Do we do the Labor Day cookout this year or not?
- Scott Daniels: We Ate Well and Cheaply
- September 2, 2021
- 657
If we thought last year’s Labor Day was odd, I don’t know what to think about Labor Day 2021. It seemed to be safe to have gatherings and picnics again, but we’re finding ourselves with spiking pandemic cases, overrun hospitals and the strong recommendation we return to masking up and staying clear of crowds. The vaccine refuseniks have cleared the path backward for all of us.
Do we do the cookout and insist friends bring their vaccine card? Put out the ice chest, fire up the grill and hope for the best? Call the whole thing off for another year?
Maybe we will have to just accept the fact this thing is here to stay for an unknown number of years and plan life accordingly. If this many people continue to convince themselves the vaccine is an alien plot to subvert human civilization, we will necessarily see wave after wave of infections and deaths for the foreseeable future.
I have so many happy memories of holiday gatherings and fun throughout childhood. Will our children grow up with isolation as the normal thing? Will they ever greet anyone with a hug or a peck on the cheek through all their lives? The elbow bump has already more or less replaced the handshake.
I doubt we would have any company this year, even if everyone was safely healthy. An under 1-year-old infant in the house is exhausting enough without the work of setting up for a party. But I’ve been hungry for some good ribs, and I think I’ve found a good recipe. I used to do ribs outside all the time, but it has been long enough to start from scratch.
Cleveland restaurateur Michael Symon’s book, “Carnivore: 120 Recipes for Meat Lovers,” has a great plan, and I will probably combine the book version with a technique I saw him do on television. I like the barbecue sauce recipe, which doesn’t require any ketchup. The ribs need an overnight in the fridge to absorb the flavors from the rub.
CLEVELAND
BARBECUE SAUCE
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup minced red onion
1 minced garlic clove
kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 of a 3-ounce can of chipotle peppers in adobo, pureed
1 cup stadium mustard
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the onions and garlic, cooking until softened. Add the coriander and cumin and cook one minute. Add the brown sugar and heat until melted, then the 2 vinegars. Bring to a low boil and cook 10 minutes, Remove from the heat and add the chipotle puree and the mustard. Allow to cool before using.
SMOKED RIBS
Handful mesquite wood chips, soaked in water for a few hours and drained
Rack of St. Louis style ribs
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon each of sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano ground coriander seed, ground cumin and chipotle powder
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced.
Brush the ribs on both sides with the vinegar. Combine the remaining ingredients and rub this mixture thoroughly over the ribs. Cover and place in the refrigerator until needed the next day.
Prepare a kettle grill or smoker. If using the grill, bank the coals to one side only. Distribute the mesquite chips over the hot coals. Wrap the ribs loosely in foil, punch several holes in the foil and place the ribs on the side with no coals. You want a heat level at about 225. Let them cook for 2 hours.
Carefully open the foil and add the onions, oil and garlic. Loosely close the foil again and cook a further 2 hours. At this point, remove the ribs from the foil and slather with the barbecue sauce, saving the onions and garlic separately.
You may need to replenish the coals a bit. Place the ribs back on the grill and cook, basting with more sauce, until glazed, about 30 minutes. Serve with the onions and garlic from the foil.