Woo-hoo! Summertime and the next Novel Food are here!
My choice this round is a book I remember listening to as a child: Dominic. We used to check out the record from the library; it was read by Pat Carroll and I still love that version. Sadly, it's not readily available anymore. The book is still worth reading, though!
Dominic is a dog with ambition. He's ready to see the world, so he sets out to do just that. He has lots of imagination, energy and good cheer. As he starts his adventure, he meets a witch alligator standing at a fork in the road, who directs him down the path of excitement. Almost immediately, he runs into the Doomsday Gang, who plague him (as well as everyone else he meets) for the rest of the novel. He also makes several new friends, as well as inherits a vast treasure. This is a tale with several adventures, fun characters and makes you think about your approach toward life.
There is a lot of food sprinkled throughout the story (tea with a pig on page 26; a wedding feast on page 114), but I wanted to focus on something summery, so I went with meat on the grill.
At one point in the book, some members of the Doomsday Gang see Dominic eating some ribs:
The road now ran alongside a gully, where Dominic discovered a rib cage of a large animal that had perished there quite some time ago. It was like a feast laid out for him, and he was ravenous. Despite their age, the ribs tasted good. In fact, age had added a rich, musty tang, which only a connoisseur of bones could properly appreciate. Dominic gnawed rapturously (68).
Now, seeing as how we're not dogs, this recipe focuses on the meat on the bones. :grin: The rub is listed below in the recommendation section (Bobby Flay!) and it was enough for one rack of baby back ribs. I rubbed that on, popped it in the fridge for about 7 hours and then onto the smoker!
We smoked it for 3½ hours (about 250ºF) and then finished it off on the grill with BBQ sauce, per a couple other recipes we saw (about 10-15 minutes, basting a few times). It's a bit spicy, so I think I'd change the rub a teeny bit: eliminate the cayenne pepper and use spicy paprika instead. And cut back the salt. Otherwise, it's tasty!
We smoked it for 3½ hours (about 250ºF) and then finished it off on the grill with BBQ sauce, per a couple other recipes we saw (about 10-15 minutes, basting a few times). It's a bit spicy, so I think I'd change the rub a teeny bit: eliminate the cayenne pepper and use spicy paprika instead. And cut back the salt. Otherwise, it's tasty!
You don't have to have a smoker to make tasty ribs--use your oven!
Book recommendation: Dominic by William Steig
Recipe recommendation: Rib Dry Rub
YouTube recommendation: GEICO commercial
8 comments:
Hey, we never got our invitation!
Your post reminded me of stories I used to listen to on records when I was a child. They were classic fairy tales. The adventures of Dominic and the Doomsday Gang sound like fun and I like the story of the "aged" ribs. A very nice feast inspired by Dominc :) Thank you so much for contributing to Novel Food!
Gianna--it's a standing invite... I assumed you'd be down when you smelled the smoker heating up. LOL
Thanks, Simona! This truly is my favorite event in which to participate.
Witch alligator? Tea with a pig? Sounds like a great book. The ribs look delicious, too!
Thanks adele! I hope you look it up, as it truly is an imaginative story. The way Dominic makes tea is fun and kinda makes you want to have some...
A book about a dog. A dog with ambition? I love it! And what an inspiration to make ribs! Looks delicious!
Those ribs look gorgeous. Makes me me want to go and make some.
They were delicious! If you've got the time, rub some down and read this book! :D
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