Tony Roma's Baby Back Ribs

Spring Chicken

My Sweetie, Spring Hen, sent this to me. She found it in Asesome Cookbook. I read it over and stopped dead in my tracks at the first sentence. Let me know what y'all think.

Tony Roma's Baby Back Ribs
Begin the day before, by preheating the oven to 500 degrees (that's right). I normally use two racks of baby back pork ribs (they may be dry−rubbed or just use salt and pepper). Take a 2−piece broiling pan, pour about 1/2 inch of water in the lower portion and put the upper half, the part with the drain holes, in place. Now, lay the two racks of ribs side by side on top. Avoid overlapping them or hanging them off the edge of the pan. Form a tent and seal tightly around the perimeter of the broiler with extra heavy−duty aluminum foil. You may need to fold two sheets together to get enough width. It is crucial that the seal is tight! If the water evaporates, the end
product will suffer (not to mention you and your guests). Also, make sure that the foil does not lay on the ribs.

Bake for one hour, exactly. This essentially steams the ribs at high temp. Cool the ribs, still covered, remove them from the pan, then wrap tighly and chill overnight in the fridge. This step is important. The ribs must be cold for the next phase. You can reserve the liquid, which is basically rib stock, reduce/strain and add to the barbecue sauce if you like. It adds a unique, meaty flavor.

Start your grill. I prefer charcoal, you may prefer wood or gas. You want a hot grill for this and you'll need to be attentive because timing is of the essence here. Place the racks on the grill and when they reach a golden, bubbly stage (3−4 min.), turn them and coat with a good barbecue sauce. Bullseye Original works well, but I've found that any quality sauce will do fine, so use your favorite. After the other side has browned, turn and coat it. Cook the sauce into the ribs for a couple of minutes on each side, then remove, slice and serve. A word of caution: The ribs will be so tender that the meat
will literally fall off the bone when you try to turn the racks on the grill. It is helpfull to have two sets of large tongs and be very, very gentle.

Spring "Slow Cooker" Chicken
Spring Texas USA

Fidel

I've had their ribs - twice. Their ribs do not impress me in the least. I went back because I was certain the first time was an anomaly since Tony Roma's claims to be "the place for ribs". I was mistaken. I would not want to attempt their method if it would mean duplicating their results.

Sad thing, there are many people in this world that swear ribs are supposed to be par-boiled. In this case steamed, but either method is not true BBQ in my book.

I have baby backs on right now that have been on about 90 minutes. It is 2:00. Dinner is at 6:00 - or whenever the ribs tell me it is dinner time.

Hope things are going well out in Texas sir.

FlaPoolman

Reminds me of the old days of par boiling before I knew better. Maybe we could all chip in and buy Tony an EGG.

DynaGreaseball

Normally, I wouldn't admit that I go to Tony Romas, especially in here, but we have one that's about 5 miles away. As long as no one knows where we're going when we pull out of the driveway, we'll go there--usually because I don't have any coming off the egg any time soon. But, I'm like Fidel. They're not all that. Yes, they're tender, but they're not nearly as flavorful as the ones I cook. Also, they have 3 BBQ Sauces to choose from on every table. You'd think at least one of them would be some good.

No one makes 'em as good as those that come off the egg.

Cookinegger

The same can be said of cooking a turkey. Some methods use a tent of foil that keeps the moisture inside. This has the effect of steaming the inside of the bird. Although it speeds up the process, the result is closer to boiling the bird in a pot of water and farther from slow roasting. I usually slow roast turkeys in the oven, shield the white meat, and baste frequently. The result is very good. At least that was how I did it until a couple weeks ago when I smoked a 10-lb turkey on the BGE. The result was hands down the best tasting turkey I ever ate. The only thing lacking was the dressing.

milesofsmiles

Never heard of Tony Roma. Miles out.

fieroguy

I rate Tony Romas ribs a step below Sonny's, and that is pretty l-o-w.
I haven't sampled either in over a year. Guess how long I've had my egg!

Mike
30833

Broc

People have heard of Tony Roma as far away as Naples.

But -- Paris, Innsbruch, London -- he's an unknown...

tomo

We have had ribs twice at Tony Roma's. One was ok. The other one was horrible. Never been back...tom