Rendezvous-Style Direct Heat Pork Riblets
Chapter 2 — The Meats
If Central Texas brisket is high gospel, Charlie Vergos's Rendezvous is the punk-rock underground of Memphis barbecue. Since 1948, this basement joint has ignored every rule of Southern low-and-slow smoking, cooking ribs hot and fast over direct charcoal with zero wood, no stall, and no sweet glaze. The flavor comes entirely from pork fat vaporizing on glowing coals, finished with a heavy, savory Greek-inspired rub of oregano, garlic, and celery seed. This method adapts that legendary 18-inch-gap basement technique for a backyard kettle or kitchen oven, yielding ribs that are tender, firm, and uncompromisingly authentic.
Before you start
Remove the silverskin membrane from the back of the ribs using a butter knife and a paper towel for grip.
While Rendezvous traditionally leaves the membrane on to protect the meat from intense heat, removing it allows our home-kitchen mop to penetrate deeper.
Lightly salt the ribs and let them rest in the fridge for two to four hours.
This dry brine acts as an osmotic pump, pulling seasoning deep into the pork.
Whisk together the paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, three tablespoons of salt, black pepper, celery seeds, mustard seed, oregano, thyme, allspice, and coriander to create the Greek-Memphis rub.
Make a large batch, as it keeps for months in an airtight container.
Combine the vinegar, water, ketchup, and three tablespoons of the dry rub to create the mop.
Do not apply the remaining dry rub to the raw meat yet, as the raw spices will burn over direct heat.
Ingredients
- pork baby back ribs4 lb
- kosher salt1 tsp
- sweet American paprika8 tbsp
- garlic powder4 tbsp
- mild chili powder4 tbsp
- kosher salt3 tbsp
- black pepper3 tbsp
- whole celery seed2 tbsp
- celery seed1 tbsp
- whole yellow mustard seed4 tsp
- dried Greek oregano1 tbsp
- dried thyme1 tbsp
- whole allspice berries4 tsp
- ground coriander1 tsp
- distilled white vinegar1 cup
- water1 cup
- ketchup1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Configure your grill for a high-heat, two-zone fire.
Bank a full chimney of lit hardwood charcoal to one side of a kettle grill to achieve a steady dome temperature of 325°F to 350°F.
- 02
Place the ribs on the indirect side of the grill and paint them heavily with the vinegar mop.
Close the lid and completely bypass the stall phase; there is no foil wrap here, so leave the meat naked to absorb the charcoal vapor.
- 03
Flip and baste the ribs aggressively with the mop every fifteen minutes.
Right after mopping, briefly hold the ribs directly over the hot coals for about sixty seconds, letting the mop and rendering fat drip onto the fire to create a white smoke that washes the meat in complex flavor.
- 04
Check for a 195°F internal temperature and the signature bend.
After 60 to 75 minutes, the meat should shrink back from the bones, and when picked up from the center with tongs, both ends should droop down into an inverted U-shape.
- 05
Rest the meat briefly before executing the final mop and dusting.
Remove the ribs to a cutting board, apply one final heavy coat of the mop while they are still blisteringly hot, and immediately shower them generously with the dry rub. A 15-minute rest is sufficient, though an hour in an insulated cooler will make them even more tender.
Notes
For honest indoor barbecue, utilize a kitchen oven and a touch of liquid smoke.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of high-quality liquid smoke to the vinegar mop, bake the ribs on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet at 350°F for 75 minutes while mopping every 15 minutes, and flash them under the broiler for 2 to 4 minutes at the end to simulate the char.
Authentic Rendezvous ribs require absolutely zero wood smoke.
Use 100% hardwood lump charcoal. If you are desperate for wood smoke, a single chunk of hickory or pecan is acceptable, but it strays from the Memphis basement gospel.
Bypass the stall completely and never wrap the meat.
Because we are cooking at a blistering 350°F, we completely bypass the evaporative cooling phase known as the stall. Do not wrap these ribs in foil.
From Cook BBQ at Home.