Lampe - Ribs, chops, steaks, & wings: irresistible recipes for the grill, stovetop, and oven

Irresistible Recipes for the Grill, Stovetop, and Oven

BY RAY DR. BBQ LAMPE
Photographs by Leigh Beisch

Text copyright 2009 by Ray Lampe.
Photographs copyright 2009 by Leigh Beisch.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written
permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.

ISBN: 978-0-8118-6826-6
eISBN: 978-1-4521-0035-7

Design by Katie Heit
Food styling by Sandra Cook
Prop styling by Sara Slavin
Typesetting by Janis Reed

The photographer wishes to thank her exceptional photo team. Thanks go to Sara Slavin for her
incredible props and Sandra Cook for her inspired food and styling. Thank you to Penny Flood,
Kate Robinson, and Sean Franzen for their support. Also, special thanks go to Vanessa Dina
and Katie Heit for allowing me to be a part of another unbelievably wonderful project.

Big Green Egg all in one grill/smoker is a registered trademark of the Big Green Egg Company;
Franks Red Hot sauce is a registered trademark of Reckitt Benckiser; Gravy Master seasoning
and browning sauce is a registered trademark of Gravymaster Inc.; Newmans Own marinara
sauce is a registered trademark of Newmans Own Inc.; San Antonio Red chili powder is a
registered trademark of Marshalls Creek Spices; Steens Cane Syrup is a registered trademark
of C. S. Steens Syrup Mill, Inc.; Sugar In The Raw is a registered trademark of Cumberland
Packing Corp.; Woodford Reserve distillers select Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a
registered trademark of the Woodford Reserve Distillery.

Chronicle Books LLC
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San Francisco, CA 94107

http://www.chroniclebooks.com

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO MY SISTER DENISE.

Thanks to Bill LeBlond for having the faith in me. Thanks to all the great people at Chronicle who turned my words into a beautiful book. Thanks to Scott Mendel for putting me in all the right places. Thanks to Judy for all the help at every turn. Thanks to Jim Nufer for believing in me.

Ribs, chops, steaks, and wings are the star attractions at any meal they are a part of. These are simply the most revered and tastiest parts of the cow, pig, and chicken. The back ribs, chops, and steaks all come from the highly prized loin area that is along the animals back. The term high on the hog makes reference to this part of the animal as being reserved for those who are living well. Ill go along with that. The key is that these muscles dont have to work very hard in their first life so they produce tender and well-marbled meat in their second life as food. Its also quite well known among carnivores that meat from near the bone just plain tastes better, and cooking it while still on the bone adds even more flavor. So, the bit of hassle involved with eating a bone-in steak, chop, or rib is well worth it for the great taste. Clearly, this all applies to spare ribs in a big way, as well, even though they actually come from the side of the hog. The relationship between meat and bone is the secret to the amazing appeal of the barbecued rib in all its incarnations.

Then theres the wing. While its not exactly high on the chicken, it sure doesnt get used much for flying by todays poultry and its always served on the bone. (Stay away from anything called a boneless chicken wing or for that matter a boneless rib. What could those possibly be?) The chicken wing just might be natures perfect food with all that delicious skin and the juicy tender meat. It just doesnt get any better. Its a great honor to write a book specifically about these cuts. I consider them to be the best meat products a cook can be given to work with and Im happy to share my thoughts and recipes.

This isnt necessarily meant to be a grilling book, but since I am known as Dr. BBQ and since most of the favorite preparations of our four wonderful subjects involve grilling them, its sort of got that feel to it. So Ive included a grilling tutorial and an equipment primer to start the book, but your broiler or indoor grill or even a grill pan will work for many of the dishes. Youll just have to adapt the cooking times to your equipment and cook per the manufacturers instructions. Even those of you cooking on the grill will have to adapt because every grill is a little different. But I suspect youve been practicing and are ready to get right at it with these new recipes.

Speaking of the recipes, Ive covered some wonderful classic preparations for Ribs, Chops, Steaks, and Wings, such as New York Steak au Poivre and Grilled Veal Chops Oscar, but with a little of my own twist on them. Ive also given you a few recipes specifically for cooking indoors because even I dont cook outside every day. Ive included the recipe for the pan-fried sirloin that my grandma used to make so well and a really interesting combination of spare ribs and sauer kraut. Ive even thrown in a couple of really unique ideas that you might not have expected such as the Seared Tuna Steaks with Wasabi Butter and the Turkey Wings Parmigiana. So lets get cooking. Its a carnivores carnival.

That is a question I am asked all the time, so it seems like a good place to start. I think we can all agree that theres no better way to cook ribs, chops, steaks, and wings than on the grill. They all benefit greatly from that smoky char that comes from a hot, open fire. But there are many types of grills, and the one you choose will have a great impact on the final outcome of your cooking. In my not-so-humble opinion on this subject, charcoal grills rule! The food just plain tastes better when cooked over charcoal. Burning whole logs of real wood can be equally good, but most of us dont have the kind of equipment to do it properly and in the wrong grill, an all-wood fire can create a taste that is just too smoky for most people. Most of the modern charcoal grills are very easy to use. They have tight-fitting lids that allow you to control the fire by controlling the oxygen that the fire gets. Open the vents and the fire grows; close them and it calms down. Its pretty simple to cook at the heat level you desire with a good charcoal grill.

Then of course there are the gas grills. They are wildly popular because of convenience, and most of them do what they promise, which is to sear the food nicely and create the fat in the fire taste that substitutes reasonably well for the wonderful taste of cooking with charcoal. Most have multiple burners so you can have a hot and a cool zone and they all have adjustable flames. Many also have a nice rotisserie option but we wont be using that for the ribs, chops, steaks, or wings that were discussing in this book.

There are a couple of lesser-known options for grilling, as well. Electric grills have become popular due to many condo and balcony restrictions against open flames, but Ive yet to try one that could compare to charcoal or gas. They typically dont get hot enough to sear the meat well, but if thats all you can use, go for it. Pellet-fired grills are another option and they have become more popular lately. They use 100 percent wood pellets that are typically made of by-product sawdust, which is a good thing. The pellets are automatically fed into the firepot, so these grills have great temperature control and they have that great wood taste. I like these a lot.