September 15, 2022
About the cook
Hey there, it's Joe Mahn. I am a funeral director in Minnesota (go Vikings!) and love cooking out on the evenings and weekends I'm free. For this cook, I made ribs on my Weber Grill with a smoke box. Unfortunately, I'm not sure of the brand of my smoker box. Some day when I make it big and have more time I'll get a real smoker, haha. But for now, this one makes an outstanding rack of ribs!
My daughter and I with the ribs fresh off the Weber grill.
Ribs done right
I'll be honest, I don't have a stand-by recipe. It's not because I haven't found a recipe I like, I just enjoy trying different ones every time. I like to experiment! However, I will say that I like using dry rubs the best. If your short on time, you can apply the rub and get to cooking right away. Or you can let the meat sit with the rub for up to 24 hours before cooking. Using dry rubs gives you flexibility when cooking, and always makes for a great finished product.
For this recipe, I went really rogue. I pulled any spice I could find from the cabinet and got to work on mixing a dry rub I thought would be tasty on the ribs. Don't they say cooking without a recipe makes for the best meals? Well, even if they don't - I think there's something to it!
One other essential when cooking ribs is some cold beer. Just imagine your outside on the back porch, smelling the smoked meat, drinking a cold beer. There's nothing better when grilling!
My trusty Weber grill.
Ingredients and supplies
For cooking:
- Ribs
- Spices or pre-mixed dry rub
For drinking:
- A lager, a pilsner, an IPA or just a regular old Bud Light. Grab your favorite beer and get grilling.
Cooking instructions
Take your ribs out and set on a metal pan
Pour dry rub over ribs and cover the entire slab of meat
Heat up your smoker or grill. For me, I always say 'slow and low'. The lower the temperature and longer amount of time, the better.
Be patient, and let your ribs cook to perfection.
Ribs on the Weber with the smoke box.
Don't forget the sides
My family's favorite side to pair with ribs is Perini Ranch Green Chile Hominy. We love the recipes in the Perini Ranch cookbook, but the hominy is by far one of our most used recipes. The ingredients are simple – white hominy, bacon, cheddar cheese, poblano or Anaheim peppers, an onion, and pickled jalapeño juice. Cook all the ingredients in a skillet and then bake in the oven for about 15 minutes and your meal is complete.
Funeral service makes a difference
The best part of my career, and what I enjoy most, is knowing that what I do every day actually makes a difference in people's lives. It's not just a 9-5 monotonous job. I stay on my toes because things are changing constantly and I have to be flexible. It can be taxing at times, but believe me when I tell you it's beyond worth it.
