Serves 4 to 6

For easier pounding, cut any ribs that are longer than 5 inches in half crosswise.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Boneless country-style ribs present several cooking challenges. Each piece not only varies wildly from the next, but is also a mishmash of lean white meat and rich dark meat. Unfortunately, if the ribs are cooked to optimize the white meat, then the dark meat stays tough, and if they are cooked to optimize the dark meat, the white meat turns dry and chalky. To even out the cooking, we brined the ribs so that the white meat would stay juicy and pounded the ribs to an even ¾-inch thickness to “break down” the fattier dark meat. As for flavor, a double layer of barbecue spice and sauce and a quick smoke on the grill turned these ribs into something to sing about.

MAKES 2/3 CUP, ENOUGH FOR 4 STEAKS

If you do not have Madeira on hand, sherry makes a fine substitute.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
The goal in developing our filet mignon recipe was to replicate the best restaurant filet at home, with a rich, brown crust and a tender interior, topped with a luscious pan sauce. To cook our filets perfectly, inside and out, we pan-seared evenly cut, well-dried filets in a 10-inch heavy-bottomed skillet, then transferred the meat to a hot oven. Finishing the steak in the oven prevented the fond—the richly flavored brown bits in the bottom of the pan—from burning and gave us time to start the sauce, which we made in minutes while the steaks were in the oven.

SERVES 4

Serve smothered chops with a starch to soak up the rich gravy. Simple egg noodles were the test kitchen favorite, but rice or mashed potatoes also taste great.

Serves 6

To keep the meat attached to the bone during the long simmering process, tie a piece of twine around the thickest portion of each shank before it is browned. Use a zester, vegetable peeler, or paring knife to remove the zest from a single lemon, then mince it with a chef’s knife. With the lid on the pot cracked, the braising liquid should reduce to a sauce-like consistency in the oven. Just before serving, taste the liquid and, if it seems too thin, simmer the liquid on the stovetop as you remove the strings from the osso buco and arrange them in individual bowls.

Serves 8

The leaner flat-cut brisket is the better choice for this recipe. The thicker point cut is much fattier-a good thing on the grill, where the excess fat can drip away, but a disadvantage in a slow cooker, where the fat can make the sauce greasy. If you end up with an especially thick piece of brisket, extend the cooking time to 11 hours.

Serves 8 to 10

Ham or pork hocks are available smoked and cured or just smoked. Although either will work in this recipe, smoked and cured hocks (which are deep red) will provide the best flavor. We prefer to use Boston butt for this recipe, but a picnic roast can be used instead. You will need a 6-quart slow cooker for this recipe. Don’t be tempted to speed up the process by turning the cooker to the high setting—the pork will have a decidedly boiled texture. Serve the pork piled high on white bread or hamburger buns, with plenty of coleslaw and pickle chips on top. To warm up leftovers, add 1 tablespoon water for every cup of pork and heat in a large skillet over medium-low heat until warmed through.

Serves 4

While heating the peppercorns in oil tempers much of their pungent heat, this recipe is still pretty spicy. If you prefer a very mild pepper flavor, drain the cooled peppercorns in a fine-mesh strainer in step 1, toss them with 5 tablespoons of fresh oil, add the salt, and proceed. Serve with either Port Cherry Reduction or Blue Cheese Chive Butter.

Makes about 1½ cups

Classic barbecue sauce must simmer for a long time for the whole tomatoes in it to break down. However, we found that starting with ketchup can shorten the process. Use this sauce as you would any other barbecue sauce—either brushed on foods during the last minutes of grilling or served at the table as a dipping sauce with ribs or brisket.

Where there’s smoke, there’s flavor.

Serves 4

To make this recipe, you will need a baking stone, a sturdy baking sheet with a 1-inch rim, and a wire cooling rack that fits inside it. It’s fine if the ribs overlap slightly on the rack. In step 1, removing the surface fat keeps the ribs from being too greasy. And, removing the membrane from the ribs allows the smoke to penetrate both sides of the racks and also makes the ribs easier to eat. Note that the ribs must be coated with the rub and refrigerated at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours ahead of cooking. Be careful when opening the crimped foil to add the juice, as hot steam and smoke will billow out.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
When the craving for barbecued ribs strikes in the dead of winter, you’re out of luck unless you visit the local rib joint. There are recipes for oven barbecuing, but the smoke-flavored sauce they use is no substitute for actual smoke. We wanted the real thing, but prepared indoors.

St. Louis–style ribs, which have been trimmed of skirt meat and excess cartilage, work best here. We started with a spice rub as we would for grilling, but found that a thin coating of mustard, ketchup, and garlic helped the rub adhere. We tried wood chips in a stovetop smoker, but we had difficulty fitting the ribs in the pan, it’s hard to find wood chips in wintertime—and the smoke-filled kitchen was the clincher. We gave up on wood chips and instead borrowed a Chinese cooking method of smoking over tea leaves. Lapsang Souchong tea, which itself has a smoky flavor, worked perfectly when we ground it fine. Chilling the ribs first helped prevent toughening in the oven’s initial high heat. Apple juice, a common ingredient in barbecue “mops,” added moisture and more flavor. And running the ribs under the broiler at the end browned and crisped them. These tender, smoky, and spicy ribs taste amazingly like those barbecued on the grill, but can be made any time of the year.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/test-kitchen-community/2012/08/best-of-the-best-day-eight-oven-barbecued-ribs-2/

Serves 6 to 8

If you can’t find chuck and/or sirloin, substitute any 85 percent lean ground beef. Handle the meat gently; it should be thoroughly combined but not pastelike. To avoid using the broiler, glaze the loaf in a 500-degree oven; increase cooking time for each interval by 2 to 3 minutes.