Recipe: Barbecued Mutton Ribs

the appetizer:

America's Best BBQ: 100 Recipes from America's Best Smokehouses, Pits, Shacks, Rib Joints, Roadhouses, and Restaurants by Chef Paul Kirk and Ardie Davis, includes recipes like Barbecued Pork Loin; Beer-Battered Cod with Tartar Sauce; Barbecued Mutton Ribs; and Buffalo (Bison) Bratwurst with Cheese and Jalapeños.

Cookbook

Barbecued Mutton Ribs

Serves 6 to 8

Southside Market & Barbeque
1212 Hwy. 290 Elgin, TX 78621
1-877-487-8015 or 512-285-3407 www.southsidemarket.com

Southside Market in Elgin, which was named the Sausage Capital of Texas in 1995, was a must-stop for Paul while making his way through the hill country of Texas. A little more than 1.5 million pounds of hot sausage is made annually in Elgin (pronounced "El-gun"). Elgin sausage is also known by its more affectionate names, Texas Hot Gut and Elgin Hot Guts.

Fresh beef and pork seasoned with secret herbs and spices make Southside Market's sausage unique. Produced since 1882, the original "hot" was toned down in the 1970s to appeal to a broader base of consumers. Forget about getting the original recipe for Southside Market's Texas Hot Gut. It's a trade secret, or at least a corporate secret.

When Paul got in line to order a link of Hot Gut and some brisket, something else caught his eye: mutton. So he ordered a mutton rib. Many Central Texas barbecue joints serve barbecued mutton, as well as goat, a.k.a. cabrito. It is usually cut into fist-size pieces called "chuck barbecue."

Here is Paul's version of the mutton ribs he enjoyed for lunch at Southside Market.

Barbecued Mutton Ribs

1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup coarse ground black pepper
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons granulated garlic
1 tablespoon cayenne
2 mutton breast (ribs), trimmed

Preheat your smoker to 375 degrees F. Combine the salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic, and cayenne and blend well.

Sprinkle the mutton breast all over with the rub and rub it in. Place on your smoker and cook indirectly for 4 to 5 hours until done, turning every 1-1/2 hours. The ribs are done when you can take two side-by-side ribs and tear them apart easily.

from:
America's Best BBQ:
100 Recipes from America's Best Smokehouses, Pits, Shacks, Rib Joints, Roadhouses, and Restaurants
by Chef Paul Kirk, CWC, PhB, BSAS and Ardie A. Davis, PhB
Andrews McMeel 2009
Paperback; 240pp; U.S.: $19.99 Canada: $24.50
ISBN-10: 0740778110
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-7811-7
Recipe reprinted by permission.

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