You can’t go far in the Tri-City area without coming across apartment and condo buildings, many without yards or patios in each unit. Those that do have outdoor spaces often come with strict rules regarding the use of outdoor cooking equipment. That said, it is likely that most folks residing in apartments and condos don’t have regular access to a full outdoor kitchen.
That’s not to say, however, that us apartment dwellers don’t get cravings for good, homemade BBQ! In the absence of a smoker and good old charcoal grill, the opportunity to make high-quality, low and slow BBQ favorites can be easily lost on many.
Regardless of your dwelling situation, chances are more than likely that you have a stove and oven. I’m here to tell you that contrary to popular belief, this is all you need to make a delicious, meat-forward BBQ meal that will impress your guests, and maybe even have them questioning how much an outdoor kitchen is needed.
Let’s start with my all-time BBQ favorite: Baby back ribs. Given how delicious they turn out when slow cooked at a low 200 Fahrenheit for hours on end, it’s as if they want to be cooked in the oven as opposed to the grill. Yes, it is true that you won’t get the additional smoke flavor you would from a traditional low and slow smoking session, however, there is an important consideration to be made: Ribs only take on the smoke flavor until it reaches 165F. After that, they run the risk of drying out.
Another favorite is smoked hot links. The good news here is that most of the links we cook at home have already been fully cooked, and this is a reheating effort. To best do this, I recommend heating links to 165 in the oven, then marking them in a piping hot cast iron grill pan. This will give the flavor and appearance of the traditional smoked hot link.
Making your own or buying a good quality barbecue sauce is the best way to get the smoky flavor incorporated into your BBQ. A strong recommendation: Try to avoid using liquid smoke at all costs! Though it is marketed as a quality, flavor-enhancing product, it tends to be immediately recognizable and will overpower your hard work.
Oven-baked baby back ribsÂ
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 racks ribs
Yellow mustard
BBQ sauce (Optional)
Directions
Gather ingredients and preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Remove silverskin from the back of ribs (Google this step). Mix dry ingredients in a bowl until combined, apply a thin coat of yellow mustard to bind, and apply rub generously to ribs.
Wrap ribs tightly in foil and transfer to a sheet pan. Bake at 250 for three hours covered, then open foil and cook for an additional two hours. Remove racks from foil and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F for the last 30 minutes of cooking.
If using BBQ sauce: After the final 30 minutes, add sauce on all sides of the rack. Place back into 350F oven for up to 10 minutes constantly monitoring to ensure sauce does not burn. (I typically do one rack dry rub and one with sauce).
Let ribs rest for 10 minutes before serving.
John Schinkel-Kludjian is a lifelong Fremont resident who completed his culinary education at Laney College in Oakland. He specializes in, and has a passion for French, Italian, Chinese and modern American cuisines. Professionally, he works in nonprofit development. His spare time is spent as a member of the Rotary Club of Mission San Jose, Fremont Elks Lodge 2121 and the Washington Hospital Healthcare Foundation. John resides in Niles with his husband, Marty. Questions, comments? Jo****************@gm***.com
