I fooled around with Raichlen's recommended way to grill corn on the cob. As instructed, I pulled back the husks, removed the silk and rubbed the kernels with butter. But instead of putting the corn directly over the coals, I first cooked them indirectly, with the lid on the kettle grill. Then after two to three minutes, I took the lid off the cooker and scooted the corn over to the section of the grate that was directly over the fire.
This steam-first, grill-second approach gave the tender kernels a crisp, brown crust. Good stuff.
No expedition into the world of backyard cookery would be complete without a bow to barbecued pork ribs. The ribs pictured in Sunset Magazine's new book, The Sunset Grill, looked gorgeous, so I gave them a try. I made a rub and applied it to a rack of spare ribs.
Massaging a rack of ribs with a rub, is, I believe, a wonderful form of therapy. I tightly wrapped the massaged ribs in foil, then let them sit in the fridge overnight. The next night, I cooked them over an indirect fire until they browned.
Then, following instructions, I once again wrapped them in foil and gave them another batch of indirect cooking until they were tender.
Ribs and chicken
Members of my family mock my quest for the perfect barbecued ribs, saying I am never satisfied. True to form, I was disappointed by these ribs. They had good spice. They were reasonably tender. But they lacked the woody flavor I long for. I will have to try again.
I developed my taste for ribs while growing up in Kansas City, a mecca of smoked meat. When I spotted a recipe in BBQ Bash for whole grilled Umbrian chicken, I was drawn to it for several reasons. The authors, Karen Adler and Judith Fertig, hail from Kansas City. Secondly, I love olives and this recipe was stuffed with them.
It turned out that there was really no compelling flavor reason to stuff the chicken with green olives. A paste made with rosemary, sage, garlic, lemon and olive applied to the bird gave it a distinct, winning flavor.
Using the indirect method, I cooked the chicken perfectly in a kettle cooker, despite the sudden arrival of a thunderstorm.
When I heard the storm approaching, I moved my kettle cooker and the fireproof pad that it sits on onto a covered porch. The rains came, overflowing gutters, flooding the yard and providing quite a spectacle. But the Umbrian chicken continued to cook, safely stowed away.
