce) or a poser (with sauce).
First stop, Stubb's BBQ in Austin, to pick up a jar of their sauce. However, it wasn't going to be as simple as that. Upon entering the general manager gave us a tour, opening up the door to the "pit" and all its wonderful goodness. Texas Beef Ribs, Pork Shoulder, Brisket, nom nom... Sitting me down, he served up a huge plate of ribs, sausage, spinach, potato salad... I'm having trouble typing this as I drool on the keyboard. If I were to ever request a last meal, this would be it! Finally leaving, completely sated, we drove the short distance from Austin to Hutto, Texas. I don't remember the trip as I was surely in a BBQ-induced food coma!
Hutto, Texas is named after one of the most prosperous cattlemen in the county. However, it's not cattle that give you pause upon entering this town today. It is said the hippopotamus came into vogue at Hutto, TX, now home of the "Hustlin' Hippos"! Legend has it that while a traveling carnival was in town one of the adventurous hippos strayed from the carnival spot and wandered into a nearby creek, seeking sanctuary in a more natural habitat! Being quite content, he remained there happy & free for several days. When carnival officials located it and tried to lure it out of the creek bottoms' refreshing, cool water, it became belligerent. The ordeal of recapturing the ferocious animal was so ingrained in the citizens' minds, that when Hutto opened its first 11-grade school later that year, it chose to name its athletic teams the Hippos. Hippos can be seen everywhere from the huge to the miniature. In yards, in front of stores, on water towers and in front of schools.
Luckily, Hippo was not on the menu today. It's pork, and Kerri and I got down to business. Her method of preparation was actually quite simple and the history of her rub suggested a different name: "Neighborhood Ribs" as this recipe was the result of many conversations, suggestions, and experiments from all around the block. The video really shows it all and when we were done, we had two delicious racks to enjoy. The Stubb's BBQ sauce was quite good with a nice bite and a little heat. However, I have to agree with Kerri's husband and my preference is with the braised ribs, sans sauce. The good thing for me was I didn't have to choose! I got to try both!
Thank you, Kerri! Thank you for the good ol' Texas hospitality and delicious vittles!
Home | All Videos | Shows | About Us | Contact Us
