Big Mo's Baby (Got) Back Rib Rub

Meet my good luck kitchen pig, Puerco Almodovar. We've been together for nearly 10 years.

We had a little work party/barbeque sampler at my boss’s house a few weeks ago. (Puerco had a previous engagement so couldn't make it.) Peggy and Debbie used their variation on an award-winning Memphis-style rub and it was scruuuuumptious. Previously, I had only eaten ribs swimming in ketchup-based sauce. Man, oh, man. I much prefer a dry rubbed rib on which I can dump sauce at my own discretion. Those ribs were flavorful and juicy sans sauce. One of the tricks the girls taught me was to pull the membrane off the bone side of the ribs then rub, rub, rub the rub onto them.

So here’s my take on a dry rub for ribs:

Big Mo's Baby (Got) Back Rib Rub

2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp Paprika
1 Tbsp garlic granules or powder
1 1/2 Tbsp onion granules or powder
1 Tbsp crushed black peppercorns
1 1/2 Tbsp dark Muscovado brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp celery seeds

[Musical selections: "You Gots to Chill", EPMD; "Traffic Jam", Stephen Marley (excellent pepper grinding factor); "Maximum Sunshine", Lynnfield Pioneers; not a real Sir Mix-A-Lot fan so no "Baby Got Back"]

Dump it all in a bowl. Mix the concoction well using your clean and dry hands to smash any little balled up spices. Store in airtight container until ready to use. I recommend rubbing it on your ribs at least an hour before you’re ready for the smoker. Makes enough for about 5 lbs or 2 baby back rib racks.

Why dark Muscovado sugar?

It’s got more of a molasses-like flavor than typical dark brown sugar.

I like to grind black peppercorns with a mortar and pestle
because a regular grinder makes the pieces too small and
canned ground black pepper seems to have less bite.
Sure, it’s a little messy but I think it’s worth the mess.

Greg's Birthday BBQ

This is my little brother Greg. March 2nd is his birthday so we’re throwing a super casual barbeque for him. He’s a no-frills kind of guy. In fact, he likes to keep things so simple that he plans to name his son something like Gus, Jack or some other monosyllabic name just like, well, Greg. He’s such a beef purist that his ideal rub for tri-tip is salt and freshly cracked pepper. But damn, Greg, we gotta eat, too!

That’s why I’ve come up with a couple of my own rubs. My “Kalpi & Cutie” one is for a chicken that I had one of the butcher’s at Farmer Joe’s split right down its spine. The butcher gave me the most quizzical look; felt it necessary to confirm my request twice with hand gestures; then talked about it to his coworker in Cantonese, apparently in disbelief. I got the idea of flattening out the bird like road kill from Juancho’s Blue Smoke BBQ. Is that cool or what?

I came up with another rub I like to call “Big Mo's Baby (Got) Back Rib Rub” because the baby back ribs I picked up from Costco are pretty and thick, LA-face-with-a-Oakland-booty-style. As much as I dread walking into Costco on a Saturday afternoon, it was well worth the trip and long checkout line. I also picked up five pounds of Manila clams for only $3.49/lb!

I’ll post the recipes for the rubs after everything’s grilled so I can include pics. Don’t be surprised if my recipe entries include selections from the iTunes playlist running at the time I made the rubs. You’ve gotta have a soundtrack to your cooking experiences, right?