Everyone loves tomato soup. But homemade tomato soup from fresh ripe tomatoes is sooooo much better than the canned. But when you smoke the tomatoes, add a little milk or cream, and serve it chilled, you enter a new dimension. Click here for my smoked tomato soup recipe.
And before all the tomatoes, peppers, and cukes are gone, may I recommend my Modern Gazpacho? Gazpacho is a refreshing cold soup from raw vegetables, sometimes called liquid salad, the traditional field worker's specialty of Aldalusia, the Southern region of Spain that encompasses Sevilla, Gibraltar, and Jerez, the famous sherry wine district.
Crumbly Skillet Cornbread
Cornbread is a classic sidekick for barbecue with good reason. The corn flavor and texture is a perfect foil for sweet barbecue sauce and Southern Sweet Tea. In the South, cornbread is not sweet. In the Northeast, cornbread is sweeter and more cakelike. I like a compromise, with just a touch of sweetness. Cornbread is great as a side dish, but also makes a fabulous breakfast, warm, with a dab of butter, honey, or syrup.
You can eat it straight, or you can butter it. A compound butter with herbs or molasses is great on cornbread. Some folks in the south serve it warm topped with honey and in New England it is often served with maple syrup. Some say it is better if you cover with foil and and set it aside for at least 24 hours.
The classic Southern cornbread was baked in a cast iron skillet greased with bacon fat, lard, or other meat grease. The hot black metal creates a brown crunchy crust that really amps up the flavor and texture. Click here for my recipe for Crumbly Skillet Cornbread.
Roasted Garlic Bread
Raw garlic is harsh and sulfury, strong enough to ward off vampires. But it gets mellow, nutty, and sweet when cooked. But not too mellow. It still retains its unique character. One of the best ways to mellow garlic is to roast it. It makes a great spread on bread, toast, or crackers. I also use it in mashed potatoes, salad dressings, soups, and sauces. It's easy. Click here for the Zen of Garlic and how to roast the stuff.
How to Grill Great Steakhouse Steaks
Regardless of what cut of steak you cook, there are some basic tips and techniques that can raise your game, and when you master them, you will have your guests reeling in deliria. Click here for the path to great steakhouse steaks.
I have also made some significant revisions to my article about The Zen of Beef Grades & Labels, particularly at the bottom under the heading "Where beef is heading."
Gold Nugget Lip Smackin' Cracklins
The old fashioned traditional classic recipe for cracklins is simple. Deep fry pork skins and subcutaneous fat layer in oil until they are GBD. And doubly greasy. And the skin can get really really hard. Like shard hard. And frying them also makes a horrible mess. They can pop and spatter all over the stove and floor. I wanted to avoid the mess, tame the hardness of the skin, and add some flavor. So, of course, I took them outside. Click here to see how I accomplished my goals. Hint: There will be smoke.
Santa Maria Tri-Tip Steaks
Tri-tip is a crescent shaped muscle from the bottom sirloin just in front of the hip. It has big beefy flavor, it is very lean, so it can be on the chewy side if you don't cook and slice it properly. But cook and slice it the way they do in Santa Maria, CA, and you can have a piece almost as tender, and every bit as juicy as prime rib. Click here to learn how to make and cut Tri-tip.
Improved Pork Loins
I recently made some major improvements to my article on Stuffed Pork Loin. If you are looking for a dish that is quick and easy and really wows the guests, this is it.
Amazing Ribs is All About the Zen of Barbecue, Grilling, and Outdoor Cooking
"I think food is important and if you don't know how to cook, it’s tragic." Julia Child
Barbecue is the world's oldest cooking method. Heck, it may be the world's second oldest profession. And people have been gnawing on ribs since the beginning of time.
Barbecue was probably discovered by some proto-human tribe padding warily through the warm ashes of a forest fire following their noses to a particularly seductive scent. When they stumbled upon the charred carcass of a wild boar they squatted and poked their hands into its side. They sniffed their fragrant fingers, then licked the greasy digits. The magical blend of warm protein, molten fat, and unctuous collagen in roasted meat is a narcotic elixir and it addicted them on first bite. They became focused, obsessed with tugging and scraping the bones clean, moaning, and shaking their heads. The sensuous aromas made their nostrils smile and the fullsome flavors caused their mouths to weep. Before long mortals were making sacrifices and burnt offerings to their gods, certain the immortals would like to try their heavenly recipes.
Many experts even think that it was mastery of fire that permanently altered our evolutionary path and it is this primeval link that makes us still love cooking over flame so.
Kissed by smoke, hugged by sauce, licked by fire
Today we do it the same way our ancestors did. Our noses lead us to meat roasted by live fire and we eat without forks or linen. Just pig on a stick, grease and goop on our faces. The meat is ethereal, kissed by smoke, hugged by sauce, and licked by fire. "Don’t play with your food" doesn't apply when you're eating barbecue. If you don't get it on your shirt you're not doing it right. This is primal, elemental, sensual eating. Pure carnal joy. Just like our ancestors.
Since the beginning of time, cooking with fire has always meant a gathering the clan outdoors, and there is no more intimate assembly than hanging around the fire with the sweet smell of smoke and meat in the air, with a beer in hand, and loved ones at our table. It is as if we draw energy from the fire, as if the fire is the path to both sustenance of the body and the soul. As it was for our forbears, cooking for the clan, the burnt offering, becomes a religious ritual. And then we share the recipes.
If, as I believe, a nation's cuisine is at the core of it's culture, barbecue is as important to the American heritage as is jazz, both perfected by African Americans in the South. To this day, nothing says "party" and "family" like barbecue so it should not be surprising that almost 80% of US households own an outdoor grill or smoker. Truly barbecue is America's cuisine.
There may even be a psychological reason we love barbecue. Psychologists have shown that certain foods, among them barbecue, just plain make us happy. Who needs comfort food when we can have happy food? This website is not so much about cooking as it is about feeding,self-expression, and happiness.
But just because our ancestors learned to cook outdoors doesn't mean that it comes as second nature to us all. That's the reason for this website, to pass along the ancient art as it has always been taught, generation to generation. To pass the flame from an old timer like me to a young'n like you.
There are a lot of step-by-step recipes from the canon of dishes a barbecue chef needs to know, but the meat and potatoes of AmazingRibs.com are the concepts and techniques that allow us to feed friends and family well. And then have them worship us.
Making it happen is not that hard. Just about anything you can cook in the kitchen can be cooked outdoors if you know a few tricks. And this site will teach you the tricks of controlling temperature and time, essential for cooking anything.
This website is for food lovers as well as all the trash-talkers who aspire to make the best barbecue on the block, and then brag about it. It's not hard. Come on in, the backyard gate is open, get fired up, roll up your sleeves, strap on a bib (or better still, an apron), and dig in to some Amazing Ribs and much much more!
Disclaimers for people with agendas
I have been asked occasionally what do I mean by "The Zen of Barbecue" in my subtitle? What does this site have to with Buddhism? Zen is a state of enlightenment and comprehension brought on by meditation, by deep thought. This is my message to readers: We achieve culinary enlightenment by understanding the concepts rather than by following recipes because there are no rules in the bedroom and dining room. And not just how we do things, but why we do things. This site has nothing to do with religion, OK?
I have also been asked about the fact that I describe myself as a hedoism evangelist. Lookit, much about food is about enjoyment, about the pleasure of dining on great barbecue with friends and family. My evangelism is limited to spreading pleasure. It has nothing to do with religion, OK? Sheesh.
Below are links to some of the best parts of this website.
To see everything, click here for a complete sitemap.
If you boil ribs the terrorists win
Myth #1: Boil ribs to make them tender
A lot of folks boil their ribs. Don't do it! You wouldn't boil a steak would you? When you boil meat and bones, you make flavorful soup. That's because water is a powerful solvent that pulls much of the flavor out of the meat and bones and makes the meat mushy. Boiling also removes vitamins and minerals. That's why the water is cloudy when you're done. Taste tests have shown that ribs are most flavorful when roasted. If you are in a hurry, you are better off steaming or microwaving ribs and then finishing them on the grill or under the broiler. Just don't boil 'em if you want max flavor!
Myth #2: The best ribs fall off the bone
Barbecue judges agree: Properly roasted ribs are tender but still have some chew, similar to a tender steak. They don't fall off the bone. If they do, chances are they have been boiled. Click here to learn what the experts think Amazing Ribs taste like.
Myth #3: Pink pork is uncooked
When ribs are smoked they get an incredible flavor and a pink smoke ring just below the surface. They're not raw! If they were, the pink would be in the center, near the bone. The pink is a by-product of the smoke and combustion gases. Click here to read more about meat science and click here to learn more about the thermodynamics of outdoor cooking.
Myth # 4: Soak wood before using it
When I soaked wood chunks overnight, they gained about 3% by weight. Chips gained about 6%. I cut the chunks in half and penetration was only about 1/16". DOH! That must be why they make boats out of wood! Wood doesn't absorb much water! If you toss wet wood on a hot grill, the small amount of water just below the surface will evaporate rapidly, negating any effect of soaking. On charcoal, the wet wood cools off the coals when it is important to hold the coals at a steady temp.
Some politically incorrect messages from a Meathead:
"The secret of a great meal ain't what's on the table. It's what's on the chairs." Meathead
To single guys
Learn to cook and you will find love.
To married guys
Your wife hates it when you're in her kitchen. Learn to cook outdoors.
To single ladies
Barbecue smoke is a potent pheromone. Skip the implants and get a good grill or smoker. You'll save a ton of money, and you'll have plenty of prospects hanging around your grill.
To married ladies
Painting by Gil Elvgren, 1958.
You want quality time? Look out back. He's right there. Grab a beer and join him. Teach him to cook. Use this site as a textbook. He can learn. I did.
To everyone
This site attempts to teach the novice and at the same time be thorough enough for the expert. I try to explain why as well as how, because when you can cook outdoors, you can cook anywhere. Tuck in!
When are steaks, chops, chicken, and other foods done?
I want my meats tender, juicy, and flavorful, and I also want them safe. The temperature of the meat controls these things. You cannot tell by looking and feeling. You need a good instant-read meat thermometer and a good oven thermometer. Nothing will save you from apologizing to your guests and keep you from wasting money as well as good thermometers. Click here for my Buying Guide to Thermometers.
World's Best Barbecue Buying Guide & Meathead's Hotstuff Awards
For the coolest in tools and toys, check Meathead's Hotstuff Awards. I don't sell anything. I just tell you what works and what doesn't.
An example: The Smokenator. You can easily convert a standard Weber Kettle into a smoker capable of making restaurant quality smoked ribs, pork shoulder, brisket, turkey, or salmon. If you have a Weber, you need a Smokenator. Less than $75.
Before you buy, check out the reviews in my Buying Guide. There is nothing in the world like this section. Just about every backyard grill, smoker, and pig roaster available is listed, and many of them have links to discount suppliers.
Here's what Barry Sorkin of Smoque Restaurant in Chicago says: "Great article on brisket. That's a better explanation than I've seen in any of the cookbooks, and I’ve read a lot of them. It does a great job of making one of the most complex and difficult cuts of meat simple and approachable. My only concern is that if everyone learns how to make brisket, how's a poor schmuck like me going to make a living?!?!"
Huge hot dog section
More than 25 articles (!) on the best ways to cook hot dogs, buns, chili sauce, recipes for the regional styles (Chicago, NY, Detroit, Cincinnati, West Virginia and more), and a hot dog road trip! Click here for everything you need to know about hot dogs.
Huge Hamburger section
Take a tour of all the regional hamburger styles, the secrets of killer steakhouse steak burgers, the secrets of crispy diner burgers, the Zen of buns, burger toppings, secret sauce, and more.
Hogwild for barbecue
We've won 5 Grand Championships and 2 Reserve Championships [second place]in the past three months. Loved your site for years. Learned much about BBQ from you and wanted to give you credit. Your site has loads of objective info and it has helped me greatly. You have put it together in one convenient spot.
Well my wife just about jumped through her [rear end]. The ribs were fantastic!
Ted DuBose, Perth, Australia
This meal was as memorable as my first sex, only better.
Marie Overholt, San Francisco, CA
I was about to buy a new smoker. After reading your article about setting up a horizontal smoker, I decided to try rehabilitating something the previous owner of my house left in the backyard. Ran a test yesterday and got 6 hours at 225°F on one basket of lump charcoal and only had 8-10 degree variance from end to end. Total investment:$100. I figure I saved at least $500!
Coleman Shelton
Calvert City, KY
The Memphis Dust and the pulled pork are excellent! I never would have imagined that I would like anything better than a slab of smoked ribs, but that pulled pork, oh my gosh! I have taken it to a couple of parties and it is always a HIT! I made some two weeks ago and served it with the South Carolina mustard sauce as well as the grownup sauce and let me tell you, I had to dang near run people out of my house!
Aswad Johnson
I have always loved cooking ribs but with our new gas grill they were never as good as charcoal. Well that all changed last night when I made the greatest ribs I have ever tasted. My wife wanted to know if I bought them somewhere and then claimed I cooked them myself.
Allen Nicley, Mont Alto, PA
We love your beans. My recipe has our guests tooting for a few days; I bet that yours will last a week!!!!
Peggy Bohl, Sacramento, CA
I have worked as a professional cook in high end French restaurants for several years, but I had little true BBQ experience, so when I hit the internet looking for some info, I was really pleased to find an in depth and expansive site that had all the tips I was looking for. I am also pleased to tell you that I recently took first place in my first rib (or any BBQ) competition, using a slight variation on your Memphis Dust and a straight use of your Pig Candy recipe on a rack of baby backs!
Aaron Ettlin, Portland, OR
I had two ribs and my boyfriend ate the other 3 1/2 pounds. He couldn't stop to talk. He had to bring a box of tissues to the table because these ribs are so good, they make him weep. And that's the truth. Of course, I make sure he has plenty of napkins, too. He tells me that my ribs have deepened his love for me. Well, fine, but I know that just means he wants more ribs:)
Nancy J. Mostad, Minnesota
I am in the process of opening a cafe and thought your simple sweet sour slaw is an amazing winner. Tested it tonight. All people could say was "More please!!!"
James Murray, Toronto
All I have to say is OH MY GOD!!! They are hands down the best ribs I have ever tasted. Everyone begged me for the recipe.
I tried your Memphis Dust (on chicken) and it was amazing!
Ivan Carabott, Malta
This site rocks!!!
Jim, Maumee, OH
As we were watching our Giants beat the Mets, a Famous Dave's commercial came on claiming the best ribs in the world, and my honey just shook his head and said, "nope, it's right here." Many, many thanks!
Red Taylor, San Francisco, CA
No question, just wanted to say yours is one of my go-to websites for cooking. I cooked professionally for many years, including a 3-year chef's apprenticeship at 4-star classic French kitchen in Dallas.
David White, Rockwall, TX
You are, to the barbecue world, what "Click & the Clack: The Tappet Brothers" are to the car world: knowledgeable, smart, hilarious, and self-effacing.
Laurel Stone
I have found your site to be the Rosetta Stone of BBQ. From here you can make anything, or you can obtain the tools and information to BBQ/Grill/Smoke. Thanks!
Bill Lamb
Searing Steaks
Ribeyes. Just typing the word makes my keyboard cower in fear of drool. Ribeyes are, in my humble opinion, the best steaks on the steer. And Chef Jamie Purviance agrees. Jamie is the well known author of several cookbooks, most recently the New York Times bestseller, Weber's Way to Grill: The Step-by-Step Guide to Expert Grilling.
Jamie and I got together last month with two identical Weber Kettle charcoal grills to answer the kind of question that keeps steak lovers like us up all night: When is the best time to sear a steak, when you start cooking, or at the end of the cook? Believe it or not, when you sear the steak makes a huge difference in flavor, texture, and juiciness.
Steaks are easy. Hard to mess up. Regardless of what cut you cook, there are some basic tips and techniques that can raise your game, and when you master them, you will have your guests reeling in deliria.
In this all new article, in my typically exhaustive style, we focus on the best cuts, the best grades, thickness, prep, cooking method, testing for doneness, resting, serving, accompaniments, and much more. Click here to learn the secrets of great steakhouse steaks.
Santa Maria Tri-Tip Steaks
Originally settled by Mexican cowboys called vaqueros, Santa Maria, on California's beautiful Central Coast, has an international reputation for their local specialty, tri-tip steak, the unique grill they invented to cook it, and the clever way they carve it to make it tender. Click here to learn about buying and cooking tri-tip steaks.
The different cuts of ribs. For complete descriptions, click here.
Don't do it the way Weber tells you to do it. Click here to see how to do it right.
Best gas grill setup
The secret is in a pan of water between the meat and the heat.
Hot food, drink, cooking, barbecue, and rib links
There are so many great resources on the internet: Associations, competitions, message boards, podcasts, blogs, and more. Just click here.
Stuck indoors? Try these:
Smoky Sauna Ribs. This technique makes verrrrry tender, juicy, ribs, indoors all year round.
Chinatown Char Siu Ribs. Everybody loves those Chinese restaurant ribs. How do they do it? The secret is not the sauce, it's the marinade. You can do them at home on the grill or in the oven.
Hoisinful Nine Dragon Ribs (shown at right). These may be the best Chinese ribs you ever tasted. And you can cook them indoors.
Chinese Five Spice Ribles. Fried and crispy, flavored with five spice powder, these ribs are the perfect finger food for parties.
You can kick most barbecue restaurants in the ribs
The best news is that you can make better ribs at home than any restaurant, even the hallowed temples of barbecue such as Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City, Rendezvous in Memphis, and Kreuz Market in Lockhart Texas.
Most of these restaurants make hundreds of slabs, cooking them for 4-6 hours overnight or in the morning, and by the time you order them, they have been sitting in the holding oven for hours and are overcooked. Yes, the texture and flavor are fabulous, but you can do better at home simply by getting the timing down and delivering perfectly cooked ribs to your dining table better than any restaurant in the world!
The one requirement of all my recipes: When you're done, you must lick your fingers, leave a plate of bare bones, and exclaim "Amazing Ribs!"
Listen to Meathead on NPR's "The Splendid Table" with Lynn Rosetto Kasper
There is no better radio show on food than Lynn Rosetto Kasper's, so it was a real honor when she called to discuss my Huffington Post article "Who Killed Gourmet" in which I vented on recipes on the internet and why the best are hard to find, even with help from Google. Click here to hear the broadcast, and here to see my list of the best food websites.
Hear Meathead on radio in Kansas City
Hear Meathead talking about hot dogs on "Live! from Jasper's Kitchen" with co-host Mitch Baker. KCMO is in the barbecue capital of the world, Kansas City, so for me, this is like Carnegie Hall!
Tell Meathead what you think, or ask him a question
But please, please, please read this first:
1) Please use the sitemap or the search box, at the top of every page. There's a good chance the answer is already on this site.
2) Please read this article about thermometers.Chances are your thermometer is the problem! I cannot help you troubleshoot unless you tell me that you are using a digital oven thermometer at meat level (not in the lid), and/or a digital meat thermometer. You simply cannot believe your grill's built-in bi-metal dial thermometer. They are often off by as much as 50°F!
3) Please tell me everything I need to know to answer your question.
4) Please don't ask me "What grill (or smoker) should I buy?" Read my Buyer's Guides and follow the links. I've shared just about everything I know on those pages. I cannot pick the right cooker for you any more than you could pick the right car for me. But I've explained everything you need to know to make your decision.
AmazingRibs.com is all about the Zen of barbecue, grilling, and outdoor cooking, with great BBQ recipes and techniques: Barbecue baby back ribs, spareribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, steak, burgers, chicken, smoked turkey, lamb, barbecue sauces, rubs, and side dishes, with the net's best buying guide to barbecue smokers and grills. It is written, photographed, illustrated, and coded solely by Meathead.
My philosophy about food is simple. First of all it must taste great. It must be easy to make and emphasize fresh seasonal products with a minimum of processed ingredients. I think that people need to know why as well as how, and that there are no rules in the bedroom or dining room.
About Product Reviews and Meathead's Hot Stuff Awards. Meathead's Hot Stuff Awards are highly recommended products that I have tested personally or that have been tested by reliable sources. Awards are based on features, quality, and value. Rest assured that when I recommend a product, it is really because I like it, not because someone has paid me to say so or because the company is an advertiser or sponsor. I purchase most products I review although occasionally suppliers send me samples.
About links on this site. Other than clearly marked ads, links and recommendations on this site are all products, services, and websites I truly admire, and are never paid endorsements. Your suggestions are always welcome. If you would like me to link to your website, click here to read my links policy first. Advertising policy. I do not accept ads from products that I review such as grills, charcoal, etc. Click here for more on my advertising policy.
Meathead's Personal Privacy Promise.I promise to never sell or distribute any info about you individually without your express permission, and I promise not to, ahem, pepper you with email or make you eat spam. Click here for more details of my privacy promise.
Disclaimer. The information on this website is for educational purposes only. All material within comes without warranties of any kind. I am human, and capable of mistakes, so I make no guarantees as to the accuracy, completeness, or safety of the information. Under no circumstances am I liable for any damages that result from use of the site (so you can't sue me if you burn your tongue on hot ribs, or get a tummy ache, OK?).
GrillGrates are the best new product I have tested in years and the best thing to happen to beef since salt and pepper. The base superheats, eliminates hot spots, smokes, and blocks flareups. This is the concept behind the expensive new infrared grills. Click here for more about GrillGrates.
The Smokenator:
A Necessity For Weber Kettles
If you have a Weber Kettle, you need the amazing Smokenator and Hovergrill. The Smokenator turns your grill into a first class smoker, and the Hovergrill can add capacity or be used to create steakhouse steaks. Click here to read more.
ThermoWorks Pocket Thermometer - No More Guessing
A good thermometer is why I never serve overcooked or undercooked food. No more guesswork. This one has a very thin tip with a tiny thermocouple so it gives an accurate reading in just six seconds. I cannot recommend it more highly. It will improve your cooking overnight. And it is inexpensive. Click here for more about thermometers.
This link takes you to Amazon.com and tags anything you buy with my affiliate code so I get a small referral fee. It works on anything from grills to diapers and it has zero impact on the price you pay. Low prices, fast delivery (often free), good refund policies, and often there is no sales tax, are the best reasons to buy from Amazon.com, but clicking on that link before you shop helps me devote more time and money to you. Thanks!