#SundaySupper: Salt of the Earth Ribs {Man Food}

"Sharing recipes for food that men love to eat." That was what was written about this week's #SundaySupper event. Okay. Given that I am a permanent resident in Testosterone Land - surrounded by my husband and our two sons - I merely mentioned it and was greeted with a unanimous chant of "MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!" Fine. Before I get to my recipe, meet my crew. The two little ones, don't quite qualify as "men" yet. Though our eldest son just left youth size shoes...and youth size shoe prices. Oye.

But I'm definitely in the minority in my household.

This is J - my Grill Master. Not much to say about that. I hand him raw meat, he does something with fire, and it comes back cooked to perfection.

This is R - my Precise Kitchen Elf. He derives much culinary inspiration from his favorite cookbook: The Hungry Scientist.

This is D - my Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf. You've seen him before in my #SundaySupper posts; he massaged the kale for our Kale-Had-a-Hard-Day Salad. Here he is candying rose petals for our friend's birthday cake, Persian Love Cake with Saffron Frosting.

I thought about what I wish for my mini-boys as they grow into men: What do I hope that they become? Besides intrepid eaters and competent cooks, I want them to be devoted, loyal, earnest, and honest. I hope that they add value to the lives of others. Salt of the Earth. That's what I want for my boys to be.

In that spirit, here are my Salt of the Earth Ribs - food that my boys love to eat. And I finally got to use the Grains of Paradise I've had squirreled away for a few months. One caveat: this is not a fast recipe. It's best done on a weekend when you have nothing else to do because you'll be babysitting these ribs in the oven for an entire afternoon.

Salt of the Earth Rub

• 1 C organic coconut sugar 
• 2 T pimentón (smoked Spanish paprika)
• 1 t Grains of Paradise
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1/2 t paprika
• dash of ground coriander
• dash of ground cardamom
• freshly ground sea salt
• freshly ground pepper

Saison-Spiked Black Garlic Barbeque Sauce*

• 1/2 C organic ketchup (Nothing but tomato sauce and sugar, please. Skip any ketchups with high fructose corn syrup!)
• 2 T Saison (I used Hennepin by Brewery Ommegang)
• 1 t minced black garlic
• 1 t vinegar (use whatever vinegar you have on-hand)

*Just a note - for this recipe, the sauce is a light glaze. It's not a sloppy mess.

Procedure:

For the barbeque sauce: Whisk all of the ingredients together and season to taste. Adjust, as needed - more water if it's too thick, more vinegar if it's too sweet, etc. This is a highly subjective process. Set aside.

For the ribs: the night before, or first thing in the morning, prepare the rub. Crush the grains of paradise with a mortar and pestle.

Combine all ingredients, and mix thoroughly until well blended. Remove the ribs from their packaging.  Rinse and pat them dry. With your hands, pat the rub onto both sides of the ribs, going heavier on the meaty side. Refrigerate for as many hours as you can; I ended up leaving them for 8 hours.

Right before you want to cook them, preheat the oven to 225 degrees. While the oven heats, take the ribs out of the refrigerator to warm up.

To roast, wrap the ribs in aluminum foil and place them - meat side up - on a sheet pan and put them in the preheated oven.  Roast for 2 hours. Reduce the heat to 180 degrees. Cook for another 2 hours. The longer you cook them, the more tender they will be. 

Gently unwrap the ribs and paint them with a thin coat of barbeque sauce. Thin. Remember? Not a lot of sauce for these, please. Return them to the oven - 400 degrees - for 10 minutes or so. The sauce will begin to char.

Remove the ribs from the oven, place them on a cutting board, and chop them into individual servings (the meat should almost be falling off the bone at this point, so this will be easy).  Serve with more barbecue sauce and loads of napkins because eating ribs is a messy endeavor. Enjoy!

Here's the rest of the food-men-love-to-eat from the #SundaySupper crew...

Manly Starters:

• BBQ Chicken Nacho by Country Girl in The Kitchen
• Beer Battered Fried Mushrooms by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
• Burrata Bresaola and Arugula Appetizer by Family Foodie
• Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce by Hip Foodie Mom
• Chipotle Pork Belly-Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers by The Redhead Baker
• Coconut Beer-Battered Prawns with Spicy Marmalade by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Devils on Horseback by Nosh My Way
• Fried Pickles by Cookin’ Mimi
• Garlic and Herb Wine Jelly by What Smells So Good?
• Maple Sriracha Chicken Wings by Manu’s Menu
• Tomato Bacon Jam by Feed Me, Seymour

Manly Mains:

• Bacon Bourbon BBQ Burgers by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• Bacon Cheeseburger Crustless Quiche by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Beef Barbacoa by Casa de Crews
• Beef Short Rib Sandwich by Life Tastes Good
• Beer Brats with Pepper Relish by Jelly Toast
• Beer Can Chicken by Curious Cuisiniere
• Chicago Style-Pizza by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Chili Dog Casserole by Simple Gourmet
• Chipotle Pork Chops by girlichef
• Coconut & Lime Grilled Shrimp Skewers by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Colossal Burger by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Gluten Free Lemon Pepper Wings by Gluten Free Crumbley
• Grilled Chipotle Chicken Pizza by Peaceful Cooking
• Grilled Lobster with Miso Butter by Kimchi MOM
• Grilled Sweet Guava Chicken by The Foodie Army Wife
• Ham and Pineapple Pizza Pockets by gotta get baked
• Huevos Rancheros Casserole by Pescetarian Journal
• Lacquered Short Ribs in the Slow Cooker by Shockingly Delicious
• Maple Chipotle Barbecue Pork Tenderloin by Flavor Mosaic
• Meatball Burger on Garlic Bread by Healthy.Delicious.
• Mom’s Slow Roasted Brisket by Food Lust People Love
• Perfectly Pan Seared Steak by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
• Pollo al Peperoncino by Run DMT
• Polish Coal Miner Piggies (Stuffed Cabbage Rolls- Golabki) by Rants from my Crazy Kitchen
• Red Chile Shredded Chicken Tacos. How to win over your man’s stomach and steal his heart. by Simply Healthy Family
• Ropa Vieja by Meal Diva
• Salt of the Earth Ribs by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Salisbury Steak w/ Loaded Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Smoked Turkey Drumsticks by Cindy’s Recipes and Writing
• Stuffed Chipotle Bacon Cheese Burgers by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Stuffed Pork Chops by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Tex-Mex Gut Buster Chili by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• The Cleveland Hogg Burger by Seduction in the Kitchen

Manly Desserts:

• Beer Funnel Cake by Killer Bunnies, Inc.
• Black Forest Cake by Noshing with the Nolands
• Carob Chip Cookies by Pies and Plots
• Chunky Monkey Vegan Banana Bread by Ninjabaking.com
• Classic Cheesecake by Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
• Fat Man’s Pie by Magnolia Days
• Mandarin orange cake aka southern pig pickin’ cake by Baking & Browning
• Pizookies by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Grilled Pound Cake Stacks with Roasted Strawberries by Melanie Makes
• Strawberry Rhubarb Pie With Mascarpone Cream by La Bella Vita Cucina

Wine Pairings for Man Food #SundaySupper byENOFYLZ Wine Blog

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