Meat-lovers can’t go past those delicious morsels on the bone, writes Tim Elliott.

Craig Macindoe doesn’t like meat, he loves it. Jamon, chorizo, grass-fed beef, meatballs … chooks, ducks, pigs, fish – if it has eyes and a pulse, Macindoe will eat it. But there is a special table in the big man’s heart reserved for ribs.

”Everyone loves ribs,” the owner of Mumu Grill, Crows Nest, says. ”There’s a primal aspect to them: you get your hands dirty, sauce dribbles down your chin. It’s great for social occasions, like barbecues, because you put your bib on, lose your pretentiousness and dig in.”

And his admiration is in line with summer’s top barbecue ingredient.

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Macindoe’s barbecued ribs. Photo: Danielle Smith
Macindoe started cooking ribs in 1988 at Sydney’s Hard Rock Cafe, when he was 17. ”Back then we cooked them with a barbecue sauce made from pickled watermelon rind.”

But it wasn’t until 1991, when he set up a Hard Rock Cafe in Hawaii, that he discovered the particular esteem in which ribs are regarded by Americans. ”Ribs are all about the process, not the initial product,” he says. ”Over there they have a real love of building your own barbecue and smoking them for four hours in your own special wood chips. And they pride themselves on different ribs, sauces and marinades.”

These days Mumu Grill hosts five or six Rib Fests a year ($45 for all you can eat); Macindoe also holds rib cooking classes twice monthly. ”People want to feel confident at barbecues. Most of them feel intimidated by the time it takes to prepare ribs, because it can be quite slow and you need patience.”

The meat on ribs are the intercostal muscles, designed to hold the ribcage together. Consequently, ribs are tough. This traditionally made them a cheap cut, which cooks gussied up with a kaleidoscope of sauces.

The recent vogue of the cut has pushed the price of pork ribs from $10 a kilogram wholesale three years ago to $16.50. Other options are beef back ribs or, for a slightly fattier meat, lamb ribs. The essential ingredient is patience. ”You can’t rush it. You need to braise the ribs … 2½ hours before you put them on the barbecue.”

Pork spare ribs
Cater 500 grams to 750 grams of ribs a person (two to three kilograms for four people). In a large, oven-proof dish with a lid, make a sauce with 500 grams whole, unskinned cumquats, five peeled mandarins, 250 grams long red chillis, 120 grams garlic and two litres Coca-Cola. Add half a tablespoon star anise, half a cinnamon quill, one tablespoon Sichuan pepper, season to taste. Add ribs; if sauce doesn’t cover them, add Chinese cooking wine. Braise ribs, covered, in oven on low heat for at least 2½ hours or until meat is coming off the bone and sauce has reduced. Remove ribs and blend sauce with a stick blender. Return ribs to sauce and allow to cool. Cook ribs on barbecue at full heat for 10 minutes; allow them to char but turn every minute or so and paint liberally with sauce. “The sauce will caramelise,” Macindoe says. “It’s all about the colour – you want that lovely, dark brown gloss.” Serve with beer.

Serves 4

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/cuisine/improvise-and-add-rib-20111126-1nztg.html#ixzz1fF8vMBXh

February
Wednesday 1st 6pm
Thursday 2nd 6pm
Friday 3rd 12 midday
Wednesday 8th 6pm
Friday 10th 12 midday
Saturday 11th 2pm

Sunday 12th 12midday and 5pm

Monday 13th 6pm

Wednesday 15th 6pm

Thursday 16th 6pm

Friday 17th 12midday

Sunday 19th 12midday and 5pm

New Dates will go up 5weeks in advance

Please email prefered 3 dates to Cooking@mumugrill.com.au and we will allocate classes

Classes are 3hours long.
Please be on time we will start dead on time.

Where we match a number of dishes with beer, as well as cook with beer. The dinners are limited to 24 persons and can be booked at different dates for birthdays, bucks, special or corporate events.

Our aim is to showcase the different flavours of the different styles of beer, as well as introduce the concept of beer with desert or an accompaniment to food in general as an alternative to wine.

I  organised a test dinner if you like with some regulars and social media friends to test the food, beer and overall experience.  So we can deliver a superior quality product at the right price to the consumer. Sort of, a focus group, I know why were you not invited. Sorry. That’s the gig and somebody has to do it.

Menu

Grass fed Angus Pure Beef Tartare on cruets as a welcome starter matched with Moo Brew Hefeweizen

“A classic German Wheat beer, this is naturally cloudy with a vibrant yellow colour and strong foam head.” (Moorilla website)

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18 mth Jamon Serrano matched with Murray’s Pilsner.

“Murray’s Pilsner is our interpretation of Pilsner made vaguely in the North German style. Made with classic German malts and using a traditional pilsner/lager process of cold fermentation and extended conditioning periods, Murray’s Pilsner is the only bottle-conditioned Pilsner brewed in Australia. This retains the freshness of the beer by eliminating oxidation”

Oysters  natural matched with Marstons Oyster Stout.

“Traditionally in London at about the time of Dickens, Stout and Oysters were the poor man’s meal, taken as good hearty tasty food.

There are no Oysters in Oyster Stout, but the association is well established and you can now enjoy this great tasting traditional English Stout.

The unique character of Oyster Stout is brought about by fermentation with the Marston’s strain of yeast. Taken from the Burton Unions, this yeast is very active and gives full attenuation of beer giving a dry clean after-palate.

English Aroma Hops, Fuggles and Goldings are added for their fruity, floral and spicy contribution to the taste with the majority of the bitterness coming from the roasted malts. The final result is a rich, dark and extremely creamy smooth stout with good character and strength.”

Slow cooked pork shoulder cooked in beer and sage matched with  Pigs Fly Pale Ale.

“For those of you who appreciate how a good beer is crafted, pale ales are made using a pure pale malt, fermented with a top fermenting ale yeast. This very clever yeast allows a faster and warmer fermentation than a lager, and the pale malt gives the beer its golden-copper colour. This warmer fermentation process allows for the formation of esters. Esters give the brew a distinct fruity or citrus aroma. Special yeast strains can also be used to give a nutty or savoury character.

What about that fantastic taste? Well it’s all down to the hops. Hops give beer a bit of backbone and character. We use two types of hops in Pigs Fly Pale Ale. Cascade hops which give it that fruity, floral taste at the front of your palate, while the chinook hops bring it all home with a unique bitterness at the back.” Pigs Fly website

Angus pure T-Bone cooked Tagilatta style slow cooked with rosemary and garlic matched with Knapstein Reserve Ale

Braised Cuttlefish and Chorizo matched with Red Emperor Red Ale.

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And Lastly Sour Cherry Chocolate Tart with Moo Brew Dark ale .

“This American brown ale presents dark with a hint of brooding sherry-red.”

I have used the photos from the food bloggers who came to the event. My thanks goes out to them please click on the photos to see what they thought of the event. I had a great time but I would rather you get their opinion.

February

Saturday 11th. 10am, 11am,

Saturday 25th 10am, 11am, 2pm

March

Saturday 10th 10am, 11am and 2pm

Saturday 17th 10am, 11am and 2pm

please email your prefered dates to cooking@mumugrill.com.au with your contact details and Scott will contact you back to allocate your class.

Thanks Craig

Join father & daughter winemakers Howard and Christobelle Anderson in celebration of Howard’s 40 years of making sparkling wines. Enjoy a delicious 7 course degustation dinner matched to a range of our sparkling whites and reds

Thursday July 21, 2011

$140pp, bookings essential. Call 02 94606877.

Jamon serrano with catalan bread served at the bar on arrival
2000 Pinot noir Chardonnay

King fish ceviche with mint & jalepeno salsa
2002 Sparkling Chenin blanc

13 hour pork shoulder with poached pear, rhubarb & cavalo nero
2004 Sparkling Shiraz

Organic lamb shoulder with watercress and eggplant salad and celeriac chips
2002 Cellar block sparkling Shiraz

Victorian grass fed eye fillet marinated in horseradish and white anchovies served with greens and pontiac mash.
2005 Sparkling Durif

Selection of cheeses with house made bread and fig chutney
1992 Sparkling Shiraz

Poached fruit with sheeps milk labna and persian fairy floss
2011 Sparkling Lizzie.

Join us for a unique Wine Club event at Mumu Bar & Grill where Krinklewood
Biodynamic Pork will be served along side Krinklewood Biodynamic Wines.

Thursday 1st September, 7pm.
at Mumu Bar & Grill
1-6/70-76 Alexander St, Crows Nest.

MENU

Bahn Mi Sliders served with 2009 Sparkling Blanc de Blanc

Tempura Broccolini with Tomato Jelly and Pulled Pork served with 2010 Krinklewood Verdelho

Pork Belly with Pickled Watermelon, Jerusalem Artichoke, Watercress and Dark Beer Sambal

served with 2009 Krinklewood Chardonnay

Chargrilled Pork Hock with Celeriac Remoulade and Son-in-law Egg

served with 2004 Krinklewood Chardonnay
Slow Roasted Shoulder with Bread Pudding and a Spiced Pear & Baked Rhubarb Sauce

served with 2009 Krinklewood Shiraz

Candied Vanilla Cheek Ice Cream, Ginger Bread and Poached Winter Fruits served with 2010 Lucia Dessert wine

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL AS PLACES ARE LIMITED.
$110 per person.
Bookings on 94606877