Grilling season begins...

Sure, I grill year round, but not to the level of what I do in the spring and summer, simply because of nicer weather and more time worth spending outside.

I had to work early Sunday morning, so there was no way to go out for a Mother's Day brunch as we usually do, so instead my awesome wife suggested I grill her some Kansas City ribs that we saw on America's Test Kitchen on PBS. I've usually preferred the cleaner taste of a dry rub and have the option to add BBQ sauce if I so desire, but this recipe for sweet, smoky, spicy and sticky sauce looked too good to pass up. I made the sauce on Saturday while grilling up about 8 flanks for a neighbor throwing a communion party, figuring if it sat for a day the flavors would meld even better. Didn't get any pics of the process, or of the baked beans I made as part of the recipe that sat in a pan under the ribs for two hours. Some grilled corn finished out the meal, and it was good. Sticky and good.

The recipe called for the ribs to be wrapped in foil for the last hour of smoking. Some time I'd like to try one rack wrapped and the other not, to see how much of a difference it really makes. I always trust America's Test Kitchen's recipes, because they try every different permutation, and if they say wrapping the ribs in foil makes them more moist, then I'd have to agree. These just fell apart, held together more by the crisp exterior of the meat than anything else.

Memorial Day weekend is coming up, and I really want to try out my new rotisserie for the Weber Performer. Mike does ribs using his S650 rotisserie, so mine would be over coals - not sure if that would matter, but I'm looking to inaugurate it with a good old chicken. If I can make it as good as the ones at Sam's Club, I'll be thrilled.

But first, next weekend is our long-delayed Eastover party, and I'm doing my brisket... again, recipe compliments of ATK. 04:00 wakeup call on Saturday!