felicity cloake Archives

barbecue ribs

“How to cook perfect barbecue ribs” proclaimed the headline. It would be rude not to give them a try. I knew I had most of the stuff lurking around the office, so after buying some ribs and some sandwich bags from the local supermarket I could marinade everything at lunchtime. By the time I’d got home it had plenty of time to impart flavour.

3 hours of roasting and barbecuing later, I had a pile of ribs to enjoy. What a crushing disappointment. For something labelled “perfect barbecue ribs” there was almost no BBQ flavour at all. Mildly sweet, but all the umami had gone. I note that as per Felicity Cloake’s “perfect” series she runs the gamut of celeb and other chefs to hone in on perfection. She tried Jamie Oliver’s recipe from Jamie’s America, but not the one which to my mind is superior – the one from Jamie At Home. I cooked a whole chicken with it last year, and it’s great. That’s your perfect BBQ rib sauce right there.

Barbecue ribs (serves 4):

2 racks of pork ribs

1 tablespoon Marmite

1 tablespoon English mustard

1½ teaspoon smoked paprika

2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

2½ tablespoons dark muscovado sugar

Mix together the marinade ingredients and rub half all over the ribs. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Pop the ribs in a baking tray and cover with foil. Cook for 2½ hours and baste from time to time.

After 2 hours oven cooking light the barbecue. Once the coals have turned ashen grey, transfer the ribs to the BBQ and cook for around 15 minutes, basting as you go. Make sure they catch a little and go all crispy and gnarly. Eat with baby wipes.

perfect jacket potato

I quite like jacket potatoes, but the observant among you will note I’m more of a roast potato man. To my mind a jacket should be crisp and earthy on the outside, yet fluffy and yielding inside. Is there any other way? Mrs. RP is an absolute fiend for the jak pot however, and could have them every day.

Something else that divides the Roast Potato household is BEANS. BAKED BEANS. I have a rabid, horrific hatred of them. It’s the one food I will turn over tables rather than eat. Even the smell brings me out in a bilious fit. They’re one of Mrs. RP’s favourite foods. This gives me an idea… see next post.

Anyways, I’ve prepared baked potatoes the same way every time: slap a bit of oil on, s&p, bake for a bit. I’d never questioned it. Very un-Heston of me. But then the Guardian comes along comparing tons of methods. Felicity Cloake tries out a few, and summarises her perfect pot. So I tried it.

It was quite good – I still don’t think it’s there. By placing it directly on the rack, you lose that chunky callousy bit which I really like. And somehow the skin goes a bit papery. I prefer mine a little thicker. It’s tasty though, but needs a little work. Give it a try, see what you think. Or, how do you do it?

Perfect jacket potato:

1 large Vivaldi potato per person

A shedload of Maldon salt

Pre-heat the oven to 220°C.

Wash the potatoes thoroughly, and don’t bother drying. Roll in salt and pop in the oven straight on the rack.

Bake for 1 hour, until tender inside. Don’t serve with beans.