David Rosengarten's
Barbecue Ribs Picks
July 7, 2001

The Food Network's David Rosengarten has a dream job. He travels around tasting food. A recent search for the best mail-order barbecue ribs landed these top picks—the ones David calls "mind-blowing ribs." Here's what he has to say about his favorites:

Damron's (Martin, Tennessee): The way you reheat these awesome ribs is of great importance. If they're cooked with too much moisture (too much sauce, or under a cover) they can get soggy. But when I crisped up the outsides without sauce, I got to a beautifully crusty exterior, and an inner texture that is the textbook example of the just-short-of-falling-off-the-bone thing. These ribs are perfectly seasoned and have a natural sweetness to them. I loved the subtle, porky flavor—but a few tasters were disappointed in the simplicity of the taste, and in the low-key smoke. Keep in mind, however, that this was the most awesome rib-and-sauce combo in the whole tasting—so, after cooking, lash on the thin, vinegary, black pepper-spiked juice that tastes so amazingly home-made. It's the perfect rib brightener and creates that rare occasion for me when I want sauce.

The Salt Lick (Austin, Texas): These Texas ribs may offer the very best, most you-are-there texture of any ribs I tried. Count the layers: a crispy-peppery exterior, very pink meat lying just beneath, less-pink meat below that, bands of sweet fat throughout, alternation of tender and chewy. These ribs aroused a little controversy at our tasting because the chewy part was a bit too chewy for some … but I thought the whole package works like a charm. Another huge plus is the unusual BBQ sauce—an emulsified, velvety creation (the main ingredient is oil) that looks something like what used to be called "French dressing." The taste is vinegary-mild, but in basting and saucing it adds a great feel to the ribs. In case you're interested, People magazine called these the "best pork ribs anywhere," and Sandra Bullock agrees.

Black's (Lockhart, Texas): The classic Texas rib is a beef rib, but they also make mean pork ribs in that state—and that's what this classic taste of Texas is. The Texas signature (when the ribs are done beautifully) is redder meat, almost cured-tasting, a little salty, almost a little stringy (like corned beef), but still amazingly juicy. This rib has the perfect proportions of everything, with smoke and salt in some kind of ratio ordained by heaven (they are seasoned only with salt and pepper). The smoke flavor in particular is heavenly; the ribs taste like they were added to what BBQ folks call a "mature" fire, not a "green" fire—which means that the smoke taste is mellow, not acrid or bitter. There's also a decent, reddish-brown BBQ sauce that tastes like it has a little cumin in it. Tied for Best of Show.

(Excerpted from The Rosengarten Report, a newsletter written by David Rosengarten. For information or to subscribe visit davidrosengarten.com.)

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