| 1 | Know your ribs quick tips beyond barbecue sauce as fireworks light up the sky this fourth of july holiday, millions of americans will light their backyard grills to celebrate independence day the traditional way -- with barbecued ribs that inspire as many "oohs and ahs" as the fireworks display. |
| 2 | The secret is to keep tradition from turning into routine -- move beyond the basics to create the hard-to-resist ribs found in restaurants across the country. |
| 3 | Formula for perfect ribs to prepare ribs like the pros you must know your ribs -- and which kind your crowd prefers. |
| 4 | There are three types of ribs available at retail and it"s important to know the virtues of each before going to the grill. |
| 5 | Spareribs -- spareribs have the least amount of meat -- but, nonetheless, many rib connoisseurs are sparerib loyalists. |
| 6 | A rack of spareribs can weigh from 3 pounds to almost 5 pounds. |
| 7 | Sparerib lovers can put away more than a pound of ribs in a sitting. |
| 8 | Back ribs -- back ribs are cut from the blade of the pork loin and include the "finger meat" between the ribs. |
| 9 | Often called "baby" back ribs, these ribs offer more meat than spareribs do. |
| 10 | A rack of back ribs will weigh about 1-?to 1-?pounds. |
| 11 | One pound of back ribs is considered a serving. |
| 12 | Country-style ribs -- cut from the rib end of the loin and very meaty, country-style ribs are most often eaten with knife and fork. |
| 13 | While country-style ribs can be grilled or roasted, they"re also often braised or cooked with moist heat to render the meat very tender. |
| 14 | Since they"re so meaty, a pound of country-style ribs will serve two to three people. |
| 15 | Then, at the grill, remember these quick tips: don"t be direct -- set gas and electric grills on medium heat. |
| 16 | For charcoal grills, bank the coals and cook ribs over indirect heat. |
| 17 | Make sure time is on your side -- for tender ribs, cook with the lid down for at least an hour and a half. |
| 18 | Slow down -- don"t be too quick with the sauces. |
| 19 | To prevent burning, wait until the last 20 minutes before adding tomato or other sugar-based sauces. |
| 20 | Give it a wiggle -- ribs are considered done when you can wiggle the meat from the bone. |
| 21 | Smoke "em pink -- if you add wood chips to the fire, the resulting smoke may turn the meat next to the bone pink. |
| 22 | That"s okay. |
| 23 | Beyond barbecue sauce sweet tomato-based barbecue sauces that once dominated the barbecue scene are frequently being replaced or combined with spicy dry rubs from around the world. |
| 24 | Rubs are really what"s next for ribs. |
| 25 | They are simple to make and easy to apply. |
| 26 | And you can create your own rubs based on your favorite flavor profiles. |
| 27 | To complement the rub, a barbecue sauce is still in order, but serve it on the side to highlight your ribs. |
| 28 | Side dish sparklers another way to add flair to the fourth of july festivities is to add new flavor twists to traditional side dishes. |
| 29 | Hot foods are "hot," so spice up deviled eggs with hot peppers to create double deviled eggs. |
| 30 | Or add blue cornmeal, reflecting our native american foods, to make blue heaven cornbread (recipes below). |
| 31 | Changing just one ingredient can change the flavor -- and color -- of an entire meal. |
| 32 | Put a little bang in your fourth of july with ethnically-inspired, restaurant-style ribs and sparkling side dishes. |
