Spring = Meat

I hobbled outside on my crutches and found, surprisingly, a rare nice day in early New England spring. And guess what? Spring actually sprung and here are the crocuses to prove it! Friends, this can only mean one thing: almost time to grill some meat! Here's a cheater recipe for smokey grilled ribs:

1 or 2 frozen racks of pork ribs (whatever you prefer- st. lois style, baby back, or spare ribs) We prefer spare ribs because they're relatively cheap, meaty, and caveman-like.

If you want to smoke your ribs: pre-soak some wood chips (hickory, fruit wood etc.) in water overnight. On grilling day wrap the chips in tin, poke holes on the top of the packet and place over the flame side of your grill. You can totally skip this if you feel like it's too much trouble the ribs will come out fine regardless. I know this is totally un-gourmet, but sometimes Neil and I forget about soaking chips and just find a damp chunk of hickory lying around in our wood pile and toss it on the grill for good measure. If you opt for this method, just check in with a spray bottle full of water from time to time and make sure the log isn't burning. Smoldering = good, inferno = fire department!

1st, heat up the grill. We have a gas grill with 3 burners so we turn only one burner on medium heat to maintain a temp of about 300-325 degrees. You could do the same with a charcoal grill- heat up the coals and then when they are ready, move the fire to one side, keeping in mind that half way through your cooking, you will have to heat up some more coals to supplement your first batch.

Mix together in a small bowl: 1/2 Cup brown Sugar, 2 tsp. summer savory or thyme, 2 cloves fresh crushed garlic, 1 Tb. good quality sweet paprika ( or smoked paprika if you can find it), 1/8 tsp. cloves, 1 cup Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, or more to taste, 1 Tb. good quality chili powder, 1 tsp. dry mustard. This should make a thick paste.

Slather paste mixture on frozen ribs. Wrap thoroughly in tin to avoid leakage and place meat side up, on the non-flame (or coal) side of the grill. Put top down on grill and walk away! Come back in a 2-3 hours to turn ribs and check temp. Walk away again. In about another two hours your ribs should be pretty tender and falling off the bone. At this point, unwrap them and throw them back on the grill. Turn up the heat to brown lightly on both sides. If you like your ribs saucy, top with your favorite barbecue sauce and then brown and serve. Kick back and enjoy with the quintessential beer of summer: Schneider's Wiesen Edel-Weisse