Lowes Foods has fresh pork spareribs for a $1.99 a pound. I just got a copy of the "Better Homes & Gardens' Grill It: Secrets to delicious flame-kissed food." I don't know about you but this warm weather definitely has me thinking about grilling. This recipe for Memphis Dry Ribs offers instructions on how to cook them in the oven and then finish these on either a gas or charcoal grill. They only cost $1.77 per serving. Hopefully, you will be able to spend less because you have many of these spices, yellow mustard and vinegar already in your pantry.
Memphis Dry Ribs
4 pounds pork loin back ribs ro meaty pork spareribs
1 tablespoon smoked or sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground pasilla or ancho chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsley ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 cups hickory or oak wood chips
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Place ribs in a shallow roasting pan. For rub, in a small bowl, stir together paprika, brown sugar, pasilla pepper, coriander, dry mustard, garlic powder, salt, celery salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the rub mixture. Sprinkle remaining rub evenly on both sides of ribs; rub in with your fingers. Cover pan with foil.
BAKE ribs for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until very tender. Carefully drain off fat in roasting pan.
WHISK together mop vinegar and mustard in medium bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon of reserved rub mixture.
SPRINKLE wood chips over coals on a charcoal grill. Grill ribs on the rack of a covered grill directly over the coals for 10 to 15 minutes or until ribs are brown, turning once halfway through grilling and brushing occasionally with mop sauce. For a gas grill, Add wood chips according to manufacturer's directions. Place ribs on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as directed above.
Note: For most smoke production, soak wood chips in enough water to cover for at least 1 hour before grilling. Drain wood chips before using. Wood chips can be purchased at Lowes or Home Depot stores.
Yield: 6 servings
Cost Breakdown:
This assumes you have salt and pepper.
Pork spareribs, $1.99 a pound, Cost for meal: $7.96
Paprika, $1.49 for 2.5 ounces, Cost for meal: 30 cents
Brown sugar, $1.99 for 32 ounces, Cost for meal: 2 cents
Ancho chile pepper: $4.11 for 1.62 ounces, Cost for meal: 42 cents
Ground coriander, $2.39 for 1.25 ounces, Cost for meal: 16 cents
Dry Mustard, $3.99 for 1.75 ounces, Cost for meal: 20 cents
Garlic Powder, $1.49 for 3.12 ounce, Cost for meal: 8 cents
Celery Salt, $4.11 for 4 ounces, Cost for meal: 4 cents
Cayenne Pepper, $2.29 for 2.4 ounces, Cost for meal: 2 cents
Cider Vinegar, $4.79 for 128 ounces, Cost for meal: 15 cents
Yellow Mustard, $1.29 for 32 ounces, Cost for meal: 4 cents
Wood chips, $6.49 for a 5-lb bag at Home Depot, Cost for meal: $1.30
Cost per meal: $10.64
Cost per serving: $1.77
