Instructions: Eckhardt

Everybody wants Wes to bring his ribs to a barbecue. He even knocks off from work early to give them enough time to cook.

After building a cool fire in his oil-drum pit, with a baffle over the coals, Wes puts on a side of pork ribs to cook and begins mopping each side with his mop sauce, He sits out in the backyard and reads or talks to his wife or plays with his little boy whom he calls Honey-and about every 20 minutes, he goes back to the barbecue pit, mops the ribs, and turns them.

He doesnt necessarily cover the pit, but he might, just depends. After 4 hours, the ribs are done enough to suit Wes. The way he can tell is this: he takes a pair of kitchen tongs and lifts up one end of the ribs. The meat should be real flexible and bend almost double without threatening to break.

When I first started cooking ribs by this method, everybody told me I was crazy. It couldnt possibly take 4 hours to cook little skinny ribs. They quit arguing after they ate them.

Need I mention that if the fire is too hot you will burn them to a crisp.

Take Wess advice. Be parsimonious with the fire. Just a little heat, a lot of smoke, mop and turn the ribs regularly, and by nighttime youll have the best damn barbecued ribs you ever ate.

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