Both Nigella and Leiths, with their Chinese five-spice and cinnamon, and their ginger and soy sauce strike an Asian note which is a slight disappointment when you’re hoping for a barbecue rib. The Ginger Pig covers both bases with soy and Worcestershire sauces (yes, yes, I know the latter originated in India, but it’s definitely naturalised by now), as well as tomato purée, Dijon mustard, garlic and lemon juice. While a certain tanginess is vital to prevent the sugar in a barbecue marinade, necessary for that caramelised crust, from turning the rack to candy, I think there’s a bit too much going on here.
It is easy to see why Naperville’s Ribfest has been voted the Best Fest in the Midwest by top rib venues and national publications for the past fifteen years in a row. It’s the delicious ribs. After all, it is called Ribfest.
That fifth win may be in sight for these very tasty ribs. The meat was plentiful and very tender. The sauce was probably the spiciest of those sampled but still allowed the flavor of the meat to come through.
The cooking process is similarly complicated – the ribs are baked uncovered for an hour and a half, then in a foil tent full of apple juice for an further hour and a half, then uncovered again for 15 minutes “to help them dry out”, and finally, for half an hour generously brushed with barbecue sauce. Sacrilege perhaps, but we find the rub overpoweringly spicy – I’m pretty sure it’s pork under there, but frankly, it could be anything. My flatmate, something of an rib aficionado by this point in the evening, suggests it would have been nice to give the barbecue sauce more time to caramelise as well. As with the Leiths recipe, however, the period under foil has helped to keep them nice and moist – shame there’s no finishing sizzle in Jamie’s method.
On the basis that anything soy sauce can do, Marmite can do better, I’ve made a patriotic substitution (although if you really do hate the stuff, feel free to switch back: the marinade will simply be a little more liquid) and added some smoked paprika as a nod to the flavours of the barbecue – although you’re perfectly at liberty to finish them off in a hot griddle pan if it’s easier. Or raining.
My favourite of the evening comes from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Meat Book, and involves garlic, soy sauce, ketchup, English mustard and vinegar – it manages to be both sweet and savoury without smothering the flavour of the ribs.