WINE & FOOD AFFAIR RECIPES

Main Dish


Brad's Award-Winning Dry Rub Ribs

Mercury Geyserville

21015 Geyserville Ave
Geyserville, CA 95441
mercurywine.com

This "no sauce, no sugar" rib recipe leaves you falling off your bone! Easy to prep and light on ingredients, they can be grilled over charcoal or gas. Allow for plenty of actual cooking time, though, as these amazing ribs require a fair amount of attention over the grill. First place winner at Sonoma's most prestigious rib cook-off, the Geyserville May Day Festival, 2015 =)

Ingredients:
  • 2 tablespoons Lawry's seasoned salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 2 racks baby back pork ribs
  • 1 liter Heinz white vinegar
Directions:
In a small bowl, stir together the seasoned salt, black pepper, onion powder, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper. That's it! Set aside. Have a sip of wine, you deserve it!

Place the ribs on a baking sheet or other pan large enough to hold them. Rub the ribs on both sides with the seasoning mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours before cooking.

Now you have a few free hours . . . may I suggest enjoying more Mercury Wine? 

Preheat a grill to 215° to 250°F. (Charcoal will give you more of that smoked flavor; I prefer mesquite charcoal.)

Pour the vinegar into a spray bottle. (For best flavor, I recommend using ONLY Heinz vinegar!) Just before placing the ribs on the grill, lightly spritz them on both sides with the vinegar, being careful not to wash off the rub.

Place the ribs, meaty side up, on the grill. Cover the grill and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Watch for hot spots or flame flare-ups and use a spray bottle with water as needed. After 15 minutes, uncover the grill, spray the ribs with the vinegar, flip the ribs and spray the other side. Cover the grill and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more. Continue this process of spraying the ribs with the vinegar every 10 to 15 minutes for 2 hours. Now is a good time to check if your wine glass is comfortably full.

After 2 hours, you will see the meat pulling from the bone a bit, and the ribs should be beginning to turn a beautiful, crispy golden brown. Continue to spritz the ribs with vinegar every 10 to 15 minutes. So far, so good. Don't forget to check your glass of wine, and maybe have some chips and salsa.

At the 3-hour mark, you'll want to focus on obtaining the perfect golden brown color (the ribs, not you). If any part of the rack is not brown yet, move them to one of the hotter spots on the grill and brown for the last hour or so.

After 4 hours, the ribs will be golden brown, crispy and falling-off-the-bone tender. Enjoy!

Mercury Geyserville

21015 Geyserville Ave
Geyserville, CA 95441
mercurywine.com