Hear Meathead talking about hot dogs on "Live! from Jasper's Kitchen" on news talk 710 KCMO with Jasper's co-host Mitch Baker. KCMO is in the barbecue capital of the world, Kansas City, so for me, this is like Carnegie Hall! It will air July 4, 2009, about 11:00 a.m. Central.
If you want to attract men, skip the implants, get a smoker, and save thousands. Wood smoke is a potent pheromone and you'll have every man in the neighborhood hanging out on your porch! Click here for a buying guide to smokers (Note: I don't sell them I just review them).
The three greatest food educators and cookbook authors of the last century lived far longer than the designers of the two most famous diets of the last century:
Julia Child, died at 92
James Beard, 82
Craig Claiborne, 80
Nathan Pritikin, 70
Robert Atkins, 73
Amazing Ribs is all about the
Zen of Barbecue and Grilling
"Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly." Mae West
Barbecue is the world's oldest cooking method, may be the real world's oldest profession, and people have been gnawing on ribs since the beginning of time.
Barbecue was probably discovered by some pre-human tribe padding warily through the fragrant ashes of a forest fire following a particularly seductive scent. When they stumble upon the charred carcass of a wild boar they squat and poke their fingers into its side. They sniff their hands, then lick their greasy digits. The magical blend of warm protein, molten fat, and unctuous collagen in roasted meat is a narcotic elixir and it addicts them on first bite. They become focused, obsessed with tugging and scraping the bones clean, moaning and shaking their heads. The aromas make their nostrils smile and the flavors cause their mouths to weep.
Today we do it almost the same way all across the world. Our noses lead us into a place of burning wood where we eat without forks or linen. Just pig on a stick, grease and goop on our faces. The meat is ethereal, kissed by smoke, hugged by sauce, and licked by fire. "Don’t play with your food" doesn't apply when you're eating barbecue. If you don't get it on your shirt you're not doing it right. This is primal, elemental, sensual eating. Pure carnal joy. Just like our ancestors.
Since the beginning of time, cooking with fire has always meant a gathering the clan outdoors, and there is no more intimate gathering than hanging around the fire with the sweet smell of smoke and meat in the air, with a beer in hand, and loved ones at our table. If, as I suspect, a nation's cuisine is at the core of it's culture, barbecue is as important to our heritage as is jazz, both perfected by African Americans in the South. To this day, nothing says "party" and "family" like barbecue so it should not be surprising that, according to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), 77% of US households own an outdoor grill or smoker.
That's the reason for this website. It is not so much about cooking as it is about feeding. There are a lot of step-by-step recipes, but the meat and potatoes of AmazingRibs.com is the concepts and techniques that allow us to feed friends and family well.
This website is for all the trash-talkers around the world who aspire to make the best barbecue on the block, and then brag about it. It's not hard. Strap on a bib (or better still, an apron), and dig in!
Below are some of the best parts of this website.
To see everything, click here to see a complete sitemap.
If you boil ribs the terrorists win
Myth #1: Boil ribs to make them tender
A lot of folks boil their ribs. Don't do it! You wouldn't boil a steak would you? When you boil meat and bones, you make flavorful soup. That's because water is a solvent and it pulls much of the flavor out of the meat and bones and makes the meat mushy. Boiling also removes vitamins and minerals. Ribs are most flavorful when roasted slow at low temps in the presence of smoke and humidity. If you are in a hurry, you are better off steaming or microwaving ribs and then finishing them on the grill or under the broiler. Just don't boil 'em!
Myth #2: Pink pork is uncooked
When ribs are smoked they get an incredible flavor and a pink smoke ring. They're not raw! If they were, the pink would be in the center, near the bone. The pink is a by-product of the smoke and combustion gases. Click here to read more about rib science. and click here to learn more about the thermodynamics of outdoor cooking.
Myth #3: The best ribs fall off the bone
Properly cooked ribs are tender, but they should have some chew, similar to a tender steak. They should not be tough but if they fall off the bone, chances are they have been boiled or steamed. If you want something that falls off the bone, why buy something with a bone in it? Folks who know their barbecue also like their ribs with a bit of a crust on the outside, called affectionately "bark". Click here to learn what Amazing Ribs taste like.
Myth # 4: Soak wood before using it
When I soaked wood chunks overnight, they gained about 3% by weight. Chips gained about 6%. I cut the chunks in half and penetration was only about 1/16". DOH! That must be why they make boats out of wood! Wood doesn't absorb much water! If you toss wet wood on a hot grill, the small amount of water just below the surface will evaporate rapidly, negating any effect of soaking. On charcoal, the wet wood have the deleterious effect of cooling off the coals when it is important to hold the coals at a steady temp.
Huge new hot dog section
More than 25 articles on the best ways to cook hot dogs, buns, chili sauce, recipes for the regional styles (Chicago, NY, Detroit, Cincinnati, West Virginia and more), and a hot dog road trip! Click here for everything you need to know about hot dogs.
New Weber Smokey Mountains available now
Weber's a new version of their industry standard 18.5" Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) smokers and an all new, larger 22.5" WSM. They take little time to master, but there are a lot of tricks the experts use to produce incredible food. The new designs have real improvements, and a few shortcomings. Click here to read my review.
Meathead's Hotstuff Awards
For the coolest in tools and toys, check Meathead's Hotstuff Awards. I don't sell anything. I just tell you what works and what doesn't.
An example: The Smokenator. For less than $50 you can easily convert a standard Weber Kettle into a smoker capable of making restaurant quality smoked ribs, pork shoulder, brisket, turkey, or salmon. If you have a Weber, you need a Smokenator.
Well my wife just about jumped through her [rear end]. The ribs were fantastic!
Ted DuBose, Perth, Australia
This meal was as memorable as my first sex, only better.
Marie Overholt, San Francisco, CA
The Magic Dust and the pulled pork are excellent! I never would have imagined that I would like anything better than a slab of smoked ribs, but that pulled pork, oh my gosh! I have taken it to a couple of parties and it is always a HIT! I made some two weeks ago and served it with the South Carolina mustard sauce as well as the grownup sauce and let me tell you, I had to dang near run people out of my house!
Aswad Johnson
I have always loved cooking ribs but with our new gas grill they were never as good as charcoal. Well that all changed last night when I made the greatest ribs I have ever tasted. My wife wanted to know if I bought them somewhere and then claimed I cooked them myself.
Allen Nicley, Mont Alto, PA
We love your beans. My recipe has our guests tooting for a few days; I bet that yours will last a week!!!!
Peggy Bohl, Sacramento, CA
I have worked as a professional cook in high end French restaurants for several years, but I had little true BBQ experience, so when I hit the internet looking for some info, I was really pleased to find an in depth and expansive site that had all the tips I was looking for. I am also pleased to tell you that I recently took first place in my first rib (or any BBQ) competition, using a slight variation on your Magic Dust and a straight use of your Pig Candy recipe on a rack of baby backs!
Aaron Ettlin, Portland, OR
I had two ribs and my boyfriend ate the other 3 1/2 pounds. He couldn't stop to talk. He had to bring a box of tissues to the table because these ribs are so good, they make him weep. And that's the truth. Of course, I make sure he has plenty of napkins, too. He tells me that my ribs have deepened his love for me. Well, fine, but I know that just means he wants more ribs:)
Nancy J. Mostad, Minnesota
I am in the process of opening a cafe and thought your simple sweet sour slaw is an amazing winner. Tested it tonight. All people could say was "More please!!!"
James Murray, Toronto
All I have to say is OH MY GOD!!! They are hands down the best ribs I have ever tasted. Everyone begged me for the recipe.
Here's what barbecue guru Barry Sorkin of Smoque Restaurant in Chicago says:
"Great article on brisket. That’s a better explanation than I’ve seen in any of the cookbooks, and I’ve read a lot of them. It does a great job of making one of the most complex and difficult cuts of meat simple and approachable. My only concern is that if everyone learns how to make brisket, what’s a poor schmuck like me going to do to make a buck?!?!"
More great goodies are added all the time.
The different cuts of ribs. For complete descriptions, click here.
Don't do it the way Weber tells you to do it. Click here to see how to do it right.
Best gas grill setup
The secret is in a pan of water between the meat and the heat.
Food, drink, cooking, barbecue, and rib links
There are so many great resources on the internet: Associations, message boards, podcasts, blogs, and more. Just click here.
Barbecue newsletter
"Smoke Signals" is the irregular email newsletter I send out with news of new recipes and articles, current events, new products, and more. Just enter your email to subscribe. Click here for my privacy promise.
Stuck indoors? Try these:
Smoky Sauna Ribs. This technique makes verrrrry tender, juicy, ribs, indoors all year round.
Chinatown Char Siu Ribs. Everybody loves those Chinese restaurant ribs. How do they do it? The secret is not the sauce, it's the marinade. You can do them at home on the grill or in the oven.
Hoisinful Nine Dragon Ribs (shown at right). These may be the best Chinese ribs you ever tasted. And you can cook them indoors.
Chinese Five Spice Ribles. Fried and crispy, flavored with five spice powder, these ribs are the perfect finger food for parties.
You can kick most barbecue restaurants in the ribs
The best news is that you can make better ribs at home than any restaurant, even the hallowed temples of barbecue such as Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City, Rendezvous in Memphis, and Kreuz Market in Lockhart Texas.
Most of these restaurants make hundreds of slabs, cooking them for 4-6 hours overnight or in the morning, and by the time you order them, they have been sitting in the holding oven for hours and are overcooked. Yes, the texture and flavor are fabulous, but you can do better at home simply by getting the timing down and delivering perfectly cooked ribs to your dining table better than any restaurant in the world!
The one requirement of all my recipes: When you're done, you must lick your fingers, leave a plate of bare bones, and exclaim "Amazing Ribs!"
AmazingRibs.com is all about the Zen of Barbecue, cooking ribs, and all kinds of BBQ recipes and techniques: Barbeque baby back ribs, spare ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, chicken, smoked turkey, steak, lamb, barbecue sauces, rubs, and great side dishes, with the net's best buying guide to barbecue smokers and cookers.
About links on this site. The links within the tan areas at the top and right of these pages are mostly paid ads. Within the white, editorial content areas on this site, links and recommendations are all products, services, and websites I truly admire, and are never paid endorsements. Your suggestions are always welcome. If you would like me to link to your website, click here to read my links policy first.
Copyright (c) 2009 by Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn. Unless otherwise noted, all text, recipes, and photos are by Meathead and fully protected by US copyright law. Note: many product photos were provided by the manufacturers and under their copyright. This means you need my written permission to publish or distribute anything on this website. But I'm easy. To get reprint rights, click here.
My Privacy Promise.I promise to never sell or distribute any info about you individually without your express permission, and I promise not to, ahem, pepper you with email or make you eat spam. Click here for more about my privacy promise.
New tips and recipes:
Get "Smoke Signals,"
Meathead's free eletter.
No spam. Guaranteed.
Say thanks. Buy Meathead charcoal for a week with a $20 donation.
Meathead sez:
"If you have a Weber
Kettle, you need the
amazing Smokenator.
It really turns your
grill into a smoker!
List is $55, but it's
less at Amazon.com."
Meathead is a BIG fan of the Weber Smokey Mountain Smokers
Barbecue is the world's oldest cooking method, may be the real world's oldest profession, and people have been gnawing on ribs since the beginning of time.
When ribs are smoked they get an incredible flavor and a pink smoke ring. They're not raw! If they were, the pink would be in the center, near the bone. The pink is a by-product of the smoke and combustion gases. Click here to read more about 
Barbecue recipes
World's Best Barbecue Buying Guide
All kinds of 
Food, drink, cooking, barbecue, and rib links
Stuck indoors? Try these:
The best news is that you can make better ribs at home than any restaurant, even the hallowed temples of barbecue such as Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City, Rendezvous in Memphis, and Kreuz Market in Lockhart Texas.
