60-Minute Ribs Dreamland Style

I went to Dreamland in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with a chip on my shoulder. I had heard about how they cook their ribs, and it sounded all wrong. I had a couple of barbecue mavens with me so I would have validation of my inevitable disdain: Dave Raymond, creator of Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce and restaurants, and Barry Sorkin, the man who makes my favorite barbecue in Chicago at Smoque BBQ.

Dreamland has been around since 1958, and not much has changed. Even on a bright summer day, it is dark, worn, creaky, and smoke stained. Straight to the back is the aged brick grill, right on the edge of the dining room.

When John “Big Daddy” Bishop opened the first Dreamland, he cooked his whole sparerib slabs hot and fast 30 to 36 inches above burning logs. That’s direct heat—all wrong. Well, I’m here to tell you that those ribs were all right with Sweet Baby Ray, Barry, and me.

Because they cook in an hour or two, they are very different from low-and-slow ribs that can take up to 6 hours, like my Last-Meal Ribs (page 206). First of all, there’s the flavor. Before the sauce is applied, there’s some charring on the surface. It still tastes like pork, but there is a distinct overtone of a hot grilled steak, and it is a luscious surprise. It comes by its special personality from the radiant heat, the hot metal grates the meat rests on, the wood embers, and the drippings that hit those embers and are vaporized and borne back up to light on the meat. Part of the secret is that the logs have been mostly reduced to embers, so they put out little smoke, but every now and then, the pitmaster throws another log on the fire and it belches smoke.

The other big difference is one you would expect: texture. These ribs have some chew. Now, mind you, they are not tough, they just chew more like a strip steak than most other Southern-style ribs.

You can make Dreamland-style ribs at home. The trick is in the grill setup. You will need a charcoal or wood-burning grill, and you need a way to get the meat at least 24 inches above the coals. A bullet smoker like the Weber Smokey Mountain is perfect for the job. Just remove the water pan and cook on the top grate. Or you can simply make a campfire and suspend a grate above it. You will also need a long-handled pair of tongs because the cooker will discharge smoke every time you toss on the wood.

Makes 2 servings

Takes 2 hours

1. Prep. Skin and trim the ribs (see opposite page) and rinse off any bone chips. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper 1 to 3 hours before cooking. Press the seasoning into the meat so that it doesn’t fall off during cooking.

2. Fire up. Fire up a good bed of charcoal or embers 2 coals deep and wait until they are covered with white ash. Throw on some wood. If you have logs, use some that are about one third the size of a baseball bat. If you have chunks, 4 fist-size chunks should do the job. Chips or pellets will quickly burn, so I don’t recommend using them here.

3. Cook. Put the meat on the grill, lid off, and turn it every 5 to 10 minutes, watching to make sure it browns but does not burn. Add more wood every 30 minutes or so. After 1 hour or so, depending on your setup, it should start getting bronze in color. At this point, stop adding wood.

4. Serve. When the slab passes the bend test (see page 206), leave the ribs on the grill for a little longer, meat side down, until the fatty spots verge on blackening. If you’re not sure they’re ready, cut off a bone and taste. Paint a coating of sauce over the ribs, and you’re ready to roll with the tide.