Cheater Ribs

Texas barbecuing is usually done with lots of smoke over lots of time, “low and slow.”  However, not everyone has lots of time!
   
Canadian barbecue champion Ron Shewchuk published the recipe to “Cheater Ribs” in his book Barbecue Secrets (2004). Shewchuk “cheats” by first putting the ribs in boiling water. The Carolina Sauce Company’s “Cheater’s Ribs” (below) is a different product.
   
   
Amazing Ribs - best books and periodicals
Barbecue Secrets, Unbeatable Recipes, Tips & Tricks From a Barbecue Champion by Ron Shewchuk. Shewchuk is a Vancouver based competitor who really knows his stuff. This is a good beginner’s guide to serious barbecue with many of his competition recipes. Unfortunately there are only two recipes for ribs. One is called “Cheater ribs” for people in a hurry, and it involves boiling water. This oversight is balanced by the quality of the other recipe for ribs and his great advice on everything from brisket to smoked duck salad. Ingredients are measured in both standard English measurements (pounds, cups, tablespoons, Fahrenheit) as well as metric (kilograms, liters, Centigrade).
   
Rockin’ Ronnie’s Barbecue Times (December 2004)
Recipe of the Month: CHEATER RIBS
It’s winter grilling time; I don’t do a lot of heavy duty smoking in the winter, but I grill all year round and usually stick to good old quick, reliable propane to help get me in and out of the cold as quickly as possible. These ribs, from Barbecue Secrets, are wonderfully tender, they taste great, and they don’t take all day to cook – perfect winter grilling fare.
 
2 racks of side or baby back ribs, trimmed by your butcher
1 medium onion, peeled and halved
1 tsp./5 mL peppercorns
3 or 4 whole cloves
2 Tbsp./25 mL prepared mustard
1/2 tsp./2 mL granulated garlic
1/4 cup/50 mL or so Classic Barbecue Rub (recipe below makes about three cups):
1 cup/250 mL white granulated sugar
1/4 cup/50 mL celery salt
1/4 cup/50 mL garlic salt
1/4 cup/50 mL onion salt
1/4 cup/50 mL seasoning salt (I like Lowry’s)
1/3 cup/75 mL chili powder (use a commercial blend, or if you want an edge, try a combo of real ground chiles like ancho, poblano, New Mexico or guahilla)
1/3 cup/75 mL black pepper
1/3 cup/75 mL paprika
1-3 tsp./5-15 ml. of two or three or your favorite seasonings like powdered thyme, oregano, cumin
1 cup/250 mL barbecue sauce, the sweeter the better
 
Remove the membrane from the ribs if your butcher hasn’t already done it for you. Fill a large pot with cold water and completely submerge the ribs in the water. Add the onion, along with the peppercorns and cloves. Bring the water just to a boil. With a spoon or ladle, quickly skim off the soapy scum that forms on the top of the water and reduce the heat to low. Gently simmer the ribs for about 1 1/4 hours or until they begin to pull apart easily. Take the ribs out of the water and cool them on a cooking sheet until they are easy to handle. Prepare your grill for direct medium heat. Coat the ribs with mustard, sprinkle lightly with garlic and coat with the rub. Let sit until the rub starts to glisten, about ten minutes. Grill the ribs for 3 or 4 minutes on each side, applying barbecue sauce with a basting brush as you turn them. Cook until the sauce is nicely caramelized and the ribs are lightly charred in a few places. Remove from the grill, let them rest for a few minutes, cut them into single ribs and serve with classic barbecue accompaniments like corn on the cob, slaw, beans, etc. Serves 4.
 
Calgary Sun
Some five-alarm favourites from BBQ on the Bow
Hot Stuff!
Lorena D. Johnson
Calgary Sun
September 4, 2005
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CHEATER RIBS
You likely won’t find these ribs from past competitor Rockin’ Ronnie Shewchuk of the Butt Shredders smokin’ at today’s competition. But if you haven’t a day or more to invest in cooking them these fit the bill.
 
2 racks side or baby back ribs, trimmed by your butcher
1 medium onion, peeled and halved
1 tsp. peppercorns
3 or 4 whole cloves
2 tbsp. prepared mustard
1⁄2 tsp. granulated garlic
1⁄4 cup Championship Barbecue Rub (to follow)
1 cup barbecue sauce, the sweeter and tangier the better
 
1. Remove the membrane from the ribs if your butcher hasn’t already done it for you. Fill a large pot with cold water and completely submerge the ribs in the water.
2. Add onion, peppercorns and cloves and bring water just to a boil. With a spoon or ladle, quickly skim off the soapy scum that forms on top of the water and reduce heat to low. Gently simmer for about 1 1⁄4 hours. Take ribs out of the water and cool them on a cooking sheet until they are easy to handle.
3. Prepare your grill for direct medium heat. Coat the ribs with mustard, sprinkle lightly with the garlic and coat with the rub. Let sit until the rub starts to glisten, about 10 minutes.
4. Grill the ribs for 3 or 4 minutes on each side, applying barbecue sauce with a basting brush as you turn them.
5. Cook until the sauce is nicely caramelized and the ribs are lightly charred in a few places.
6. Remove from the grill, let them rest a few minutes, cut into single ribs and serve with classic barbecue accompaniments like corn on the cob, slaw, beans, etc. Serves 4.
- Barbecue Secrets: Unbeatable Recipes, Tips & Tricks From a Barbecue Champion by Ron Shewchuk (Whitecap Books)
     
il piatto blu
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Fourth of July
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Poured the whole mess, marinade and all, into a glass dish and stuck it in the oven at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes. This is because I only have a little baby size grill. If I had a real grill I would maybe find a way to make ribs in a slow smoker kind of way. Sorry. These are cheater ribs and are meant to make sure we don’t all die of trichinosis. Look it up.
   
Carolina Sauce Company
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
World’s Best Spare Ribs
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Cheater’s Ribs: If you want to do something fast that will appear as ribs, you can purchase “Country Ribs” in many meat markets in North Carolina. It’s really just pork butt cut into the shape of ribs, but you can marinate those in Greg’s Happy Sauce overnight in the refrigerator, and then cook on low heat on your grill or under the broiler until they’re done (maybe an hour). Or you can do baby back ribs—just marinate overnight in Greg’s Happy Sauce, and grill them like you normally would grill your baby back ribs.