Barbecue Journey with Dan ‘The Man’ — Spare Ribs Cooked in Sauerkraut

Reuben.

The menu named always appealed to me no matter that I had never tasted many of its contents. Corned beer? No idea what that was. Sauerkraut? I hope I pronounced it correctly. Swiss cheese? Now, that, I know and love.

I worked as a line cook at Canasawacta Country Club in Norwich one summer during college, and the famed Reuben was ordered by many coming off the course. It was standard lunch fare, though I never tried it.

My mother hates cabbage, so "sour cabbage," or "sauerkraut," was never on the menu at home. To this day, corned beef brings a scowl to her face. Put them together and I'm not sure what would happen.

I tried a Reuben one slow day at the club. It's not my favorite sandwich. I seem to have inherited a dislike for cabbage products. However, I tolerated it.

I have since almost acquired a taste of the sandwich and the kraut, so when it came time to make spare ribs in sauerkraut from the book "Ribs, Chops, Steaks, and Wings," I wasn't afraid of it, though I knew I probably wouldn't care for it.

This recipe is certainly for the kraut lovers. If you aren't a fan of it, you probably won't like this. Because the ribs cook over the kraut and potatoes, the flavor is infused in the ribs.

I am not crazy about sauerkraut, but I did like this recipe. I give it a 5 out of 10.

Big Chuck Tries It

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Here's what you need:

2 -- 27 oz. cans of sauerkraut, drained
1 -- medium onion, diced
3 -- Russett potatoes, diced
1/2 tsp -- sugar
1 TBS -- caraway seeds
1/2 tsp -- salt
1/2 tsp -- black pepper
1 -- slab of spare ribs (4 pounds)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Make sauerkraut mixture

In a large mixing bowl, combine sauerkraut, onion, sugar and caraway seeds. Spread evenly into bottom of 9x13 baking pan.

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3. Spread potatoes

Spread potatoes over sauerkraut

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4. Add ribs, wrap pan in foil

Peel membrane off the back of the ribs and season with salt and pepper. Cut ribs into four pieces to better fit in baking pan. Place on top of potatoes, overlapping where necessary. Then wrap entire thing in foil. Bake in oven for 90 minutes.

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