Best Barbecue Pork Ribs in Manhattan

Photograph: Jessica Leibowitz at Serious Eats

OK. I'll wait.

Done yet?

C'mon. Really?

OK, children settle down now. Stop the laughing. Yes - the title of this post is the "Best Barbecue Pork Ribs in Manhattan," as in New York City. Yes, we do have multiple true barbecue restaurants in Manhattan and even more in Brooklyn. And today, we'll talk about the "best" pork barbecue ribs in Manhattan. Are they the best in the nation? No one said that, so you Southerners. Relax. We're not taking the crown just yet.

James Boo, Seriouseats.com NY's budding barbecue expert invited me, my buddy Ned Berke of Sheepsheadbites.com, Edible Queens blogger and 'cue enthusiast Joe DiStefano (known in certain circles as "Joey Deckle"), barbecue ambassador Amy Mills to join the staff and judge Manhattan's best pork barbecue ribs and the results are surprising.

Here's what happened, as James tells on Serious Eats...

This tasting focused on smoked pork ribs available for dine-in or take-out in Manhattan. Choices were based on our informal poll on SENY and the Barbecue Bureau's top choices. We purchased half-racks of spare ribs to-go from each restaurant, with the exception of Rack and Soul, which only serves baby back ribs:

• Blue Smoke: Kansas City Spareribs
• Daisy May's BBQ: Kansas City Sweet and Sticky Pork Ribs
• Daisy May's BBQ: Memphis Dry Rub Pork Ribs
• Dinosaur Barbeque Harlem: St. Louis Bar-B-Que Spare Ribs
• Hill Country New York: Pork spare ribs
• Rack and Soul: BBQ: Baby Back Ribs
• RUB: St. Louis-Style Long End"

I'll pick it up from here. We were led into the Serious Eats office and spread out before us was a large conference table with 7 plates of ribs lined up on one side. The only identifiable marking was a purple post-it tag with the numbers of 1 to 7 written on them. We stood around a while discussing how the judging was to take place and finally dove in.

When we sat down I thought I recognized a couple of the ribs, but as I was eating them I honestly lost my preconceived notions. I knew RUB was there. So was Daisy May, Blue Smoke and Hill Country. I saw them on the plates lined up for tasting, but by the time a rib got to my plate I had no idea which restaurant produced it. Joey Deckle was distributing the ribs to the plate and we were all sharing ribs. Trying to figure out where 1/2 a rib came from was a useless pursuit. So my dear readers, this was true blind judging. 

I'm not going to re-write James's post about the whole experience. You should read it over on Serious Eats, but here's the winners from the panel's perspective.

1. Rack and Soul's BBQ Baby Back Ribs (7.8/10)
2. Daisy May's BBQ's Kansas City Sweet and Sticky Pork Ribs (7.3/10)
3. Daisy May's BBQ's Memphis Dry Rub Pork Ribs(6.8/10)
4. Hill Country New York's Pork Spare Ribs (6.3/10)
5. Dinosaur Barbeque Harlem's St. Louis Bar-B-Que Spare Ribs (6.1/10)
6. Blue Smoke's Kansas City Spare Ribs (5.5/10)
7. RUB's St. Louis-Style Long End (4.5/10)

Frankly, I'm a bit surprised by these results. We all discussed our winners and losers and I didn't leave thinking this was how it would play out. James still had to tally our written votes, with the exception of Rack and Soul being the hands down winner, every other position was still in flux.

My feelings -- To me, the top two were Daisy May's. My winner was the dry rub ribs, followed by Daisy's sweet and sticky ribs. This really surprised me as my last visits to Daisy May's proved so disappointing that I wrote a post pleading with Adam Perry Lang to abandon his London restaurants and take care of Daisy. Maybe he listened, but whomever is handling the cookers at Daisy May's now is doing a great job. I need to get back there and update my comments. 

My least favorite in the bunch was Blue Smoke's Kansas City Style Spare Ribs. They were completely untrimmed, fatty and tasteless. To me, it appeared that the chef  had completely given up. There were no discernible spices, nor bark or smoke on these ribs. Huge chunks of fat dominated them and easily over powered the meat. I wouldn't have been surprised to be given these ribs from some newlywed's first attempt at cooking ribs in oven.

Hill Country's ribs didn't fare much better. While these ribs were cooked well, the salt, pepper, paprika seasoning just doesn't cut it for pork. "Hammy" was the most frequently heard comment here. Stick with the beef boys. 

As for the others, well it was a mixed bag as under cooking seemed to be the most common mistake.

I can't wait to do it again!

BBQ Recipes: Pecan Smoked Sugarcane BBQ St. Louis Ribs

This recipe comes to us from the Commander's Palace Destin in Destin, Florida. This makes a ton of rub and a boat load of sauce, but damn it's good. Pecan shells, or pecan wood if you can find it make a wonderful smoke that just works wonders on Pork. Can't find pecan? Oak or Hickory work just as well.

BBQ Spice Rub Ingredients:

• 3 cups paprika
• 1 cup granulated onion
• 1 cup granulated garlic
• ¼ cup white pepper
• 1 cup lemon pepper
• 1 cup chili powder
• 1 cup black pepper
• ¼ cup cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp allspice
• 1 tbsp cumin
• ¼ cup dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried marjoram
• 2 cups kosher salt
• 1/3 dry mustard
• 1 tbsp rubbed sage
• 1 tbsp ginger
• 1 tbsp mace
• 2 pounds brown sugar, light
• ½ cup cornstarch

Steps: Mix all ingredients together thoroughly

Chipotle Sugarcane BBQ sauce Ingredients:

• ¼ cup butter
• 1 cup yellow onion chopped
• 1 cup green bell pepper chopped
• 3 oz. chipotles in Adobo
• ¼ cup garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 ½ tsp allspice
• 1 ½ tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 3 ½ cups ketchup
• 3 ½ cups crushed tomato
• 1 ½ cups Dijon mustard
• 1 pound brown sugar
• ¾ cup Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 cup sugarcane vinegar
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 3 ½ cups sugarcane syrup

Steps:
Melt butter in a heavy bottom sauce pan. Add onions and peppers and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté about 5 minutes. Puree chipotles in a food processor with about ½ cup of water until smooth. Add chipotle puree and spice to the pot and cook about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer about 30 minutes.

Pecan Smoked Sugarcane Barbequed St. Louis Ribs Ingredients:

• 4 full racks St. Louis style ribs
• BBQ spice rub
• BBQ sauce
• Whole pecans or pecan shells

Steps:
To prepare ribs peel the thin membrane off the back side of the ribs. Then rub both sides of each rack of ribs with ¼ cup of the spice rub. Let marinate for 8 to 24 hours. Preheat smoker to 225 degrees. Add the pecans or pecan shells to the fire. Cook ribs bone side up for two hours. Flip the ribs and smoke for 3 more hours. Slather both sides of each rack with BBQ sauce and let cook another 20 -30 minutes with sauce. Cut and serve.

BBQ Recipes: Classic Baby Back ribs

This recipe comes to us from the fine folks at Weber. It's written by Jamie Purviance and you can find it in his cookbook, Weber's Charcoal Grilling™. Now I haven't tried this recipe yet, but I plan on trying it out soon.

Rub

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 4 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 4 teaspoons pure chile powder
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

4 racks baby back ribs, 2 to 2-1/2 pounds each
4 medium chunks of hickory wood, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

Barbecue sauce

• 3/4 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon pure chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mop

• 1 cup apple juice
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce (from above)

1. In a small bowl mix the rub ingredients.

2. Using a meat thermometer or dull knife, slide the tip under the membrane covering the back of each rack of ribs. Lift and loosen the membrane until it breaks, then grab a corner of it with a paper towel and pull it off. Season the ribs all over, putting more of the rub on the meaty sides than the bone sides. Arrange the ribs in a rib rack, with all the ribs facing the same direction. Allow the ribs to stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until the surface looks moist, before grilling.

3. Fill a chimney starter to the rim with charcoal and burn the charcoal until it is lightly covered with ash. Spread the charcoal in a tightly packed, single layer across one-third of the charcoal grate. Place a large disposable drip pan on the empty side of the charcoal grate. Fill the pan about halfway with warm water. Let the coals burn down to low heat (250° to 300°F). Leave all the vents open.

4. When the fire has burned down to low heat, drain 2 hickory chunks and place them on top of the charcoal. Put the cooking grate in place. Place the rib rack over indirect low heat (over the drip pan) as far from the coals as possible, with bone sides facing toward the charcoal. Close the lid. Close the top vent about halfway. Let the ribs cook and smoke for 1 hour. During that time, maintain the temperature between 250° to 300°F by opening and closing the top vents. Meanwhile, make the sauce and the mop.

5. In a small saucepan mix the barbecue sauce ingredients. Simmer for a few minutes over medium heat, and then remove the saucepan from the heat.

6. In another small saucepan mix the mop ingredients. Simmer for a few minutes over medium heat to melt the butter, and then remove the saucepan from the heat.

7. After the first hour of cooking, add 8 to 10 unlit charcoal briquettes and the remaining 2 hickory chunks (drained) to the fire. At the same time, lightly baste the ribs with some mop. Leaving the lid off for a few minutes while you baste the ribs will help the new briquettes to light. Close the lid and cook for another hour. During that time, maintain the temperature of the grill between 250° to 300°F by opening and closing the top vents.

8. After 2 hours of cooking, add 8 to 10 unlit charcoal briquettes to the fire. Remove the ribs from the rib rack, spread them out on clean work area and baste them thoroughly with some mop. Put them back in the rib rack, again all facing the same direction, but this time turned over so that the ends facing down earlier now face up. Also position any ribs that appear to be cooking faster than others toward the back of the rib rack, farther from the charcoal. Let the ribs cook for a third hour. During that time, maintain the temperature between 250° to 300°F by opening and closing the top vents.

9. After 3 hours of cooking, check if any rack is ready to come off the grill. They are done when the meat has shrunk back from most of the bones by 1/4 inch or more. When you lift a rack by picking up one end with tongs, the rack should bend in the middle and the meat should tear easily. If the meat does not tear easily, continue to cook the ribs. The total cooking time could be anywhere between 3 to 4 hours. Not all racks will cook in same amount of time. Lightly brush the cooked ribs with some sauce and, if desired for crispiness, cook them over direct heat for a few minutes. Transfer to a sheet pan and tightly cover with aluminum foil. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm with the remaining sauce on the side.

3 Stupid Things

I did 3 stupid things the other night for which I am still feeling repercussions...

1. I went to a barbecue place that is well past its prime.
2. I went to said barbecue place 20 minutes before it closed.
3. I ordered spare ribs at said barbecue place.

I don't know what made me do this. You should never order an item that takes 5 or more hours to cook when the restaurant is about to close. The ribs I got were disgusting; two days later I'm still tasting them. I should know better.

BBQ Foods: St. Louis Style Ribs

On Labor Day this year, I decided to make some spare ribs. I'm sorry I didn't get any pictures, but here's a great video from our friends over on The Virtual Weber Bullet on how to trim a side of ribs down to St. Louis Style. Basically, you need to trim off any meat that's not a part of the rib before you begin to cook them. This decreases the cooking time, removes any tough meat and gives you a much better presentation when done.

So what do you do with all that trimmed meat and bone? Well usually I season it up and cook it right along with the ribs. Since it's all various sizes it cooks at different times and provides a great snack while you're waiting for the ribs to finish. But Monday I was in the mood for something different. I took the meat and made pork stock out of it. Homemade stock you say? Hell yeah. Every good cook knows the benefit of having homemade stock on hand.

Enjoy the video.

BBQ Recipes: Dwight Joes St. Louis Ribs

I got some great feedback on the post for Dwight's Cherry Smoked Turkey, so here's another one from Ramin Ganeshram that sounds pretty good. Whomever Dwight is, I want to meet him. It sounds like he's a great cook.

Based on Ramin's directions, she must smoke her ribs on a Weber Kettle, but it shouldn't matter. Use whatever smoker you have, but be sure to use a preponderance of cherry wood (my personal favorite on ribs) in your fire. Enjoy!

Dwight Jones BBQ St. Louis Ribs
Serves 6 to 8 people

BBQ Spice Rub Blend

• 5 tablespoons coarse salt
• 4 tablespoons granulated garlic
• 4 tablespoons onion powder
• 4 1/2 tablespoons dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 5 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves
• Mix together and store in an airtight jar or zip top bag.

6-8 lb St. Louis Style pork ribs (about 3 racks)
1/2 Cup BBQ spice blend

• Coat the ribs evenly with the spice blend and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Prepare a BBQ grill for the indirect heat cooking method by placing the coals on one side of the fire grate.
• Sear the ribs over direct heat for 2-3 minutes per side.
  
• Place the ribs on the side of the grill rack away from the coals. Cover the grill and cook slowly for approximately 3-4 hours total.
  
• Check the progress about once per hour.
  
• Rotate the ribs to ensure even cooking.
  
• The ribs will be fork tender and the meat will pull away from the ends of the bones when done.

Baste with your favorite barbeque sauce during the last 45 minutes of cooking.

Serve with your favorite side dishes like Cole Slaw, Potato Salad and Beans.

Ramin Ganeshram is a chef professionally trained at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. She lives in Stony Brook, NY and her new book "Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad and Tobago" is now available. (For an excerpt, please click here.) Ramin can be reached at chef@dfire.org. Ramin is also the editor of the new magazine Canvas.