Texas Style Dry Rub Barbeque

When visiting my sister Denise and Dale, or in-laws Michael and Pam in the Lone Star State, the first food stop for the Chef is a barbeque joint.

Texas style barbeque is smoky and crusted with a seasoned dry rub, and the meat is fork tender. The Chef has brought many a barbeque brisket on the plane, frozen and wrapped, to be savored for the next couple of weeks back in L.A. There is nothing like it. You need a wood burning grill to smoke the meat all day for this Southern classic.


So let me show you how to do a decent 99 cent Texas barbeque in a fraction of the time.

Important ingredients include wood chips and dry seasonings, which are selling at the 99c only Store.


Of course, you can't get traditional Texan beef brisket for 99 cents a pound, but you can buy meaty country style pork ribs on sale at Vons for 99 cents, and they barbeque most tenderly.

Instead of barbeque sauce, try out a dry rub. It is the simplest thing to mix, and the flavor is more intense.

Combine all the dry seasonings and coat the meat on all sides.

My trick to shortening the smoking time is to boil the meat for a couple of hours, then smoke over a regular charcoal or gas grill for half an hour (barbeque sauce can be added, but wait until the last 10 minutes before applying to ribs.)

Experiment with different meats, including sausage, chicken and beef.


Ingredients (serves 2-4)
2-4 lbs. pork country style ribs
99 cent package of Hickory or Mesquite wood chips
Water for boiling ribs

Dry Rub - 2 tbsp. each, all combined (don't worry if any ingredient is left out)
Typical dry rub ingredients include: salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, dried mustard, dried oregano (or any dried herb), garlic powder, cumin and brown sugar.


Directions
First boil ribs for 2 hours over low heat , covered in water.

Drain and cool down then cover ribs with mixed "dry rub."

Soak wood chips in water while ribs are boiling. Drain chips and use enough to cover your coals or gas grill.

Place chips on a metal pan or a piece of foil. I have a 99 dollar cheap-ass gas grill with a layer of lava rocks, so that's where he places the wood chips.

 For a charcoal grill, build the fire on one side of the grill. Place chips on the metal grill over fire and the meat on the opposite side - away from the fire.

Cook covered for 30 minutes. The trick is smoking meat off to the side, indirectly, or have the chips between the fire and meat.

You do not want direct heat as your barbeque ribs will dry out and burn.

Also trim fat or it may catch wood chips on fire - keep an eye on the grill for the last 10 minutes; you don't want a fire flare-up to ruin your hard earned Texas style barbeque!