RIBS HIS WAY
Larry Spooner started with 85 pounds of ribs for Sunday's tailgating festivities outside the Metrodome. Here was his process for preparing what becomes a spicy, tender feast:
"I trim down the meat, and here's my first secret: I remove the membrane off the backbone with a terry cloth washcloth. I then put the ribs in 2 1/2-gallon plastic bags in Good Seasoning Italian Dressing. They stay in those bags for 10 hours. They are removed, dabbed with a paper towel and sprinkled with black pepper on both sides.
"Then, I apply a 2-to-1 mixture of dried minced onion to brown sugar, wrap every rack separately in Saran wrap and put them in the refrigerator for 48 hours.
"I unwrap them after those two days and rub them with a 27-spice mixture. Paprika, garlic and on and on ... you have to experiment to get the right rub for yourself.
"This process was done by 9 p.m. [Saturday], knowing that we would be in our spot in the parking lot and ready to start slow cooking by 6 a.m. on Sunday. We smoke the ribs for three hours over moist hickory, adding charcoals as we go.
"Finally, I wrap the ribs in tin foil and cook them for four hours over the coals. The tin foil is to keep the ribs from being oversmoked."
