Rendezvous-style Memphis Rub and Mop

In Memphis, Tennessee, it is common for the best rib joints to serve their ribs "dry", without sauce, just a liberal sprinkling of spices and herbs. Perhaps the most revered dry ribs are served at Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous (called "The Vous" by the locals).

Baby backs are the cut of choice and they are sprinkled liberally with their top secret "seasoning" before cooking ("We call it seasoning, not rub, because it’s sprinkled on, not rubbed in,” says John Vergos). Then it is cooked about 2-3' above lump charcoal coals (not briquettes) at a relatively hot 325-350F for only 60-90 minutes. While they are cooking they are occasionally mopped with a mix of vinegar, water, sauce, and spice rub. Little wood is used, if at all. The meat is flavored with the vaporizing fat dripping on the coals. Sauce, if requested, is served on the side.

The best part of the Rendezvous method is that the ribs are ready in a hurry. They are a little chewier than low and slow ribs, but darn tasty.

Because The Vous is so famous and popular, people, especially the media, are always asking the owners for their rub recipe. The one they give out is most definitely not the one they use in the restaurant or sell in the bottle. Yet it is all over the internet. How can I be so sure? The label says "Spices, parpika (color), garlic, monosodium glutamate, salt and less than 2% silicon dioxide added to prevent caking." The recipe they give the media contains only salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, celery seed, paprika, and chile powder. But if you buy a bottle and sprinkle some in your hand, you can't miss the whole coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and allspice seeds among other things! So I have tried to reverse-engineer it. My version is a lot closer to the real thing than the one so widely circulated, but it is not perfect. I would love to have your feedback.

In the recipes below, you can make a large supply of rub, which you can keep in a jar for months. There is enough mop for about 4 slabs of baby backs.

Special thanks to several readers who have also attempted to duplicate the Vous technique and offered feedback.

Recipe for Rendezvous-style Rub

Yield. Makes a bit more than two cups, enough for about 12 pounds of ribs.
Preparation time. 10 minutes

Briners beware of double salt jeopardy! Rubs are a great way to add flavor to meat. Brines are also a great way to add flavor as well as moisture. Rubs often contain a lot of salt (click here to read about The Zen of Salt). You can use both a rub and a brine, but beware of double salt jeopardy. If you use a brine and then a rub, you should make your own rub mix and leave the salt out of the blend. A salty rub on top of brined meat can make the meat unbearably salty. Remember, you can always add salt, but there's no taking it away.

Ingredients
8 tablespoons paprika
4 tablespoons powdered garlic
4 tablespoons mild chili powder
3 tablespoons ground black pepper
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons whole celery seed
1 tablespoon crushed celery seed
4 teaspoons whole yellow mustard seed
1 tablespoon dried crushed oregano
1 tablespoon dried crushed thyme
1 tablespoon whole allspice seeds
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon whole coriander seed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon Ac'cent *

* About the Ac'cent. The label of the Rendezvous Famous Seasoning states that there is Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) in the blend. Ac'cent is made of MSG and you can find it in the spice section of your store. MSG, also known as glutamic acid, is a flavor enhancer as well as a natural byproduct of some aging and fermentation processes. Some people believe that MSG can cause headaches, but scientists have had difficulty proving the connection. The eminent food writer Jeffrey Steingarten has attempted to debunk what he considers to be an urban legend in a famous essay "Why Doesn't Everyone in China Have a Headache?"

Note. If you use a brine, leave the salt out of your rub.

Recipe for the Rendezvous Mop

Yield. Makes 2 cups, enough mop for about 4 slabs of baby back ribs.
Preparation time. 5 minutes

1 cup distilled vinegar
1 cup water
1/3 cup tomato based barbecue sauce such as Tennessee Hollerin' Whiskey Sauce or Kansas City Classic *
5 tablespoons of Rendezvous-style Rub (above)

* Option. You can use a commercial tomato based barbecue sauce.

Do this
1) Mix all the rub ingredients in a bowl, making sure to break up all lumps. Put it in an airtight jar.

2) Mix the mop in another bowl.

3) Use my method for ribs in a hurry.

4) When the meat is ready, give it a final mopping, and sprinkle with rub, as much or as little as you like.

Option. If you like your ribs wet, and I do, instead of using a thick goopy sauce that will mask the meat and the rub, try Danny Gaulden's Glaze. It does a great job of amping up the flavors without covering them over.

This page was revised 1/7/2009

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