July 2023 issue of the Farmworx Magazine

S
becue. You’ve got to start somewhere.”
How to cook ridiculously good
pork ribs
When it comes to pork ribs, there
are three types, including back ribs,
St. Louis-style ribs and spare ribs,
Herrig noted. He prefers back ribs,
because there’s less fat, and the
meat is more tender than some of
the other choices. St. Louis-style
ribs are Herrig’s second choice.
Since they have more fat than back
ribs, they take about an hour longer
to cook than back ribs.
After selecting the ribs, you can
cook the ribs in an oven, grill or
smoker. Prepare a marinade with
some beer and liquid smoke, if
desired. (If you’re cooking several
racks of ribs in the oven, pour a
whole can of beer in the bottom of
a baking pan, along with 3 tablespoons
of liquid smoke.) Pour the
marinade over the ribs. Place the
meat in the refrigerator overnight,
or a minimum of four hours.
Remove ribs from marinade, and
place the ribs on individual pieces
of tinfoil. Season each rack of ribs
with Cookies Flavor Enhancer All
Purpose Seasoning & Rub. Seal
the tinfoil tightly around each rack
of ribs. Bake ribs at 275 degrees
Fahrenheit for approximately 1.5 to
2 hours. Remove ribs from foil. Cover
ribs with Cookies BBQ Sauce.
Cook ribs at 225 to 250 degrees for
an additional 30 to 45 minutes.
If you choose to cook pork ribs on
the grill or smoker, follow a similar
process. (Instead of marinating the
ribs in beer, you can use pineapple
juice, if you like, since the juice
contains an enzyme that helps tenderize
the meat, Herrig said.) Place
the ribs on sheets of tinfoil, pour
pineapple juice on the ribs, and add
the dry rub. Wrap each rack of ribs
in tinfoil. Cook the ribs on the grill
or smoker at 250 degrees for 1.5 to
2 hours. Remove the ribs from the
heat, open the foil, and baste the
ribs with Cookies Sweet Hickory
BBQ Sauce (which contains pineapple
juice). Leave the foil open,
return the ribs to the grill or smoker,
and cook for another 30 to 45
minutes to caramelize the sauce.
“Cooking good BBQ isn’t rocket science,”
Herrig said.
Herrig’s top tip? Don’t overcook
pork. (Remove the ribs from
the heat when they reach 185 degrees.
Pork loins and other cuts
can be safely cooked to an internal
temperature of 145 degrees, Herrig
said.) Also, don’t over-season
or over-sauce the food. “It’s easier
to put on a little more than add too
much and try to tone it down.”
Keeping things simple is key.
“Don’t drive yourself nuts,” said
Herrig, who collected more than
350 of his favorite recipes for his
2005 cookbook, “Cookie’s Best
BBQ Recipes,” which has sold
thousands of copies. “Nearly all of
the ingredients in my recipes can
be found in any small-town grocery
store.”
Herrig, who is a member of the
Iowa Barbecue Society’s Hall of
Fame, continues to stay as busy as
ever and still loves cooking barbecue.
Don’t expect him to slow down
anytime soon.
“I’m still having so much fun doing
this that I’m going to keep on
going.”
Page 14 July 2023