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Because of their varying sizes and meat types, cook times on country-style ribs are a little difficult to pinpoint. True country-style ribs are very thick and can take up to an extra hour of cook time compared to the ones labeled “shoulder-cut country-style ribs.” If your ribs have a large cross-section of loin meat (light pink color), your cook time should be less or the lean loin meat will dry out. Your best gauge of doneness is a simple squeeze with your fingertips. If the meat feels rubbery, it needs more cooking. The meat from a perfectly cooked rib can be easily pinched from the bone. Over the years I have found that country-style ribs are an extremely versatile cut. They can be grilled hot or barbecued low and slow, and they partner well with dry rubs or marinades, sweet or savory. This recipe utilizes both a dry rub and a sweet sauce to highlight the flavor of the tender meat achieved by low-heat indirect cooking. One more word of advice: Don’t be bashful when applying the sauce. Slop it on!

Because of the slab size and the large bones, beef back ribs are sometimes referred to as “dinosaur ribs.” Back ribs are one of the least expensive cuts of beef. They are prized in the South as comfort food, though they are rarely seen in other parts of the country. If beef ribs are grilled hot and fast they will toughen up and require a good set of choppers to gnaw them off the bone. Braising is the most popular method to tenderize beef ribs. I cook my beef back ribs at a low temperature in a small amount of liquid for a long period of time. This cooking method produces very tender and juicy results, but without the crusty exterior of a grilled rib. While they can be browned on the stovetop over high heat, I brown the ribs in the outdoor cooker to heighten the barbecue flavor. This method approximates the effect of braising on the grill.

In 2001, I made my first national television appearance on Food Network’s Cooking Live with Sara Moulton. I received the invitation after doing a morning radio show with Sara at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. Her only stipulation was that my recipes needed to be cooked in an indoor oven. I have always maintained that any recipe written for the kitchen can be duplicated outdoors with more flavor; here my challenge was to prove the opposite holds true as well. I developed a four-stage rib recipe that layers flavors to make up for the extra punch you can only get from cooking with burning coals. It was pretty successful, but changing the recipe back to the outdoor cooker gives these ribs the best of both worlds.

Though the introduction of ribs to Big Bob Gibson’s menu was enthusiastically embraced by the locals, the recipe itself was, well, pretty bare-bones—simply a full-size sparerib seasoned with salt and pepper and slow-smoked. In 1979, Don McLemore offered a bonus to any employee who could improve on Big Bob’s ribs. During the next week the rib usage went up tenfold but profits took a nosedive, as the extremely well-fed pit workers experimented with different preparations. When the smoke cleared two weeks later, Steve Bullard earned a dime raise with this recipe.

Back ribs are sometimes referred to as loin back ribs but are most commonly called baby back ribs. The baby back rib is cut from the upper section of the rib cage below the spine and the loin muscle of the pig. A slab of baby back ribs can have as many as 15 bones (the number of bones in a pig’s rib cage). This long thin cut of pork has many defining characteristics. The bones are no thicker than a finger and are slightly curved. Because of the small bones there is generally more meat between each bone than on spare ribs. Baby back ribs are the leanest pork rib type, with a less pronounced pork flavor and a finer and denser texture. Pineapple Sweet Ribs utilize a sweet rub and a fruity liquid seasoning, followed by a sweet glaze. The key to a multi-step rib is to layer the flavors, creating complex tastes without overpowering the pork flavor. This strategy worked at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 2004, when the judges declared this rib recipe the winner of this world championship event.

When a full-size slab of spare ribs is trimmed into a St. Louis–cut spare rib, you are left with rib tips. They are found on the lower portion of the spare ribs close to the pork belly. These cut-away portions of spare ribs have small pieces of cartilage where you would expect to find bones. Rib tips are usually six inches long and one inch thick. These long strips are considered an economy cut but are surprisingly meaty. Sometimes it seems that the best-loved barbecue specialties came into being as a way to use discarded cuts of meat, prepared with common, on-hand ingredients that are “left over.” This recipe was inspired by the many hours I have stood looking into the cupboard wondering what I could make to eat. Most everyone has a cabinet full of unused spices and a refrigerator stocked with half-empty jelly jars. Fire up that old weathered bag of charcoal and enjoy!

Over the years the rib recipe at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q has changed many times, running the gamut from full-size spare ribs to today’s meaty St. Louis–cut spare ribs. The seasoning and the sauce have evolved as well, moving from salt and pepper to a complex seasoning blend and a finishing touch of our own championship red sauce. Spare ribs are cut from the lower portion of the rib cage below the back ribs, including a portion of the breast bone. The bones of the spare rib vary in size and length, ranging from short and round to long and flat, and they have less curvature than baby back ribs. The meat contains a high percentage of fat and thus yields a tender finished product. The term “St. Louis cut” is used when the breast bone and cartilage are cut from a spare rib, leaving a slab of ribs with a more uniform size and shape. The breast bone can be used for stock, and the leftover meat and cartilage can be seasoned and cooked for rib tips. A full-size spare rib can be trimmed easily at home, or your local butcher can trim the rib and give you the bonus cuttings. The recipe that follows is as close to what we use at the restaurant as I can give without being disowned by the family. I think you will recognize the similarities—and perhaps even like it better!

It is impossible to discuss Memphis barbecue without talking about ribs. Where in most places the rib-loving factions are divided between those who prefer baby backs to spareribs (or vice versa), in Memphis the two different camps are partisans of either dry or wet preparations. Wet ribs are daubed with sauce before serving. Dry ribs can have either a dry rub added prior to cooking or a seasoning blend applied after cooking. Either way, no tomato-based sauce touches a dry rib from Memphis.

What better side dish to serve beside Cuban Pig (page 165) than moros y cristianos, or black beans and rice? Black beans are a staple of Cuban cooking, used in soups, stews, and sauces. Black beans can be traced back 7,000 years to southern Mexico and Central America, and their popularity has spread throughout the Caribbean and the southern United States, especially the Southwest and Florida. This spicy and filling recipe breaks the mold on traditional barbecue side dishes but can also be served as a complete meal.

The essence of barbecue is taking the cheapest cuts of meat and turning them into succulent dishes by cooking them at a lower temperature. Take lamb, for example. The very desirable leg portion of lamb can be purchased in most supermarkets at a premium price. The less meaty shank portion costs much less and will still draw raves at the dinner table. Lamb shanks, cut from the lower portion of the leg, are sold bone-in, in about one-pound portions. Allow one shank per person.

Rabbits were a special treat for Big Bob Gibson, and even more than hunting them, he enjoyed cooking them. His favorite recipes included rabbit stew, Brunswick stew, and smoked rabbit with white sauce. Sometimes he would let the assigned pitman of the day cook the rabbits in whatever way he wanted to. A cook truly knew he was accepted when Big Bob would just toss his kill on the stainless-steel table and say, “Cook ’em,” with no further instruction. The following is a “cook ’em” recipe.

If Big Bob Gibson was nowhere to be found at the restaurant, there was a good chance he would be on the lake or in the woods. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed not only hunting and fishing, but also cooking his catch. He passed this love of the outdoors on to his kids, especially Cotton, who would leave for the family hunting camp in mid-October and return home in February. As word spread of Big Bob’s smoked venison with white sauce, hunters started dropping their fresh deer meat by the restaurant to have it cooked. During hunting season, venison appeared with regularity on the pits. This dish, similar to a large pot roast with chunks of tender vegetables, is a favorite of local hunters. To this day, the rich aroma of venison can sometimes be smelled in the kitchens of Big Bib Gibson Bar-B-Q, especially during the fall and winter months of hunting season.

The great Georgia humorist Roy Blount Jr. once joked, “Brunswick stew is what happens when small mammals carrying ears of corn fall into barbecue pits.” The origin of this thick stewed concoction is debatable, but most trace it back to 1828 in Brunswick, Georgia. Brunswick stew is a thick vegetable stew with shredded meat that is cooked over low heat in a large pot. Traditionally, it was made from squirrel or sometimes rabbit, and it has always been a popular way for hunters to make a complete meal from their wild game. Today, Brunswick stew is popular across the Southeast, although the squirrel and rabbit are generally replaced with pork, chicken, and beef. The vegetables might include corn, onions, tomatoes, beans, squash, or okra. Often it is the feast for large gatherings, festivals, and fund-raisers.

One of the highlights in my culinary career was cooking for a Caribbean and Low-Country Food Festival I catered for Johnson & Wales University at the Middleton Place plantation outside of Charleston, South Carolina. We had just won the International Jamaican Jerk Style/Southern Barbecue Cook-Off, and we were invited to cook the Caribbean portion of the menu. Two 120-pound whole pigs were prepared for the event; one was cooked in the Jamaican jerk style, and the other was prepared Cuban-style with a sour-orange marinade. Once the guests were seated, the pigs were carried from the cooker like ancient royalty in a sedan-chair procession and presented at the head of the buffet. This was the only dinner I have ever attended where the main course, not the chef, got the standing ovation. I love the intensity and acidity of a sour-orange marinade, and over the years I have tried many ways to get these wonderful flavors dispersed throughout very thick cuts of meat. After much experimentation I’ve found that two solutions work best: a generous soaking with sour-orange flavors throughout the cooking process or a simple sour-orange injection. With apologies to traditionalists, I chose the latter.

Though goat is not usually offered at Big Bob’s, it has made at least one notable appearance on the menu. In 1938 the early spring brought on a record crop of wild onion that blanketed the front yard of Big Mama’s house. Since separating from Big Bob, she had become responsible not only for raising the children but for pulling up the onions, as well. As she bent over to address this spring nuisance, she presented Ruth’s pet goat an irresistible target; taking a running start, the goat sent Big Mama sprawling into the onion patch. That was the final straw for Big Mama. They loaded the goat into the car and took it straight to Big Bob. The goat didn’t have a prayer. But it was quite tasty that day . . . and still is if it’s cooked right!

In 2002, I received a phone call from Fast Eddie Maurin, a well known pitmaster and competition cook from Kansas City. He informed me that MAXIM magazine was doing an article on barbecuing whole pig with three different cooking methods: indirect cooking, underground, and open spit. Eddie told the editors of the magazine to look no further; he had two other experts lined up to help them pull off their three-way pig pickin’: Ray Lampe (aka Dr. BBQ) and me. In a gesture that would live up to his nickname, Eddie volunteered to cook one pig in a closed smoker with indirect heat. Now, any true barbecuer can cook a pig on an indirect cooker in his or her sleep, but there would be no sleep for whoever drew the labor-intensive spit. Later that day, the call I was anxiously awaiting came. The editor from MAXIM said, “I heard you were an expert at cooking a pig on an open spit.” Of all possible whole-pig cooking methods, the open spit arguably offers the best atmosphere for an outdoor party. Unlike other cookers, the open spit offers a clear view of the turning pig throughout the entire cook, enticing the crowd with both sights and smells of the barbecue. The spit becomes the centerpiece of conversation while barbecue anticipation builds to a climax.

The Hawaiian Pig can be a great option if your kettle grill and your 125-pound pig don’t seem to match. After all, not everyone has a big cooker, but everyone owns a shovel. As Tom Sawyer once said, “Digging the hole can be half the fun”—or something like that. And the moist and tender results from a homemade earthen oven are hard to match with any cooking apparatus. In Hawaii large volcanic rocks are used to line the imu, or underground oven. These rocks hold the heat for an extended period of time, ensuring a proper cook. You can substitute river rocks if they are taken from a “dry” river or creek bed. Rocks from a wet stream have trapped moisture and when they heat they can explode and send shards of sharp rock whistling through the air. You will also need to find banana leaves and/or ti leaves. Banana trees are often used as ornamental plants for residential landscaping, and leaves can be harvested with no damage to the tree. They are also available frozen in many Latin and Caribbean markets. Ti leaves can be acquired at your local florist, but they can be expensive.

Although Memphis itself is not noted for whole-pig barbecue, if you ever attend the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, you will be able to get a taste. At this annual event there are three professional meat categories: whole hog, pork shoulder, and pork ribs. It is, after all, billed as “The Super Bowl of Swine.” Over the years, the flavor profile of the winning pigs at Memphis has changed, with the sweet and fruity flavors overtaking the vinegar-based flavors of traditional North Carolina pigs. No one has proved this better than Myron Mixon of the Jack’s Old South cooking team, whose peach-wood–smoked pig, layered with flavors from a sweet fruity injection and sweet tomato based sauce, has consistently put him on the awards podium. Layering complementary flavors is the key to success on the competition circuit. This recipe features the same sweet, fruity, layered flavors that have historically brought home the bacon at the Memphis.

One of the only places in the world where you can enjoy fresh, chopped whole pig straight from the barbecue cooker is in North Carolina. The tradition of cooking whole hog directly over hickory or oak wood that has been reduced to coals and then soaking the chopped meat with a vinegar-based sauce is one that has been enjoyed since the birth of American-style barbecue. The first time I experienced this exquisite taste, it was in the North Carolina countryside at a roadside shanty they called a restaurant. The rhythmic beat of the meat cleavers pounding the butcher block echoed through the rafters, and vibrations from the tin roof added harmony to this musical cadence. I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with locals waiting for a table to clear before being handed my greatly anticipated lunch. I watched moist chunks of hand-chopped pig fall from my overstuffed sandwich as I thanked God for North Carolina. Make this in your own backyard and you’ll be giving thanks as well.

When a whole turkey is a little too much meat for your gathering, a turkey breast is a great option. The bad news is that most turkey breasts sold in grocery stores are seasoned, precooked, and in some cases processed. If raw turkey breasts are not a staple in your grocery-store meat case, ask your butcher for boneless turkey breast lobes. The other way to obtain raw boneless breasts is to cut your own, which is a simple process. Beginning with a whole turkey, place your knife parallel to the backbone. Cut straight down about three inches following the backbone until your knife reaches the rib cage. Follow the rib cage with the knife, cutting away from the backbone. This will separate the breast lobe from the whole turkey. Repeat the process on the other side of the turkey to yield a second boneless turkey breast. Freeze the remaining turkey for future use.