Nacho Ribs
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If you watch me on Youtube, Instagram, or TikTok it’s not hard to figure out that I have a love affair with smoking and grilling all kinds of ribs. Next, in what seems to be an unending list of ways to make ribs, today I’m sharing my nacho rib recipe. How can you go wrong with luscious pork paired with rich cheese for dipping? Your fingers will get messy with ribs anyway, so why not go for the gusto?
About Gouda Cheese
Gouda is a semi-hard cheese that originated in the Netherlands. The first mention appeared in the late 1200s in Gouda, South Holland. Cheese making was a woman’s tradition passed down from generation to generation. All local cheeses appeared in the farmer’s market for sale. Buyers could sample the goods and haggle on price.
One of the unique attributes of Gouda is the crunchy cheese crystals that grow as the cheese ages, along with caramel notes. If Gouda is not to your liking, you have other options, including:
- Comte – somewhat fruity when young; spicier as it ages
- Edam – salty, nutty, mild until it ages
- Emmental – buttery finish
- Gruyere – earthy flavor increases with age
- Jarlsberg – somewhat like swiss
- Swiss – sweet and mild
- Fontina: Rich, creamy, nutty finish
Ingredients
Nacho Ribs
- Ribs (4-5 spare ribs per person; 6 baby back ribs per person)
- Hot sauce or barbecue sauce
- Cuso’s Hot Honey BBQ Rub
- Whole garlic bulb
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 stick butter
- Sauce
Instructions
Nacho Ribs
- Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees
- Carefully remove the silver skin from the back of the ribs. You can loosen the edges with a small knife, then pull it back with a paper towel for a grip.
- Rub the surface of the ribs with either hot sauce or barbecue sauce, so it’s even on both sides.
- Sprinkle the ribs with Cuso’s Hot Honey BBQ Rub (or another of our flavors).
- Smoke for 90 minutes
- While the ribs smoke, take a whole garlic bulb and slice off the top to expose the cloves.
- Place on aluminum foil.
- Pour Extra Virgin Olive oil on the garlic.
- Move the ribs to aluminum foil with a little sauce and pats of butter, placing it back on the smoker for an hour.
- Smoke the garlic with the ribs. This is a good time to make your sauce.
- When done, pull the ribs and garlic out, slicing the meat after 10 minutes of resting.
Sauce Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Cuso’s Grass Seasoning
- 4 tbsp butter
- 5 cloves roasted garlic
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups Gouda cheese
- Hot sauce to taste
Possible substitutions: Pepper jack or Cheddar instead of Gouda
Possible additions: Paprika, parsley, chives, thyme, cracked pepper, red pepper flakes, chipotle pepper.
Sauce Instructions
- Put all the ingredients but for the cheese in a saucepan.
- Warm until you see little bubbles around the edges
- Maintain that temperature and slowly integrate your cheese
- Mix continually until the cheese melts and everything combines
- Serve warm
- If there are leftovers, put them in a wide-mouthed squeeze bottle and keep them refrigerated.
PitMaster’s Memo: The Gist of Roasted Garlic
The flavor of roasted garlic is delicious, and there are many ways you can use it in your recipes. The flavor of the garlic mellows as it cooks, and it becomes soft. From there, let your imagination run wild. Add it to mayonnaise for sandwiches, mix into smashed potatoes, use it as a base for pesto, and put it on top of a steak before serving. Or, you could make a dip by adding mayo and sour cream, rub it on fresh corn, squish it on fresh bread, or you can eat it as is!
Side Dish
- Black beans
- Chili
- Corn salad
- Mexican slaw
- Spanish rice
- Tortilla soup
From the Bar
- Draft root beer
- Ginger Beer
- Highball
- Pale ale
- Red Moscato
- White Wine
