Hello, again!  We made it home from Mendo in one piece, and since it’s a holiday weekend, we still have a gorgeous Sunday to relax and unwind.  What better way to unwind on a Sunday afternoon than a backyard BBQ?  If you came up with something else, you’re wrong.  This is the best!  JP invited Lea, me, and our good friends, Lynn and Christian, to his place.  He and I first started with a trip to Costco.  He’s been talking about the place a lot, and this was my first trip.  I’m convinced.  Great selection, great prices, and everyone seems to know it.  It was a madhouse.  Fortunately, we knew what we were shopping for, which helped make this a simple in-and-out procedure.

On our list:

• Makings for Mango Daiquiris – rum, ice, mangoes
• Ribs and seasoning
• Wine (duh)

For the daiquiris:

• In a blender, add ice, chopped mangoes, rum to taste
• Start with the “pulse” button; this gets the ice chopping and gradually mixing in with the other ingredients
• Blend until smooth
• Taste – need more rum?  Go for it!
• Garnish and serve

Round two…  Or was it three?

We were looking for baby back ribs, but all they had were spare ribs, which we’ve never used before.  Luckiest thing that happened to us all day.  Spare ribs, we learned, have a lot more meat on the bones.  And at Costco, two monster slabs went for ~$18.

To prep/cook the ribs:

• Turn each slab, meat side down, and remove the membrane (the thin white colored stuff).  This step will be the least fun part of your day, but totally worth it!  Come prepared with some pliers if you have to, but the trick is to find a good starting place to grab hold and peel off like a sticker.
• Rinse and pat dry
• Then rub both sides with your dry seasonings.  We mixed-up some cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Then we add some mesquite seasoning we picked-up at…where? Costco!  At this point, you should notice your olfactory system warming up and your mouth should begin to salivate.
• Begin to wrap each slab separately in foil.  Leave some space to add some beer, which helps tenderize the meat.  Then finish wrapping the foil – tightly.
• Place the slabs on a pan and add to the oven at 350 degrees for 2.5-3 hrs
• Now the ribs are cooked, but we’re going to finish them on the grill.  Be careful because they’ll literally fall off the bone.  Add your slabs to a grill at about 400 degrees for 5 minutes on each side for some char marks.  Then add the wet sauce of your choice and baste Everywhere – another 5 minutes on each side.
• Pull off the grill, tent with foil and let cool
• These ribs are ready to eat!

This picture was taken just after removing the ribs from the oven and placing on the grill.

Adding the beer from the foil packets onto the ribs while they’re on the grill makes for a little smoke.  Smoke tastes gooo-ood.

JP has great wrist-action in his basting technique.

Also on the table, we had fresh sweet corn (boiled), garlic bread (also done on the grill), and Lea’s famous “Monna salad”.  I don’t have to tell you this meal was tasty, but I will anyway.  This meal was tasty!  Just look at it!

We busted open one of JP’s Maple Creek Zins we picked-up the day before, and I’m here to tell you there just ain’t nuttin’ better than Zin and ribs.  Some other stand-out wines of the night:

• Four Vines Zin (2 bottles – because we liked it)
• Quivira Zin – We rode past this winery on our bikes down one of the most beautiful stretches of wine country you’ll ever see – West Dry Creek Road.  Don’t tell anyone, though.  It’ll be our secret.
• Another Four Vines Zin, Anarchy – Sealed with a wax closure (as opposed to foil), it’s a lot of work to get to this sweet juice.  Totally worth it.

Lynn brought over some homemade brownies and served ’em ala mode with some Haagen-Dazs vanilla for dessert.  Say no more!  This meal’s a wrap!