Change of plans!

I have cooked ribs many times and many ways, and every time I do, I immediately think of ways to improve the recipe for next time. That may prove difficult this time because these Mayo Grilled Barbecue Ribs (yes, that says Mayo) were possibly the most delicious and tender ribs I have ever cooked. And the most ironic fact about it is that I had to unexpectedly pivot and change my cooking method halfway through the process. More on that later!

The night before, I began with two beautiful racks of ribs and I removed the silver skin since it is tough and not appetizing. For the mayonnaise mixture, I combined one and a half cups mayonnaise with one quarter cup chili powder, two tablespoons each of kosher salt, onion powder and garlic powder, one tablespoon of smoked paprika, one teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and one half cup light brown sugar. I laid them on a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and covered each rack with half of the mayonnaise mixture.

I created a tent with each piece of foil, placed onto a sheet pan, and refrigerated overnight.

The next day, I preheated my smoker to 250 degrees, carefully opened the top corner of each foil packet, added one quarter cup each of apple cider vinegar and water to each packet, and resealed. I placed into the smoker for what was SUPPOSED to be three and a half hours, followed by a transfer to the grill to finish. However, Mother Nature had other plans when severe weather alerts started popping up on the television and based on what the radar was showing, I knew I would not be able to go outside for a while. Hence, PLAN B. I quickly preheated my kitchen oven to 250 degrees, transferred the ribs to the oven, turned off and covered the smoker, and made it back inside the house just as the rain, wind, and lightning started!

Once the ribs had cooked for three hours, I carefully removed them from the pouches, and transferred back to the sheet pan to continue cooking for thirty minutes longer. I poured the juices from the pouches into a pot as the base for the barbecue sauce.

To the juices, I added one cup of ketchup, one half cup of black molasses, and one quarter cup Worcestershire sauce. I brought it to a boil, lowered the heat, and cooked until reduced and thickened.

After the ribs were fully cooked/smoked, the original recipe plan was to brush on a layer of sauce and transfer them to the grill to char, but as it was still storming, I used the broiler instead.

These ribs were fall-apart tender and so full of flavor. I served with the extra sauce on the side. I am sure they would have been just as delicious with my original plan, but I thanked Mother Nature anyway and the next time I make these ribs, I will make them in the oven again. Perfection.

The ribs needed a few side dishes. First up, Baked Creamed Spinach with Bacon. I started by cooking a half pound of diced bacon in a Dutch oven until crisp. I removed with a slotted spoon and added two small diced shallots.

Once the shallots had softened after a few minutes, I added three minced garlic cloves and cooked for one minute more. I then added the first of three 5-ounce bags of baby spinach. Once the spinach had wilted, I added a second bag, and once wilted, I added the third bag.

I added three tablespoons of flour, cooked for several minutes, and added two cups of milk, cooking until thick and creamy.

While the spinach cooked, I combined one and a half cups of Panko breadcrumbs with four tablespoons of melted butter, one tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt, and pepper. I spread the Panko evenly over the creamed spinach.

I baked at 425 degrees for approximately fifteen minutes, until the top was brown, and the spinach was bubbly. I removed from the oven and added the cooked bacon.

Simply Roasted Potatoes rounded out the menu. I had a bag of small potatoes that I sliced in half, tossed with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted in the same oven. I also tossed in a spare shallot that I sliced. Simple yet full of flavor.

Everything happens for a reason. Although I will never really know, I do believe that those ribs would not have been half as good if I had finished cooking them with my original plan. Thanks Mother Nature!